We are proud of the Progressive rabbinic seminaries around the world including the Leo Baeck College-Centre for Jewish Education in London, the Abraham Geiger College in Berlin, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in the United States and Israel, the Levisson Instituut in the Netherlands and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in the United States. Cantors also receive ordination at HUC and Geiger College. HUC and WHO have programs of masters degrees in Jewish Education.The Machon (Institute for Modern Jewish Studies) in Moscow trains native paraprofessional congregational leaders.
The Institute for Modern Jewish Studies in Moscow
The Institute for Modern Jewish Studies, a partnership of the WUPJ, Abraham Geiger College, Russian State University of the Humanities (RSUH), and Pottsdam University, to train Russian-speaking rabbis for the region, offers a four-year BA degree program at RSUH Institute in Philology and Jewish Theology called “Art and Humanities with a specialization in Jewish Theology”.
Students recognized as having potential to continue toward rabbinic studies are jointly guided by the Institute for Modern Jewish Studies and the Abraham Geiger College, after their successful application at both Institutions.
The Iberoamerican Institue for Reform Rabbinical Education
WUPJ-LA, in partnership with Fundación Judaica and Centro de Espiritualidad Judía Mishkan, put into action this project to create an institute that will be in charge of training educators, community leaders and rabbis, which will allow for growth and continuity in our region. A Judaism based on inclusion and welcoming.
The program, which combines theoretical knowledge and daily practices, is aimed at those who have a vocation of study and service, as well as an active commitment to building a vibrant and sensitive Jewish community to the needs of contemporary life that are constantly changing. The academic staff will assist students with both distance learning and field work and intensive face-to-face meetings.
L’École Rabbinique de Paris
Partner Institutions
Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion
Founded in 1875, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is North America’s leading institution of higher Jewish education and the academic, spiritual, and professional leadership development center of Reform Judaism. HUC-JIR educates men and women for service to American and world Jewry as rabbis, cantors, leaders in Jewish education, and Jewish nonprofit management professionals, and offers graduate degree programs to scholars and clergy of all faiths. With centers of learning in Cincinnati, Jerusalem, Los Angeles, and New York, HUC-JIR’s scholarly resources comprise renowned library, archive, and museum collections, biblical archaeology excavations, and academic publications. HUC-JIR invites the community to an array of cultural and educational programs that illuminate Jewish identity, history, and contemporary creativity, and foster interfaith and multiethnic understanding.
Leo Baeck College
As the only fully validated and accredited Jewish seminary in the UK, Leo Baeck College (LBC) is the place where rabbis and educators equipped for the 21st century are trained, where the leaders of Progressive Judaism are nurtured, and where the heart of Progressive Jewish thought is developed.
Based on the model of the Berlin Hochshüle, Leo Baeck College was founded in 1956 by Rabbi Dr Werner van der Zyl and named in honour of his teacher, Rabbi Dr Leo Baeck. To date, Leo Baeck College has ordained more than one hundred and eighty rabbis and graduated over ninety educators serving in Progressive communities worldwide. Our alumni provide the leadership and learning across the Progressive Jewish world in the United Kingdom, Europe, Former Soviet Union, United States, Australia, South Africa, Israel, and beyond.
Abraham Geiger College
Founded in 1999, Abraham Geiger College is the first liberal rabbinical seminary to be established in Continental Europe since the Holocaust. Responding to the urgent need for academic rabbinical and cantorial training, Abraham Geiger College provides progressive, enlightened and modern spiritual leadership for Europe and beyond
Our college stands in the tradition of the Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judentums (Higher Institute for the Science of Judaism) in Berlin which was closed by the Nazis in 1942. Dedicated to Jewish tradition and committed to the principle of academic freedom, the education at Abraham Geiger College embraces three principles:
- High academic standards with a broad selection of courses, leading to an M.A. in Jewish Theology,
- Support of the students during their practical training regarding psychological guidance and pastoral concerns,
- and Guidance of the students in their pastoral practice through rabbinical mentors.
Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
Drawing on the powerful texts and magnificent Jewish history we have inherited, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College trains rabbis in shaping a Judaism relevant to the unfolding challenges and blessings of the current moment. Located just outside of Philadelphia, the College is the sole seminary of the Reconstructionist movement. Founded in 1968 to serve the Jewish people, RRC is dedicated to studying and teaching Judaism as an evolving religious civilization, and to advancing the universal freedom, justice and peace that are Judaism’s core values. Becoming a rabbi encompasses more than studying sacred texts, learning about ancient history and developing pastoral counseling skills. It’s a process that touches every aspect of your being. The College provides you an eclectic and dynamic curriculum that will engage you on a variety of levels both in and out of the classroom.
Levisson Institute, Amsterdam
The Levisson Institute was established in 2002 to train rabbis, shelichay tzibbur, teachers Talmud Torah, gabbay, ba’al korey, ba’al tefillah and all (potential) lay leaders of Dutch Progressive Jewish conregations. It is called after Robert (Bob) Levisson z.l. (1913-2001) from The Hague, one of the great leaders within the Dutch Jewish community and is part of the Dutch Union for Progressive Judaism (Verbond).
The Institute’s founder was Rabbi David Lilienthal. Until his retirement in 2012, he was the Dean of the Institute. He was succeeded by Rabbi Menno ten Brink of the Amsterdam congregation.
The rabbinical training is our first priority and consists of a high academic and professional
(vocational) program. It grants a worldwide recognised rabbinical certification (semicha).
Post-graduate education is organized for the rabbis, cantors and teachers. A “Gabbay Guide” is published for the Dutch community. The Institute also makes significant contributions to the essential task of maintaining and increasing Jewish knowledge among all members of the community through lectures and discussions that are open to the public.
The Institute is situated in the synagogue and community center of the Liberal Jewish Community (LJG) of Amsterdam.