CINCINNATI (Jeff Hirsh) -- It's one of the most significant religious institutions in the world, and it's right here in Cincinnati. This weekend Hebrew Union College inaugurates a new president. From just after the Civil War to just a few weeks ago, Hebrew Union College has been training Rabbis for reform Judaism as the first Rabbinical School in North America.Rabbi Aaron Panken said, "In 1875, Isaac Mayer Wise, a Rabbi from Bohemia a section of Germany, came over and decided it was time for America to have its own seminary."It started in the Mound Street Temple in the West End down in the basement. It later moved to a building on 6th Street and then, in the early 20th century, to the current campus in Clifton. Isaac Mayer Wise was the founder of American Reform Judaism, linking old world tradition with new world change. Wise's academic and professional descendant, Rabbi Aaron Panken, will be inaugurated as HUC's 12th President.He said, "In some respects we're immigrants again. We're immigrants in the digital world and into a new world of communication."Communicating that is not only important in Cincinnati but also in the world. The Klau Library is the largest Jewish library outside of Israel with 750,000 volumes. And the American Jewish Archives, with more documents on American Jewish History than anywhere, is like an exhibit on Jews and the Civil Rights movement. It's not just a repository of history. It's a laboratory for all the exciting things which can go on in Jewish life. Since its founding in Cincinnati, Hebrew Union College has added campuses in New York, Los Angeles, and Jerusalem. But because Cincinnati was the first, the Presidential Inauguration is here. That event is Sunday, 2p.m. at Historic Plum Street Temple downtown.Follow Jeff Hirsh on Twitter @local12jeff and LIKE him on Facebook
