2026 Trans & Non-Binary Student Clergy Ambassadorship (USA Only)

The Trans & Non-Binary Student Clergy Ambassadorship invites Conservative/Masorti congregations across the USA to host a transgender or non-binary rabbinical or cantorial student as a scholar-in-residence for a Shabbat during Spring/Summer 2026. Through this program, congregations have the opportunity to welcome emerging clergy who bring unique Torah, shirah, and spiritual leadership into communal life.

Hosting an Ambassador offers congregations a meaningful opportunity to engage deeply with Jewish learning, prayer, and connection across generations. Trans & Non-Binary Student Clergy Ambassadors bring presence, empathy, and lived insight that can enrich teaching, worship, and pastoral moments throughout the Shabbat experience.

 

Information & Eligibility 

Application Deadline: Sunday, February 15th at 11:59pm ET. Hosts will be notified by March 1st. 

Eligibility: USCJ-affiliated congregations in the USA, employing at least one full-time clergy. 

Program Details: Ambassadors will be placed in Conservative/Masorti synagogues in the USA for a Shabbat during Spring/Summer 2026. 

Congregational clergy and 1-2 lay leaders will meet virtually with Ambassadors for 1-2 planning sessions in advance of the Shabbaton and 1 session after Shabbaton for debrief and feedback.

Over the course of a sponsored Shabbaton, Ambassadors will teach, lead, and connect with congregants. Ambassadorship offerings may include divrei Torah or tefillah, interactive song-leading or learning, text study, guest-leading family services, workshops, or other offerings tailored to the Ambassador’s expertise and the community’s interests. Congregations will also play a formative role by offering thoughtful feedback, supporting the students’ growth and preparing them for future congregational placement.

Cost: Ambassadors receive a stipend to support preparation time, travel, and accommodations, subsidized by the Movement’s Center for Human Dignity & Public Policy. Hosting congregations are asked to contribute toward the Ambassador’s honorarium for the Shabbaton on a pay-what-you-can basis, with a recommended minimum contribution of $180 after acceptance as a host.

Please reach out to lberger@rabbinicalassembly.org with any questions.

Clergy Information
Synagogue Information
Do you livestream and/or record Shabbat services?
Your Hopes For A Student Ambassador
Ensuring Fit
Best practices for belonging for the trans and non-binary community benefit our communities as a whole. Individual members of this community may rely on some, all, or none of the following to access the community most fully. Of the following best practices, which do you already have in place at your congregation?
Please describe any other practices used at your synagogue to include/welcome trans and nonbinary members