At Erev Limmud, close friends and faculty members gathered to toast Head of School Rabbi Mitchel Malkus and celebrated his 13-year tenure at JDS. The event was dedicated to Jewish learning, featuring panel discussions guided by leading scholars in Jewish studies as well as artistic presentations from former and current JDS staff.
On the night of Wednesday, May 27, parents, teachers and students gathered at the Upper School to take part in text-based learning. The program focused on themes of pluralism and reflections on American Jewry. High School Assistant Principal Aileen Goldstein said the event was a strong reflection of JDS values, which she believes Malkus has worked to promote throughout his 13 years at JDS.
“We learned a lot about Ahavat Torah, and this idea of Jewish text is central to who we are as a people… This is really a night of people asking questions, coming to honor Rabbi Malkus, and learning alongside him as something that he wanted to do,” Goldstein said.
The night opened with toasts dedicated to Malkus, followed by a tribute video shown in Malkus’ honor. The film included reflections from former board presidents, students who had spent all 13 years of Malkus’ tenure at JDS and faculty members speaking about his influence on the school. Freshman Jake Forseter, who attended the panel, said he greatly appreciates the impact Malkus has had on his experience at JDS.
“I’ve known Rabbi Malkus for a very long time. He has not only influenced my learning in both Jewish and secular learning, but he also was an amazing leader and role model in our school for students and teachers alike, and I know we will all truly miss him,” Forseter said.
The panel featured Jewish scholars President and CEO of Hillel International Adam Lehman; Dr. Michael Feuer, professor of education policy and board member of the Collaborative for Applied Studies in Jewish Education and Hadassah Halpern, the executive director of the Ronald S. Lauder impact initiative. Because of the speakers’ varying expertise, attendee Elana Skolnick-Einhorn (’23) noticed a wide diversity in the panel’s responses.
“There were lots of discussions about antisemitism, and the three panelists shared their different views on different questions relating to antisemitism that I found very interesting,” Skolnick-Einhorn said. “As a college student, discussing antisemitism is very relevant for me on campus, and I was so grateful to be able to honor Rabbi Malkus in this way.”
The night concluded with a reflective discussion as attendees split into breakout groups and unpacked the core lessons shared by the panelists. Each session focused more on one of the major themes from the discussion.
Goldstein, who will step into a new leadership role as interim High School Principal next year, says she will feel the impact of his absence. Over her 13-year tenure, Malkus has guided the school through numerous crises, including COVID-19 and the events of October 7th, earning high praise from Goldstein for her leadership.
“I think there is just an overwhelming feeling of gratitude, and of course, I think that there is a lot of sadness. Change is hard. I think that he’s very much going to be missed, and we see the impact that he’s made and done and put into place over the last 13 years,” Goldstein said.
