Mar 1, 2007 -- A groundbreaking conference on “Talking About Intimacy: The Rabbi’s Role,” cosponsored by Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future (CJF), Tzelem, and the Rabbinical Council of America, was recently held at Yeshiva University (YU). More than 100 rabbis attended the gathering, which addressed issues of intimacy according to halakhah (Jewish law). Tzelem, an incubator project of CJF, organized the event to educate and empower communal rabbis in responding to their congregants' needs about issues of intimacy. Dr. David Ribner, director of the Sex Therapy Training Program at the School of Social Work at Bar-Ilan University, and an expert in the fields of sex therapy and sex education, discussed “Counseling Married Couples Regarding Issues of Intimacy” and leading poskim (religious decisors) Rabbi Yaacov Neuberger, Rosh Yeshiva (professor of Talmud) at Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS), and Rabbi Mordechai Willig, also a RIETS Rosh Yeshiva, placed the intimacy and health issues in a halakhic context. “The high quality of the speakers and the practical suggestions that they gave were very helpful,” said Rabbi Dr. Jay Braverman, YUHS '54, '57 Teacher's Institute, '58 YC, '61 RIETS, '70 BRGS. “The topic of the conference was extremely important and Yeshiva University is to be congratulated for showing leadership in dealing with this important theme.” The conference presented a modest and appropriate setting in which rabbis could speak openly about delicate subjects. The speakers stressed the important role that intimacy plays in a Jewish marriage and that better education can often result in saving marriages. “Rabbis are often the first address for couples in the Orthodox community when they face marital or sexual difficulties,” said Rabbi Ronald Schwarzberg, director of Jewish career development and placement, Max Stern Division of Communal Services, RIETS. “It is extremely important to give rabbis the tools to help their congregations.” Tzelem, established in 2005, seeks to serve the Orthodox community in developing religiously-sensitive resources and educational programming in the broad areas of intimacy and relationships. This conference was the first step in offering practical training for rabbis in dealing with intimacy issues in the Orthodox community. Subsequent conferences will include discussions of case studies in small groups and further exploration with rabbis to give them more practical information to help their congregants.