We are living in turbulent times as a Jewish community. The rise in antisemitism and racism, the growing political divide, and the divisions in our community over the war in Gaza and Oct. 7th have left many of us feeling despondent and powerless to make change.
Especially in this time, JOIN for Justice is committed to equipping seminary students in rabbinic, cantorial, Maharat, and Jewish education schools from across the country with the skills to reach across divides and build unified, strong communities and to make strategic change around our interests and values. To that end, JOIN is offering its Cross Seminary class in New York this fall, which will have a hybrid option for students outside of New York to participate.
The Seminary Leadership Project provides rabbinical, cantorial and education students in all denominations at seminaries across the country with organizing and leadership development training, and mentorship with rabbis and organizers engaged in synagogue organizing. It provides opportunities for students from various seminaries and denominations who are interested in organizing to impact the Jewish community and the world around them to learn from and support each other.
Read about our Seminary Leadership Course in New York in the fall. In training the next generation of religious Jewish leaders, we intend to fill synagogues across the country as well as other Jewish institutions with clergy who understand how to build thriving communities based on relationships and common purpose. Clergy trained through the Seminary Leadership Project have the skills to develop leadership teams, rather than leading on their own. They have the appetite to transform their own institutions into healthy, vibrant, thriving beacons and to lead those institutions as they act on values grounded in social justice in the world around them, helping it become a more just place. They see their laypeople as allies, not problems to be controlled, and other clergy – both Jewish and non-Jewish – as partners. They have the confidence to experiment and the talent to position themselves for success. In training the next generation of religious Jewish leaders, we intend to fill synagogues across the country as well as other Jewish institutions with clergy who understand how to build thriving communities based on relationships and common purpose. Clergy trained through the Seminary Leadership Project have the skills to develop leadership teams, rather than leading on their own. They have the appetite to transform their own institutions into healthy, vibrant, thriving beacons and to lead those institutions as they act on values grounded in social justice in the world around them, helping it become a more just place. They see their laypeople as allies, not problems to be controlled, and other clergy – both Jewish and non-Jewish – as partners. They have the confidence to experiment and the talent to position themselves for success.
Over 1000 rabbinical students have been trained through the Seminary Leadership Project, which was founded at Interfaith Funders and later housed by Jewish Funds for Justice before moving to JOIN for Justice in 2011. Our alumni are assistant or lead rabbis at synagogues all over the country, such as Boston, New York, Washington DC, Dallas, New Jersey, Florida, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and beyond.
For more information, Jeannie Appleman at jappleman@joinforjustice.org
