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Detailed Information

Program of Study

The Rabbinical School of The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) offers a five-year program of study and field experience that leads to rabbinical ordination under the auspices of the Conservative Movement. The third year is spent in Jerusalem at the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies, JTS’s Israeli affiliate. Through a consortium academia agreement, rabbinical students can enroll in courses at Union Theological Seminary and Hebrew Union College. A Master of Arts (M.A.) is earned during the program from the Graduate School or the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education at JTS. Concentrations include Bible, rabbinics, Jewish history, Jewish women’s studies, Jewish literature, liturgy, Midrash, Jewish education, and pastoral care.

The Mekhinah (preparatory) year program is for accepted candidates who need to acquire textual skills in the areas of Bible and Talmud.

Research Facilities

Rabbinical students regularly study in havruta (in pairs) in the Eisenfeld/Duker Beit Midrash. In addition, the library of The Jewish Theological Seminary houses the most complete collection of Judaica in the Western Hemisphere. With more than 340,000 volumes on open shelves, it is ideally suited for the research needs of graduate students. The library’s special collection, with more than 30,000 items, affords ample opportunity for original scholarship. All students also benefit from the resources of neighboring Columbia University and Union Theological Seminary.

Financial Aid

The program at The Rabbinical School offers a significant number of merit-based fellowships. Applicants may obtain applications for merit-based fellowships directly from The Rabbinical School office. Candidates are encouraged to apply for the Wexner Graduate Fellowship from the Wexner Foundation.

Cost of Study

For the 2009–10 academic year, tuition is $11,300 per semester for full-time study. Part-time students are charged $1000 per credit.

Living and Housing Costs

Rooms and apartments (150 units) are available to single students at a cost of approximately $8000 per academic year. Apartments of various costs are available to married students. The housing application deadline for incoming students is May 12. For more information, students should contact the Office of Residence Life by calling 212-678-8035 or by sending an e-mail to reslife@jtsa.edu.

Student Group

In fall 2008, 152 students were enrolled in The Rabbinical School. Approximately 40 percent are women. A majority of students receive generous merit-based fellowships.

Location

JTS is located on the vibrant Upper West Side of New York City. Its proximity to Columbia University, Teachers College, Union Theological Seminary, and the Manhattan School of Music puts The Rabbinical School in the heart of a dynamic academic community. Students are encouraged to explore the wealth of cultural activities New York City offers–from music and dance at Lincoln Center to theater on and off Broadway, from art at the Metropolitan and Whitney museums to the galleries in SoHo and Greenwich Village.

The Seminary and The School

Founded in 1886, The Jewish Theological Seminary is the academic and spiritual center of Conservative Judaism worldwide. In 1904, it established The Jewish Museum. The New York campus includes five separate yet integrated schools: Albert A. List College of Jewish Studies, The Graduate School (the largest division), H. L. Miller Cantorial School and College of Jewish Music, The Rabbinical School, and William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education.

Applying

Applications for regular admission should be submitted by February 15 for the following fall. There is also an early action deadline of November 15. Applicants from outside the US should submit their materials by December 3. JTS does accept some late applications on case-by-case basis. A $50 application fee, application, essays, official college transcripts, three letters of recommendation, and GRE or LSAT scores are required. All candidates are considered for merit-based fellowships.

