Activities

2003

Vocational Training, Internships and Placement

The Mentors‘ Programme

Supervision, Counselling and Psychological Support of Students

Patoral Training: The Rabbi as a Pastor

Development of Jewish Educational Material

Vocational Training, Internships and Placement

An essential pillar of the rabbinic-practical training is the internship and placement programme in congregations, social institutions or the Armed Forces. Rabbi Drs Edward van Voolen of Amsterdam became College’s Director of Vocational Training in January 2003. He is responsible for congregational placement of students and their internships. Furthermore, he teaches the application of Jewish Sources in congregational context and Practical Homiletics.

Goals:
Rabbi van Voolen has formulated the following goals for the students:

• Students are familiar with the ideologies of the movements and the post-modern shift in vision.
• Students can identify the differences in the liturgies of the various religious movements and formulate the underlying ideological justifications.
• Students are able to locate sources to create new liturgies for the synagogue and ceremonies at home.

Through the above, students can create a spiritual atmosphere for their communities and individual members.

Rabbi van Voolen is supported in his work by mentors; community rabbis who accompany the students during their studies and after ordination. Field work is structured as follows: During the first year of rabbinical school, students complete internships – preferably in larger communities in Germany, or internationally. Based on their personal qualifications and maturity, rabbinical students may serve congregations to a limited extent. In general, Students spend one weekend a month with a community, leading services and/or teaching religion school for children and adults. Students carry out these activities in detailed consultation with their rabbinic mentor and the College’s Director of Vocational Training, Rabbi van Voolen. Continued supervision is provided by the Director of Counselling Dr. von Tippelskirch, a member of the Karl Abraham Institute of Psychoanalysis.

Guest lecturers

• Rabbi Thomas Salamon from Westminster Synagogue, London visited Berlin in July for his block seminar on Practical Rabbinics.
• Rabbi Robert Jacobs, Le Havre de Grace, USA, taught a block seminar in July on Looking for the Right Message for the Event: Invocations and Messages of Welcome at Important Occasions.
• Professor Chana Safrai, Jerusalem and Dr. Dorothee von Tippelkirch gave a joint seminar on Interreligious Dialogue.
• Thanks to the generosity of Lord Joffe CBE, an Idelson in lectureship Jewish Music will be introduced as of January 2004, providing students with an introduction to Chasanut and Cantillation.

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The Mentors‘ Programme

Following academic and pastoral training, the apprenticeship programme is the third integral component of the Abraham Geiger College’s educational concept. Mentors work together with the rabbinical students on a regular and continuous basis. These are practicing rabbis in various European Jewish communities who stay in touch with their students and provide student training within their own Jewish communities in multiple intervals throughout the year. Rabbinic students prepare for these practical sessions directly and evaluate them with their mentors and through pastoral education at the College. Mentors also work intensively with their former students during the first two years following ordination.

Mentoren:

• Rabbiner Dr. Tovia Ben-Chorin (Or Chadash Zürich)
• Rabbiner Dr. Chaim Rozwaski (Jüdische Gemeinde zu Berlin)
• Landesrabbiner William Wolff (Jüdische Gemeinden von Mecklenburg-Vorpommern)
• Rabbiner Thomas Salamon (Westminster Synagogue London)
• Rabbiner David Goldberg (Liberal Jewish Synagogue London)
• Rabbiner Bea Wyler (Jüdische Gemeinde Oldenburg)
• Rabbiner Kenneth Leinwand (American Forces, Heidelberg)
• Rabbinerin Irit Shillor (Or Chadash, Wien)
  Rabbiner Andrew Goldstein (London Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue)
• Rabbiner Pete Tobias (Hertsmere Progressive Synagogue)
• Rabbiner Dr. Henry Brandt (Israelitische Kultusgemeinde Augsburg)
• Rabbiner Yaakov Steinhorn (Green Point, South Africa)
• Rabbiner David Hoffman (Temple Israel, Cape Town)

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Supervision, Counselling and Psychological Support of Students

Dr. Dorothee von Tippelskirch was responsible during 2003 for the educational components of Supervision, Counselling and psychological support of Students. Each week as of semester one, the College’s programme offers group supervision and pastoral instruction. In applied learning situations, rabbinical candidates are accompanied through their first community experience and develop strategies for dealing with issues that may arise. Individual supervision for all students commences at the beginning of each semester and is geared to facilitate personal development and academic programme planning while covering traditional rabbinic and pastoral fields of supervision – with special focus upon Jewish community structures, leadership, administration, group formation and pastoral counselling, and aspects of worship and prayer service.

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Patoral Training: The Rabbi as a Pastor

Goals

• Verbal communication with emphasis upon ethical and religious issues
• A deeper understanding of the roles rabbis play in society
• Trust and support amongst rabbinical students/future colleagues
  Methodology
• educational focus upon the individual
• interdisciplinary approach
• experience-based didactics
• cultivation of pastoral and psychological spirituality

Phases of Training

1. Introductory
2. Intermediate
3. Post-Ordination

I. Introductory
Developmental Theories and Crises:

Childhood, Youth, Adulthood, Old Age Special Focus:

• Marriage and Family
• Emigration and Persecution
• Personality Structures, Conflicts, Disease (esp. Alcoholism, Drug Usage),

Group Psychodynamics (Community Leadership)

Focal Topics:
Psychodynamic aspects pertaining to

• interreligious relations
• Anti-Semitism

Pastoral Counselling: Purpose and History

• Typical Counselling Cases
• Communication and Counselling
• Reflections upon Worship (focus upon birth,bar and bat mitzvah, marriage, dying and death)
• Special Pastoral Areas (Hospital, Prison, Military)

Rabbinical Roles
Issues of professional ethics, i.e. Involvement and Distance.

Supervision
Group and individual supervision

II. Intermediate

• Public relations and dealing with the media Leadership roles in groups and institutions
• Working within the context of social and related institutions, mental welfare and professions

Specific training in the fields of pastoral counselling, education, etc.

• The Roles of the Rabbi
• Applied professional ethics

III. Post-Ordination

Young rabbis will be accompanied through their initial professional years through group and individual supervision as well as their mentors.

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Development of Jewish Educational Material

Dr. Annette Böckler completed the following German-language publication projects during the year 2003:

Calendar for the Year 5764 (approx. 240 pages)
" Through the Jewish Year 5764.“ Weekly planner 2003/2004. Edited on behalf of the Abraham Geiger College by Annette M. Böckler. Illustrations from the Jewish Museum Berlin’s collection, released for the Jewish New Year (9-27-03) in August 2003 by the Jüdische Verlagsanstalt Berlin (sold out by early October)

Jewish Commentary of the Torah: Volume IV: Bemidbar. Numbers (374 pages)
Edited by W. Gunther Plaut. Translation, Revision, and Layout by Annette Böckler, Gütersloh 2003

Translation of Lawrence Kushner’s Book of Miracles. Jewish Spirituality for Young People, Berlin 2003 (62 pages)

Revision of 2nd edition of "The How-To Handbook for Jewish Living” in German by R. Isaacs/ K. Olitzky, 2nd edition released 2003. (192 pages)

Edition of Jonathan Magonet’s, "Explorer’s Guide to Judaism” in German (approx. 384 pages). Released Spring 2004 by Jüdische Verlagsanstalt Berlin.

Jewish Religious Education Material
Development of educational material focussing on Shabbat and Festivals (including arts and crafts projects, games, songs and stories, etc., approx. 80 pages).