April 30, 2026 — New York, NY — 91¿ì²¥ (91¿ì²¥), one of the world’s preeminent centers of Jewish higher education, and the intellectual and spiritual center of Conservative Judaism, today announced that its Board of Trustees has named Rabbi Mike Uram as its ninth Chancellor. He will succeed Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz, who, as previously announced, is stepping down at the end of the 2025-26 academic year and will transition to Chancellor Emerita, while remaining a member of the faculty.

A 91¿ì²¥-ordained rabbi and nationally recognized leader in Jewish learning and engagement, Rabbi Uram currently serves as the first Chief Jewish Learning Officer at Jewish Federations of North America. Over the course of his career, he has led and advised a wide range of Jewish educational and community-focused initiatives, including serving as Chief Vision and Education Officer for Pardes North America and, for more than 16 years, as Executive Director and Campus Rabbi at the University of Pennsylvania Hillel. He is also the author of Next Generation Judaism: How College Students and Hillel Can Help Reinvent Jewish Organizations, which received a National Jewish Book Award.

Rabbi Uram’s appointment, which is effective on July 1, 2026, reflects 91¿ì²¥â€™s commitment to being a pre-eminent center of engaged and integrated Jewish scholarship while further expanding its reach to engage a broader and more diverse Jewish community. A 2005 graduate of 91¿ì²¥ who has spent his career forging new pathways for Jewish learning and leadership, Rabbi Uram brings both deep familiarity with 91¿ì²¥â€™s intellectual and spiritual traditions, and a demonstrated ability to connect with Jews across a wide spectrum of backgrounds.

“91¿ì²¥ stands at a rare intersection of rigorous scholarship, religious practice, and community,â€� said Rabbi Mike Uram. “As someone shaped by this institution, I am honored to return and work together with faculty, students, alumni, administration, and partners to build on 91¿ì²¥â€™s enduring strengths, while widening the circle of engagement with people of the American Jewish community, Israel, and around the world.â€�

Chancellor Schwartz, the institution’s first female Chancellor in 91¿ì²¥â€™s 140-year history, has led 91¿ì²¥ through a turbulent period marked by challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic and rising antisemitism. During her tenure, she advanced key institutional priorities, including strengthening 91¿ì²¥â€™s core academic programs, growing the faculty, launching new degree offerings, initiating new preparatory programs to fortify the rabbinic pipeline, expanding online and public-facing learning, and deepening 91¿ì²¥â€™s engagement across the Jewish community. 

“Serving as Chancellor of 91¿ì²¥ has been a tremendous honor, and I am deeply proud of what this community has built during a demanding yet important chapter,â€� said Chancellor Schwartz. “Rabbi Uram brings a combination of intellectual depth, organizational vision, and formidable skills for engaging and growing Jewish communities. I look forward to supporting a smooth transition and to continuing my work at 91¿ì²¥.â€�

“Chancellor Schwartz has strengthened 91¿ì²¥ with her clarity of vision and empathetic leadership, helping the institution grow to be even more resilient and more vibrant,â€� said Alan Levine, Chair of the 91¿ì²¥ Board of Trustees. “As we build on that foundation, Rabbi Mike Uram is the right leader for this moment: grounded in Jewish learning at 91¿ì²¥, experienced in shaping educational strategy, and committed to developing the next generation of Jewish clergy, educators, and leaders. We are grateful to Chancellor Schwartz for her service, and we are thrilled to welcome Rabbi Uram back as 91¿ì²¥â€™s next Chancellor.â€�

Rabbi Uram holds a BA in History and Religious Studies from Washington University and Rabbinic Ordination from 91¿ì²¥. He lives outside Philadelphia with his wife, Leora, and their three children, and will be relocating to New York.

About Rabbi Mike Uram

Rabbi Mike Uram is the first ever Chief Jewish Learning Officer for Jewish Federations of North America. Previously, he served as the Chief Vision and Education Officer for Pardes North America, building a new platform for Jewish education. Before that, Mike led Penn Hillel as the Executive Director and Campus Rabbi for over 16 years. He is the author of the best-selling book entitled Next Generation Judaism: How College Students and Hillel Can Help Reinvent Jewish Organizations, which won a National Jewish Book Award. He is a sought-after speaker and consultant on the changing nature of the American Jewish community, Jewish innovation, cutting-edge engagement, and how legacy organizations can reinvent themselves in the age of millennials. 

