In its early growth years, a congregation faces difficult challenges as it begins to establish itself as a healthy religious community. The process of starting and growing is complex, and an emerging community’s needs are not the same as those faced by an established congregation. What kind of service will it have? How will the community teach and learn together? What will be its approach to Judaism’s living tradition? Helping a core group answer these and other questions demands specialized leadership skills.     

The Emerging Kehillah Initiative was established to help both emerging communities and rabbinical students. It provides an intensive experience in practical rabbinics and community development for outstanding students studying for the rabbinate at The Jewish Theological Seminary while providing a growing congregation with rabbinic leadership.

Gladstein Rabbinic Fellows intern with established teaching congregations for two years, during which time they live within that community. The Fellows thus have the opportunity to be part of a flourishing Conservative congregation, to work with a mentoring rabbi, to get a sense of how a thriving religious community functions, and to acquire and sharpen tools for effective community leadership.

Each month during those two years, the Fellows travel to serve emerging congregations. The Emerging Kehillah Initiative is part of Alim, the United Synagogue’s initiative to foster new Conservative congregations within growing Jewish communities. Alim congregations have not yet had rabbinic leadership, but their members have the potential and the desire to become a vibrant part of the Conservative movement.

 The mentoring rabbis help the Fellows gain insight into the emerging community’s needs and develop the expert skills to meet those needs. The Fellows draw on the lessons they are learning and the skills they are developing in their teaching congregations as they work with the emerging congregations.