Student Profile: Dan Horwitz, Master of Arts in Jewish Studies
By Paula Jacobs

  • Name: Dan Horwitz
  • Residence: Charleston, South Carolina
  • Program: MAJS
  • Profession: Synagogue Ritual Director
  • Interests: Classical violin, bridge, basketball, softball and golf
  • Gratz Online: “The coursework has been challenging and fulfilling... I have taken a couple of courses I never would have otherwise, and learned a lot about topics I was previously unfamiliar with, helping to enhance the overall Judaic lens in which I view things.”

“I enrolled at Gratz Online in order to ensure I continued my own Jewish education, while serving as an educator for the community,” says Dan Horwitz, 22, a synagogue professional in Charleston, South Carolina. He recently completed all course requirements for the MAJS degree from Gratz Online, after a year of full-time study –while also working full time.

The pursuit of serious Jewish learning has been a lifetime journey for Dan. A graduate of the Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit, he speaks Hebrew fluently and has studied at Brandeis University, as well as at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

For Dan, who has played classical violin since the age of four, multitasking is a way of life. He graduated from Brandeis in 2005, where he majored in political science, with a triple minor in Near Eastern and Jewish studies, legal studies, and peace and conflict studies. He also spent a semester studying politics at American University in Washington, D.C.

Immediately after college graduation, Dan became ritual director at Synagogue Emanu-El, a Conservative congregation in Charleston. He was initially hired to do all the Torah readings, lead twice-daily minyanim, tutor all the bar/bat mitzvah students,
teach in the Hebrew school, and assist in lifecycle events. When the rabbi unexpectedly took ill, Dan was called upon to conduct Shabbat services, make hospital visits and officiate at lifecycle events such as bar/bat mitzvah, brit milah and unveiling ceremonies. He is presently recording a CD to help congregants learn the Shabbat service. 

In his spare time -- when not performing synagogue duties or practicing classical violin, shooting hoops, playing softball at the local JCC or learning golf– Dan has been studying for his M.A. degree in Jewish Studies from Gratz Online, the virtual campus of Gratz College based in Philadelphia.

Gratz Online has fueled Dan’s lifelong passion for Jewish learning, while also enhancing his professional skills. He particularly enjoyed rabbinic text courses with Ruth Sandberg, Leonard and Ethel Landau Associate Professor of Rabbinics , as well as a “Contemporary Jewish Family” course with Carol Harris-Shapiro, Assistant Professor of Contemporary Jewish Studies and Coordinator, Programs in Jewish Communal Service, because it related directly to his professional work.

Dan explains, “The coursework has been challenging and fulfilling... I have taken a couple of courses I never would have otherwise, and learned a lot about topics I was previously unfamiliar with, helping to enhance the overall Judaic lens in which I view things.”

Originally, Dan’s chose Gratz Online because of its distance learning option and the lack of any on-campus requirement. He praises the easily accessible online material, the 24/7 availability and the quality of the student-teacher experience. “I would say the experience has been very worthwhile, and I've done some quality learning I otherwise would not have had the ability to do.”

Dan wishes that more people would try out on-line learning. He explains, “My feeling is that if I can read the lecture online at my convenience, and still have a forum to pose questions and discuss issues with classmates, the face-to-face issue is overrated.”

Obviously, Dan is clearly focused on the direction of his life and Gratz College has helped him get closer to his goal. The next step is to continue his education: a rabbinical or law degree or perhaps both. Ultimately, Dan hopes to combine his love of Judaism and politics by running a major Jewish political non-profit organization in Washington, DC. “I want to continue to foster a positive relationship between the Jewish people and the USA in any way I can.”

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