Selah Leadership Program

Applications for Selah Cohort 17 are open until March 12, 2021.
Apply here.

 

Any questions about the Selah Leadership Program can be directed to Leili Davari, Selah Program Manager, at [email protected].

 

In 2002, Rockwood Leadership Institute partnered with Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice to co-create Bend the Arc’s Selah Leadership Program. Selah draws on the core elements of Rockwood’s transformative leadership development curriculum and infuses the program with Jewish practice and wisdom to support leaders’ ability to work effectively, sustainably, and collaboratively for social change within and beyond the Jewish community. Rockwood has provided both content and training expertise to Selah from its inception, and continues to influence Selah’s evolution and impact.

In 2015, after thirteen cohorts with a majority of white Jews, Selah launched its first cohort specifically for Jewish Leaders of Color. We made this decision because while the American Jewish community is multiracial — current estimates are that between 10-20% of the American Jewish community identify as Jews of Color — there continues to be only a few prominent Jewish Leaders of Color in Jewish mainstream organizations.

We're excited that Cohort 17 will continue to be a space that is explicitly for Jewish Leaders of Color. Part of the purpose of this project is to create a cohort where Jewish Leaders of Color can build deep, interdependent relationships with each other to advance and support each other in their leadership inside and outside the Jewish community. Due to the current Covid pandemic and the need for continued social distancing, Cohort 17 will be an entirely virtual cohort.

Selah is the first leadership training designed specifically for Jewish leaders working across the social change field. Since its founding in 2002, Selah has trained more than 340 leaders from over 200 organizations.

 

Training dates for Selah Cohort 17:

Virtual Training 1:
Wednesday May 26, 2021 — 9amPT/12pmET - 3pmPT/6pmET
Thursday May 27th, 2021 — 9amPT/12pmET - 3pmPT/6pmET

Virtual Training 2:
Wednesday February 23, 2022 —  9amPT/12pmET - 3pmPT/6pmET
Thursday February 24, 2022 — 9amPT/12pmET - 3pmPT/6pmET

Monthly Webinars (all webinars will take place 9amPT/12pmET - 11amPT/2pmET):
Thursday June 24, 2021
Thursday July 22, 2021
Thursday August 19, 2021
Thursday September 23, 2021
Thursday October 21, 2021
Thursday November 18,2021
Thursday December 16, 2021
Thursday January 13, 2022

The Selah Approach FAQ Nominate Someone Apply Now

  • The core pillars of Selah—Purpose, Vision, Resourcefulness, Partnership, and Performance—have become my organizational life blood. I use the teachings of each of these pillars in everything that I do, whether it be motivating staff, writing performance evaluations, public speaking, or fundraising.  

    Robert Bank, Cohort 2: East Coast, 2005; and Cohort 7: Organizational, 2009

  • Before I discovered Selah, I could not find a program that combined the concrete skills, experienced peers, program design and level of time commitment that convinced me to take the leap.

    Andrea Levere, Cohort 9

  • Selah was not only an incredible experience to help me focus my energy on how to be the best professional I could be, it also helped me fully evaluate my personal ecology and purpose and vision for my life.

    Lacey Schwartz, Cohort 5: National

  • The Selah program gave me concrete tools to use in my everyday life to help me to maximize my potential as a rabbi.

    Rabbi Felicia Sol, Cohort 1: East Coast, 2004

  • I recommend Selah for anyone who is prepared to challenge all of his assumptions, take ownership of and responsibility for her personal and professional power, and commit fully to relationships with some of the finest human beings in the community.

    Shawn Landres, Cohort 4: National, 2007

  • Since participating in Selah, I have begun a regular practice of rest and reflection. This practice has made my social change work more sustainable.

    Quito Ziegler, Cohort 2: East Coast, 2005

  • The people in my cohort are wonderful—activists/leaders/artists—people who will make a difference. Selah helps us connect to each other and deepen our understanding of each other's work.

    Heather Booth, Cohort 4: National, 2007

  • Who ever thought being pushed to acknowledge the full complement of my strengths and my obstacles to success could be so rewarding and so enjoyable! The relationships I have built in Selah have proved invaluable, personally and professionally.

    Elissa Barrett, Cohort 5: National, 2008; and Cohort 7: Organizational, 2009

  • It is rare to find a leadership program that effectively balances training, intentional relationship-building, and strategic thinking for the movement. I consistently find that I refer back to the practices that I learned at Selah.

    Jaime Rapaport Barry, Cohort 4: National, 2007

  • Selah has equipped me with the tools, concepts and language that have just begun to deepen my skills and ownership of my leadership and personal power for the benefit of my community. Executive leadership is incredibly demanding and Selah has bolstered my ability and confidence to more effectively address the challenges I encounter in my work.

    April Baskin, Selah Cohort 10: National