Mike has worked with dozens of Jewish organizations, including the Wexner Foundation, the Schusterman Foundation, Hillel International, United Synagogue, The Rabbinical Assembly, Central Conference of American Rabbis, and many local federations, synagogues, and JCCs. Mike served as lead faculty and Jewish coach for the first three cohorts of the Schusterman Fellowship and was the principal architect for the Jewish leadership growth elements of the fellowship. Recently, Mike also co-authored and designed a new educational framework for Birthright Israel.

Mike has spent time in all the different denominations and is most passionate about breaking down the personal, spiritual, and intellectual boundaries that prevent people from having full self-actualized Jewish identities.

Mike holds a BA in History and Religious Studies from Washington University and Rabbinic Ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary. He lives outside Philadelphia with his wife Leora and their three children.

Read a letter from Rabbi Uram here.

Read a letter from Chancellor Schwartz here.

Read a letter from Chair of the Board, Alan Levine here.

Read more in

On Monday night, we gathered to celebrate Chancellor Schwartz and honor her legacy. The atrium was filled with her family, friends, colleagues, and members of the 91¿ì²¥ community, while many more joined via livestream. We are grateful to everyone who helped make the evening so meaningful and special. Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to all our sponsors for their generosity.

If you were unable to attend, we invite you to experience the celebration now.

to view our Green Book Celebrating Chancellor Schwartz.

A Few Moments from a Special Night

You can watch recordings from the day below.

Full Recording: 91¿ì²¥ Community Assembly Honoring Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz

New York, N.Y., April 16, 2026 — Today, The Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary (91¿ì²¥) launched “,â€� a new digital museum experience, using its vast, rare collection of Hebrew books and manuscripts to showcase Jewish culture, imagination, and resilience to a global audience. Visitors can chart their own interactive path through Jewish history, following their interests and letting each discovery unfold into the next.

From manuscripts to ketubbot (traditional Jewish marriage contracts), ornately illustrated prayer books to historic correspondence between great Jewish thinkers, The 91¿ì²¥ Library houses hundreds of thousands of works, many of which are now, for the first time, brought to life online — accessible to everyone, everywhere. 

“Worldwide, we’re seeing people investigate their Jewish identity,â€� said Dr. David C. Kraemer, 91¿ì²¥â€™s Joseph J. and Dora Abbell Librarian. “Our mission with ‘Jewish Books, Jewish Worlds’ is to facilitate discovery of the many elements of Jewish life, art, society, and culture found in 91¿ì²¥â€™s materials. We’re inspiring the Jewish future by sparking that discovery of our past.â€� 

“I am thrilled that the astounding treasures of 91¿ì²¥â€™s library will now be accessible, providing hours of engagement with the riches of the Jewish past and a taste of the breadth and depth of the Jewish experience,â€� said Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz. “91¿ì²¥ is proud to have amassed and preserved the largest and oldest collection of Jewish historical materials in the world. What a privilege to now be able — through the marvel of technology and the outstanding leadership and efforts — of our visionary librarian, Dr. Kraemer; and our devoted Advisory Board Chair Joseph Rubin — to make this extraordinary legacy available to audiences worldwide.â€� 

Unlike most library websites, this one guides and explains without requiring scholarly training or prior knowledge. Visitors can start from a point of interest –– the Sabbath, or Jewish dress, or Persia — and then take a deeper dive through exploration-driven navigation.

Amid the featured works from the diverse and interconnected diaspora are:

• An illustrated 19th century manuscript that blends Judeo-Persian storytelling to tell the tale of Yusuf and Zulaykha –– a Sufi love story within a Jewish biblical tale. In the many materials created by Jews in Muslim lands, visitors can gain new insight into Muslim – Jewish relations by exploring centuries of Jewish-Muslim cultural exchange, coexistence, and shared heritage.

• The Rothschild Mahzor, a Florentine tome from 1490, where Jewish prayer meets Renaissance art. Commissioned by a famous Jewish family, its lavish illustrations exemplify cross-cultural creativity and Jews’ role in European art history.
  
