Prospective students must meet the following prior to entering our program:
- A bachelor of arts or sciences from an accredited institution of higher education
- The equivalent mastery of two years of classical and modern Hebrew (more info on our Hebrew page)
- The equivalent mastery of two years of Tanakh and Jewish history
- A working understanding of Talmud/Halacha as it pertains to daily life, lifecycle and holidays
- Knowledge of the structure and practice of the siddur and machzor
- Some knowledge, even if limited, of Jewish philosophy, thinkers, and mysticism
- Five or more years experience professionally or as a volunteer in Jewish communal life such as synagogues, JCC, Federation, Jewish non-profits, etc.
- Three professional and/or academic recommendations (in .pdf form)
- An idea for a project (non-profit or for-profit) that will dramatically improve Jewish life
We accept students who are Jewish by either mother, father or through conversion. We also accept LGBTQ students as well as students who are in interfaith relationships. We do not accept non-Jews or people involved with Jews For Jesus, Messianic Judaism or similar.
Admissions Application, Vetting, Interview, and Testing Process
Our admissions process is four-fold:
- Prospective students apply for our program online. There is a non-refundable $250.00 application fee
- Students are vetted not only through their application but also through a rigorous background check including social media scrutiny
- Students whose applications are accepted and pass the background check will then be invited to an online interview with our director
- The final stage is Hebrew and Judaic knowledge testing. Should a student show a lack of knowledge, we will work with them to find alternative programs to help them reach the level they need to enter our program
Important Considerations For Prospective Students
Our rabbinical program is focused on helping create future Jewish leaders for future Jewish communities and organizations. There are many options for rabbinical education and we would encourage students seeking more traditional careers in synagogues and similar organizations to attend more traditional rabbinical schools.
Our program is only successful if students are actively engaged. Students who fail to participate fully in their courses will be excused from the program with no refund. While we have designed our program with working students in mind, please give serious thought to your ability to participate in our program prior to applying.