Rabbinical Excellence Program

The Edmond J. Safra Foundation invests in efforts to enhance the education and training of Sephardi community rabbis: to provide the best rabbinical students and newly ordained rabbis with the “practical” skills and experience needed to be dynamic and successful community leaders, in addition to expert theologians. Implemented by two well-regarded partner organizations – Eretz Hemda and Amiel – the program covers subjects such as public speaking, management, conflict resolution, and counseling on issues such as substance abuse, addiction, sexual abuse, and fertility. Participants’ wives also take classes to better prepare them for their roles as community leaders alongside their husbands.

More than 50 rabbis have graduated to date, and they are now serving with distinction in communities around the world, in cities as diverse as Paris, Montevideo, Rio de Janeiro, Montreal, Izmir, Cape Town, Cochin, Belém (Brazil), Toronto, Mexico City, Brasília, Brussels, Vienna, Atlanta, Göteborg, Lima, Melbourne, Tijuana, Cancún, Belmonte (Portugal), San Salvador (El Salvador), Sofia (Bulgaria), Monterrey, Singapore, Nottingham (UK), and London – among many others.