• A letter from Maimonides, urging fundraising to ransom Jews captured by Crusaders. Bearing the philosopher’s own signature, the letter stands as a powerful example of continuity in Jewish values and communal responsibility as, even 800 years ago, a rabbi pleaded for hostages to be released.

Through these, and countless other works, visitors can wander through centuries of Jewish living and creativity. Inspired by the resilience of Jewish communities in the face of adversity and Jewish creativity in times of “Jewish Books, Jewish Worldsâ€� showcases treasures from The 91¿ì²¥ Library’s special collections. As a living website, the collection will continue to grow and evolve, inviting return visits and new discoveries over time.

“Across continents and centuries, Jewish communities have flourished –– often against all odds,â€� said Joseph Rubin, 91¿ì²¥ Library Advisory Board Chair. “They celebrated holidays, marked life cycles, debated ideas, created art, and preserved memories. Now, ‘Jewish Books, Jewish Worlds’ offers a chance to wander through the manuscripts and artistic works they left behind. This is not only a testament to survival, but to the enduring joy and vitality of Jewish life.â€�

The collection offers diverse entry points for discovery, whether it’s encountering unexpected voices, immersing oneself in Jewish life across the world, or finding one’s place in the story as it continues in the present.

Begin your exploration at .  

The packed ballroom listened to the honorees speak about each other and their years of friendship, their career paths as attorneys, and their deep connection to Robert B. Fiske, who sadly passed away this past December. Fellow attorney and Chair of the 91¿ì²¥ Board of Trustees, Alan Levine, served as the emcee, friend and colleague Jonathan Rosenberg led the Hamotzi, and Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz offered inspiring remarks. ¸é¾±²õë Norman, retired partner from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and a 91¿ì²¥ Board of Trustee also spoke.

The Judge Simon H. Rifkind Award was established at 91¿ì²¥ in 1996 in recognition of Judge Rifkind’s exemplary life, which was marked by professional preeminence, distinguished public service, and unstinting devotion to the Jewish community.

Honoree Bios

Eric F. Grossman

Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Chief Administration Officer, Morgan Stanley

ERIC F. GROSSMAN is Morgan Stanley’s Chief Legal Officer and Chief Administrative Officer and a member of the Firm’s Operating and Management Committees. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley in 2006 as Global Head of Litigation, Eric was a partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell. In 2008, Eric was appointed General Counsel of Global Wealth Management. In 2010, he joined Morgan Stanley’s Management Committee and was appointed Global Head of Legal. Eric became Morgan Stanley’s Chief Legal Officer with responsibility for the Legal and Compliance Division in January 2012 and joined the Firm’s Operating Committee. In July 2022, Eric took on additional responsibilities as the Firm’s Chief Administrative Officer. Eric graduated from Hamilton College in 1988 and in 1993 received his J.D., magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, from Fordham University School of Law, where he was a member of the law review. Eric clerked for the Honorable Richard J. Cardamone, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, from 1993 to 1994. Eric is a board member and President Emeritus of Advocates for Children of New York. Eric is Chair of the Dean’s Planning Council at Fordham Law School and a board member of the DREAM Charter Schools.

Bradley J. Butwin

Chair, O’Melveny & Myers LLP.

BRADLEY J. BUTWIN has served as Chair of O’Melveny & Myers LLP for 14 years, making him the firm’s longest-serving chair since the founding O’Melveny family. Under Brad’s leadership, O’Melveny has for 14 consecutive years ranked in the top tier of The American Lawyer’s “A-List,� which recognizes the nation’s most “well-rounded� firms based on revenue, pro bono, diversity, and associate satisfaction. O’Melveny has also been a perennial honoree in The American Lawyer’s “Litigation Department of the Year� awards. And in Vault’s Law Firm Rankings, the firm has now been ranked in the top three in the “Best Law Firm to Work For� category for 11 consecutive years, including ranking #1 for the past two years and four times over the past six years—a feat no other firm has achieved. In recognition of the firm’s innovative Living Well initiative and commitment to mental wellness throughout the legal industry, O’Melveny received One Mind at Work’s Salus Award for Workplace Mental Health.

