named programs · 4 · from sources
What they call their work
Halakha L’Maaseh Program
Practical halakha training program coordinated by Rabbi Shlomo Elimelech Drillman, required for all semikha students
Kollel L’Horaah Yadin-Yadin
Advanced program established to train poskim (halakhic decisors), with Rabbi Yitzchak Abberbanel as its first rosh kollel
Kollel Sridei Hacherev
Kollel founded by Rabbi Cyperstein for outstanding refugee Torah scholars who survived World War II
Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik Center of Rabbinic Studies
RIETS' Semikhah Program, renamed in 1983, which ordains rabbis through rigorous Talmudic and halakhic training; has ordained approximately 2,000 rabbis
activities · 8 groups
What they do
-
Jewish Leadership Development 2 activities
- Alumni network and institutional leadership developmentMaintains a global alumni network of nearly 80,000 members and has trained approximately 2,700 Orthodox rabbis, scholars, and teachers, contributing to Jewish communal leadership worldwide.
- Professional development and career placementProvides professional training, career counseling, and job placement services for students pursuing roles in synagogues, schools, outreach centers, and Jewish organizations worldwide.
-
-
Jewish Textual and Educational Publishing 2 activities
- Digital dissemination of Torah learningMakes over 400,000 Torah lectures (shiurim) available in audio, video, and text formats from Roshei Yeshiva, YU luminaries, and RIETS-ordained rabbis. Receives over one million monthly visits to YUTorah.org, providing global access to Torah study.
- Publishing of religious texts and scholarly journalsProduces and publishes religious texts (seforim) authored by its Roshei Yeshiva and Rebbeim through RIETS Press. Publishes Beit Yitzchak, an annual 500+ page journal of Talmudic and halachic analysis, and Kol Zvi, an annual journal of scholarly Talmudic essays by faculty and fellows of the Bella and Harry Wexner Kollel Elyon and Semikhah Honors Program.
-
-
Jewish Advanced Torah Education 1 activity
- Advanced scholarly training through kollelimOperates kollelim that offer advanced study programs for prospective teachers, rabbinic scholars, halakhic decisors (poskim), and future yeshiva leaders, including specialized training through Kollel L’Horaah Yadin-Yadin. Also supports those entering non-rabbinic professions with advanced Torah scholarship.
-
-
Kosher Meal Services 1 activity
- Kosher dining services under rabbinical supervisionProvides daily meals through a kosher dining operation maintained under strict rabbinical supervision to support the student body.
-
-
Structured Jewish Text Study Programs 1 activity
- Operation of study and academic facilitiesOperates the Glueck Center for Jewish Study, which includes a 500-seat central beit midrash, nine classrooms, two lecture halls, three conference rooms, a seminar room, and multiple lounges. Maintains multiple satellite batei midrashot with reference collections accessible to students 24/7 year-round.
-
-
Jewish Dual-Curriculum Education 1 activity
- Rabbinical and advanced Jewish studies educationOffers a four-year semikha (rabbinical ordination) program involving intensive study of Talmud, classical commentaries, Codes, and Responsa literature, preparing students for rabbinic duties. Provides rabbinical and Judaic study programs to approximately 212 seminary students annually.
-
-
Financial Support for Rabbinical Students 1 activity
- Scholarship and stipend funding for studentsFunds full scholarships for all full-time students and provides generous stipends to kollel fellows to support their advanced religious studies.
-
-
Uncategorized 1 activity
- Cantorial and Jewish music educationEstablished the Cantorial Training Institute in 1954, later renamed the Philip and Sarah Belz School of Jewish Music, to train cantors and advance Jewish musical tradition.
