In the complex world of the 21st century, it is not enough for rabbis to be repositories of Jewish knowledge; today there is an increasing demand that they have acumen in nonprofit management as well. The Rabbinic Management Institute (RMI), a visionary program which launched last year and is in partnership with AJU's Graduate School of Nonprofit Management, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, and the Rabbinical Assembly, gives rabbis the opportunity for educational and professional development in nonprofit management.

The curriculum focuses on issues which have become crucial to the daily work of rabbis such as management, marketing and public relations, fund development, nonprofit law, budget and finance, strategic planning, executive leadership, negotiation, and conflict resolution.

Fourteen rabbis from across the United States and Canada began their studies at AJU in February 2011, and continued throughout the year with online lectures, paired study with fellow participants, and close communication with RMI faculty. This first class of RMI students returned to AJU to complete their program and received a certificate in nonprofit management on February 1, 2012.

One of the participants, Rabbi Eric Solomon of Raleigh, North Carolina, describes his experience: "As a rabbi my focus has been on how to study, analyze, and transmit Torah. I have come to realize that to be successful, I must also develop my executive skills. RMI provided me with these tools so I can become the best leader I can be."

For more information about RMI, please contact Rabbi Cheryl Peretz, Associate Dean of the Ziegler School and RMI Director, at cperetz@ajula.edu or (310) 476-9777, ext. 213.