Students Taking
the High
Road to Religion:
The
Road to the Rabbinate
By Liza Young
Elie Kaunfer did not
always have the aspiration to become a Rabbi. “As the son of a Rabbi and nephew to two out
of three uncles who are Rabbis, I knew I wasn't going to be
a Rabbi,” Elie reminisced.
This was of course his perspective when he was younger. After
attaining his BA from Harvard in 1995, with a major in sociology
and government, he embarked on different careers that included
journalist and corporate fraud investigator at an investment
bank. These past endeavors have become part of his repertoire
of skills, which will be useful to him in his future career
as Rabbi.
Elie's interest in pursuing the path of the Rabbinate was
sparked through his involvement in the formation of a special
prayer group, called Kehilat Hadar. It was in April of 2001 that Elie, together with two friends, decided
that they wanted to create a different option for prayer, one
that maintained the traditional prayers, but that had a more
spirited approach as well as an egalitarian aspect. In other
words, the prayer group would involve the introduction of new
melodies to the traditional text and allow the participation
of women in leading prayers. The group quickly exploded to
include 60 people, and from there grew even further.
The formation of Hadar helped Elie attain the realization that he was interested
in general community concerns and that he could best serve
the community through becoming a Rabbi. He could not think
of a better place to pursue this goal than the Jewish Theological
Seminary (JTS). Having some background in Judaic Studies,
he felt that the seminary offered a “fantastic array
of courses that enrich his knowledge base.”
Elie, now a third year
student at JTS, received a Fellowship from the Wexner Foundation,
an organization that funds various areas of Judaic Studies,
such as the Rabbinate, the Cantorate and Jewish education.
The fellowship is awarded to students who in addition to
academic excellence also demonstrate leadership qualities
and a dedication to the Jewish community. Elie finds that
the Wexner program provides him with the opportunity to be
a part of a “great network of people to share experiences
with.”
Among Elie's role models
are his parents. His father, Rabbi Alvan Kaunfer, a Congregational
Rabbi in Rhode Island, revealed to him how one can be a “caring as well as knowledgeable
Rabbi within the community.” His mother, Marcia, was
inspirational in the formation of Hadar.
She believes firmly in the egalitarian approach to prayer and
was a pioneer in women's involvement in prayer beyond traditional
involvement.
In the future, in addition to his involvement with Hadar, Elie wishes to respond to community interests
and concerns. He also expressed an interest in academia.
He is completing a master's degree in Jewish Liturgy, studying
the structure and history of prayer and may teach this in
the future.
With respect to global concerns, Elie explained how it is a Jewish
value to be hopeful for world peace and believes that communication
between different cultures is a key element towards the path
to peace.#