Brad has presided over a transformative chapter for O’Melveny, steering the firm through a period of strategic growth that spans the opening of the firm’s top-ranked Seoul office during his first term to, more recently, the launch of three new Texas offices in Austin, Dallas, and Houston. He has also guided O’Melveny to nearly a decade of revenue growth, including crossing the billion-dollar revenue mark for the first time in 2022. In recognition of these and other achievements, the New York Law Journal recognized him with the 2023 “Distinguished Leader Award.�

Brad also maintains a widely acclaimed practice. Chambers USA has ranked him among the nation’s top securities litigators and one of the leading commercial litigators in New York, calling him a “standout lawyer� with a “brilliant mind� who “is always reachable and responsive, [and] always wants to help.�

Brad has received numerous honors for his community service, dedication to justice, and commitment to advancing inclusion, including the Anti-Defamation League’s Human Relations Award; American Jewish Committee’s Judge Learned Hand Award; and the NYC Bar Association’s Thurgood Marshall Award.

Brad serves on the board of directors of Only Make Believe, a non-profit that creates and performs interactive theater for children in hospitals and care facilities. A long-time supporter of his alma maters, Fordham University School of Law and the University of Wisconsin, Brad serves on the External Advisory Board of the University of Wisconsin’s School of Business and, at Fordham, is a member of both the Dean’s Planning Council and the Advisory Board of the Feerick Center for Social Justice, which recently recognized him with its Spirit of Service Award. The Fordham Law Alumni Association has also awarded Brad its highest honor—the Medal of Achievement.

Before entering private practice, Brad served as a law clerk for US District Judge David N. Edelstein (S.D.N.Y.). He and his wife, Randi, have four children, three of whom played Division I soccer at the collegiate level and are now practicing lawyers; their youngest is studying to be a teacher.

Mondays, May 4–June 29, 2026
Online
1:00–2:15 p.m. ET

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, the 91¿ì²¥ Summer 2026 Learning Series will explore the rich and surprising intersections between Jewish thought and American life. From baseball and youth culture to constitutional law, storytelling, and democratic theory, leading scholars reveal how Jewish ideas, texts, and experiences have shaped—and been shaped by—the American experiment. 

Session Topics and Faculty

May 4, 2026

Baseball (A Jewish American Pastime) 

With Dr. Robert A. Harris, Professor of Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages, 91¿ì²¥

Learn more

May 11, 2026

Youth in the Making of American Jewish History

With Dr. Sandra Fox, Robert S. Rifkind Chair in American Jewish History, 91¿ì²¥

Learn more

May 18, 2026

The Talented Dr. Finkelstein: His Initiatives, Allies and Critics 

With Dr. Jack Wertheimer, Joseph and Martha Mendelson Emeritus Professor of American Jewish History, 91¿ì²¥

Learn more

June 1, 2026

Hard Cases: Facing Law’s Challenges in American Legal Theory and Rabbinic Literature 

With Dr. Sarah Wolf, Assistant Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics, 91¿ì²¥

Learn more

June 8, 2026

Jewish Storytelling and American Law in Post-WWII America 

With Dr. Shira Billet, Assistant Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics, 91¿ì²¥

Learn more

June 15, 2026

The Changing Landscape of Jewish American Literature

With Rabbi Benjamin Resnick, Author of Next Stop, Rabbi Pelham Jewish Center, Rabbinical School Alum 

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June 22, 2026

One Nation Under God? Heschel, Niebuhr, King and the Intersection of Religion and Politics in America

With Dr. Arnold Eisen,Chancellor Emeritus; Professor of Jewish Thought, 91¿ì²¥,and ·¡.´³.Ìý¶Ù¾±´Ç²Ô²Ô±ð, Journalist,Harriman Chair in American Governance, Brookings Institute

Learn more

June 29, 2026

Deuteronomy and the Separation of Powers  

With Dr. Benjamin D. Sommer, Professor of Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages, 91¿ì²¥

Learn more

If you have previously registered for another session in this series, your registration admits you to all sessions in the series, and you may attend as many as you’d like. 

