For the sixth in our continuing series “Know Your Seminary!” we present a brief profile of the Rabbinical Seminary International (RSI). Located in New York City, RSI was founded in 1955 by the Hungarian Hasidic Rabbi and Kabbalist Dr. Joseph Gelberman, who was also known as a pioneer in “inter-religious dialogue” (or, constructive interaction between religious faiths). RSI is non-affiliated, and teaches from a strong Neo-Hasidic approach. This tradition seeks to incorporate Hasidic beliefs and …

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For the fifth in our continuing series “Know Your Seminary!” we present a brief profile of the Academy of Jewish Religion. The AJR, located in Yonkers, is non-affiliated. Founded in 1956, it offers a three-to-five-year program. It bills itself as “trans-denominational,” presenting a curriculum that covers a wide range of Jewish spiritual practice. Consequently, teaching the legitimacy of multiple points of view is one of the cornerstones of the seminary. One of the school’s unique …

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ALEPH is distinguished from other seminaries by two main features: 1. It’s a “seminary without walls,” a “low-residency” program in which students from all over the world come together a few times each year, but otherwise attend video-conference courses, retreats, and participate in other “learning modalities” to reach their academic goals, rather than attending a campus-based school. Each ALEPH student designs a yearly learning plan under the direct supervision of their Director of Studies, ultimately …

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The seventh meeting of the Settled Rabbi Search Committee on September 12th found the members putting the finishing touches on several items in anticipation of the job announcement, which is scheduled to be posted on the other side of the High Holidays (around October 19th). Dividing into five groups, members refined the wording of the job description, tweaked form letters inviting and rejecting candidates, edited the list of interview questions, and put some more gloss …

READ MORERefining and Polishing

With the members familiarizing themselves with the different rabbinical schools the applicants may have attended, we present the third in our continuing series “Know Your Seminary!” with a profile of Hebrew Union College. Billed as the largest Jewish seminary in North America, HUC is affiliated with the Reform movement and has campuses in Jerusalem, New York, L.A., and Cincinnati (although the Ohio campus is said to be closing). The college was established in 1875 by …

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The Settled Rabbi Search Committee (SRSC) spent most of its sixth meeting on August 29th divided into four groups for this very productive, working session. One group was tasked to take notes on the useful (Reconstructionist) article “Suggestions for a Productive Interview with Rabbinic Candidates,” and drafting the interview questions we will address to candidates. A second group began drafting the form letters that will be sent to the candidates during the interview process. Another …

READ MORENuts and Bolts

The Search Committee’s fifth meeting on August 25th focused on articulating and prioritizing the many roles our future rabbi will play. Drawing from “Aliya: A Congregation’s Rabbinic Search Guide,” the committee identified fourteen vital dimensions to this unique job, such as: “Pastoral Counselor”; “Worship Leader”; “Teacher”; “Music Leader”; “Social Activist”; “Administrator”; “Fundraiser”; and “Community Builder.” Our new rabbi must be competent, of course, in every role. But what are the three or four roles the …

READ MOREThe Role of the Rabbi

Among the ways the Search Committee is preparing for upcoming interviews with applicants, the members are familiarizing themselves with the different rabbinical schools the applicants may have attended. Curious, yourself? Then in the second of our continuing series “Know Your Seminary!” we’ll be profiling the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC). Founded in 1968, the RRC is the only seminary officially affiliated with the Reconstructionist Movement. Located in Wyncote, PA (just a few miles north of Philadelphia), …

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