Continuing Professional Development

Self Branding for Jobs in the Jewish World with Carin Maher, Senior Executive Recruiter for the Federation

The years of experience, depth of knowledge, and the network of connections throughout the Jewish community that many cantors have could make us excellent candidates for jobs in the Jewish world "beyond the bimah." Carin Maher, Senior Executive Recruiter for the Jewish Federations of North America will help us learn about how to better assess our own skills, to position ourselves for future opportunities, offer advice on networking, and talk about resumes and interview strategies. The lessons she can teach are valuable no matter what your future plans are - don't miss this great opportunity.
View the webinar here:
Part 1
Part 2

CCPD update with the IRAC

Did you know that posters, signs, and advertisements around Jerusalem have been deliberately changed so that images of women are removed?
Just putting pictures of women up on public announcement boards has become a form of social protest. The Chief Rabbi of Israel has published a responsa recommending that women should not be included in army ceremonies - as the presence of women and their voices will offend the religious soldiers. Friends - the situation is very serious. Do not miss this update from the Israel Religious Action Center this week!!!!
View the webinar here.

CCPD Presents: L'chah Dodi around the Jewish World - taught by David Berger

Come and learn a collection of L'chah Dodi melodies from all around the Jewish world. From Sephardic folk melodies to contemporary "minyan" tunes, and even a "tallis bag recording" of the great Moshe Koussevitzky, we'll listen and learn about the text itself, and some of the thousands of melodies it has inspired.

View Recording here.

CCPD Presents: A Sensible Approach to Planning Your Estate--An Introduction

Join Steven Weiss with special guest Dan Sigman from New England Financial Group for an introduction to Financial Planning and how your choices now can help you meet your financial goals.

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CCPD Presents: High Holy Liturgy: Who Shall Live and Who Shall Die with Professor Reuven Kimelman

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Homeletics Workshop Recording

Click here to download the recording.

Yom Iyyun

The Committee for Continuing Professional Development (CCPD) is proud to announce this year's Yom Iyyun, to be held in the first full week of April. We will be discussing a timely brand-new article by Dr. Jeffrey Summit, one of the presenters at this year's convention. The article can be read via this link. Click here for the study guide. In the past, those of us in major metropolitan areas are invited to gather for face-to-face discussions. We will also host a teleconferenced discussion for those who cannot meet in person.

Using Sibeluis Webinar

Download the recording here

CCPD Program: What we can learn from the Christian World about music and worship.

We’ve survived the December Dilema, Now what?!

It has been said that Jewish music trends in America are 20 years behind the churches. Is this true and if so, what might we have to look forward to? What issues might we share with our non-Jewish liturgical musicians? What can we learn from our differences? Join us for a lively presentation of issues we might not have thought about, or have, but didn’t know how to discuss.

Presenter: Mark Dunn
Moderators: Stuart Binder and Sharon Kohn

View the recording here.

Dikduk Review with Yossi Leshem

How many times while working on p’sukim for a Torah reading have you longed to hear the comforting voice of HUC Jerusalem-Dikduk-Guru, Yossi Leshem, close by, not just in the back of your head?? Of course there are certainly many of you out there who can explain exactly what happens with the sh’va na or vav ha’hipuch, why dagesh kal versus dagesh chazak or why a particular word was supposed to be a kamatz katan [if you don’t happen to have a Simanim Tikkun handy.] But for those of you who would love a one-hour refresher session with Yossi Leshem himself, direct from Jerusalem.

View part one of the recording here.
View part two of the recording here.

Maoz Tzur - Rock of Ages Through the Ages

An ACC CCPD webinar with Cantor David Berger Considered the central hymn of Chanukah, Maoz Tzur is sung in Jewish communities around the world.

Though the Germanic "Rock of Ages" melody is by far the most common, we will explore other melodies ranging from Chassidic to Oriental, and from the most contemporary settings to the famous “Marcello” version. Through musicological analysis, close textual reading, and some amazing recordings we will recapture the drama and beauty of this 13th century piyut (liturgical poem). Sheet music will be provided for most of the musical examples, as will online links to the original recordings.

View the recording here.

Yamim Noraim - Our Own Spiritual Preparation

Co-hosted with CCAR and URJ

Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Program description and texts available here.
Download the recording here.

B'yachad: Staff Team Buildng

Presenter: Robert Leventhal - Alban Institute Consultant
Moderator: Cantor Mark Goldman

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010 2:00 PM Eastern/1:00 PM Central/11:00 AM Pacific

How does your staff team work? Are you maximizing each other's potential and accomplishing all your collective goals or do you feel stuck in conflict and inefficiency? Hopefully things are going well - but perhaps they can be even better. Alban Institute Consultant Robert Leventhal will lead us through some key methods, practices and considerations that will help us foster the full potential of our clergy and professional staff team.

Click here to download the recording of the session

Navigating Congregational Politics

Is there such a thing as a board member without an agenda? What's the best way to deal with difficult congregants? How many bosses can you have, really? Rabbi Eric Wisnia and Cantor Stuart Binder will share stories from the trenches and practical approaches to congregational politics.

Click here to download the recording of the session.

Shirat Hapiyut: Community Singing around the Jewish World

Increase your repertoire from the store house of Jewish music. Piyutim (liturgical poems) are sung in every Jewish community around the world – from Yemen to Lithuania, from Egypt to North America, and from Israel to Germany. We will visit diverse Jewish communities by listening to recordings and singing their melodies ourselves (music and texts will be provided). Piyut singing groups are forming all over Israel as people are looking at this great treasury of music as a repository of Jewish artistic expression, ethnic identity, and historic perspective. Together we will sample some of this material and you will learn where to go to find more.

Click here for a link to the recorded portion of the call. (Note--the entire call was not recorded.)

Beyond the Bimah: the growing possibilities in the Cantorate

In the hour of this Conference Call, we will hear from two clergy who are pushing the boundaries of conventional job descriptions, both in response to the needs of the community and to suit their own life-styles. Cantor Susan Caro is expanding the traditional definition of congregational Cantor, to include serious roles and responsibilities in spiritual care. Rabbi Robin Nafshi supplements her part-time pulpit position as the community rabbi and chaplain for a tri-county area, bringing Judaism and spiritual care to mostly unaffiliated Jews. You will have an opportunity to hear from each of them, followed by a period of questions and discussion.

Please click here to download the recording of the call.

Setting the Compass in Changing Times: A Conference Call Series with Rabbi Steven Kaye

In light of the challenges that the world economic climate poses to ourselves and to our communities, the Officers and Professional Staff of the ACC have scheduled a series of three conference/online calls with renowned professional development consultant Rabbi Steven Kaye.

See the "Contract Support" main page (under the Members tab) for more information. You must be logged into the Members Only section to see this page.