Graduate Profile: Joshua Kurtz, MDiv '25

Memorable Moment

There are so many! Traveling to Salt Lake City with our "Walking the Inland Sea" class was one of the most meaningful and magical experiences I’ve ever had. It was such a gift to visit the Bird River migratory bird refuge, wander around the spiral jetty, sing together in the sun tunnels, watch the sunset from Antelope Island, and spend hours sitting around the campfire.  

I also had the opportunity to be a member and co-leader of Jews for Liberation, a student group at HDS for Jews who are questioning their relationships with Zionism. It was incredibly meaningful for me to be able to host and participate in Passover seders, Rosh Hashanah dinners, storytelling workshops, and noon services alongside some of the most creative, caring, and welcoming people I’ve ever met.

Favorite Class or Professor

There are far too many to choose from, but a few of my favorites included: “Sanctuary Ethics” with Healan Gaston, “Walking the Inland Sea” with Terry Tempest Williams and Stephanie Paulsell, “Jewish Mysticism” with Shaul Magid, “Virginia Woolf and Religion” with Stephanie Paulsell, and “Introduction to Christian Preaching” with Matt Potts.

Message of Thanks  

I am deeply grateful for the incredible community of mentors, teachers, friends, and family members who have supported me throughout my time at HDS. You have all taught me to think, write, read, and live more attentively.

To all of my teachers and mentors at Harvard who have encouraged me not only to find my voice, but also to share it. My deepest gratitude to: Shaul Magid and Sarah Feldman, who’ve given me the opportunity to expand and deepen my Jewish identity; Stephanie Paulsell, who introduced me to the wondrous world of Virginia Woolf and who taught me what it means to pilgrimage; Matt Potts, whose wisdom, humility, and insistence on love have made me a more thoughtful speaker and community member; Jorie Graham, who reminded me that poetry can be a site of transformation; Healan Gaston, whose attention to language, commitment to ethics, and spacious understanding of sanctuary has encouraged me to become a more careful writer, thinker, and human being; and Terry Tempest Williams, who has taught me how to find beauty, grace, and magic in a broken world.

To all the brilliant, passionate, creative, kind, and thoughtful friends I’ve made at HDS. I have learned so much from you, and it’s been such a joy to sing, laugh, cry, walk, and pray with you. I love you all.

To my Dad, Peter Kurtz, who gifted me with a love of storytelling, adventuring, and baked goods. To my Mom, Odette Cohn, who has taught me how to be loving, resilient, and empathetic. To my brother Jeff, who has always known how to make me smile. To my grandparents, Suzana and Isac Cohn, whose stories have shaped me. And, of course, to my beloved Sarah. Every day with you is a blessing.

Future Plans

My wife Sarah and I plan to stay in the Greater Boston area. I’ll be spending the next few months applying to jobs, working on my writing, building a Jewish craft school, and preparing to TF a course with Terry Tempest Williams next year. I’ll also be launching my weaving business, Wild Goose Weaving!