Rabbi Careers

Overview

Jean and Samuel Frankel Jewish Academy of Metropolitan Detroit (FJA) is seeking an experienced, motivated and energetic Director of Jewish Studies (DJS) who is challenged by an opportunity to create and implement rigorous, innovative and impactful models of Jewish education. The DJS must be fully committed to fostering a religiously traditional and intellectually open environment that is meaningful, appealing and welcoming to a wide-range of Jewish families from diverse religious, educational, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Leadership
The DJS must serve as a role model for students and others in Jewish knowledge, understanding and moral behavior. He or she will seek to gain the respect of faculty members, students and parents through a leadership style that derives its authority from collaborative partnerships, meaningful relationships and passionate commitment to the school’s mission and philosophy. The DJS will help develop, articulate and implement a vision for Jewish Studies and have a presence that will be strongly felt throughout the school as a focus for this vision.

General Administrative Responsibilities
The Director of Jewish Studies will be a member of FJA’s administrative team and will serve as a
member of the Academic team. The Director of Jewish Studies will work closely with the Director of General Studies and the Director of Student Services in carrying out the daily academic operations of the school. The DJS will be responsible for annual scheduling of Jewish Studies classes in cooperation with the Director of General Studies and the Director of Student Services. These responsibilities include student evaluation and placement and interviewing candidates for admission to FJA. The DJS will oversee (with Department Chairs) ordering books and other curricular materials, as well as manage inventorying and storage of textbooks and resource materials. The DJS will be responsible for ensuring that all Jewish Studies teachers fulfill their professional responsibilities throughout the school year (e.g. parent communication, proper posting of grades) and check out properly at the end of the year.

Faculty Supervisor
The Director of Jewish Studies will be responsible for managing, supervising, and evaluating the
following faculty:
Bible Department Chair and teachers
Rabbinics Department Chair and teachers
Jewish History Department Chair and teachers
Hebrew Department Chair and teachers
Coordinating Minyan and supervising Minyan leaders
Coordinator of Student Life
Head of Israel Trip and staff
The DJS will also serve as the Rabbinics Department Chair until/unless there is a specific appointment to that position.

Supervisory duties include quarterly reviews of all management level Judaic staff and annual reviews of all Judaic and Hebrew teaching faculty. DJS is responsible for setting salaries for all aforementioned staff and faculty in conjunction with the COO and Head of School, and in keeping with the FJA Staff Handbook. DJS will be expected to continually recruit new Judaic faculty to FJA by developing relationships with teacher education programs and career referral services (Pardes Institute, JTS, YU, Hartman Institute, PRIZMAH, Jewish Agency). When necessary, DJS will be expected to dismiss underperforming staff in coordination with the COO and Head of School. In the absence of a Department Chair (e.g. Bible Department Chair) or equivalent managerial position in Judaics (e.g. Minyan Coordinator), the DJS will be expected to fulfill the requisite managerial duties.

Physical Space
The DJS is responsible for ensuring that the physical space of the school reflects the mission and vision of FJA.
Library/Beit Midrash
The DJS will serve as the librarian of FJA and will be responsible for the ordering and maintenance of the books, as well as the general physical decorum of the Beit Midrash.
General Decor
The DJS will ensure that the corridors, classrooms, and all other public spaces at FJA reflect in a lively and engaging way the Judaic and Zionist mission of the school.

General Judaic Responsibilities
The Director of Jewish Studies is responsible for implementing the Mission and Philosophy of FJA as set forth in the Mission Statement and Philosophy inside and outside the classroom. The Director of Jewish Studies will be responsible for developing and coordinating the entire Jewish Studies curriculum and all co-curricular and extracurricular Judaic activities and programs.

Jewish Studies Curriculum and Curricular Development
DJS is charged with creating an educational vision of FJA’s Jewish program in consultation with the Head of School. DJS serves as head of Jewish Studies and in this capacity, is responsible for coordinating and implementing the Jewish Studies curriculum including the curricula of the Bible, Rabbinics, Jewish History, and Hebrew departments in consultation with the Department Chairs. Specific duties include developing, in conjunction with Jewish Studies Department Chairs, a curriculum for each Jewish Studies department that is responsive to the educational needs of the FJA community and that is in keeping with the FJA Mission and Philosophy. The DJS will be responsible for reviewing and revising the existing Jewish Studies curriculum and fulfilling the following objectives: Ensuring that an FJA student will transition easily from grade to grade regarding their proficiency in Bible, Rabbinics and Hebrew. Creating and/or implementing new courses, and revising existing courses. Strengthening the religious and moral development of our students through various curricular, co-curricular or extra-curricular initiatives. Helping grow the school by creating pathways and programs for easy entry into the school by students with little, moderate, or advanced Jewish background. Updating the curriculum guide and map so that it continually reflects the FJA Jewish Studies curriculum. Developing standardized tests and exams for admission and placement, and ensuring that curricular goals and benchmarks are being met at each grade level.

