Dennis Shulman
Encyclopedia
Dennis G. Shulman is an American clinical psychologist
, psychoanalyst, author, teacher, and ordained rabbi
who was the Democratic
nominee for the United States Congress
in New Jersey
's Fifth Congressional District
. After winning the primary with 61% of the vote in a three-way race, Shulman gained significant national press coverage and endorsements from Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the New York Times, among others, as he sought to unseat incumbent arch conservative Republican
Scott Garrett
in 2008. If he were elected, he would have been the first rabbi in Congress, as well as the first blind congressperson since 1935. On November 4, 2008, Garrett defeated Shulman.
, Shulman was the second of three children of Israel and Helene Shulman. His father was a pharmacist. (Williamson, 2007) Dennis began losing his sight at an early age, from a degenerative nerve disorder (Hesse, 2008), but neither he nor his parents accepted that his disability would keep him from succeeding in life. He excelled in his studies and, midway through high school, he sought and won an unprecedented full scholarship to Worcester Academy
. He graduated from the Academy third in his class in 1968.
, a liberal arts college in Waltham, Massachusetts
. With the support of readers supplied by the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, whom he trained in the use of the university library, he managed a full course load. He graduated in the class of 1972 magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. That same year Shulman’s volunteer activities, primarily involving the developmentally disabled, earned him a Special White House Commendation for Outstanding Humanitarian Service and The David Aranow Award for Outstanding Achievement in Social Welfare.
Shulman next attended Harvard University
where he began work toward a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and Public Practice. Just two years into the program Shulman won a Training Fellowship from the National Institute for Mental Health and married his college sweetheart, medical student Pamela Tropper. Also in that period, he began what has become an extended series of teaching positions, professional publications, postdoctoral studies and speaking engagements.
. Two years later, he moved to New Jersey, first Harrington Park
and then Demarest
, and received his license to practice in NJ in 1982. In 1990-91 he served as senior content designer and on-air lecturer in the nationally-televised PBS series The World of Abnormal Psychology.
In 1997 he was the founding director of the National Training Program in Contemporary Psychoanalysis at The National Institute for the Psychotherapies, at which he continues to serve. The National Training Program was Shulman’s and Dr. James Fosshage's creation. It is unique in the world of psychoanalytic training institutes, attracting students (psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers) for full postgraduate psychoanalytic training from all over the United States, Canada, Asia, and Europe.
Meanwhile, in the mid 1990s Shulman began to explore the connections between psychology and religion, discovering wisdom in the Bible that can inform contemporary life—“Taking the Bible not literally, but seriously” he explains. Ultimately, Shulman felt a strong calling and took up study for the rabbinate. Shulman received his rabbinic ordination from a panel of rabbis in 2003, the same year that saw the publication of his book, The Genius of Genesis: A Psychoanalyst and Rabbi Examines the First Book of the Bible. He presently serves as Rabbi at the Northern Valley Center for Adult Jewish Learning.
Shulman garnered significant national and local attention and was endorsed by the New York Times, the Bergen Record, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Governors David Paterson and Jon Corzine, Senators Frank Lautenberg and Russ Feingold, among many others, and targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).
Despite the national attention, Shulman was defeated by Garrett
on November 4, 2008.
in the Bronx. The couple has two daughters: Holly, who graduated from Vassar in 2005, is Communications Director for the New Hampshire Democratic Party; and Juliana, who graduated from the University of Chicago in 2009, is a National Campaign Organizer for the Boston-based non-profit Corporate Accountability International.
To listen to the graduation speech Rabbi Dr. Shulman gave at the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, MA, June 18, 2010, go to http://www.dennisshulman.com/Perkins-Graduation-Speech.mp3
For Rabbi Dr. Shulman's complete Curriculum Vitae, go to www.DennisShulman.com http://www.dennisshulman.com
Shulman, D.G. (2008). Jonah: His story, our story; His struggle, our struggle: Commentary on paper by Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg. Psychoanalytic Dialogues, 18:3, 329-364.
Shulman, D.G. (2008). A psychoanalytic perspective on Abraham, Isaac and the altar: Implications for who we are and how we change. Journal of Synagogue Music, 33: 23-43.
Shulman, D.G. (2007). What Hillel and Freud both see when gazing into Moses’ face: A response. Psychoanalytic Perspectives, 4: 95-100.
Shulman, DG. (2005). The analyst's equilibrium, countertransference management and the action of psychoanalysis. Psychoanalytic Review, 92, 469-479.
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
, psychoanalyst, author, teacher, and ordained rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
who was the Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
nominee for the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
's Fifth Congressional District
New Jersey's 5th congressional district
New Jersey's Fifth Congressional District is currently represented by Republican Scott Garrett. Garrett defeated Democrat Paul Aronsohn and independent candidate R. Matthew Fretz 55%-44% in the United States general elections, 2006....
. After winning the primary with 61% of the vote in a three-way race, Shulman gained significant national press coverage and endorsements from Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the New York Times, among others, as he sought to unseat incumbent arch conservative Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Scott Garrett
Scott Garrett
Ernest Scott Garrett is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district includes much of the northwestern portion of the state...
in 2008. If he were elected, he would have been the first rabbi in Congress, as well as the first blind congressperson since 1935. On November 4, 2008, Garrett defeated Shulman.
Background
Born in Worcester, MassachusettsWorcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, Shulman was the second of three children of Israel and Helene Shulman. His father was a pharmacist. (Williamson, 2007) Dennis began losing his sight at an early age, from a degenerative nerve disorder (Hesse, 2008), but neither he nor his parents accepted that his disability would keep him from succeeding in life. He excelled in his studies and, midway through high school, he sought and won an unprecedented full scholarship to Worcester Academy
Worcester Academy
Worcester Academy is an independent coeducational preparatory school spread over in Worcester, Massachusetts in the United States. The school is divided into a middle school, serving approximately 150 students in grades six to eight, and an upper school, serving approximately 500 students in...
