CCAR
CCAR (Central Conference of American Rabbis) is the oldest and largest nonprofit professional membership organization for Reform Rabbis in North America, founded in 1889. It serves about 2,200 rabbis and 2+ million Reform Jews with placement, continuing education, ethics oversight, and publications.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1889
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What CCAR does
CCAR (Central Conference of American Rabbis) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional membership organization founded in 1889 and headquartered in New York City. It is the oldest and largest rabbinic organization in North America, serving approximately 2,100-2,200 Reform Rabbis who collectively lead more than 2 million Reform Jews across North America, Israel, and globally. Its core activities include continuing rabbinic education (a mandatory five-hour annual CE requirement), career placement services running for 50+ years, ethics oversight through the CCAR Ethics Code (originally adopted 1991 and most recently amended in 2026), professional development programming, an annual Convention that draws ~400 rabbis, and a public rabbinic voice issuing platforms, responsa, resolutions, and statements on social, spiritual, and human rights issues.
CCAR's product and service portfolio spans three operational layers: (1) member-facing programs — placement services, Continuing Rabbinic Education catalog, the Mutual Review Workbook with URJ, Convention, and the Task Force on the Experience of Women in the Rabbinate; (2) publishing through CCAR Press — the Reform Jewish Quarterly journal, Torah commentaries, prayer books, and the flagship New Reform Torah Commentary multi-year translation project; and (3) institutional alignment partnerships with Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR), the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), the Reform Pension Board (joint compensation studies), and J² Adventures (Jewish heritage travel). Technology is described as standard web-based infrastructure for member portal, online learning, and publication delivery, with no proprietary platform or AI components.
The business model is multi-stream nonprofit revenue: income-based sliding-scale membership dues (effective July 1, 2025), tiered donations through the Annual Giving Campaign ($360-$7,200 across Supporter to Visionary levels), supplementary giving programs (Friends of the CCAR, Hesed Fund, Atid Legacy Society), convention registration fees, publication sales through CCAR Press, and grant funding. Financial-hardship adjustments are explicitly available to ensure dues are never a barrier to membership. CCAR is governed by a Board of Trustees, led by Chief Executive Rabbi Hara Person and President Rabbi David Lyon, and is owned and controlled by its member rabbis with no external investment ownership.
CCAR firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CCAR
- Legal name
- Central Conference of American Rabbis
- Website
- https://ccarnet.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1889
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CCAR (Central Conference of American Rabbis) is the oldest and largest nonprofit professional membership organization for Reform Rabbis in North America, founded in 1889. It serves about 2,200 rabbis and 2+ million Reform Jews with placement, continuing education, ethics oversight, and publications.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CCAR industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Rabbinic Professional Services
- NAICS
- Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Religious Organizations (8131), Business Associations (813910)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Denominational & Ecclesiastical Governance Bodies (Dioceses, Synods, Conferences) (BPAGAJAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Jewish Theological Seminaries & Rabbinical Colleges (EDAHAKAH)
Keywords
Where CCAR is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
CCAR business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: Annual membership dues for Reform Rabbis, calculated based on income to ensure parity. Dues provide vital contribution to CCAR's revenue and fund continuing education, publications, conventions, member support, and rabbinic career services.
- Donations and Annual Giving Campaign: Donations through various programs including Annual Giving Campaign with tiered levels ($360-$7,200), Friends of the CCAR, Hesed Fund, and legacy society contributions.
- Publications and Press Sales: CCAR Press publishes the Reform Jewish Quarterly, Torah commentaries, prayer books, and other Jewish educational materials through sales to members and the broader Jewish community.
- Convention Fees: Registration and participation fees for annual CCAR Conventions where rabbis gather for Torah study, professional development, and networking.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | 2026 Annual Giving Campaign donation levels |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
CCAR product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CCAR is a professional membership organization for Reform Rabbis that delivers career placement, continuing rabbinic education, ethics oversight, annual conventions, and scholarly publications (notably the CCAR Journal: The Reform Jewish Quarterly and CCAR Press publications). It functions as the Reform Movement's central rabbinic leadership body, serving 2,100+ rabbis and the broader Reform Jewish community through membership services and the New Reform Torah Commentary project.
Product overview
CCAR (Central Conference of American Rabbis) is a professional membership organization for Reform rabbis, not a unified software product. Its offerings consist of distinct programs and publications including: the CCAR Journal: The Reform Jewish Quarterly (scholarly journal); CCAR Press (publishing division); Rabbinic Placement Services (50+ year career placement program); Continuing Rabbinic Education (CRE) requiring five hours annually; The New Reform Torah Commentary (major Torah translation/commentary project); CCAR Convention (annual gathering); Membership dues with associated services; CCAR Ethics Code (Standards of Rabbinic Behavior); Task Force on the Experience of Women in the Rabbinate; Compensation and Benefit Studies (with URJ partnership); Mutual Review Workbook; and Rabbinic Employment/Search Documents. These operate as separate programs rather than an integrated platform architecture.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CCAR Press: The publishing arm of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, responsible for publications including the Reform Jewish Quarterly and other Reform Movement materials.
- CCAR Journal: The Reform Jewish Quarterly
- CCAR Careers
Products and services
- CCAR Journal: The Reform Jewish Quarterly
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 50 years of rabbinic placement services for thousands of rabbis and congregations
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use CCAR
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
CCAR technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
CCAR partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- J² AdventurescoreCCAR partners with J² Adventures for luxury Jewish educational and experiential journeys to Israel and around the world. The partnership creates bespoke travel experiences that combine Jewish heritage exploration with contemporary Reform Jewish values, supporting solidarity missions to Israel and global Jewish community building.
- Union for Reform Judaism (URJ)coreCCAR and URJ partner on joint compensation studies for rabbis serving URJ congregations, with assistance from the Reform Pension Board. The organizations also collaborate on the CCAR Mutual Review Workbook for rabbi-congregation relationships.
- Reform Pension BoardmajorThe Reform Pension Board provides assistance with CCAR/URJ Rabbinic Compensation Studies, contributing pension data and analysis to create comprehensive compensation reports for Reform Movement rabbis.
- Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR)coreCCAR members receive their rabbinic education at HUC-JIR, the fully accredited seminary of the Reform Movement. CCAR placement services work closely with HUC-JIR students through the Mentoring program facilitating transition from seminary to workplace.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
CCAR competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CCAR social profiles
Digital presenceCCAR financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CCAR leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
CCAR funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CCAR M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CCAR
What does CCAR do?
CCAR is a professional membership organization for Reform Rabbis that delivers career placement, continuing rabbinic education, ethics oversight, annual conventions, and scholarly publications (notably the CCAR Journal: The Reform Jewish Quarterly and CCAR Press publications). It functions as the Reform Movement's central rabbinic leadership body, serving 2,100+ rabbis and the broader Reform Jewish community through membership services and the New Reform Torah Commentary project.
Is CCAR a public or private company?
CCAR is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was CCAR founded?
CCAR was founded in 1889. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CCAR based?
CCAR is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does CCAR make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are donations and Annual Giving Campaign, publications and Press Sales and convention Fees.
Does CCAR have an API?
No public API is recorded for CCAR.
What industry is CCAR in?
CCAR's product category is Rabbinic Professional Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAJAB, Denominational & Ecclesiastical Governance Bodies (Dioceses, Synods, Conferences), with a secondary code of EDAHAKAH, Jewish Theological Seminaries & Rabbinical Colleges. Its NAICS code is 813 and its SIC code is 8600.