Special Programs in Practical Rabbinics
Courses in the Department of Practical Rabbinics-such as Tachlis Jewish Education and Congregational Studies-use an integrated model of classroom learning and supervised fieldwork. These courses help cultivate skills for successful careers in Jewish leadership. All of our students complete eight of these courses. Or you may also choose one of the following specializations:
Campus Rabbinate
Aging
Social-Justice Organizing
Congregational Life
Community Organization
Specialization in the Campus Rabbinate
This specialization is available in consultation with the directors of practical rabbinics and the campus rabbis program. For the campus specialization you must complete a prescribed set of practical rabbinics courses and three full years of supervised campus work in at least two locations, and participate in the Campus Supervision Group.
Our graduates have served major colleges and universities, leading their campus Hillel organizations. Our students regularly work in placements on many different local campuses, from Haverford and Bryn Mawr Colleges to the University of Pennsylvania to Ursinus College. Read more about RRC's campus work.
Specialization in Aging
The Rabbinic Education on Aging Program (REAP) of Hiddur: The Center for Aging and Judaism of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College provides our students with awareness of and skills related to aging. REAP offerings are open to all students. Or you may choose to concentrate in this area by completing a prescribed set of practical rabbinics courses.
In addition, you must complete two full-year, clinically supervised, approved internships serving elders at least 10 hours per week, or one full-year and one summer clinical internship program with an equivalent number of hours. You also must participate in a monthly REAP seminar for at least two semesters; here, students serving elders in various settings reflect on their work, develop new models of serving and engaging elders, and shape their theology and ideology of aging.
Specialization in Social-Justice Organizing
The Social Justice Organizing Program at RRC will train rabbis to be Jewish leaders in bringing about a socially just, environmentally sustainable and spiritually fulfilling human presence. It is the first specialized academic track at a Jewish seminary to focus on justice organizing. The values and goals of the program will inform academic and community life. Through coursework and supervised internships, the program will develop rabbis who:
· can authentically integrate their spiritual beliefs and practices with their political ones
· are grounded in tradition and text
· have an understanding of systems of power that dominate today's world
· have the skills to both participate in and help lead transformative change.
Specialization in Congregational Life
In consultation with the director of practical rabbinics, our students interested in pursuing a career in the congregational rabbinate may choose this specialization. Our schedule permits you to travel as often as weekly to student positions around the country, and many students have formed close relationships with the congregations they serve early on.
The requirements include a prescribed set of practical rabbinics courses that help you craft the complex skill sets you need for effective pulpit work; a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education also is recommended.
As a student specializing in congregational life you are required to complete two years in a field placement (or one year each in two placements) as a student rabbi in a congregation. While serving in pulpit positions, you will be required to participate in RRC's pulpit supervision group.
Specialization in Community Organization
In consultation with the director of practical rabbinics and the community organizing specialization program, students interested in serving as professionals in community organizations may choose to structure their practical rabbinics training as a specialization in community organizing.
Among the requirements for a specialization in community organizing is a prescribed set of practical rabbinics courses, including Group Work, Rabbi as Organizational Manager, Year Cycle and Life Cycle. In addition, two courses directly related to the field of community organizing are required. Each student also must complete two full years of supervised internship work. (One of those years can be replaced by 10 full-time weeks in the summer.) Students are required to participate in a Community Organizing Supervision Group while they work in internships. Those who complete all requirements receive a certificate of specialization in community organizing.
