Rita Semel always wanted to go to graduate school. In fact, she had her eye on nothing less than the prestigious Columbia School of Journalism.
And then the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and everything changed.
Semel — a former editor of the Jewish Bulletin, the precursor to the paper you’re reading; the director emeritus of the S.F-based Jewish Community Relations Council; and a tireless activist in Bay Area interfaith causes — finally got the advanced degree she always wanted. On Saturday, May 19 she was awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters by the University of San Francisco. It was a poignant moment for the 85-year-old and she’s still touched by the gesture.
“I guess I always hankered to do graduate work, which I never did. And, over the years, people who got honorary degrees were, in my mind, very important people. And I don’t consider myself one. I really don’t,” said the New York City native and Barnard College graduate.
“It was quite remarkable. I put on a cap and gown and I hadn’t had one on since 1941. I had to return those, but I got to keep the hood.”
Semel was given a chance to address the graduating seniors. Unlike so many speakers at convocations, she kept her speech short, but imparted a powerful message.
“It is a cliché, but I’ll say it anyway: I’ve gotten much more from anything I have done than anything I have been given,” she told the students.
“There’s a saying attributed to Rabbi Hillel that is as true now as when he said it. I know my friends are tired of hearing me quote it. But ‘it is not for you to finish the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.'”
Semel closed her speech with the strongest message of all: “Whatever you do, please, make a difference.”