An Avodah leader and community organizer, a Jew by choice and a former Hillel professional, all from the greater Washington area, are part of Hebrew Union College’s largest rabbinical cohort in more than a decade.

Five of the cohort’s rabbinical students currently completing the Year-in-Israel program hail from D.C., Maryland or Virginia. The 28 students — part of a total rabbinical cohort of 42 this year — are far from home, pursuing their first year of rabbinical school in Jerusalem before they begin classes at HUC’s New York or Los Angeles campuses.

Despite different hometowns, Jewish backgrounds and careers thus far, the five students are united by their desire to give back to the Jewish people, build Jewish community and do good in the world.

“My purpose and passion is to build Jewish community, and for me, applying to rabbinical school was an opportunity to grow and strengthen that muscle to serve the Jewish community,” said Ellen Oshinsky, a first-year rabbinical student and D.C. resident. “I’m thrilled to be at HUC and starting this chapter.”

The mandatory Year-in-Israel program is an immersive 10-month experience on HUC’s Jerusalem campus for all incoming rabbinical and cantorial students. It runs from late June to mid-May with an emphasis on Hebrew learning, Torah reading, religious service leading and engagement with Israeli society.

Andrew Rehfeld, HUC’s president, spoke to the importance of this year’s large cohort, especially in light of many rabbinical schools’ “significant enrollment challenges,” in a news release.

“The arrival of our largest rabbinical cohort in more than a decade reflects the enduring importance of rabbinic leadership and the intentional steps we have taken to strengthen the rabbinic pipeline,” Rehfeld said. “This is a moment in time that is calling for Jewish leadership and these impressive students are responding.”

Reed Leventis, another D.C. resident and cohort member, said Judaism has always played a large role in his life.

“It feels wonderful to have a class of such passionate people who are passionate about the future of Reform Judaism,” Leventis said. “What’s wonderful about a big class is you get even more of these diverse perspectives.”

“I think it’s really exciting,” said Becca Carin, a cohort member who grew up in Boyds. “Something I like to think about is that as much as I can learn from the professors and the faculty and the staff — as valuable as that is — it’s the same amount of value or more to learn from my peers.

“We have such different life stories and backgrounds and hold so many different identities. It’s really cool to just sit down and pick [someone’s] brain of, ‘What was it like growing up in this area or this kind of shul?’ and the different traditions that people have taken.”

Carin, a “product of [Rockville’s] Temple Beth Ami” since nursery school, said she was so involved in the Jewish community that people consistently told her she should be a rabbi.

Other cohort members became interested in pursuing the rabbinate after years of volunteering or working in the Jewish community.

Oshinsky had worked as a public school teacher, Jewish communal professional, a fundraiser for Avodah — The Jewish Service Corps, a retreat leader and a ritual leader.

“About two years ago, I really had an ‘aha’ moment,” Oshinsky said. “It all started to hit me. I have all these different skills and strengths that I love. And what does a rabbi do? They do all those things and get to do that day in and day out.”

For Oshinsky, the rabbinate is a way for her to blend her many strengths and passions into one career.

Lily Ginsberg, who is originally from Alexandria, asked herself, “What strengths do I have? What interests do I have? And how can I use them for the most good in the world?”

“Given my love for the Jewish community and Jewish learning, and also the fact that I really wanted to be present in the world to help people, [going to school to become a rabbi] fit,” Ginsberg said.

Woodbridge resident Ethan Solomon spent the past seven or eight years knowing that he wanted to pursue rabbinical school.

“The opportunity to give back to the Jewish people is something that is really important for me,” Solomon said. “I feel like I’ve gotten a lot of support from my community.”

Leventis also prioritizes giving back to the community, but found his way to the rabbinate slightly differently. The D.C. resident was initially interested in medicine. He worked on an ambulance in Washington state the summer of 2020 before realizing that he was “far more interested” in the emotional and spiritual aspects of care.

“I found that people who had that spiritual care, that emotional care were far better off as they moved through the healthcare system and that was really impactful for me,” Leventis said.

The five DMV rabbinical students spoke to being inspired by the local clergy they grew up with.

Rabbi Lizz Goldstein of Congregation Ner Shalom helped Solomon during his journey of converting to Judaism. He said he is specifically inspired by Goldstein’s ability to bridge ideological gaps and help the congregation come together as a united community.

Leventis’ role models are the clergy team at Temple Shalom in Chevy Chase.

A lifelong member of Washington Hebrew Congregation, Oshinsky said she’s grateful for the WHC clergy, as well as Rabbis Esther Lederman and Ilana Zietman.

Carin is inspired by fellow Jewish professionals she encountered through her work in the Hillel movement over the past four years.

The DMV Five aren’t sure where they’ll be after their expected ordination in 2031. Some aspire to be a pulpit rabbi or a Hillel professional, but many of them are keeping their options open.

For now, Carin is excited to be back in school.

“For the next five years, I get to figure out what my Shabbos practice is and my prayer practice and just be a member of the community, which is really exciting because I’ll spend the rest of my life creating community for others,” she said. “So it’s nice to focus on myself again and refill my cup.”

zbell@midatlanticmedia.com