The Academy for Jewish Religion

The Academy for Jewish Religion (AJR) is a pluralistic, accredited rabbinical, cantorial, and graduate seminary located in Yonkers, NY. With classes taught primarily online, our diverse student body spans North America and beyond.

AJR is addressing a critical shortage of qualified Jewish clergy by offering a flexible, academically rigorous program accessible to students from varied backgrounds, life situations, and Jewish approaches. Our commitment to pluralism is active and lived—we prepare clergy to engage deeply with Jewish tradition and the broader world, leading with curiosity, intention, and openness.

We are a Zionist institution that embraces a wide spectrum of support for the State of Israel, even as we engage thoughtfully with its contemporary challenges. Rooted in dignity and inclusion, AJR is building a Jewish future that is whole and holy.

The Academy for Jewish Religion serves the needs of the Jewish community by ordaining rabbis and cantors and training Jewish leaders who combine their mastery of the intellectual and spiritual richness of our tradition with openness to its application in the pluralistic, contemporary Jewish community, and an awareness of living in the presence of God.