Ellie Green, MTS ’23, is a first-generation college graduate from the UK. Guided by intellectual curiosity and a connection to faith found at a young age, she began her study of religion as an undergraduate student at the University of St. Andrews and plans to pursue a PhD in Jewish studies at New York University.
Ellie Green has believed in God for as long as she can remember. Throughout her childhood, she tried to find answers to her expanding philosophical and theological questions. “I went to see Hindu gurus, got hugged by Amma, went to Quaker meetings,” Green recalls. Despite the feeling of religious isolation and confusion during her youth, her faith in God never wavered.
While Green was studying for a degree in theological studies at the University of St. Andrews, her love of Judaism crystallized through her research into notable Jewish feminists, such as Blu Greenberg and Tamar Ross. Over the next five years, Green continued her exploration into halacha (Jewish law) and became more involved with Jewish community life in London. She also continued working for think tanks focused on foreign policy and counter-terrorism work—which included discussion about the impact of religious social cohesion policies in the UK.
In both her professional and academic work, Green felt called to address the anti-Semitism crisis that plagued the Labour Party and society more broadly. This calling confirmed her desire to pursue a degree in Jewish studies. She was particularly interested in the issue of Holocaust education and how a lack of focus on the atrocities committed against Jewish people in the twentieth century was resulting in continued discrimination.
This curiosity led her to Harvard Divinity School. “I’d been on the outside looking in, and now I’m on the inside looking further into my own tradition. Studying at HDS been an incredible experience, thanks to the professors that offer wise mentorship and the extensive course offerings available at the School,” says Green. She notes that the Jewish community she found in Cambridge, in particular Harvard Chabad, has been a home away from home for her, her husband, and her daughter, whom she welcomed to the world during her second year at HDS.
Green is a first-generation college graduate and has decided to continue her education by pursuing a doctoral degree in Hebrew and Judaic studies at NYU. “I never thought of having a career in academia. For me, this path became clear through a series of unexpected events,” says Green, noting that her time at HDS opened up an array of possibilities. If you ask her today, Green is considering a career as a university professor to help future generations of curious scholars explore the many facets of religion.
—by Danielle Daphne Ang