. He graduated from the Academy third in his class in 1968.
Education
By then totally blind, Shulman gained admission to Brandeis UniversityBrandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
, a liberal arts college in Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...
. With the support of readers supplied by the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, whom he trained in the use of the university library, he managed a full course load. He graduated in the class of 1972 magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. That same year Shulman’s volunteer activities, primarily involving the developmentally disabled, earned him a Special White House Commendation for Outstanding Humanitarian Service and The David Aranow Award for Outstanding Achievement in Social Welfare.
Shulman next attended Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
where he began work toward a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and Public Practice. Just two years into the program Shulman won a Training Fellowship from the National Institute for Mental Health and married his college sweetheart, medical student Pamela Tropper. Also in that period, he began what has become an extended series of teaching positions, professional publications, postdoctoral studies and speaking engagements.
Career
In 1979 Shulman was licensed by New York State and opened his practice in psychoanalysis in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Two years later, he moved to New Jersey, first Harrington Park
Harrington Park, New Jersey
Harrington Park is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 4,664....
and then Demarest
Demarest, New Jersey
Demarest is a Borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 4,881.Demarest was formed by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 8, 1903, from portions of Harrington Township and Palisades Township. The borough was named...
, and received his license to practice in NJ in 1982. In 1990-91 he served as senior content designer and on-air lecturer in the nationally-televised PBS series The World of Abnormal Psychology.
In 1997 he was the founding director of the National Training Program in Contemporary Psychoanalysis at The National Institute for the Psychotherapies, at which he continues to serve. The National Training Program was Shulman’s and Dr. James Fosshage's creation. It is unique in the world of psychoanalytic training institutes, attracting students (psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers) for full postgraduate psychoanalytic training from all over the United States, Canada, Asia, and Europe.
Meanwhile, in the mid 1990s Shulman began to explore the connections between psychology and religion, discovering wisdom in the Bible that can inform contemporary life—“Taking the Bible not literally, but seriously” he explains. Ultimately, Shulman felt a strong calling and took up study for the rabbinate. Shulman received his rabbinic ordination from a panel of rabbis in 2003, the same year that saw the publication of his book, The Genius of Genesis: A Psychoanalyst and Rabbi Examines the First Book of the Bible. He presently serves as Rabbi at the Northern Valley Center for Adult Jewish Learning.
2008 Congressional campaign
On June 3, 2008, Dennis Shulman defeated challengers Camille Abate and Roger Bacon in the New Jersey Fifth District Congressional Democratic Primary.Shulman garnered significant national and local attention and was endorsed by the New York Times, the Bergen Record, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Governors David Paterson and Jon Corzine, Senators Frank Lautenberg and Russ Feingold, among many others, and targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).
Despite the national attention, Shulman was defeated by Garrett
Scott Garrett
Ernest Scott Garrett is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district includes much of the northwestern portion of the state...
on November 4, 2008.
Personal life
Shulman has lived in Demarest, New Jersey since 1984 with Dr. Pamela Tropper, his wife since 1974, an Attending Physician and Director of Global Women's Health at the Montefiore Medical CenterMontefiore Medical Center
Montefiore Medical Center, in the Bronx, New York, is the University Hospital for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The hospital, named for Moses Montefiore, is one of the 50 largest employers in New York State . In 2011, Montefiore Medical Center was ranked as #6 of the 180 New York City...
in the Bronx. The couple has two daughters: Holly, who graduated from Vassar in 2005, is Communications Director for the New Hampshire Democratic Party; and Juliana, who graduated from the University of Chicago in 2009, is a National Campaign Organizer for the Boston-based non-profit Corporate Accountability International.
Recent Articles, Sermons, and Speeches
To listen to the Rosh Hashanah sermon Rabbi Shulman gave at Brandeis University, September 9, 2010, go to http://www.dennisshulman.com/rh-sermon-2010.mp3To listen to the graduation speech Rabbi Dr. Shulman gave at the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, MA, June 18, 2010, go to http://www.dennisshulman.com/Perkins-Graduation-Speech.mp3
For Rabbi Dr. Shulman's complete Curriculum Vitae, go to www.DennisShulman.com http://www.dennisshulman.com
Shulman, D.G. (2008). Jonah: His story, our story; His struggle, our struggle: Commentary on paper by Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg. Psychoanalytic Dialogues, 18:3, 329-364.
Shulman, D.G. (2008). A psychoanalytic perspective on Abraham, Isaac and the altar: Implications for who we are and how we change. Journal of Synagogue Music, 33: 23-43.
Shulman, D.G. (2007). What Hillel and Freud both see when gazing into Moses’ face: A response. Psychoanalytic Perspectives, 4: 95-100.
Shulman, DG. (2005). The analyst's equilibrium, countertransference management and the action of psychoanalysis. Psychoanalytic Review, 92, 469-479.
External links
- Shulman for Congress official campaign website
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Dennis Shulman professional website
- Profile at SourcewatchSourceWatchSourceWatch is an internet wiki site that is a collaborative project of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy...
CongresspediaCongresspediaCongresspedia was a wiki that ran from April 2006 to March 2009, designed to hold information on the workings of the U.S. Congress. It was fully contained within SourceWatch, a larger wiki meant to document the people, organizations and issues shaping the public agenda. The Congresspedia portion of... - Shulman, Dennis The Genius of Genesis
- Toobin, Jeffrey First Timer New Yorker, July 28, 2008
- Goodman, Adam A Rabbi in Congress? Time, July 18, 2008