Alissa Wise′s journey to rabbinical school began with social activism that included antipoverty work and tenant organizing in New York City. Learn more...
Ari Hendin
Ari Hendin was raised non-Jewish and worked as a psychologist in private practice. Learn more...
Ben Davis
Ben Davis, a conservatory-trained musician, found that music became his entry point for a deep connection to Judaism. Learn more...
Brian Fink
RRC student Brian Fink is only in his 20s, but he already has had a lifetime of experience in social justice work. He sees some parallels between outreach to the homeless and rabbinic chaplaincy. Learn more...
Darby Leigh
The New York Times called him "a virtuoso of an exuberant actor." Alternative rock musician Perry Farrell invited him to perform on stage with Jane′s Addiction. Learn more...
David Teutsch, Ph.D.
His background as a rabbi and his expertise in organizational ethics uniquely qualify David Teutsch to counsel organizations on leadership and ethical issues. Learn more...
Helen Plotkin
Helen Plotkin, who speaks Mandarin Chinese, sees a natural flow between her interest in ancient Chinese texts and her love of Jewish texts. Learn more...
Hevrutah and the Bet Midrash
The story of the great Rabbi Yochanan and his beloved study partner, Resh Laqish, illustrates the value of hevrutah, a partnered approach to text study practiced at RRC. Learn more...
Isabel de Koninck
Isabel de Koninck, a second-year rabbinical student at RRC, is not only a talented student, but also an accomplished athlete. Learn more...
Jacob J. Staub, Ph.D.
Jacob J. Staub, Ph.D., has been instrumental in bringing the discipline of spiritual direction to RRC. Learn more...
Jarah Greenfield
In the summer of 2005, Jarah Greenfield found herself in the middle of a hot-button debate on government-sanctioned torture, a controversy that pitted the Bush administration against members of Congress on both sides of the aisle. Learn more...
Joel Hecker, Ph.D.
Joel Hecker, Ph.D., is an Orthodox Jew and a scholar of kabbalah. He brings a serious and scholarly point of view to an area of text study in danger of becoming trivialized by pop culture. Learn more...
Lori Hope Lefkovitz, Ph.D.
Lori Hope Lefkovitz, Ph.D., is fond of telling her students that the most important work we do in the present is to discover the story that we need to tell about our past. Learn more...
Marsha Silberstein
Step by step, for the first 40-some years of her life, Dr. Marsha Silberstein, an anesthesiologist, followed a steady and very successful course. But somewhere in the back of her mind, she always wanted to be a rabbi. Learn more...
Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer, Ph.D.
When the emir of Qatar decided to invite Jews for the first time to an international conference of Christians and Muslims, Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer received the call. Learn more...
Rabbi Dayle A. Friedman
How can we meet the spiritual needs of Jewish people facing transitions, frailty and loss? Rabbi Dayle A. Friedman, a U.S. pioneer in the field of spiritual care for the elderly, recently posed that question in a new context --Israel. Learn more...
Rabbi Ira Stone
"If we all know what's good, why don't we do it?" This question goes beyond the rhetorical for Rabbi Ira Stone, a congregational leader, RRC adjunct professor, poet and Mussar scholar. Learn more...
Rabbi Kevin Bernstein
He was a veterinarian before he came to RRC. Now he uses his surgical skills in other ways. Learn more...
Rabbi Me'irah Iliinsky
As a child, Me'irah Iliinsky drew pictures of dancers in her mother's ballet studio. Today, she uses verses from the Torah for artistic inspiration. See her work Learn more...
Rabbi Michal Woll
Rabbi Michal Woll had been a bioengineer and a physical therapist. Yet she knew she was on her way to something else. Learn more...
Rabbi Nancy Epstein
Long before Rabbi Nancy Epstein began studies at RRC, she had accumulated a wealth of Jewish experience. Learn more...
Rabbi Shira Stutman
Rabbi Shira Stutman entered RRC after a year of travel through Southeast Asia and South America, not knowing that she would bear two children and bury her father while studying for the rabbinate. Learn more...
Rabbi Vivie Mayer
At age 15, when Vivie Mayer first thought about becoming a rabbi, she assumed it would be impossible. Little did she know that she would one day lead a congregation and then teach other rabbis. Learn more...
S. Tamar Kamionkowski, Ph.D.
When Tamar Kamionkowski, Ph.D., came to RRC in 1996 as an adjunct professor, she was immediately attracted to the caliber of the students Learn more...
Sarra Lev, Ph.D.
Sarra Lev hears her motherīs voice when she teaches her Talmud class Learn more...
Steven Goldstein
Why would a lawyer and Emmy award-winning television producer decide to become a rabbinical student? Learn more...
RRC is committed to providing students the financial aid they require to assist them in meeting their educational costs. Aid is distributed on the basis of need as well as merit.
About 50 percent of the revenue derived from tuition is redistributed in the form of grants to students. Some students receive aid that covers the full cost of tuition.
The cost of tuition for incoming 2007-08 students is $15,000. The administration will make every effort to ensure that the amount incoming students pay for tuition does not change throughout their tenure at RRC.
Need-Based Scholarships
Income-qualified students are eligible for scholarships to help defray the cost of their education.
Admitted students applying for aid must fill out a scholarship application prepared by the College. Scholarship applications are available online in mid- to late February. Online applications must be completed and submitted online by April 15. Students admitted after April 10 may submit completed financial aid application forms until April 30.
Merit-Based Scholarships
Financial assistance also is distributed to students based on academic performance. A faculty committee awards these scholarships each spring to students who have been nominated by regular faculty. The committee selects student nominees who have applied for aid, considering first those classified as having the greatest need, and then moving to each of the subsequent categories. You will not be considered for merit assistance unless you have applied for financial aid.
Each year, up to two Marjorie and Aaron Ziegelman Scholarships are given to especially promising incoming rabbinic students. These full-tuition scholarships are renewable annually for five years to students who remain in good standing.
In addition, one Judith and Ira Eisenstein Scholarship may be offered each year to an especially promising incoming rabbinic student. This scholarship provides full or partial tuition for up to three years for students who remain in good standing.
Student Loans
RRC participates in the Federal Stafford loans program. Interested students must fill out a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form and provide supporting documentation.
Students may also choose to apply for loans from private financial institutions.
Student Employment and Field Experience
The dean of students works with students to help place them in student employment and field experiences. In the past, students have received placements in congregations, Hillels, community organizations, social service agencies and other such assignments. In addition to formal internships, many students work part-time as religious school teachers, adult education instructors and youth directors to gain experience and to help meet their expenses.