Rabbinic program quick links

Rabbinic program description

 

Rabbis have always been the gatekeepers of the Jewish tradition. Guiding the individual and communal search for spirituality, these key figures determine the place of Judaism in their congregants’ lives. Yet the tremendous pressures of synagogue life, and the lack of frameworks for rabbinic enrichment, often prevent rabbis from realizing the full potential of their crucial roles.

 

The Department of Rabbinic Enrichment, headed by Rabbi Bill Berk, offers rabbis of all denominations unique opportunities for personal growth and professional development, and strengthens their ability to cultivate meaningful expressions of Jewish life. Its groundbreaking programs serve hundreds of rabbis a year and touch the lives of hundreds of thousands of families across the Jewish world. 

 

Our programs for rabbis include:

  • Rabbinic Leadership Initiative, a three-year, intensive study program designed to train an elite cadre of North American rabbis to serve as religious and educational leaders in their communities. Click here for more information. The fourth cohort of Rabbinic Leadership Initiative Fellows is in formation (early 2009). If you are interested in participating in this program, which is by invitation only, or you know of a deserving rabbi, please contact Marlene Houri.
     
  • Rabbinic Torah Study Seminar is an annual 10-day study program that enriches rabbis of all denominations and nurtures their capacity to inspire their communities, excite them by the Jewish tradition, and motivate them in their quest for meaning.
     
  • Rabbinic Students Seminar is a new program for North American rabbinical students studying in Israel that works with students from all denominations to help them process their learning, their lives in Israel and to help build lasting connections with Israel and each other. The program runs through the academic year. Click here for more information and to register for the program.
     

     
   
