RECONSTRUCTIONIST RABBINICAL ASSOCIATION

What RECONSTRUCTIONIST RABBINICAL ASSOCIATION does

The Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association (RRA), established in 1974, is the professional membership association for Reconstructionist rabbis in the United States. Headquartered in Wyncote, Pennsylvania, the organization serves nearly 400 rabbi members, providing collegial community, career placement, professional development, ethics oversight, and a collective advocacy voice on Jewish and social issues. It is structurally intertwined with its two core partners: Reconstructing Judaism (the central movement organization) and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (the seminary that trains new rabbis and serves as the primary pipeline for new members).

RRA's product and service portfolio centers on rabbinic professional support rather than technology. Core offerings include lifecycle certificates (baby naming, bar/bat mitzvah, conversion, confirmation, consecration, appreciation) sold at $5-$6 per unit, a Rabbinic Marketplace directory, a binding ethics code with published decisions, formal resolutions adopted at biennial conventions, the archived Reconstructionist Journal (1994-2007), Reconstructionist Press publications, and an annual convention plus regional events (2026 in Philadelphia, 2028 in Evanston). Pulpit placement is managed through reconplacement.org, connecting congregations with member rabbis.

The business model is a nonprofit professional association with revenue drawn from four streams: membership dues from ~400 rabbis (primary, undisclosed), one-time product sales of certificates and booklets via the RRA website (PayPal-integrated), donations including the Hesed Fund and Rabbinic Campaign, and publication sales through Reconstructionist Press. The organization operates with a small staff of approximately four named individuals led by CEO Rabbi Megan Doherty, who succeeded Rabbi Elyse Wechterman in 2024. Marketing is conducted primarily through the RRA website (therra.org), Facebook, email communications, the annual convention, and joint press releases with partner denominations including the CCAR and Rabbinical Assembly.

Name

RECONSTRUCTIONIST RABBINICAL ASSOCIATION

Legal name

Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association

Website

https://therra.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association (RRA), founded in 1974 and headquartered in Wyncote, Pennsylvania, is the professional membership association serving nearly 400 Reconstructionist rabbis in the United States through career placement, ethics oversight, lifecycle certificates, publications, and advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Professional Association

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Denominational & Ecclesiastical Governance Bodies (Dioceses, Synods, Conferences) (BPAGAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

Keywords

• Rabbinical membership services
• Jewish lifecycle certificates
• Rabbinic placement services
• Clergy professional development
• Religious professional association

Headquarters

HQ city

Wyncote

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Professional association membership fees from over 300 Reconstructionist rabbis. Dues structure includes full membership obligations and affiliate categories.
2. Life Cycle Certificates: Sale of printed certificates for Jewish lifecycle events including baby naming, bar/bat mitzvah, conversion, confirmation, consecration, and appreciation. Certificates sold at $6 each for orders of 1-9, and $5 each for orders of 10 or more.
3. Publications and Press: Sale of Reconstructionist Press books and journals including The Reconstructionist Journal (1994-2007 archives) and Reconstructionist Rabbi's Manual.
4. Democracy Booklet Sales: Sale of 'Democracy, Judaism and the Vote' booklet. Options include 10 booklets for $25.00 + $7.00 shipping, or 25 booklets for $50.00 + $10.00 shipping.
5. Donations and Contributions: General donations to RRA, donations to RRA Hesed Fund (supporting rabbis in financial need), and donations to the Rabbinic Campaign for the Reconstructionist Movement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association (RRA) is a professional membership association serving over 300 Reconstructionist rabbis and rabbinical students. It provides membership-based professional services including rabbinic placement, career development, continuing education, an ethics code, lifecycle certificates for Jewish religious events, publications through Reconstructionist Press, and biennial resolutions on social and Jewish communal issues.

