Degrees & Certificates in Advanced Jewish Education

Check out the highlighted schools, certificates, and degree programs to learn more about the incredible programs available for Jewish Educators!

ACADEMY FOR JEWISH RELIGION
AJR is the leader in providing Jewish educational opportunities for second career students in ways that fit your needs. As a result, we have crafted a flexible program taking into account your location, current employment, and prior education and past experience.  AJR offers a vigorous Distance Learning Program, utilizing a state-of-the-art Hybrid Classroom so that Distance Learning students learn with those on-site as one community in real time.

AJR offers the following programs:

Rabbinical Program
The goal of AJR’s Rabbinical School Program is to train future leaders of the Jewish people who have deep learning in texts and tradition, an appreciation for the historical forces that have shaped our people, and a love for the Jewish people.  The rabbinate involves service as much as leadership, and an AJR ordained rabbi will have developed the professional skills to serve with insight, compassion, wisdom and understanding.

Cantorial Program
Recognizing the evolving role of the cantor or hazzan, AJR pioneered the full ordination (semikha) of cantorial students as Hazzan uMoreh/Morah b’Yisrael (Cantor and Teacher in Israel). Our vision is for the cantor (hazzan) to have a profound mastery of all approaches to Jewish prayer, and knowledge of all aspects of Jewish musical tradition as well as contemporary Jewish music repertoire. We also anticipate that in some cases a cantor might be the sole spiritual leader of a congregation. The education offered by AJR supports this possibility.

Cantors to Rabbis
As the world of Jewish spiritual leadership changes and roles contract, expand, and evolve, cantors often find themselves wishing they had the tools to fulfill all that is being asked of them as spiritual leaders. The Academy for Jewish Religion is proud to offer cantors the opportunity to add rabbinic ordination to their already impressive mastery of nusah, tefillah, and all that goes with cantorial ordination or investiture.

Kolbo Program
AJR now offers dual ordination (cantor and rabbi) to those students who want to master the technical issues inherent to both cantors and rabbis.  Our Kolbo program is attracting candidates who see themselves in the role of solo clergy…spiritual leaders for many communities.  Dual ordination takes a year longer than either individual program but prepares the graduate for deep and meaningful work in a variety of settings.

Master of Arts in Jewish Studies
The program is geared towards graduates of undergraduate programs who wish to better prepare themselves for careers in Jewish communal organizations or in Jewish education; graduates of undergraduate programs who wish to qualify for a more advanced graduate degree, e.g., a doctoral program or a rabbinical or cantorial program; professionals involved in Jewish communal service and Jewish education wanting to enrich their academic credentials; and laypeople possessing an undergraduate degree interested in enriching their Jewish knowledge.

Please contact Dean of Admission Cantor Lisa Klinger-Kantor at lklinger-kantor@ajr.edu for additional information. The Academy for Jewish Religion website: ajr.edu.

ALEPH
The ALEPH Ordination Program: An Intensive, Innovative Adult Learning Adventure

The ALEPH Rabbinic, Cantorial, Rabbinic Pastor and Hashpa’ah Programs are bringing a new generation of spiritual leaders and teachers to the forefront of Jewish creative life. The ALEPH Ordination Program trains rabbis, cantors, rabbinic pastors and mashpi’im (spiritual directors) to be community builders, teachers, spiritual leaders, counselors, liturgists and artists of the Jewish tradition. Our comprehensive rigorous curriculum embraces both traditional and innovative/experiential learning, including state-of-the-art live video conferencing for the majority of our courses.

Learn more about us at  https://aleph.org/ordinations

THE BALTIMORE HEBREW INSTITUTE AT TOWSON UNIVERSITY

The Baltimore Hebrew Institute at Towson University is committed to supporting the education of Jewish educators, communal professionals and Judaic studies scholars who wish to excel in their chosen fields.

The institute provides outstanding opportunities for post-baccalaureate certificates in Jewish Communal Service and Jewish Education and master’s degrees in Leadership in Jewish Education and Communal Service and Jewish Studies in a vibrant and cohesive community. Generous scholarships and customized tailored programs help students meet their educational goals.

Depending on your degree and area of concentration, you will receive an interdisciplinary curriculum that includes courses in leadership, education, non-profit management, communal service, history and literature. The Leadership in Jewish Education and Communal Service master’s degree includes an internship tailored to meet your career goals. Study abroad opportunities also exist for a unique on-site learning experience.

Small, welcoming classes foster collaboration with faculty and peers. The university’s faculty-mentors are prominent scholars and educators recognized for their research in key areas of Jewish studies, communal service and education.

Baltimore has a vibrant and active Jewish community enabling students’ opportunities to be involved in a variety of Jewish organizations as well as meet other Jewish professionals with careers in Jewish education, synagogues, Hillels, social service agencies, Jewish federations and community centers.

To learn more, please visit www.towson.edu/bhi or contact Diane Seegull at baltimorehebrewinstitute@towson.edu.
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Baltimore Hebrew University integrated with Towson University in 2009 as the Baltimore Hebrew Institute. This integration continues their joint commitment to excellence and the academic success of each student. An impressive collection of Judaic books and artifacts, largest in the Mid-Atlantic through Southeastern United States, is sustained by the institute at the Albert S. Cook Library. The collection contains more than 4,000 rare books and documents, including many from the Jewish Cultural Reconstruction that were reclaimed from Nazi seizure following World War II.

GRATZ COLLEGE
Gratz College’s NEXT program provides online professional development for Jewish educators. All of Gratz College’s NEXT courses are online and asynchronous. Fall 2018 start the week of Oct. 15. Read the full course descriptions and register here. Participants log into the course for approximately 2 hours per week, at the time that is most convenient for them. Courses are available AT NO COST to teachers in Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Hartford, Pittsburgh and Detroit. Tuition discounts and/or subsidies are also available in Baltimore, Broward County, Cleveland, Houston, Toronto and the Greater Palm Beaches. Tuition discounts are also available to teachers using the ShalomLearning curriculum and those working at schools that are affiliated with Reconstructing Judaism (RJ)and United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ).

Visit http://www.gratz.edu/academics/next or contact Director Emily Teck for details!

HEBREW COLLEGE
Hebrew College is dedicated to the principle that rigorous, pluralistic Jewish education is essential to building and sustaining a vibrant Jewish community.

We are committed to training Jewish professionals who have a strong foundation in classical Jewish studies and are equally well equipped to address the complexities of contemporary Jewish life.

The Shoolman Graduate School of Jewish Education promotes Jewish learning and leadership for a pluralistic world by developing educators who reach out to all those, at all levels, of any background, who want to access Jewish life and learning.

Online Learning
We strongly believe in creating communities of learning in all our classes. Having offered programs online for well over a decade, Hebrew College has established itself as a leader in online Jewish learning. Our students study online asynchronously and use the latest technology to have intimate and close peer-to- peer collaboration and to connect with valued faculty members.

Advising, Field Experience, and Mentoring
Each student has a personal academic advisor who supports and guides their learning throughout the program. Many programs involve a supervised field experience with a local mentor or supervisor. Our Director of Field Experience will support our students wherever they are located. We value and model the role of mentoring for each of our students within and beyond their studies at the College.

To learn more about Hebrew College’s Shoolman Graduate School of Education, please visit www.hebrewcollege.edu/shoolman. Visit hebrewcollege.edu for information about our online and on-campus programs including ordination, degree, certificate, Hebrew Language, adult learning, and youth programs. Apply now.

HEBREW UNION COLLEGE
HUC is the center of innovation for Jewish life and learning – preparing rabbis, cantors, leaders in Jewish education, Jewish nonprofit professionals, pastoral counselors, and scholars to apply their knowledge, commitment, vision, and expertise to strengthen and transform the Jewish community and larger world.

HUC is the premier Jewish seminary in North America and the academic, spiritual, and professional leadership development center of Reform Judaism. Our students and alumni are leading a Jewish renaissance in North America, Israel, and around the globe as leaders in synagogues, schools, Hillels, hospitals, camps, the military, and Jewish organizations worldwide. Our faculty are internationally recognized for their teaching, research, and mentorship.

