Nearing completion of the course in Compassionate Jewish Leadership, Alan La Payover, a student at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia, has gained insights into real issues facing real people. The initiative has provided an opportunity to network with students from other seminaries, crossing the boundaries that often separate different denominations. "This interfaith model is helping us to break down stereotypes and learn a lot from each other," he said.

Alan is one of 27 rabbinical students from several denominations who are participating in this pilot program developed by the Jewish Institute for Pastoral Care (JIPC) of The HealthCare Chaplaincy. The aim is to help rabbinical leaders develop the resources and sensitivities to respond effectively to troubled members of their congregations and communities. The sessions allow students to explore, in facilitated small group discussions, the meanings of real-life issues that they are likely to encounter in their personal and professional lives.

Supported by a three-year grant from The Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies, the program is designed to sensitize rabbinical students of all backgrounds and denominations. The training helps them discuss and share ideas in open, respectful environments about the suffering of some in the Jewish community who have been marginalized by the "mainstream" Jewish environment.

Joanna Samuels, a student at the Jewish Theological Seminary, hopes the program expands to include rabbis and lay leaders. "They don¹t teach these topics in the seminary," she said. "By learning about these real life issues, we can help congregations be more tolerant and welcoming of all Jews."

"This program reflects the heart of Jewish leadership rather than the mind," said Rabbi Israel Kestenbaum, the project¹s creator and founding director of JIPC. "It is a unique effort to create an inclusive community of caring leaders."

The program is currently scheduled to run for two more terms, with the second session beginning in January, 2001. The program structure was designed with the help of Laura Gold, a student at Jewish Theological Seminary, who enrolled in the courses herself to experience the shared learning the program offers. "The personal stories from real people who struggled with alcoholism, poverty, loss, and disabilities showed me how I can help our community members address these issues," she said.

The 13-week sessions began January 24. Topics, which varied each week, included aging, infertility, developmental disabilities, loss and bereavement of children and spouses, divorce and family discord, domestic violence, substance abuse, mental illness, poverty and unemployment, and single adulthood. Each session featured two presenters: a recognized expert from a social service agency or medical facility and a speaker with personal experience of the issue.

Seminaries participating in the program include: The Academy for Jewish Religion; Hebrew Union College ­ Jewish Institute of Religion; The Jewish Theological Seminary; the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary of Yeshiva University; and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia.