Introducing HUC-JIR’s New Virtual Pathway
The world needs your leadership now more than ever. Fulfill your calling to become an HUC-JIR ordained rabbi — wherever you live.
The new virtual pathway is designed to enable qualified, second-career students in diverse locations and circumstances to become a part of HUC-JIR’s acclaimed academic course of study and fulfill their calling to become a rabbi.
Joining with classmates from across the country who share their passion for rabbinical leadership, virtual pathway students will study from home while working, praying, and deepening their Jewish commitments in their local communities – all while connecting with the largest institutional and alumni network of its kind, which includes nearly 850 congregations affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism.
The virtual program is providing more clergy students the opportunity to learn with outstanding scholars who are leaders in their field, while also expanding access to such HUC-JIR institutions as the Taube Family Campus in Jerusalem.
The virtual pathway runs year-round as students take a full nine-credit course load in the Fall, Spring, and Summer terms, along with four-day in-person intensives at the start of the Fall and Spring semesters (August and January), an immersive summer semester in Israel, and other optional opportunities for in-person learning and connection throughout the program.
Flexibility for Second-Career Students
Specifically designed for second-career students who cannot attend our campus-based program in Los Angeles or New York due to geographic or extenuating circumstances, the virtual pathway offers a new route to the rabbinate for Jewish professionals who strive to further their service to the community as rabbis and for individuals who seek to change careers and become rabbis. The ability to learn in their local communities provides second-career students the flexibility they need to embark on a life of sacred service as a rabbi.
Commitment to Israel
Study in and about Israel is central to HUC-JIR’s rabbinical program. As part of the admissions process, applicants will complete an Israel Experience survey that will enable the administration to assess a student’s prior Israel experiences and, in conversation with applicants, determine how each student might best satisfy our Israel requirement.
HUC-JIR’s Virtual Pathway structure.
Students across the country will gather virtually on Mondays and Thursdays for synchronous classes, and then participate in asynchronous courses, and hevruta, throughout the week on their own schedule. These combined learning experiences are specifically designed to cultivate the vibrant learning community that is key to rabbinical formation.
The length of time to ordination is individualized, based on a student’s prior education and experience. Students with advanced standing should anticipate approximately three years of study before ordination; students entering without prior credits should be able to complete the program in five years.
Maximizing Technology for an Engaging Educational Experience
The virtual pathway employs the latest technology and best practices in online higher education to provide an alternative avenue to the rabbinate for qualified students who will go through the same rabbinical school curriculum, work to achieve the same learning outcomes, and complete the same requirements expected of our campus-based rabbinical students.
Leading Tefilah on the Virtual Pathway
Our innovative Tefilah Leadership curriculum nurtures students to become skillful and creative leaders of prayer and life cycle rituals, with the capability to navigate between the traditional and the innovative.
Learning opportunities that go beyond the computer.
Fieldwork
Second-career students bring unique professional experiences to their clergy formation journeys. Virtual pathway students will have opportunities to serve as student rabbis in pulpits and to work in internships that take advantage of our expansive Reform Movement network — providing tailored hands-on learning and mentorship, supervised reflection, and practical instruction from experts in the field. HUC-JIR rabbinical students also complete a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), or an equivalent supervised pastoral care experience. For students who are already working in a Jewish organization, their workplace may afford additional opportunities, that where appropriate, may be considered as one of their fieldwork placements.
Robust Peer and Alumni Networks
In online electives, in-person intensives, and other enrichment opportunities, virtual pathway students will get to know rabbinical students across HUC-JIR’s global network. HUC-JIR’s extensive alumni network contributes to each student’s formation and professional development, providing a vast and diverse community of mentors and colleagues. Students also benefit from being part of HUC-JIR’s expansive relationships and partnerships within the Reform Movement and the broader Jewish world.
If you have questions, we have answers.
Who is eligible to apply for the virtual pathway?
What is a “second-career student”?
Can I continue working at my current job while attending the rabbinical program virtually?
