WEST HARTFORD – Rabbi Yitzchok Adler of Beth David Synagogue in West Hartford has been selected by CLAL, the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, to join the organization’s Rabbis Without Borders (RWB) national fellowship program.  Adler, who was one of 22 spiritual leaders selected from among more than 100 applicants, will join the RWB’s fifth class.

Listed this past year in the Slingshot Guide of the fifty most innovative Jewish organizations in America, RWB encourages rabbis to think creatively about their work and the new American religious landscape. Building a network of religious leaders from all streams, RWB strives to make rabbis better educators and community builders so that they can make Jewish insights readily available and present Jewish wisdom more effectively.

Rabbinic Fellows will gather in New York City four times over the academic year, 2013-2014.  Sessions focus on current trends in America today. The intersection between religion, politics, technology, identity and meaning making are all explored in depth.

RWB also has a variety of resources for rabbis to enhance their skills for addressing diverse audiences. From online learning to one-on-one dialogue, participants will work with Clal faculty to develop methodologies that draw on the texts and tradition in new ways. The goal is for the spiritual leaders to see their congregations as more than just members of their school, community or institution.

Launched in 1974 by Rabbi Irving “Yitz” Greenberg and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, the mission of CLAL is to help prepare the Jewish people for the unprecedented freedom and openness of America.  Started by Rabbi Irving “Yitz” Greenberg and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel. Clal formed a network of rabbis capable of translating Jewish wisdom and practice into useful idioms for contemporary life.  RWB is an extension of that work.