The Faculty and Their Research

• The Rabbinical School Administration
• Daniel Nevins, Pearl Resnick Dean.
• Lisa Gelber, Associate Dean and Rabbi of the Women’s League Seminary Synagogue.
• Mychal Springer, Associate Dean.
• Mordecai Schwartz, Director of Admissions.
• Jonathan Lipnick, Field Education Coordinator.
• The Rabbinical School Faculty
• Beth Berkowitz, Ph.D. (religious studies), Columbia. Rabbinic literature, Judaism and Christianity in late antiquity, ritual studies, theories and methods in the study of religion, cultural criticism.
• Burton Cohen, Ph.D. (education), Chicago. Informal settings for Jewish education, preparation of teachers and principals for Jewish schools, teaching rabbinic literature to adults, use of computers in Jewish learning and educational research.
• Miles B. Cohen, Ph.D. (hon.), Jewish Theological Seminary. Synagogue skills, such as chanting the Torah, Megillot, and prayers of the weekday, Shabbat, holiday services, and special life-cycle occasions; Hebrew grammar.
• Alan Cooper, Ph.D. (religious studies), Yale. Linguistic structure of biblical poetry, the Bible.
• Aryeh Davidson, Ph.D. (special education and developmental psychology), Columbia. Teacher preparation, leadership development, program evaluation, identity development of Jewish professionals.
• Eliezer Diamond, Ph.D. (Talmud), Jewish Theological Seminary. Rabbinic literature; introductory, intermediate, and advanced Talmud study.
• Arnold Eisen, Ph.D. (history of Jewish thought), Hebrew University. Jewish identity, revitalization of Jewish tradition, redefinition of the American Jewish community.
• Shira Epstein, Ph.D. (curriculum and teaching), Columbia Teachers College. Gender and Jewish education, drama as pedagogy.
• Eitan Fishbane, Ph.D., Brandeis. Near Eastern and Judaic studies, history and literature of Jewish mysticism.
• David Fishman, Ph.D., Harvard. Modern Jewish history.
• Shamma Friedman, Ph.D., Jewish Theological Seminary. Talmudic studies, including literary and conceptual development, stratification of the Talmudic sugya, linguistic studies in Hebrew and Aramaic, and the nature of variant readings of the Talmudic texts.
• Benjamin Gampel, Ph.D. Columbia. Medieval and early modern Jewish history.
• Stephen Garfinkel, Ph.D. (Middle East languages and cultures), Columbia. Early popular perceptions of Moses as a divine figure.
• Stephen A. Geller, Ph.D., Harvard. Biblical literature, with special emphasis on the Book of Psalms, biblical poetry, and the prophets.
• Neil Gillman, Ph.D., Columbia. Jewish philosophy.
• Michael Greenbaum, Ph.D. (higher education administration), Columbia. Nonprofit management, leadership theory and practice, history of the Conservative Movement.
• Robert Harris, Ph.D., Jewish Theological Seminary. Literature and commentary, particularly medieval Jewish biblical exegesis.
• Judith Hauptman, Ph.D., Jewish Theological Seminary. Talmud, Talmudic research.
• Barry Holtz, Ph.D., Brandeis. Classical texts, professional development for teachers, philosophy of Jewish education, current issues confronting Jewish education.
• Carol Ingall, Ed.D., Boston University. Curriculum and instruction.
• Richard Kalmin, Ph.D. Interpretation of rabbinic stories, ancient Jewish history, and the development of rabbinic literature.
• Sharon Keller, Ph.D. (Hebrew and Judaic studies), NYU. Biblical literature, ancient Egyptian art, the Exodus, the afterlife, women’s studies.
• David Kraemer, Ph.D., Jewish Theological Seminary. Talmud and rabbinics.
• Jeffrey Kress, Ph.D., Rutgers. Building Jewish values and identity by using principles of social and emotional learning to augment Jewish education.
• Nitza Krohn. Hebrew language.
• Marjorie Lehman, Ph.D., Columbia. Religion, Talmud and rabbinics.
• Anne Lapidus Lerner, Ph.D., Harvard. Hebrew and American Jewish poetry, modern Jewish literature, portrayal of women in Jewish literature.
• Michelle Lynn-Sachs, Ph.D., NYU. Educational leadership, congregational studies, sociology of education, sociology of religion.
• Barbara Mann, Ph.D. (comparative literature), Berkeley. Israeli and Jewish literature, cultural studies, modern poetry, urban studies, literary modernism, fine arts.
• Vivian Mann, Ph.D. Art history.
• David Marcus, Ph.D., Columbia. Middle East languages and cultures; Bible and ancient languages, including Babylonian Aramaic and biblical Hebrew.
• Evyatar Marienberg, Ph.D., École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociale. Talmud, study of beliefs and practices of lay Jews and Christians from various periods.
• Jonathan Milgram, Ph.D. (Talmud), Bar Ilan (Israel). Talmud criticism and medieval Jewish law.
• Alan Mintz, Ph.D., Columbia. Hebrew literature and language.
• Alan Mittleman, Ph.D., Temple. Jewish philosophy.
• Edna Nahshon, Ph.D. (performance studies), NYU. Hebrew language.
• Daniel Nevins, M.A., Jewish Theological Seminary. Homiletics.
• Adina Ofek, Ph.D., Jewish Theological Seminary. Jewish education, Hebrew language.
• Sarah Pelee, M.A. (educational counseling), Northwestern. Hebrew language.
• Mayer Rabinowitz, Ph.D., Jewish Theological Seminary. Talmud and rabbinics.
• Henry Rosenblum. Jewish music, hazzanut.
• David Roskies, Ph.D. Brandeis. Jewish literature.
• Joel Roth, Ph.D. (Talmud), Jewish Theological Seminary. Talmud and rabbinics.
• Raymond Scheindlin, Ph.D., Columbia. Encounter of Hebrew and Arabic cultures in Spain, especially as embodied in the poetry of the two traditions.
• Menahem Schmelzer, Ph.D. (Hebrew letters), Jewish Theological Seminary. Medieval Jewish literature.
• Ismar Schorsch, Ph.D. (Jewish history), Columbia. Jewish history.
• Seth Schwartz, Ph.D., (ancient history), Columbia. Jewish history.
• Shuly Rubin Schwartz, Ph.D., Jewish Theological Seminary. American Jewish life, the Jewish family, Jewish women’s studies.
• Boaz Tarsi, Ph.D., Cornell. Theory of Ashkenazi liturgical music and the music theory of Western common-practice.
• Burton Visotzky, Ph.D., Jewish Theological Seminary. Talmud and rabbinics.
• Jack Wertheimer, Ph.D. Modern Jewish history, with a particular focus on the religious, communal, and organizational experiences of American Jews since World War II.

Correspondence and Information

The Jewish Theological Seminary
Rabbi Mordecai Schwartz, Director of Admissions
The Rabbinical School
3080 Broadway
New York, New York 10027-4649
Telephone: 212-678-8818
Email: rabschool@jtsa.edu