In a previous generation, rabbis may have been able to separate the so-called "secular tasks" from the "holy ones", apportioning the former to lay leaders and the latter to themselves.  But the Torah, by dividing the mitzvot bain adam l'makom and bein adam l'chaveiro, teaches us that such dichotomies are really false.  All actions and activities are the concern of God.  Rabbis are thus charged with the task of developing synagogues into vibrant, useful organizations, even as they perform their holy tasks. 

Supporting the Work of Leadership

PEER is designed to enhance the development of rabbis as spiritual and organizational leaders. Rabbis receive little or no formal training in relation to leading organizations. Yet a large part of the work they do is leadership. establishing visions of synagogues that effectively nourish the spiritual lives of their members, managing staff involved in implementing those visions, collaborating with lay leaders of their congregations, and serving as figures of authority. These and the other tasks of leadership require various skills and behaviors, supported by a set of insights into the nature and practice of effective leaders that are routinely learned by managers of corporate, public, and non-profit organizations.

The aim of this Institute is to enable rabbis to become effective leaders without needing to struggle, in isolation and uncertainty, through years of difficult trial-and-error. The program is designed for rabbis who currently serve as the spiritual leaders of congregations that vary in size, spiritual practice, and organizational structure.

PROCESS -How it works

• Three Day Residential Session
• The Next Ten Months - Faculty and Peer Coaches
• Final Residential

CONTENT - What we teach

• Individual development
• Organizational Development
• Spiritual Development