Click here to watch Jack H Bloom interviewed on News Channel 12 about his participation in the Civil Rights Movement in 1963 in Birmingham Alabama, with the Reverend Martin Luther King. In March 2009,as one of the “luminaries” who had been with Dr. King, he was invited to redo the marches in both Birmingham and Selma by joining the 9th Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage, (38 Congressmen) organized by The Faith & Politics Institute.

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Symbolic Exemplar"BRAVE AND INSIGHTFUL . . . reminds us that even in these laid back times, there are limits to how much a rabbi can be one of the guys. For the rabbi can never simply be a person; he/she is a living Torah, a fearless advocate of Torah values, and above all a symbol of all that Jewish tradition represents. . .only by accepting this reality can a congregation develop a realistic set of expectations for its spiritual leader. . .only by accepting his/her role as symbolic exemplar can the rabbi develop a sense of self. . .For congregants who want to understand their rabbis and for rabbis who want to understand themselves, this book is MUST READING.”
~Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, President, Union of American Hebrew Congregations

“REQUIRED READING FOR RABBIS, RABBINICAL STUDENTS, AND PARTICULARLY CONGREGANTS. The rabbi’s symbolic role is not only of his or her making; it requires the collaboration of the lay community. To the extent that the lay community helped create the dilemma, it can help dissolve it as well. The key is awareness, and this book should be viewed as a resource for promoting this awareness."
~Rabbi Neil Gillman, from the Foreword

“AN EXCEPTIONAL AND INSPIRING BOOK on the spiritual journey of a beautiful human being. Dr. Bloom shares his own trek into the desert and back, illuminating how such a soul-searching path can bring one into a profound connection with spiritual truth and cultural identity. His description of the need for blessing in each of our lives is deeply moving, as are his accounts of the trials and tribulations of those who are called to give them. AN EXCEPTIONAL BLEND OF SPIRITUAL LOVE, CONCEPTUAL CLARITY, AND HEART. I highly recommend it!”
~Stephen Gilligan, Ph.D., Psychologist and Author, The Courage to Love

“THE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ ABOUT THE CONTEMPORARY RABBINATE. Well-written, insightful, compassionate, yet devoid of specious sentimentality. Bloom not only recognizes the problems inherent in the role but offers much sage counsel concerning how to overcome them. THIS IS NOT ONLY A BOOK FOR RABBIS, BUT FOR ALL CLERGY; they too are symbolic exemplars. It is also a book for all whose lives are influenced by those who serve in that capacity, the rabbi’s family, synagogue members, and members of the board of trustees. They have made a singular important investment in him and it is in their interest that he find fulfillment in his vocation.”
~Richard L. Rubenstein, STM, Ph.D., LHD (h.c.), President Emeritus and Distinguished Professor of Religion, University of Bridgeport and Author, After Auschwitz, The Religious Imagination and The Cunning of History

“WILL HELP BOTH RABBIS AND LAITY to understand the rabbi’s challenge of living with and using rabbinic power. . . Provides not only a guide for the rabbi who seeks deeper understanding of his or her calling, but helps those who seek the services of the rabbi to comprehend why rabbis remain important to them.”
~ Rabbi William H. Lebeau, Vice Chancellor for Rabbinic Development; Pearl Resnick Dean of the Rabbinic School, Jewish Theological Seminary

 

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Complete Table of Contents for
The Rabbi As Symbolic Exemplar:
By the Power Vested in Me

  • Foreword
  • Acknowledgments
  • INTRODUCTION
  1. An Athletic Coach for Rabbis: The Path I Have Come?!
  2. Psychotherapy and Judaism Today: The Interface
  3. Who Become Clergy?
  • SYMBOLIC EXEMPLARHOOD
  1. The Special Tensions of Being “The Rabbi”
  2. Symbolic Exemplarhood and the Rabbi’s Family
  3. The Inner Life of the Rabbi or Who’s at Home Anyway? and What’s All the Commotion About?
  4. The Silenced Modim—Modim d’Rabanan: Tending Our Wonded Selves
  • EDUCATING ABOUT SYMBOLIC EXEMPLARHOOD
  1. By the Power Vested in Me: What Rabbis Need to Know and Do
  2. The Seasons of the Rabbi: Dilemmas and Suggestions for Training
  • USING THE POWER OF SYMBOLIC EXEMPLARHOOD
  1. Witnessing, Naming, and Blessing
  2. Curing and Healing
  3. The Eulogy As a Tool in Grief Work
  4. Ten Commandments for Rabbis
  • THE RABBI AS SYMBOL IN THE PUBLIC ARENA
  1. Journey to Understanding
  2. A Refusenik Odyssey
  • Appendix
  • Index
  • Reference Notes Included

The Rabbi As Symbolic Exemplar is equally effective as a complete text or as a source of stand-alone chapters. Chapters that especially lend themselves to being taught individually include:

  • special tensions of being a rabbi
  • effects of symbolic exemplarhood on the rabbi’s family
  • educating rabbis on their power
  • training suggestions
  • curing and healing
  • and The Ten Commandments for rabbis

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