Testimonials Copy

As (Open Temple’s) founding rabbi, a lot of people ask me how I was able to found an emerging community “ex nihilo.”  It takes a lot of support, skill and mentorship.  CLI provided me with all of these resources.  When describing the program to others, I describe it as “as if I were studying for a Rabbinic MBA.” From building my business vocabulary and my deepened understanding of leadership, to the techniques and skills I acquired to be strategic in risk taking, I emerge from CLI as a more resilient and prepared leader for my community. 

Rabbi Lori Shapiro, Cohort 1

Upon entering the CLI program, I had just launched my current professional project–an emergent community in Metro Detroit called The Well. Needless to say, as any startup venture, the sailing was not always smooth. Having access not only to Rabbi Sid Schwarz, who constantly made himself available to be of support, but also to high-level mentoring/coaching from more experienced rabbis who, simply put, were exceptional, was transformational for me personally, and without question is one of the primary reasons in my mind that our organization has flourished these past two years, touching thousands of young Jewish adults, garnering national attention (Slingshot Guide ’17) and investment (Open Dor Project inaugural cohort).             

Rabbi Dan Horwitz, Cohort 2

In CLI I found colleagues who are self-confident, curious, quick and flexible thinkers. I was paired with a mentor who shares my artistic sensibilities and who has put into place the sort of cross-pollination of the arts and religious life that I aspire to establish, and I was offered the very available ear of one of the great thinkers on North American Jewish communal life – in Sid. In the two years of my rabbinate, coinciding with the two years of my CLI fellowship, I have made tremendous strides in my endeavor to restore Or Shalom to its vision of itself as … the first-established Jewish Renewal congregation (in North America).

Rabbi Hannah Dresner, Cohort 2

I have participated in fellowships in the past that provide theoretical training but failed to pair it with any infrastructure of support or accountability to implement the teaching.  CLI has multiple ways to gently push us as participants– through the support of peers, the guidance of mentors, and Rabbi Sid’s check-ins.  That’s the key to the program’s success.  The most difficult thing for me about implementing change is not the “how” but the resilience needed upon hitting resistance.  CLI gave me the support and accountability to keep pushing – to stay focused on the ultimate vision, not the immediate challenges. 

Rabbi Sarah Bassin, Cohort 3

Thanks to CLI, I’ve been able to more fully articulate my vision for Jewish life and for myself as a spiritual leader. I am more comfortable taking risks and more strategic in my thinking. The group has given me valuable relationships and expanded my thinking. The readings were terrific, and I look forward to returning to them over the course of the next year to better hone my skills and sharpen my thinking.  I am more able to be an effective change agent and to think big. ”Nothing has to happen; anything can happen” rattles around in my brain… I have been able to dream bigger and imagine wider thanks to CLI.

  Rabbi Sarah Freidson, Cohort 3

CLI’s two-year program has included multiple learning opportunities to accelerate and innovate my rabbinate…Over this time, I have become a far more visionary leader, using design thinking to bring new initiatives to fruition.  I have been able to build up our ritual and board leadership, while launching a synagogue-wide lay program called Homegrown Judaism to develop future leadership.  We have navigated the pandemic thanks to “pivoting” and “adapting”, words that were already baked into the curriculum, pre-pandemic.  I am a more confident rabbi and person, able to think strategically and to articulate myself in critical leadership moments with greater ease.  On a personal level, I have found an even better work-life balance in the past two years by re-prioritizing what is essential to my work.

Rabbi David Fainsilber, Cohort 4

I am more daring, more strategic and calmer in the face of adversity because I am a CLI fellow.  I have been able to have more impact these last two years because I have had drawn on the wisdom of CLI.  I learned to bring people along with me, because the CLI model values the strength of the collective over the charisma and power of the single rabbi-prophet-leader. The hours spent in conversation and study have nourished me and given me a sense of momentum through the (Black Lives Matter) uprising and the pandemic.  I appreciate that CLI doesn’t want us to become a particular kind of rabbi, but rather supports us in finding our own path, with integrity, humility and love.  I know that the learning and the ”heat” (CLI-speak for loving challenge and agitation) that I have received over these last two years will continue to do their work on me.

Rabbi Arielle Lekach-Rosenberg, Cohort 4

I recently celebrated my 15th Anniversary as a rabbi. During my rabbinate, I have participated in many leadership development fellowships and programming, and none have impacted my spiritual leadership more than CLI. CLI provided me with a valuable gift, the ability to break out of my bubble and to expand my
understanding of what a Jewish community could and should look like. In addition, I was able to study and learn from some incredible rabbis, thinkers, scholars, and visionaries. Through my monthly meetings with my rabbinic mentors, the wise teachers who were present at our retreats, or the spiritual leadership of Rabbi Sid Schwarz, I was able to expand my understanding of synagogue change, create a personal vision statement, and utilize and hone my skills as a spiritual change maker.

Rabbi Andy Gordon, CLI Cohort 5

CLI’s unique combination of collegiality, mentorship, and guided study, while putting all this together in a hands-on project, created a meaningful and lasting experience. The skills that I have acquired are long-lasting and will accompany me throughout my rabbinic career. CLI taught me to the value of being vulnerable in front of peers, to reach out to mentors, to notice when things are going well or need improvement, to trust the process and to anticipate pushback. One of the best takeaways for me was learning to own my rabbinic authority, feeling comfortable in that role, that I have what to say that may be different from other rabbis, and that’s ok!

Rabbanit Bracha Jaffe, CLI Cohort 5

I recently told my board that the CLI fellowship had been one of my most transformative professional experiences since ordination from rabbinical school. I knew that the program would teach me about different models of leadership and that we would explore best practices to respond to adaptive challenges (and opportunities) facing our communities. What I had not anticipated was that I would be encouraged to invest in a supportive process of personal and spiritual growth. Rabbi Sid Schwarz, CLI’s director, guided us to recognize how we can act as
change agents in every aspect of our rabbinates. For me, this meant to embrace my authority and also my power to inspire creative and sustainable transformation.

CLI made me aware of my tendency to adhere to tradition rather than rock the boat. Over the course of the program, I came to recognize that being a “good rabbi” is more than about making people comfortable. It can require me to advocate for collaborative innovation to bolster my congregation’s sustainability, even if this might create a discomfort in the shorter term.

Rabbi Josh Breindel, CLI Cohort 5