Hartman Institute launches Hebrew website
Hartman Institute launches Hebrew website
Shofar calls remind us to be present, remember
We remember, and in turn we ask God to remember US with compassion and mercy. Zochrenu l’chaim, we pray. Remember us to life. Yom Hazikaron is the Day of Memory. We will spend the next 10 days remembering our own deeds and transgressions, until the final blast of the shofar on Yom Kippur shakes the heavens with our plea. May we all be inscribed for another year in the Book of Life
Remembering: Yizkor’s two types of tears
Below is a meditation on the Yizkor prayers written by Rabbi Steven Moskowitz, a member of the Hartman Institute’s Rabbinic Leadership Initiative
NEW! Rabbinic students seminar begins Fall 2009
Come and study in Jerusalem during your time here with fellow rabbinic students from other movements
Highways, byways, and pathways
We are rabbis who labor on the ways of derekh even as we search for paths of orakh. We travel together with our community on life’s highways and remind people to slow down long enough to appreciate the access roads nearby
Is pluralism a Jewish word?
Recent protests in Jerusalem against opening a parking garage on Shabbat and the ongoing struggle by Israel’s rabbinate over control of conversions beg the question of pluralism: Does Judaism tolerate more than one halakhic opinion?
This summer in Jerusalem - heat and holiness (Video)
Jerusalem is not just the place where rabbis of all types convene; it is the place that enables the convention. It is in this capacity that I experienced the holiness of Jerusalem
Hartman Institute honors rabbinic summer study program veterans (Video)
Shalom Hartman Institute honored eight rabbis who have participated in at least 10 summertime Rabbinic Torah Study seminar programs in the 23 years since the program was launched
Bloggers at Hartman Institute summer programs
Summertime programs at Shalom Hartman Institute are well under way. We have hundreds of rabbis, community leaders, and others here for seminars, havruta study, lectures, tours, and more. So, with visitors, we also have bloggers
New, returning programs in busy Hartman Institute summer (Video)
Shalom Hartman Institute is gearing up for a busy summer, with programs for rabbis, community leaders, Christians, philosophers from mid-June through July
Ritual creation for Yom Ha’atzmaut
By creating mitzvot for Yom Ha’atzmaut, and placing it on religious calendar, we acknowledge ongoing responsibility to see it through lens of the Divine-human encounter on an ongoing basis
A new beat for ‘Let My People Go’
Josh Zweiback, member of the Rabbinic Leadership Initiative, rocks the house with his band Mah Tovu`s rendition of the Pesach story
Book review: ‘Judaism and Challenges of Modern Life’
The book challenges you to look at Jewish life in the modern age both in a democratic State of Israel and in the Diaspora
Wearing down my soul and renewing it
The antidote to burnout is engaging in something that nurtures the soul; Torah learning with colleagues who care deeply about one another feeds and nurtures the rabbi’s soul
Creating a space for God’s presence
From Illinois to Jerusalem to Tbilisi to Moscow and back, rabbi finds presence of God in Jewish communities
March 1, 2009, is final day for ‘Early Bird’ prices for Summer 2009 programs in Jerusalem
Rabbis looking to attend the Rabbinic Torah Study Seminar from July 6-16, and Jewish community leaders and professionals looking to attend the Lay Leaders Summer Retreat from July 1-8 must complete and pay for their registrations today to receive the special discount prices
A time for prayer, a time for action
Prayer is a natural and praiseworthy response to crisis. And yet, as Moses discovered, crisis calls for decisive human action. Keep moving. Get on with your life. Confront life`s challenges and move forward
War on Hamas a time to stay close to one another and to our family in Israel
The big picture is that the Jewish people have the right to defend ourselves. We have the right to live without rockets landing on our heads
Memories of the future
Let our Israeli friends, cousins, our extended mishpacha, know that we have not forgotten them
At Hanukkah, remember, each of us can make a difference
Whether it is on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Israel or throughout the world, whether it is for those suffering in Darfur, whether it is in our own neighborhood for people who need assistance and support, we can make a difference
Riches by the pocketful
In the United States, a church can help sustain a synagogue. Christians can say to Jews, “Come, fill our home with your melodies”
God is a parent on a learning curve
The beginning of the Torah teaches how God lives with the mistakes of God’s children. God lives with things not being perfect. We too have to live with life not going the right way; imperfection is built in to the system
Conversion crisis a violation by haredim of God’s teaching
The haredi rabbinate in Israel pushes stringencies in the law beyond what is necessary and the tendency of Israel is to accept decisions that have created a moment in Jewish history where our values are being destroyed and our people are being torn asunder
Obama and the Jews: An inside perspective
Rabbi Samuel Gordon was deeply involved in building Jewish support for the candidacy of Barack Obama for president. This piece offers insight into Obama and fascinating details about Obama’s ‘Jewish history’
Forty years after RFK death, a new beginning?
Whether Obama wins or McCain, whether it is a Democrat or Republican Congress, we know that the baton is being passed. Obama’s nomination was, for some , the end of 40 years in the wilderness
How is this knight different from all other knights?
I stood with a kippah on my head and a shofar in hand before 700 Roman Catholics assembled for their annual meeting. They were knights and ladies of the Western USA Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem
The financial meltdown and the fragility of the human condition
On the Days of Awe everything, all that we own and all that we are, hangs in the balance. Here today, gone tomorrow
Rabbinic leadership group to focus on messianism, images of God
A current RLI participant says the program has expanded her Hebrew vocabulary, fluency and exposure to Jewish texts in a Jewish world that asks its leaders to be comfortable in all settings
Rabbis heading to Hartman for summer sessions
Despite the weak dollar, and thus the increased expense of such a trip for participants, registration is high and this year`s group is large
Hartman Institute to host hundreds in busy summer
The impressive and challenging lineup of North American rabbis, educators, lay leaders and Christian scholars is sure to create the Institute`s most exciting summer. Find daily schedule here
Israel: Happiness built on ruins
There may very well be untold ruins below our feet. But there is no ruin in the air. Jerusalem is happiness built on ruins. 60 years later Israel waves a finger at fate. Israel writes Jewish history each and every day
First day, last commandment
As we fulfil the mitzvah of writing a Torah we also become part owners of the Torah; through this act we “acquire Torah,” add joy and bring holiness to our lives
Rani Jaeger discusses famous Israeli poem about the sacrifices expected in war
Shalom Hartman Institute Fellow Rani Jaeger analyzes Natan Alterman’s famous poem, “Silver Platter” in this special video lecture
Rabbinic Leadership Initiative participants - 2004-2007
This is the list of the second cohort of North American rabbis who have completed the Shalom Hartman Institute`s Rabbinic Leadership Initiative three year program from 2004-2007
Rabbinic Leadership Initiative participants - 2001-2004
These rabbis from North America were the first group to complete the three-year Shalom Hartman Institute Rabbinic Leadership Initative program, from 2001-2004
Summer plans under way at Hartman Institute
Full roster of programs for rabbis, community leaders, educators will fill summer calendar
Winter rabbinic seminar a success
The hope and expectation is for these rabbis to transport this energy back to their communities in North America, and infuse them in turn with similar inspiration
     
 
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