Jewish Theological Seminary

www.jtsa.edu

Basic History
The Jewish Theological Seminary was founded in 1886 through the efforts of two distinguished rabbis, Dr. Sabato Morais and Dr. H. Pereira Mendes, along with a group of prominent lay leaders from Sephardic congregations in Philadelphia and New York. Its mission was to preserve the knowledge and practice of historical Judaism and in 1887, the first class of ten students was held in the vestry of the Spanish-Portuguese Synagogue, New York City's oldest congregation.

Basic Beliefs
Chancellor Ismar Schorsch posits in his monograph "The Sacred Cluster:  The Core Values of Conservative Judaism" the seven basic values that bind Conservative Jews together. First is the centrality of Modern Israel as the birthplace of the Jewish people as well as its final destiny. The next core value is the irreplaceable language of Jewish expression, Hebrew. The many layers of the language mirror the cultures in which Jews perpetuated Judaism. More than just communication, the Hebrew worlds reflect religious meaning, moral values and literary associations. The third value in The Sacred Cluster is the devotion to the ideal of Klal Yisrael, the unfractured totality of Jewish existence and the significance of every Jew. Fourth is the defining role of torah in the reshaping of Judaism after the loss of political sovereignty in 63 B.C.E. and the Second Temple in 70 C.E. to the Romans. Fifth is the study of Torah as a Canon without closure. The sixth value is the governance of Jewish life by Halakha, which expresses the fundamental thrust of Judaism to concretize ethics and theology into daily practice. The ultimate and overarching core value to The Sacred Cluster is a belief in God as a felt presence rather than a visible form, a voice rather than a vision.

Leadership
Chancellor and President of Faculties - Ismar Schorsch
Provost - Jack Wertheimer
Counsel - Ann H. Appelbaum
Controller - S. David Shapiro

Basic Facts 
The Jewish Theological Seminary has greatly expanded its mission to grant undergraduate degrees through the Albert A. List College of Jewish Studies, and graduate and professional degrees through The Graduate School of Jewish Theological Seminary, the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education, the H. L. Miller Cantorial School and College of Jewish Music, and the Rabbinical School with a faculty of 110. Additionally, they offer two publications, the JTS Press and The Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society.

JTS further offers enriching programs for the Jewish community in the US, Israel and around the world through its Schechter Institute for Jewish Studies in Jerusalem and Project Judaica in Moscow as well as intensive work with Ramah camps and Schechter schools in North America.

Location
Jewish Theological Seminary
3080 Broadway
New York, NY 10027
Phone (212) 678-8000