Legacy Heritage Rabbinic Enrichment Initiative FAQs

Q: How long is the fellowship?

A: Your LHREI Fellowship will run from July 2008 to May 2010 and will include two summer institutes and two years of virtual beit midrash.

Q: Who will the faculty be?

A: During the summer institutes, the faculty will include leaders in the fields of nonprofit management and leadership development from institutions around the country. Integral to the program, though is the presence of mentor rabbis (seasoned congregational rabbis) who will add their expertise to each session.

Q: Is this just a nonprofit management course?

A: No. At JTS we believe two elements are essential for successful continuing rabbinic education.

1. Any program of continuing rabbinic education must include a serious Judaic component; and
2. Teachers who may be the best in their fields of management or leadership must adapt their teaching so that it is relevant and applicable to rabbis in the field.

Q: What will the fellowship cost me?

A: Rabbis who are accepted as LHREI Fellows are fully sponsored (including all travel, lodging, materials, and seminars). The only cost that rabbis will be asked to assume is for inexpensive equipment to engage in the virtual beit midrash. Support for the Legacy Heritage Rabbinic Enrichment Initiative has been generously provided by the Legacy Heritage Fund Limited.

Q: How are fellows chosen?

A: A panel composed of a JTS faculty member, a Rabbinical Assembly representative, a lay leader, and the director of LHREI will convene to screen the candidates and make recommendations to the chancellor for invitation.

Q: Who do I speak with if I have more questions?

A: Rabbi Marc Wolf who has been directing the Rabbinic Training Institute for the past six years will be directing the Legacy Heritage Rabbinic Enrichment Initiative. He can be reached by phone at (212) 678-8933 or by email.