This past January, 91¿ì²¥ hosted a four‑day immersive called “From the Beit Midrash to the Streets: A Window into the Rabbinate.â€� We welcomed 27 prospective and 18 current rabbinical students to 3080 Broadway for intensive text study, prayer, encounters with alumni leaders, and service and learning across New York City. 91¿ì²¥ is grateful for the support of the H&F Baker Foundation that made this event possible.

The immersive program integrated Beit Midrash learning with site visits, prayer, and community building. Guided by core faculty and 91¿ì²¥ alumni, Rabbi David Rosenn, CEO of the Hebrew Free Loan Association and founder of Avodah; Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of Truah; and Dr. Marjorie Lehman, Chair of the Department of Rabbinic Literatures and Cultures at 91¿ì²¥, participants learned together in the Beit Midrash. Drawing on halakhic, pastoral, political, and sociological lenses, they examined issues of reproductive healthcare and economic justice.

The intensive brought together participants with both advanced and limited havruta experience, and many described these sessions as spiritually meaningful and formative for their sense of identity. Participants also took part in daily student-led tefillah, including a creative, musical Shacharit service, and evening programming.

Outside 3080 Broadway, participants joined faith leaders translating Torah into action. Participants attended the Multifaith Mondays vigil in Columbus Circle, a live example of interfaith solidarity and public witness. They also engaged in service work at ´¡´Ú°ù¾±â€‘k²¹²Ô²¹, an immigrant organization in Harlem, and with Broadway Community, a local nonprofit that supports neighbors experiencing food insecurity and homelessness.

Through these experiences, participants learned how 91¿ì²¥’s model integrates social justice as a frequent and authentic path in the rabbinate. One prospective student shared their excitement at the possibility of “[getting] a 91¿ì²¥ education and still [being able] to do the social justice work that is important to me.” Some participants shifted from a pulpit-only mindset to include nonprofit and service-oriented roles, and others reported that the experiences solidified their pulpit aspirations.

In the evenings, current 91¿ì²¥ students organized optional social and educational opportunities in the Beit Midrash, including a song circle, student-led shiurim, arts and crafts projects, and a hot chocolate bar. During this unstructured time, prospective students gained a more in-depth look at life as a student. One participant shared, “I loved the authenticity and specificity of information in these conversations, and it really impacted my belief that I could succeed at 91¿ì²¥.”

Other highlights included visits to The 91¿ì²¥ Library’s Rare Book Room and the Tenement Museum.

A truly meaningful, fruitful, and energizing experience for all!

Learn more about our programs to deepen your Jewish learning or to explore paths to ordination and leadership:

Nishma: The 91¿ì²¥ Beit Midrash Summer Program

Text in the City: A Week-Long Summer Experience for Adult Learners

The Rabbinical School Low-Residency Mekhinah

Classmates, colleagues, friends, and family gathered together for a special virtual learning session on Monday, February 23 in memory of Matthew Eisenfeld and Sara Duker. Matt was a second–year 91¿ì²¥ rabbinical student spending the year studying in Israel, along with Sara, who had just graduated Barnard. They were tragically killed in the bombing of bus 18 in Jerusalem on February 25, 1996.

This learning session was originally scheduled to take place in person on the day of the Convocation ceremony, but was canceled due to weather conditions. Instead, the community came together for a virtual Torah study led by Matt’s classmate, 91¿ì²¥ alum and longtime 91¿ì²¥ staff member, Rabbi Matt Berkowitz, President of the Schechter Institutes. 

Rabbi Berkowitz’s Torah learning focused on “Avram and Lot: Of Peace and Peoplehood” from Genesis 13: 1–17. He eloquently shared his thoughts on the parasha and reflected how this learning represents “the magnificent, special, unique human beings that Sara and Matt were in so many ways. Just as Avram chose magnanimity, mutual responsibility, and a commitment to Shalom and a commitment to peace, so too did Sara and Matt show the same deep commitment to those incredible and remarkable values. They were magnanimous human beings in all that they did…”

Following the Torah study, friends and classmates were invited to share cherished memories and reflections. 91¿ì²¥ alums from around the world spoke of the deep friendships and meaningful moments they shared with Sara and Matt, and of the lasting impact their loss had on their lives.

May their memories be for a blessing.

Watch the learning session here: