For Immediate Release Contact: Rabbi Rebecca Sirbu
212-779-3300, x 122
CLAL’S GROUNDBREAKING RABBIS WITHOUT BORDERS
NATIONAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM SELECTS NEW CLASS
Rabbi BARRY DOLINGER Chosen from PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND
Unique Initiative Helps Rabbis Make Jewish Wisdom a Public Good
and Prepares Them for the Changing Religious Landscape
Rabbis Without Borders (RWB), Clal’s landmark initiative that helps rabbis make Jewish thought and practice more available for improving people’s lives, selected its sixth class for its competitive rabbinic fellowship program. Of those selected, Rabbi Barry Dolinger from Providence was picked for this prestigious program (photo available upon request).
“Interest in the program has only increased over the years,” said Rabbi Rebecca W. Sirbu, RWB Director. “Rabbis recognize that the religious environment has changed – from family make up to spiritual practice. To reach people where they are and how they are, rabbis need to apply their skills in new ways. RWB offers that kind of support. It helps rabbis better communicate in both familiar and new venues, and makes Jewish wisdom an accessible resource for the American public to help all people flourish in their lives.”
Listed for two years in the Slingshot Guide of the fifty most innovative Jewish organizations in America, RWB encourages rabbis to think creatively about their work and the new American religious landscape. Building a network of religious leaders from all streams, RWB helps rabbis make Jewish insights readily available and useful, adding to the well of American spiritual resources. As the key disseminators of the tradition, rabbis who can present Jewish wisdom more effectively are better educators and community builders, and can become religious leaders with unique tools to offer the broader culture.
Rabbinic Fellows will gather for two in-person retreats and have once–a-month webinars and small-group conversations. Sessions will focus on current trends in America today. The intersection between religion, politics, technology, identity and meaning making are all explored in depth.
At the conclusion of the Fellowship year, the rabbis enter the Rabbis Without Borders Network, a pluralist, innovative network of rabbis grounded by a sense of service to all. Representing 180 rabbis and growing from across the denominational spectrum, the RWB Network continues to support rabbinic growth and innovation. In addition, the network offers services to underserved Jewish communities though the RWB Service Corps and support for innovative lay leaders in its Leaders Without Borders Program.
Since 1974 when Clal began, its mission has been to help prepare the Jewish people for the unprecedented freedom and openness of America. Started by Rabbi Irving “Yitz” Greenberg and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, Clal formed a network of rabbis capable of translating Jewish wisdom and practice into an accessible resource in contemporary life. RWB is an extension of that work.
To interview any of the fellows or Rabbi Rebecca W. Sirbu, please contact Rabbi Sirbu, Clal’s Director of Rabbis Without Borders , at 212-779-3300, ext. 122; .