The Admissions Committee will determine each candidate’s suitability for the College after a thorough review of all application materials, including the completed application form and written self-assessment, resume, academic record, letters of recommendation and a personal statement.
A candidate can only be admitted subsequent to a personal interview with the Admissions Committee.
The College welcomes applications for admission to the rabbinical program from candidates who meet our admissions requirements, which include the following attributes:
Elsie R. Stern, Ph.D., Professor of Bible, says that teaching at RRC has helped shape her idea of what makes a good rabbi.
Jewish Identity
Candidates must be born of at least one Jewish parent and raised as Jews, or be Jews-by-choice. For Jews-by-choice, we accept conversions from all denominations.
Jewish Commitments
We expect candidates to actively demonstrate engagement with God, Torah and the Jewish people. Candidates model commitment to Jewish community and continuity in their personal, familial and communal lives, engaging thoughtfully in Jewish practice and with respect for tradition.
Hebrew Language Facility
For candidates who accept our invitation to interview, the College will administer a Hebrew placement exam to determine their readiness for rabbinical study. By the time of their matriculation, candidates will need facility with Modern or Biblical Hebrew minimally equivalent to one year of successful, college-level Hebrew study.
Educational Background
Candidates must hold an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution of higher learning, and their transcripts must show solid academic abilities.
Critical Thinking/Intellectual Curiosity
Candidates should demonstrate an ability and willingness to reflect upon, analyze and synthesize information, as well as a desire to explore and shape new ideas and ways of thinking.
Service Orientation
The College expects candidates to value community and enact selflessness motivated by a desire to “give back” and help, and who look for opportunities to work with and serve others.
Leadership
Candidates should be able to articulate a compelling vision and support a group in determining its goals, as well as be able to develop and implement appropriate strategies to achieve them.
Interpersonal
The College seeks candidates who easily connect with others, demonstrate empathy, and work well as part of a team. Candidates need the ability to “read a room” and to establish and maintain appropriate boundaries with others.
Listening/Communication
Candidates we seek actively engage in conversation with others. They articulate their ideas in a coherent manner. Equally important is that they listen actively and are attentive to words spoken by others, while being able to accurately interpret their meaning.
Resilience/Stress Management
Candidates should have the ability to work under pressure, effectively deal with adverse situations and difficult people, and handle multiple responsibilities/tasks at one time. Candidates must demonstrate effective self-care strategies.
Openness
Candidates are expected to seek out and accept constructive criticism or feedback. The ability to be reflective — and the willingness to admit mistakes and to demonstrate humility — is crucial for rabbis and rabbinical students. We seek candidates who actively seek opportunities to further their personal growth.
Character
We seek candidates who strive to live their lives consistent with their core beliefs. They demonstrate maturity, integrity and authenticity in the face of conflicting demands in order to make appropriate and reasoned decisions. Others must perceive them as reliable, trustworthy, flexible, moral and personable.
Suitability for Reconstructionist Rabbinical Study
Candidates have made a sincere effort to learn about a Reconstructionist approach through exploration of Reconstructionist resources and engagement with a Reconstructionist rabbi and, whenever possible, experience with at least one Reconstructionist community.
Age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, color, ancestry, national origin, handicap and disability will not be determining factors in the considerations of the Admissions Committee.