-
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$20.97M
Contributions & grants$6.78M32%
Program service revenue$7.41M35%
Investment income$6.91M33%
Other revenue$-131K
expenses
Total expenses$21.87M
Program expenses88%
Admin / overhead12%
Fundraising1%
Salaries & benefits$7.72M
Grants paid out$8.51M
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$141.19M
Cash$773
Investments$136.49M
Liabilities$2.87M
Net assets$138.32M
Liquid reserves74.9 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue +7.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 7
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| RABBI ARYEH LEBOWITZ | DEAN/DIRECTOR SEMIKHA | 35 | $255K |
| RABBI MARC PENNER | FORMER DEAN EMERITUS/DIRECTOR | 10 | $248K |
| RABBI RONALD SCHWARZBERG | PROGRAM DIRECTOR | 35 | $244K |
| RABBI EZRA SCHWARTZ | PROGRAM DIRECTOR | 35 | $199K |
| RABBI JOSHUA FLUG | DIRECTOR - TORAH RESEARCH | 35 | $166K |
| RABBI LAWRENCE ROTHWACHS | PROGRAM DIRECTOR | 35 | $147K |
| RABBI JACOB TAUBES | PROGRAM DIRECTOR | 35 | $146K |
board members · 16
- ALAN E GOLDBERG — TRUSTEE
- BINYAMIN KAMINETZKY — TRUSTEE
- CARMI SCHWARTZ — TRUSTEE
- CHAIM H WIETSCHNER — TRUSTEE
- DANIEL E POSNER — TRUSTEE
- DR DAVID ARBESFELD — TRUSTEE
- DR FELIX L GLAUBACH — TRUSTEE - DECEASED DEC 2024
- ELLIOT GIBBER — VICE CHAIR/TRUSTEE
- HENRY ORLINSKY — TRUSTEE
- HOWARD JONAS — TRUSTEE
- IRA MITZNER — TRUSTEE
- JOEL M SCHREIBER — CHAIR EMERITUS/TRUSTEE
- JULIUS BERMAN — CHAIR EMERITUS/TRUSTEE
- KENNETH A ZITTER — TRUSTEE
- LANCE HIRT — BOARD CHAIR/TRUSTEE
- MARVIN S BIENENFELD — TRUSTEE
relationships · 14
Who they work with
- Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration Partner — RIETS students enroll in advanced-degree programs at the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration.
- Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies Partner — RIETS students enroll in advanced-degree programs at the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies.
- Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies Partner — Shares faculty affiliation, as exemplified by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik serving on both RIETS and Bernard Revel faculty.
- Canadian Friends of Yeshiva University Partner — Supports Yeshiva University’s Canadian students and alumni and raises the University’s profile in Canada
- Caroline and Joseph S. Gruss Institute Partner — RIETS students can spend a year of advanced learning in Jerusalem at YU's Caroline and Joseph S. Gruss Institute.
- Jack Belz Partner — Son of Philip and Sarah Belz, providing continued support for the school's mission.
- Maurice H. Saval Funder — Provided an endowment in 1983 that led to the renaming of RIETS' Semikhah Program as the Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik Center of Rabbinic Studies.
- West Coast Friends of Yeshiva University Partner — Supports Yeshiva University's West Coast students, alumni, friends and families
- Wurzweiler School of Social Work Partner — RIETS students enroll in advanced-degree programs at the Wurzweiler School of Social Work.
- Yeshiva University Network — RABBI ISAAC ELCHANAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY is part of Yeshiva University, as indicated by shared branding and institutional structure.
- Yeshiva University Network — RABBI ISAAC ELCHANAN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY operates as part of Yeshiva University on the Wilf Campus in Washington Heights.
- Yeshiva University Network — RIETS operates as part of Yeshiva University, located on its campus and integrated into its academic structure.
- Yeshiva University Network — Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary is part of Yeshiva University.
- Yeshiva University Partner — RIETS is an affiliate of Yeshiva University and its students can enroll in graduate programs at YU's Bernard Revel Graduate School, Wurzweiler School of Social Work, and Azrieli Graduate School.
strategies · 4
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Digital and Multi-Site Dissemination of Torah Educationmethodology: digital dissemination of Torah education,multi-site learning environmentBy expanding access to Torah study through digital streaming of lectures and maintaining a network of central and satellite study halls, the institution increases engagement across diverse learners and geographic contexts, because flexible, decentralized, and technologically enabled learning environments support broader and more immersive participation in traditional study.
- Synthesis of Jewish and Western Intellectual Traditionsmethodology: fusion_of_jewish_and_western_scholarshipBy integrating traditional Jewish textual scholarship with Western philosophical and academic frameworks, the institution enriches rabbinic education to produce leaders capable of engaging both religious and secular worlds fluently, because dual literacy in Torah and broader intellectual traditions enables more nuanced, credible, and adaptive religious leadership in modern society.
- Torah Lishmah with Community Responsivenessmethodology: torah-lishmah-with-community-responsivenessBy combining the principle of learning Torah for its own sake (Torah Lishmah) with active responsiveness to contemporary communal needs, the institution cultivates rabbinic leaders who are both spiritually grounded and practically equipped to serve evolving Jewish communities, because deep textual study paired with real-world relevance produces leadership that is authentically traditional yet adaptively engaged.
- Traditional Torah Study with Modern Applicationmethodology: traditional-torah-study-with-modern-applicationBy grounding advanced Talmud and Halacha study in traditional methods while directly applying it to modern ethical and societal issues such as business ethics, bioethics, and technology, the institution ensures that rabbinic education remains intellectually rigorous and practically relevant, because connecting classical texts to contemporary dilemmas strengthens both fidelity and applicability in leadership formation.