HUC’s campuses in Cincinnati, Jerusalem, Los Angeles, and New York are vital centers for educational and cultural outreach to those of all faiths and backgrounds.

Visit www.huc.edu for more information

To Learn More, visit http://www.jtsa.edu/masters-degree-in-jewish-education or contact the Admissions office at 212-678-8022 or edschool@jtsa.edu. Download the flyer here.

JEWISH SPIRITUAL EDUCATION: RESOURCES, PROGRAMS & TRAINING
Reclaiming Judaism develops and provides programs, training, resources, research and consultation in the emerging field of Jewish spiritual education, i.e., guiding people to be able to thrive through the beauty and power of a Jewish lens on living. Founded by Rabbi Goldie Milgram, Reclaiming Judaism was incorporated as a 501c3 non-profit in 2003 under a grant from the Nathan Cummings Foundation. Our books and programs have been honored and featured by the Covenant Foundation, the National Jewish Book Awards, and the Jewish Futures Conference.

Major initiatives include the Institute for Jewish Spiritual Education (2017) and it’s Maggid-Educator Certification and Ordination Program, the Mitzvah-Centered Life Initiative (2015), Reclaiming Judaism Press (2009), and the original Bar/Mitzvah [R]evolution (2001), substantially updated as B-Mitzvah!(SM).
Our faculty of master teachers is complemented by over two hundred professional volunteers who assist in administration, publishing, and program development. Teachings and programs of professional training have been given in over 637 cities and 79 countries, for example in addition to the United States: United Kingdom, Israel, South Africa, France, Spain, The Netherlands, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Russia, Moldova, and Ukraine. Professional education and courses for the public are now also available worldwide through limited attendance, live video-conference sessions.

Inquiries: Rabbi Goldie Milgram, Executive Director and Editor-in-Chief, rebgoldie@gmail.com

JEWISH SPIRITUAL LEADERS’ INSTITUTE
The Jewish Spiritual Leaders’ Institute (JSLI www.jsli.net) is a unique and fully online rabbinical school for Jewish professionals who are called to the Rabbinate or Cantorate and to date JSLI has ordained 150+ Rabbis and Cantors.  Our Rabbis and Cantors serve Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist congregations around the world. Many serve the community by officiating at Jewish and Interfaith Life-Cycle ceremonies. Most of our students have been working in the Jewish world in some capacity ie educators, chaplains, lay leaders, cantors and cannot relocate or spend the time and money to pursue a more traditional semicha.  Coming from all walks of life this diversity of thought leads to a very deep and rich and pragmatic learning experience.

Rabbi and Cantor Steven Blane (www.rabbi.net) is the Founder and Dean of JSLI. He believes there is a great need to train and prepare liberal rabbis to meet the needs of millions of unaffiliated Jews and interfaith couples and their families who make up more than half of the world’s population, and it’s important to remember them if we are to encourage the continuation of and respect for our religion.

Our students are Postdenominational, come from all Jewish backgrounds- Orthodox, Conservative, Reconstructionist and Reform- to study with us from all over the world. Our classes meet once a week online via a video conferencing application making it possible to see and hear and interact with one another. These sessions include prayer (Davennen), exploring the weekly Torah portion (Parasha) and discussing relevant rabbinic law (Halacha). This Hevrutah style of learning leads to a sense of community and strong bonds of friendship are created among each class.

According to Rabbi Blane, “We may not be studying together physically but with this exciting new way of learning we still have a warm and thriving online community of open-minded liberal men and women. And, after you become ordained as a Rabbi, at JSLI, you have a continued wonderful support system where we share life’s journeys and rabbinical resources.”

For more information and testimonials please visit our website.

The Mandel Teacher Educator Institute (MTEI) is an immersive learning experience helping Jewish educational leaders transform their communities into places where teachers learn together, exploring both Jewish content and how to enrich learning for students.  MTEI is a 2-year cohort-based program open to congregational educators, day school leaders, ECE directors, and other Jewish educational leaders.  Participants gather in Chicago for six four-day seminars where they study with world-class faculty and one another asking fundamental questions about teaching and learning, cultivating a reflective practice, and developing a set of professional development and leadership practices.  In between seminars, participants practice the work at home with support from faculty and their cohort colleagues.  At the program’s conclusion, participants join a powerful network of graduates who gather virtually and in person for continuing study.

