With Rabbi Deborah Sacks Mintz

October 2023 - June 2024

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Applications due by June 12, 2023.

Overview | Program Dates and Time Commitment | Fellowship Fees | Faculty | Application

Overview

The Hadar Shatz Fellowship is an 8 month program for shelihei tzibbur (prayer leaders) to hone their skills, deepen their practice, and elevate their impact in their prayer communities - carrying the sacred responsibility of serving as messengers from and to their communities. Over the course of 8 months, fellows will convene regularly online with Rabbi Deborah Sacks Mintz and guest faculty for a deep dive into the art of cultivating empowered communities of tefilah and song through skill-building, text study, and musical exploration. Alongside these peer-driven cohort sessions, fellows will receive 1:1 mentoring from Hadar faculty and facilitators. The fellows will also gather for in-person focused time together at Hadar’s Rising Song Intensive in NYC in December 2023.

Eligibility
All for whom prayer leadership in their community is a core component of their Jewish identity and orientation to Jewish community are encouraged to apply.  Candidates should be currently actively serving as communal Jewish prayer leaders on a regular basis. Candidates may serve as prayer leaders in either professional or lay capacities. 

Program Dates and Time Commitment

Over the course of 8 months, fellows will convene regularly on zoom with Rabbi Deborah Sacks Mintz and guest faculty for skill-building, text study, musical exploration, and a deep dive into the art of building empowered communities of tefilah and song. Fellows will be paired with a hevruta for ongoing accountability. Alongside these peer-driven cohort sessions and havruta learning opportunities, fellows will receive 1:1 mentoring from Hadar faculty and facilitators. The fellows will also gather in-person partway through the fellowship for focused time together at Hadar’s Rising Song Intensive in NYC. 

Schedule

Fellows will also have a monthly 1:1 session with a faculty mentor and bi-monthly check-ins with their assigned hevruta.  
 

Fellowship Fee

There is no fee for this program. Selected fellows are expected to attend Hadar’s annual Rising Song Intensive in December, which will include an immersive the day prior for fellows. The tuition for the Rising Song Intensive will be waived for all fellows. Travel and housing for the Rising Song Intensive will be at the fellows arrangement and expense, with financial aid available to all who need to support their attendance.

Please reach out to [email protected] for more information.
 

Faculty 

The Shatz Fellowship is facilitated by Rabbi Deborah Sacks Mintz. Faculty from Hadar and the Rising Song Institute will serve as mentors and guest teachers.
 

Rabbi Deborah Sacks Mintz is Hadar's Director of Tefillah and Music. An educator, practitioner, and facilitator of Jewish communal prayer, Deborah supports individuals and communities - both within Hadar’s beit midrash and beyond - on their journeys into song and tefila. As a musician, Deborah has partnered creatively with a diverse array of voices in the Jewish soundscape; she has collaborated on over two dozen albums with Rising Song Records and beyond, including her own 2020 debut record The Narrow and the Expanse, and the 2023 Yetzira, anticipated for release this summer.  Deborah received rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary, and holds degrees in vocal performance, religious anthropology, and women and gender studies. Learn more about Deborah's work at www.deborahsacksmintz.com.

 

Application Process and Timeline

The application form contains three elements:

• Short (300 word max) responses to five questions about the applicant’s prayer leading experiences
• A 2-5 minute video of the applicant leading a prayer service of their choice
• A reference/recommendation from a member of the prayer community the applicant serves 

Applications are due by June 12, 2023. Applicants will be notified of their application status in mid-August.

Submit an application through this form.