A $1 million gift to the College has ensured a permanent rabbinical position at Dartmouth, administration officials recently announced.
College Rabbi Edward Boraz will serve as the first Steinberg rabbi of Dartmouth, an endowed position established by the Trinitas Foundation in honor of Michael Steinberg '61.
Steinberg was a partner at Goodwin Procter, LLP and the leader of the Jewish Federation of the North Shore of Long Island. He lost a four-year long battle with cancer in October 1997. His children, Adam Steinberg '88 and Sara Jane Steinberg '91, were also graduates of Dartmouth.
The gift given in Steinberg's honor will support the development of the Jewish experience at Dartmouth.
"For the College, through the Tucker Foundation, it builds upon its commitment to nurturing the spiritual life of our community and ensures a rabbinic presence for generations of Dartmouth students to follow," Boraz said.
The endowment was made possible by the gift from the Trinitas Foundation of Quincy, Mass., a group founded by business magnate and philanthropist Bernard Rothwell. Rothwell attended Dartmouth in the 1940s before enlisting in the Army. A member of the track team, Rothwell was a champion hurdler and a friend of Steinberg's.
Foundation trustees Richard Young '46 and Stuart Cable '75 led the efforts to institute the endowment.
"This is one of the most significant events in the history of Jewish life at Dartmouth," Boraz said.
"It is the Jewish students who have made Jewish life such an important part of their Dartmouth experience that I'm sure impressed the Trinitas Foundation, the Young family and Mr. Stuart Cable '75, the trustee," Boraz added.
Hillel President David Freeman '06 noted that ensuring a rabbi's place at Dartmouth will further growth of the Jewish community.
"It is because of the dedication of our Rabbi that Jewish students are able to continue to explore Judaism while they are away from home at College," Freeman said. "As a result of this generous gift from the Trinitas Foundation, Dartmouth College will always have a rabbi."
Dartmouth Hillel is a Tucker Foundation program that serves the campus Jewish community and the Upper Valley from the Roth Center for Jewish Life.
"The Jewish population at Dartmouth has grown every year, both in size and in strength, because we have a devoted and accessible Rabbi, as well as a beautiful Jewish center on campus," Freeman said.
Boraz, who has been serving Dartmouth and the Upper Valley communities since July 1998 said the endowment is a tribute to the rabbis who served before him: Larry Edwards, Michael Paley and Daniel Siegel.
"All of them created a foundation that made this gift possible," Boraz said.