Departmental Meetings
The DJS is responsible for scheduling, attending, and chairing the following:
Regular meetings with each Jewish Studies department and Department Chair to ensure that curricular goals are being realized in each department.
Regular meeting with the Bible, Rabbinics, and Jewish History departments to ensure coordination and realization of curricular goals in the classrooms and across grades.
Regular meetings with the Bible, Rabbinics, Jewish History, and Hebrew departments to ensure the reinforcement of Hebrew Language across all Judaic studies disciplines.

Teaching Responsibilities
DJS duties may require part-time teaching responsibilities in the Bible, Rabbinics, Jewish History, and Hebrew departments. In any given year DJS may be called upon to teach courses in any of these subject areas. In the case of a prolonged absence of a teacher, the DJS may be called upon to fill in for a given teacher in a particular class. The DJS is expected to have a continuous knowledge of the curriculum and class expectations of all Jewish Studies courses.

Minyan
The DJS will be responsible for coordinating all religious services at FJA including the curricular tefillah program and all co-curricular and extra-curricular religious services.
Curricular Minyan Program
The DJS is responsible for the review, design and implementation of the curricular minyan program. This includes the design of a 4-year curricular structure for daily prayer that will teach students practical liturgical skills, address diverse spiritual needs, and allow students to discharge their religious obligations. The DJS will supervise all minyanim and tefillah classes including the Mechitza Minyan and Egalitarian Minyan. The DJS may fulfill the duties in the above paragraph
either directly or in conjunction with an appointed Minyan Leader. In the absence of a Minyan Coordinator the DJS will serve as the Minyan Coordinator Co-Curricular and Extra-Curricular Religious Services
The DJS is responsible for assuring the execution and success of all religious services at FJA.
Shabbatonim and Retreats
The DJS will work closely with the Coordinator of Student Life to ensure that all religious services at shabbatonim and other school retreats are properly staffed, and that students are properly equipped to perform or lead services.
Holiday and Special Services
The DJS will be responsible for coordinating holiday services for regular calendrical requirements such as selichot, Rosh Chodesh, Sukkot, Chanukkah, Purim, Yom Ha’azmaut, etc. These duties will generally be carried out in conjunction with the Coordinator of Student Life.
Clergy Duties
The DJS will act as assistant to the Head of School in conducting his duties as mara d’atra of FJA. These duties may include representing FJA at funerals, shivas, and acting as mashgiach for the FJA kitchen, on shabbatonim and at other events.
Israel and Zionism
The DJS will be responsible for supporting and furthering the Zionist mission of FJA. The DJS will work with the Hebrew Department and the Coordinator of Student Life to ensure that the message of Zionism is disseminated and distributed in the FJA community. Together with the Hebrew Department and the Coordinator of Student Life, the DJS will help ensure the functioning of the Frankel Zionist club and the school’s Israel trip. The DJS will be expected to be a staff member on at least part of the school’s Israel trip. The DJS will work with the College Counseling office to promote and advise students about Gap-Year programs in Israel including Yeshiva and Seminary studies. The DJS will assist the College Counseling office in running Gap-Year fairs and/or other promotional activities, and will assist the College Counseling office in arranging visits from Yeshivot, Seminaries, and other study programs. The DJS is expected to be familiar with the major programs and to advise students and parents.

Professional Development
FJA is known in the world of Jewish education for its exemplary professional development. FJA has constantly been involved in major Professional Development (PD) initiatives such as the Standards and Benchmarks program at JTS, The New Teacher Induction program at the Mandel Center, and Hebrew at the Center at Brandeis University. FJA also participates in local professional development programs, and encourages each member of our faculty and staff to take advantage of PD opportunities provided by ISACS, AIMS, PRIZMAH, and other network organizations to which FJA is a member. FJA has also been involved in mentorship programs in conjunction with the Melamdim program at the Shalom Hartman Institute and Pardes Educators program. The DJS will be expected to be familiar with all these programs and the language of PD. The DJS will work with the Director of General Studies and the PD team to see to the implementation of these PD programs among the Jewish Studies staff. The DJS will be expected to travel with teams of faculty when necessary to attend meetings and conferences, and will be expected to be a leader in particular PD programs.

Co-Curricular and Extra-Curricular Judaic Activities
The DJS, in his/her duty as supervisor of the Coordinator of Student Life will see to the implementation of creative and innovative programming to further the religious mission of FJA outside of the classroom. The DJS will, when necessary, act as an advisor to these programs (e.g. Moot Bet Din). The DJS will act as a liaison with the Detroit Jewish community and Federation to facilitate the implementation of community Judaic programming at FJA, and to further FJA’s exposure in the Detroit Jewish Community in the areas of Judaic and Zionist programming.

Responsibilities in the Detroit Jewish Community
Frankel Jewish Academy is an indispensable pillar of the Detroit Jewish community. FJA is an agency of the Jewish Federations of Metropolitan Detroit, and is regarded as a ג€œgemג€ of Federation. Support for the school in Detroit is strong. There is a core of families and individuals in Detroit who actively give their support to the school both financially and in their participation in the school community. The DJA will serve as an ambassador for FJA in the Jewish community including actively recruiting students from local synagogues and day schools.

Frankel Jewish Academy is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to the belief that each individual is entitled to equal employment opportunity.