Dec 31, 2007 -- New York, NY, December 31, 2007 – Business and the rabbinate may seem to be disparate areas of study, but as Yeshiva University Center for the Jewish Future (CJF) is demonstrating, the rabbi has much in common with a business executive. At two three-day long seminars, held from November 16-18 and again from December 16-19, CJF teamed up with YU’s own Sy Syms School of Business (SSSB) to focus on the rabbi’s role as an executive of his synagogue and his partnership with its lay leaders. The objective of this program is to tackle the traditional challenges of the modern orthodox rabbinate by applying contemporary business management skills where they are appropriate. Thirty rabbis from across the United States and Canada and 30 key officers from their respective synagogues’ lay leadership participated in the workshops at the Hyatt Regency Bonaventure Conference Center in Weston, FL. The participants learned management techniques that will help them enhance their leadership skills, increase avenues of communication, and improve the governance of their congregations. The seminars are part of CJF’s Legacy Heritage Fund Rabbinic Enrichment Initiative (LHREI), which is supported by the Legacy Heritage Fund Limited in New York City. The program’s facilitators included Steven Nissenfeld, PhD, and Brian Maruffi, PhD, both clinical professors of management at SSSB, and Robert Leventhal, a senior consultant at the Alban Institute, which helps religious congregations address their needs in a changing world. "The concept is outstanding – a real break through. It creates a model of the rabbi-lay leader team which, from a management and organization perspective, can be used to build a truly successful, high-performing synagogue,” said Dr. Nissenfeld. “The support and collaboration of CJF and SSSB has proven to be exceptional.” Dr. Maruffi pointed out that “rabbis are in a difficult position because they are at the same time both leaders and employees. The benefits that a program such as LHREI gives to individual rabbis should be admired and replicated.” Joey Lifschitz, a member of the board of directors of the Young Israel of the West Side in Manhattan, said "I can write volumes about what I gained, and the theoretical and practical education I received was a real eye opener. YU and CJF were responsible for such an important initiative, and I am eager to relate my experience to my synagogue's board and members."