Shmuel Polin is a first year Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) rabbinical student. A Philadelphia native of Israeli-American nationality, he completed his B.A. at American University in Washington D.C. in Jewish Studies and International Studies. He also completed both a M.A. in Holocaust and Genocide Studies and a M.A. in Jewish Studies from Gratz College of Melrose Park, Pennsylvania. His thesis focused on the depiction of European anti-semitism in 1930's-1940's American and foreign cinema. Shmuel has years of experience from teaching Hebrew School at Kehillat HaNahar of New Hope, Pennsylvania, leading Shabbat and Holiday services at Greenwood House in Trenton, New Jersey, and also working for Israeli non governmental organizations. Currently in Jerusalem, he leads services for an elderly community, at Hod Jerusalem Home as part of his I-Involve project for HUC-JIR and is part of the new cohort of rabbinic students of the Hartman Institute's Rabbinic Student Seminar.