Northern New Jersey Rabbinic (re)Design Fellowship

Applications are open for the Northern New Jersey Rabbinic (re)Design Fellowship! Click above to view the application.

We invite talented and innovative rabbis and clergy in Northern New Jersey (NNJ), who serve communities based in Bergen, Hudson, and/or Passaic counties, to apply. Read on for background, eligibility, and application instructions, and access the application at the button above. You will be able to save your application and return later. Applications due September 22, 2023.

Do you know a rabbi/spiritual leader you think would be a great fit for Atra's NNJ Rabbinic (re)Design Fellowship? Share their name and contact info with us here and we'll follow up!

The Rabbinic (re)Design Fellowship is a new, 21-month long Fellowship for rabbis in Northern New Jersey (NNJ) that aims to convene up to 15 of the region’s most talented and innovative spiritual leaders and empower them to respond in relevant, meaningful ways to the realities of today’s Jewish community.

This Fellowship will take high-potential clergy (trained/ordained spiritual guides, clergy educators, cantors, etc) serving the Jewish community of NNJ and train them to elevate and evolve their practice. As they apply this learning in real time, they will create new initiatives to enhance Jewish life in the region.

The Rabbinic (re)Design Fellowship is a project of Atra: Center for Rabbinic Innovation. The Northern New Jersey Rabbinic (re)Design Fellowship is generously supported by the Russell Berrie Foundation.

Modeled after 8 years of highly impactful national rabbinic fellowships, this regional fellowship will provide clergy with a more profound understanding of communal trends and needs, deeper relationships with colleagues, new capacities to innovate, and stronger skills to help realize a more clearly articulated vision for Jewish communal life in Northern New Jersey.

The fellowship will foster a cross-denominational cohort of up to 15 local rabbis/clergy selected through a competitive application process. Over 21 months, fellows will participate in fifteen two-hour workshops and three retreat-style seminars with skills-based training using Atra’s signature method of applied rabbinic innovation. In addition, fellows will receive ongoing individualized coaching, access seed funding for collaborative projects, and engage with communal stakeholders.

Through its National Fellowship programs, Atra: Center for Rabbinic Innovation has trained over 70 innovative Jewish clergy in the past 8 years. These clergy have gone on to lead, enhance, or start new projects for Jewish life across the country. The Northern New Jersey Rabbinic (re)Design Fellowship will apply and adapt Atra’s methodology to the needs of the Northern New Jersey Jewish community and its spiritual leaders.

The Commitment 

Fellows commit to this 21-month fellowship, inclusive of three retreat-style seminars (December 2023, November 2024, and October 2025), fifteen two-hour workshops, and individualized coaching with an expert in the field. The anticipated full schedule will be shared soon.

Fellows additionally commit to participating fully and open-heartedly as part of a diverse pluralistic cohort of clergy, with a shared investment of time and attention towards the Northern New Jersey Jewish Community. All will be encouraged to use both their minds and hearts — their intellect and personal experience — in our work together. Fellows are expected to dedicate significant time and energy towards completing guided projects that further their initiative.

Fellows are eligible for competitive seed funding for collaborative projects. All costs associated with participation are fully subsidized by Atra, made possible through the generous support of our donors. 

Schedule and Important Dates

Applicants should take note of the following expected dates. By applying, you commit to the following dates. Please include a note at the end of your application if you anticipate any potential conflicts.

  • Kickoff Retreat: December 3 - 5, 2023 (in-person)

  • Mid-Fellowship Seminar: November 4 - 6, 2024 (in-person)

  • Closing Seminar: October 20 - 22, 2025 (in-person)

  • Workshops: 15 iterations of 2-hour workshops from January 2024 through October 2025, dates and locations TBD

Eligibility

Applicants must:

  • Be ordained or invested by a seminary or yeshiva, or have an advanced academic degree in rabbinics.

  • Have a salaried position as a spiritual leader at a Jewish organization serving Bergen, Hudson, and Passaic counties (NJ) with the intention of continuing their tenure in their current organization for at least one year past the conclusion of the fellowship

  • Have authority/autonomy within their organization to make influential decisions and the support of supervisor/key stakeholder(s)

  • Commit fully to participating in all aspects of the fellowship (including workshops, seminars, and mini missions in between)

How to Apply

Access the application here. The form will take approximately one hour to complete, and you will be able to save your progress and return later.

Application deadline is September 22, 2023.