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Erica Barton, UJC Media Relations
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United Jewish Communities Rabbinic Cabinet Selects Rabbis for Mission to Odessa and Jerusalem

Recently Ordained Rabbis Identified as Future Leaders of North American Jewry
to Foster Relationships with Re-Emerging Overseas Jewish Communities

NEW YORK -- January 20, 2005 -- The Rabbinic Cabinet of United Jewish Communities (UJC) selected 16 recently ordained North American rabbis as Rabbinic Leadership Fellows for its Rabbinic Leadership Mission to Odessa [Ukraine] and Jerusalem, January 29 - February 8.

The Rabbinic Cabinet and its partners in Jewish federations identified the new rabbis as future leaders because of their standing in their communities and their commitment to a unified and pluralistic, global Jewish community. Eleven mentor rabbis, serving as national leaders of the Rabbinic Cabinet, will join them on the mission.

The mission aims to train a cadre of new rabbis as leaders in UJC’s effort to foster relationships between North American Jews and re-emerging Jewish communities around the world and in Israel. Toward that end, the Rabbinic Cabinet will work to familiarize these rabbis with various social-service and Jewish education programs developed by UJC’s overseas partners, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), which are the driving forces in developing re-emerging Jewish communities.

“With this unique mission, the UJC Rabbinic Cabinet is committed to expanding the Jewish horizons for these young rabbis representing all the movements of modern Judaism,” said Rabbi Bennett F. Miller, chair of the UJC Rabbinic Cabinet. 

“We are proud of the tremendous work of our partners at JDC and JAFI and we want to train these rabbis on bringing their congregants and students to new levels of understanding of the worldwide Jewish community,” he added.

Highlights of the visit to Israel include a meeting with Natan Sharansky, Israeli Minister for Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs; Torah study with Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein of the Gush Etzion Yeshiva and Rabbi Einat Ramon of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies; and a discussion about the unique security challenges facing Israel with Rabbi Arik Ascherman of Rabbis for Human Rights and Dr. Hersch Katz, physical planner of the Israeli community of Neve Yaacov. Mission participants will also explore the impact and contribution of North American Jews on Israeli society through the work of JDC, JAFI, and the federation system.

In Odessa, the rabbis will meet with community leaders, tour the city, visit schools and Jewish orphanages, and attend briefings on the history of Ukrainian Jewry and current communal challenges.

“We are living in a historical time, where Jewish communities that were virtually destroyed by the Holocaust and communism can flourish again,” said Ellen Heller, president of JDC.  “But it is critical that Jews in North America understand the challenges our brethren still face and that they need our support. We applaud our partners at the UJC Rabbinic Cabinet for assuming a leadership role in raising awareness in our communities.”

The 16 rabbis selected as Rabbinic Leadership Fellows include: Rabbi David Bauman of Toronto, Ontario; Rabbi Simon Elkeslassy of Montreal, Quebec; Rabbi Adam Feldman of Roslyn, NY; Rabbi Aaron Gaber of Ventnor, NJ; Rabbi Gregory Harris of Bethesda, MD; Rabbi Mark Kaiserman of Livingston, NJ; Rabbi Joshua Katzan of Denver, CO; Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg of Seattle, WA; Rabbi Alison Kobey of Rochester, NY; Rabbi Barry Leff of Toledo, OH; Rabbi Yitzhak Miller of San Jose, CA; Rabbi Leonard Muroff of Long Beach, CA; Rabbi Ronald Muroff of Harrisburg, PA; Rabbi Robert Nosanchuk of Reston, VA; Rabbi Adam Scheier of Montreal, Quebec; and Rabbi Robert Scheinberg of Hoboken, NJ.

Along with Rabbi Miller, the senior mentor rabbis participating in the mission include: Rabbi George Barnard of Cincinnati, OH; Rabbi Robert Eisen of Tuscon, AZ; Rabbi Baruch Frydman-Kohl of Toronto, Ontario; Rabbi Laurence Kotok of Rochester, NY; Rabbi Jeffrey Kurtz-Lendner of New Orleans, LA; Rabbi Eric M. Lankin of Highland Park, NJ; Rabbi Kerry Olitzky of North Brunswick, NJ; Rabbi Jonathan Schnitzer of Rockville, MD; Rabbi Ronald Schwarzberg of Highland Park, NJ; and Rabbi Matthew Simon of Rockville, MD.

“We are confident that the mission will provide an outstanding opportunity for this key leadership group to witness how JAFI is able to impact Jewish lives in Odessa, and provide the means to succeed for those people who have made aliyah,” said Jeff Kaye, director of resource development and public affairs for JAFI. “All of these critical needs are met, thanks to campaign dollars raised by federations.”

United Jewish Communities (UJC) represents 155 Jewish Federations and 400 independent communities across North America. Through the UJA Federation Campaign, UJC provides life-saving and life-enhancing humanitarian assistance to those in need, and translates Jewish values into social action on behalf of millions of Jews in hundreds of communities in North America, in towns and villages throughout Israel, in the former Soviet Union, and 60 countries around the world.