(Courtesy of the RCA) More than 700 guests gathered on Monday evening, at the Robert Treat Center in Newark, to celebrate the Rabbinical College of America’s National Founders’ Gala.
Rabbi Mendy Herson, associate dean, invited the evening’s distinguished honorees and speakers to the dais: New Jersey’s Governor Phil Murphy; First Lady Tammy Murphy; Dr. Sol (chairman, Teva Pharmaceuticals) and Mrs. Meri Barer; Bruce (chairman of Global Brokerage, Cushman Wakefield) and Wendy Mosler; the Honorable Secretary Dr. David Shulkin; and Mr. David Greenbaum, president of Vornado Realty Trust. Rabbi Herson warmly acknowledged and thanked them for their deep friendship and strong support.
While highlighting the global impact of the Rabbinical College of America, Rabbi Moshe Herson, dean and head shliach in New Jersey, used the opportunity to announce a recent $1 million gift by a longtime friend and supporter (who has maintained his relationship with the College for many years after relocating from New Jersey to Texas). This gift is to launch a capital building campaign to expand the study hall, which will provide opportunity to increase student enrollment in multiple programs.
In honor of the Honorable Secretary Dr. David Shulkin, former secretary of the VA, a full table of officers of the US Armed Forces and New Jersey local law enforcement were present, most of them in uniform. This also highlighted the recent master’s program launched by the RCA to train and prepare chaplains. As Colonels Sanford Dressin and Jacob Goldstein remarked at a recent visit to the campus, “There is a need to have more Jewish chaplains in the US Armed Forces.”
The meaningful and encouraging remarks from the governor, the Barers and the Moslers echoed the positive influence RCA and its students and alumni are having on the world. “The evening was meaningful and enjoyable. It brought tears to my eyes to see the broad scope and impact of Chabad and the RCA,” remarked Robert Cohen, longtime friend of the RCA.
On behalf of the students, faculty and administration, the RCA thanks its guests and supporters for making this celebration such a resounding success.
