Klei Kodesh Fellowship: JOC Clergy in Formation
JOIN for Justice is proud to announce the Klei Kodesh Fellowship, a new organizing fellowship for Jews of Color in seminary who are studying to become rabbis, cantors, and maharats.
Jews of Color who are rabbis, cantors, and maharats serve as essential spiritual leaders and key organizers within our Jewish communities, serving as vital role models for the future of American Judaism and bridge builders between communities. Yet there are too few JOC clergy, placing additional pressure on those already in these essential roles. While doing transformational work, JOC clergy often face unique challenges, including persistent racism.
The Klei Kodesh Fellowship is a program designed to support Jews of Color currently in seminary. It aims to strengthen their leadership, equip them with new skills, provide essential support, and foster a supportive community of future Jewish leaders that reflects the diversity of the world around us.
Fellows in this pilot semester-long program will:
- Build critical leadership skills:
- Engage in five dynamic cohort sessions focused on the most essential tools, as identified by the fellows themselves.
- Receive individualized coaching.
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- From Organizers of Color, at the end of their time in seminary, to help apply organizing lessons to the particular challenges and opportunities of their identity.
- From Jews of Color who are rabbis or cantors who have navigated a similar path.
Coaching is provided for an additional year, spanning the final six months of seminary, the entire placement process, and the initial six months in the field.
- Join a supportive community of fellow JOC leaders who are building resilience and uplifting one another.
- Receive a $1,000 stipend to support participation in the fellowship.
To learn more, please contact Jordan Berg Powers.
JOIN for Justice thanks the Shards of Light Foundation, which has partially funded this program. We also thank our advisory committee that, with Jordan’s leadership, designed this program: Rabbis Tiferet Berenbaum, Sandra Lawson, Mira Rivera, Becky Jaye, and Evan Traylor.
