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YCT has transformed Orthodoxy and Orthodox communities. We have:

Brought joy, intellectual openness, and spiritual vibrancy

to a Modern Orthodoxy that was growing increasingly complacent, by confronting honestly and openly some of today’s most urgent and enduring issues.

Infused religious life and commitment

with vibrancy and joy by a religious life that connects one to a deeper sense of vision, purpose, and meaning.

Shaped an Orthodoxy

that other denominations can relate to with a feeling of mutual respect and welcome.

Supported more ritual, leadership, and learning opportunities for women

within the Orthodox community.

Created more welcoming and diverse communities

for people with disabilities, Jews of color, Jews of choice, and members of the LGBTQ community.

YCT sets and continues to set the standard in rabbinic education.

YCT rewrote the book on rabbinic education and remains at the cutting edge of rabbinic training. Many programs now offered at other rabbinic institutions, across the denominational spectrum, began right here, and we continue to develop and refine our training to meet the Jewish world’s ever-changing needs.

Among our many groundbreaking educational innovations, YCT:
Dan Margulies, Steven Exler, David Wolkenfeld Sitting together

Transformed Pastoral Counseling to become a central part of rabbinic education, introducing new teaching modalities and immersive real-world training.

  • A four-year pastoral counseling training program required of all students
  • Role-playing and fish-bowl discussion and reflection as a component of all pastoral counseling courses.
  • Weekly process group to cultivate group cohesion and active listening skills
  • Intensive field work and a required unit of CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education), demanding 400 hours of supervised pastoral work in a hospital setting.

Pioneered the integration of professional training into an Orthodox rabbinical school curriculum.

We offer professional classes on topics including:

  • Life-cycle events
  • Public speaking
  • Formal and informal education
  • Torah and contemporary issues
Brachyahu Schonthal, Benjamin Elton, and Andrew Scheer In Nairobe 2014 With the bar mitzvah, his father, and the Rosh Kehilla

Made intensive fieldwork and mentored internships with central part of Orthodox training for the challenges of today

  • Leadership skills including entrepreneurship and community building
  • Intensive, multi-dimensional weeklong programs devoted to The Rabbi and People with Disabilities
  • Immersive weeklong programs devoted to beginning-of-life and end-of-life medical ethics
  • Programs on climate change and Earth justice

Brought the first effective rabbinic training and religious leadership program to rabbis and rabbaniyot in Israel.

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