Building Strong Communities By
Training Strong Communal Rabbis
barkai trains rabbis

Barkai certifies Israeli rabbis in counseling, abuse recognition, sensitivity training,
mediation and more. Armed with these pastoral skills, rabbis are better equipped to
support, sustain, and provide for their community’s spiritual and familial health.

Building Strong Communities By Training Strong Communal Rabbis
barkai trains rabbis

Barkai certifies Israeli rabbis in counseling, abuse recognition, sensitivity training, mediation and more. Armed with these pastoral skills, rabbis are better equipped to support, sustain, and provide for their community’s spiritual and familial health.

BARKAI in Numbers
barkai trains rabbis

Synagogues

Rabbis

Congregants

Rabbaniot

Hours of Training

An important area of the training that the Barkai Center offers is practical Halacha.  A Rabbi must constantly remain up to date in his knowledge of practical Halacha.  Here is a brief summary of what the rabbis have been studying in this area:

Jewish Civil Law

The rabbis studied different areas of Jewish Civil law and how it relates to the lives of Jews living in the State of Israel today. The training was provided by Dayanim (Rabbinical Judges) from the religious courts of the Chief Rabbinate as well as privately operated courts. Some of the topics that were dealt with include: when is it obligatory to go to a religious court and when is it permissible  to go to a secular court, Is it possible to run a state according to Jewish law, How does one religiously adjudicate many modern questions that are not explicitly mentioned in the Torah.

Legal Training in Family Law

Training in this area was provided by Attorney and Rabbinic Advocate Elad Zamir, an expert in Family Law. The rabbis learned about the policies of the Rabbinic courts as well as the secular courts in this area especially the topics of the division of assets and child custody.  The goal of the course was that in the case where it is impossible to mediate harmony, the rabbis will be in a position to guide divorcing couples so as to bring about amicable divorces that will be best for the children.

Shaatnez

The experiential training in Shaatnez was provided by Rabbi Yaakov Gurevitz, a worldwide expert.  The rabbis were surprised to realize just how widespread the problem is and how it is possible to find Shaatnez in articles of clothing where one would never expect it. The rabbis conveyed this information to their communities.

The Barkai Center for Practical Rabbinics aims to improve the fabric of Israeli society by intensively training Israeli rabbis in all aspects of communal rabbinics so that they can lead their communities to a more meaningful connection with Judaism and act as a unifying force in Israeli society.

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