Learn more about this transformational learning experience at http://www.mtei-learning.org/

THE MAYBERG CENTER FOR JEWISH EDUCATION AND LEADERSHIP
The Mayberg Center for Jewish Education and Leadership at GW’s Graduate School of Education and Human Development is proud to launch its new Master’s degree in Curriculum & Instruction with a concentration in Jewish education to begin Summer 2019. Interested students can apply by visiting the GW Student Portal.

The program is designed for Jewish day school educators, heads of departments, directors of congregational schools, or individuals starting their careers in Jewish education. The Mayberg Center for Jewish Education and Leadership invites interested candidates to join us for an intense and stimulating cohort learning experience in our nation’s capital. We prepare students to become teachers in formal classroom settings with an emphasis on teaching strategies, instructional techniques, and curriculum design for specific Jewish text-based disciplines.

Students will learn alongside full and part-time students studying education at GW. To earn the master’s degree, students will complete core courses in Curriculum & Instruction in a world-renowned Graduate School of Education in addition to courses particular to the concentration in Jewish education: Jewish history, rabbinics, Bible, and experiential education. These courses offer an opportunity to learn Judaic studies from recognized experts and to consider creative ways to master and to teach content knowledge. An internship at the end of the program offers a chance for candidates to teach in a supervised classroom in a Jewish school and to benefit from veteran mentors.

To learn more, please visit The Mayberg Center for Jewish Education and Leadership or contact Dr. Sharon Blumenthal-Cohen at sharonb@gwu.edu. Interested students can apply by visiting the GW Student Portal.

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The Mayberg Center was started in 2016 to advance community-based scholarship in the field of Jewish education and leadership. Housed in the GW Graduate School of Education and Human Development (GSEHD) at The George Washington University, the Center aspires to be a vibrant laboratory for teaching, learning, and educational engagement in the arenas of pedagogy, identity, and Jewish literacy. The Center has three goals in serving the community: 1) to provide high-level graduate degrees in Jewish education, 2) to offer professional development for in-service educators and non-profit professionals, and 3) to bring academics and practitioners together to shape the Jewish present and future.

The Mayberg Center for Jewish Education and Leadership is funded through the generosity of the Mayberg Foundation.

SPERTUS INSTITUTE FOR JEWISH LEARNING AND LEADERSHIP
Jewish educators across North America have a new opportunity to enhance their leadership skills.

Beginning in 2019, the Certificate in Jewish Leadership for Educators will provide senior-level educators the knowledge and skills necessary for them to serve in leadership capacities. The curriculum will prepare participants to meet educational challenges facing Jewish communities in the 21st century and to embrace growth opportunities in their careers and organizations.

The Certificate program is presented by Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership in partnership with Northwestern University. Courses and workshops, taught by leading faculty from both institutions, will take place during two onsite seminars in Chicago, January 20-23 and March 24-27, 2019. Due to support from the Jim Joseph Foundation, the cost of the entire program—including travel and hotel accommodations—is $1,000.

The deadline for preferred admission is November 30, 2018. Those interested in learning more should contact Amie S. Barrish, Assistant Director for Recruitment, at abarrish@spertus.edu or visit spertus.edu.

YESHIVAT CHOVEVEI TORAH RABBINICAL SCHOOL
The Semikha program accepts Modern Orthodox male applicants who demonstrate love and dedication to serving the Jewish people, and who posses yirat Shamayim, ahavat haTorah, and ahavat Klal Yisrael. Students should have facility with Gemara and rabbinic texts, overall academic excellence, potential for leadership skills, an open and inclusive orientation, and high moral character. Specific requirements for incoming students include a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, and at least two years of post-high school intensive study of rabbinic texts or the ability to demonstrate the equivalent of such study in terms of textual skill in Talmud and classical commentaries.

For more information, contact the Dean: jkelsen@yctorah.org