Rabbi Michael Pont was chosen to take part in the Jewish Theological Seminary’s Legacy Heritage Rabbinic Enrichment Initiative.
July 8, 2008
Fourteen Conservative pulpit rabbis from across the country have been selected to participate in the first cohort of the Jewish Theological Seminary’s new rabbinic training project. Among them is Rabbi Michael Pont of Temple Beth Ahm in Aberdeen.
The Legacy Heritage Rabbinic Enrichment Initiative is designed for mid-career pulpit rabbis, those with eight to 15 years of experience in small to medium-size congregations.
“The goal is to take mid-career rabbis and give them the management and leadership skills they need to be very successful congregational rabbis,” said Rabbi Marc Wolf, director of LHREI and senior director of community development at JTS.
“Education at the seminary is one thing. It brings them through the first part of their rabbinate,” said Wolf. “But as they start to take on more areas of responsibility and leadership becomes more demanding and congregations have more demands, the needs of their skill sets change.”
The two-year program begins and ends with summer retreats at JTS in New York. It also includes video conferences, mentoring, and paired study throughout the year.
The 2008 LHREI Summer Institute will concentrate on developing management skills — from managing day-to-day demands to building productive relationships with professional staff and lay leaders. But the July 21-30 program will also include sessions that focus on how rabbis can manage their own spiritual lives and deal with stresses particular to pastoral care, such as “compassion fatigue.”
‘I feel so blessed, excited, and happy to have been chosen.’
Pont said, “Every aspect of this program is exactly what I am looking for.” He pointed in particular to the ongoing study of rabbinic literature and texts, but also to working with senior rabbis as mentors, learning from professionals, and collaborating with his rabbinic peers.
“I’ve been bringing more and more text into my divrei Torah,” he said. “I’ve been speaking, but I’ve also been trying to teach text on Shabbat. The text is so moving, so rich, so powerful, I really want to bring it to my congregation. I’ve found when I introduce a text, everyone is interested and excited and able to apply it to current situations in their lives.
“Not only will this program let me be more steeped in text, but it will allow me to bring more to my congregation.”
Regarding working with a mentor, Pont said, “When questions arise, it will be nice to be able to speak with someone with more experience, who has maybe run into the same issues. I feel so blessed, excited, and happy to have been chosen. Some of my colleagues who have been selected are good friends, and I look forward to learning with them.”
LHREI is one of a growing number of continuing education programs for rabbis, among them STAR Rabbis: From Good to Great, an initiative launched by Synagogues: Transformation and Renewal in 2006.
In addition to Pont, the 2008 LHREI fellows include, in New Jersey, Rabbi Mark Biller of Adath Shalom Synagogue in Parsippany, Rabbi Francine Roston of Congregation Beth El in South Orange, and Rabbi Melissa Crespy, Lakeland Hills Jewish Center, Ringwood; Rabbi Charles Arian of Beth Jacob Synagogue in Norwich, Conn.; Rabbi Edward Bernstein, Congregation Shaarey Tikvah, Beachwood, Ohio; Rabbi David Glickman, Congregation Shearith Israel, Dallas; Rabbi Felipe Goodman, Temple Beth Shalom, Las Vegas; Rabbi Joel Levenson, Congregation B’nai Jacob, Woodbridge, Conn.; Rabbi Neal Loevinger, Temple Beth-El, Poughkeepsie, NY; Rabbi Michael Singer, Temple Beth David, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; Rabbi Michael Stanger, Old Westbury Hebrew Congregation, NY; Rabbi Michael Ungar, Tifereth Israel, Columbus, Ohio; and Rabbi Jeremy Wiederhorn, Conservative Synagogue of Westport, Conn.
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