Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld installed as first female president of Hebrew College

Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld was installed as the first female president of Hebrew College Monday, the college said in a statement.

About 600 guests, including Ambassador Zeev Boker, Israel’s consul general to New England, and Harvard University president Lawrence Bacow, attended the ceremony at Temple Emanuel in Newton, the college said.

“We’re living in a time when so much conspires to make us feel alone and untethered,” Anisfeld said at the event. “In a world that is fractured and frayed. We are — we must be — witnesses to a deeper truth. One of connection and compassion. One of humility and hope. This is our sacred mission at Hebrew College. And never has it been more vitally important.”

Anisfeld became president in July after being appointed president-elect in November 2017, the college said. She had previously served as dean of the rabbinical school since 2006.