Pre-Rabbinic Internship Program

The CJF has set up a paid pre-rabbinic fellowship for undergraduate students who are considering a career in rabbinics or other fields of community service. The fellowship is currently in its second year, and is under the guidance of Rabbi Joshua Blass, who was appointed pre-rabbinic advisor for the Wilf Campus last year by the CJF. Last year, there were 15 undergraduate students in the program, most of them upper-classmen. The purpose of this fellowship is to expose the participants to the experiences of a career in the rabbinate and community service. The participants attend biweekly classes on topics related to rabbinics and community service, such as conversions and outreach. The participants will have dinners at the homes of accomplished people who are engaged in community service, such as President Richard Joel and Rabbi Kenneth Brander. The participants will also have shabbatonim at the home of Rabbi Blass, and at synagogues outside of New York, such as in Dallas and Oakland, to expose the participants to different Jewish communities and different career opportunities. Additionally, the participants will get to hear from various speakers, such as Rabbi Marc Penner, Rabbi Michael Taubes and Rabbi Mark Wildes, as they talk about their careers in the rabbinate.