Low-Residency Mekhinah Program

Students Take First Steps Toward the Rabbinate

JTS’s Low-Residency Mekhinah was first offered in January 2024 as a pilot. We’re now excited to officially launch this program, designed for students who are interested in becoming rabbis but need additional preparation. This accessible on-ramp to Rabbinical School allows students to participate in online classes focusing on Hebrew, Rabbinic Literature, Bible, and Liturgy. The program also offers mentoring, virtual cohort sessions, and a one-week in-person gathering. 

The Rabbinical School student body increasingly reflects the diversity of the North American Jewish community. Part of that diversity is welcoming students with varied Jewish educational experiences and entry points into observant Jewish life. The Mekhinah program embraces this diversity by inviting all students, regardless of their backgrounds, to acquire the skills needed to thrive at JTS.  Enrolled students can take the time to prepare themselves before beginning Rabbinical School full-time. After finishing the Mekhinah, they will be well-prepared to enter Rabbinical School with a depth of Jewish knowledge and critical intellectual thinking, two fundamental components of a hallmark JTS education. 

Mekhinah students can continue to live and work in their home communities, while acquiring the skills needed to maximize their JTS education. Throughout the program, they will learn about the formative texts and rituals of the Jewish people, build professional skills, deepen their spiritual lives, and form their rabbinic identities, which will sustain them in the evolving rabbinate.  

Last year’s program yielded four new JTS Rabbinical School students who will begin their rabbinic journey this September.  One of these students recently remarked, “As a foreign student, the Mekhinah program allowed me to discover the campus of the JTS, meet with renowned professors, and study with a curated cohort of potential future rabbinical students. This experience was life-changing!”   

Learn more about the Low-Residency Mekhinah program.