Product overview

The Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association (RRA) is a professional association serving over 300 Reconstructionist rabbis, offering a portfolio of products and services centered on Jewish religious lifecycle documentation, professional ethics, and rabbinic career support. Core offerings include Life Cycle Certificates for baby namings, bar/bat mitzvahs, conversions, confirmations, and other Jewish lifecycle events; The Reconstructionist Journal (historical archive, 1994-2007); a Democracy Booklet on Jewish civic engagement; and the Rabbinic Marketplace connecting members with individuals seeking services. The RRA also maintains formal Ethics Code and Procedures, Resolutions adopted at biennial conventions, and a Pulpit Placement service for career development. Annual programming includes the Torat Yovel celebration honoring 50-year rabbinic anniversaries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Life Cycle Certificates A series of Jewish lifecycle certificates including baby naming (boy, girl, gender-neutral), bar mitzvah, bat mitzvah, b'nei mitzvah, blank mitzvah, adult conversion (male, female, gender-neutral), child conversion (male, female, gender-neutral), confirmation, consecration, and appreciation. Sold at $6 per certificate for 1-9 and $5 per certificate for orders of 10 or more. Shipping tiers range from $8.50 to $20.00 based on quantity; ships within 8 days of order. Available for U.S. and international shipping.
• Democracy, Judaism, and the Vote Booklet A printed and downloadable booklet exploring Jewish participation in American democracy using Mordecai Kaplan's framework of living in multiple civilizations. Available as 10 booklets for $25.00 plus $7.00 shipping, or 25 booklets for $50.00 plus $10.00 shipping. A free downloadable version is also available. Created with support from a Jewish Partnership for Democracy grant.
• The Reconstructionist Journal A journal of contemporary Jewish thought and practice, with volumes 59-72 published from 1994-2007, featuring articles, book reviews, and perspectives on Jewish ethics, liturgy, Israel, and Reconstructionist theology. Sold as an archive through the RRA.
• Reconstructionist Press The publishing outlet for Reconstructionist Jewish literature and resources, operating through the online store at stores.jewishreconbooks.org. Publishes books on Reconstructionist Jewish thought, practice, and movement history.
• Rabbinic Marketplace A directory connecting RRA members with individuals and communities seeking rabbinic services including artwork, books, tutoring, campus consultation, editing, educational consulting, ketubot, kippot, life-cycle officiation, meditation, musical performances, premarital counseling, spiritual direction, tallitot, Torah scribe services, website design, and weddings.
• Pulpit Placement and Career Services Rabbinic placement process managed by the Interim Director of Rabbinic Placement and Employment, facilitating connections between Reconstructionist rabbis and congregations. Includes ongoing exchange of employment opportunities and career resources through reconplacement.org.
• Reconstructionist Rabbi's Manual A manual for Reconstructionist rabbis, including documents and procedures for egalitarian Jewish divorce (get), lifecycle certificates, and preparations for ketubot. Sold as part of the Reconstructionist Press publications line.
• RRA Professional Membership Professional association membership for Reconstructionist rabbis including collegial community, personal and professional support, resources, career development, placement services, ongoing education, professional development programming, ethics standards, collective voice and advocacy, lifecycle certificates, ritual resources, annual convention, regional events, and member-only resources. Membership structure includes full membership obligations and affiliate categories.

Named customers1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Jewish Climate Leadership CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 September 2022The RRA is a founding partner of the Jewish Climate Leadership Coalition, a coalition focused on mobilizing the Jewish community around climate action and environmental sustainability aligned with Jewish values of Tikkun Olam.
• Reconstructing JudaismcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReconstructing Judaism is the central organization of the Reconstructionist Movement and a primary partner of the RRA. The two organizations share staff, issue joint statements and press releases, collaborate on advocacy, and refer members to each other's services. The President of Reconstructing Judaism and the RRC serves as an Ex-Officio Board Member of the RRA.
• Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Reconstructionist Rabbinical College is the seminary that trains Reconstructionist rabbis, the primary pipeline for RRA membership. The RRC President serves as an Ex-Officio Board Member of the RRA. The two organizations collaborate on movement-wide initiatives, joint statements, and the Rabbinic Campaign for the Reconstructionist Movement.
• Shoulder-to-Shoulder CampaignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA multi-faith coalition of religious denominations committed to ending anti-Muslim hatred, discrimination and violence in the United States. Rabbi Elyse Wechterman, former RRA CEO, participated in panel discussions with this coalition to address antisemitism and Islamophobia.
• Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe RRA collaborates with CCAR (Reform movement) and the Rabbinical Assembly (Conservative/Masorti) on statements of shared concern. The three rabbinical associations jointly condemned the settler attack on rabbis in the West Bank (November 2025) and have issued joint statements on Israel, antisemitism, and democracy.
• Rabbinical AssemblycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Rabbinical Assembly (Conservative/Masorti) collaborates with the RRA and CCAR on cross-denominational Jewish statements. The three organizations issued a joint condemnation of the settler attack on rabbis in the West Bank (November 2025) and work together on shared advocacy positions.
• Jewish Partnership for DemocracyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJewish Partnership for Democracy provided a small grant that enabled the RRA to create and distribute the 'Democracy, Judaism and the Vote' booklet, used to educate Jewish community members on democratic participation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR): The professional association for Reform Jewish rabbis in North America. CCAR is the closest functional peer to RRA—issuing ethics rulings, providing placement services, hosting annual conventions, and publishing rabbinic resources—though it serves a much larger Reform constituency.
• Rabbinical Council of America (RCA): The professional rabbinic association for Orthodox rabbis in North America. Provides the same cluster of membership services (placement, ethics, conventions) to a larger Orthodox rabbinate, and represents the third major denominational peer in the U.S. rabbinic ecosystem.
• Rabbinical Assembly: The international association for Conservative/Masorti rabbis. Functionally analogous to RRA in scope (ethics, placement, conventions, publications) and co-signs the same inter-movement statements with RRA and CCAR.

Broad incumbents

• Jewish Federations of North America: The continent-wide umbrella for Jewish community fundraising and communal services. A larger, broader-scale Jewish membership/nonprofit organization with overlapping advocacy and community-coordination functions, though operating across denominations rather than within the rabbinic profession specifically.
• Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC): The seminary that ordains Reconstructionist rabbis and the primary pipeline feeder into RRA membership. Operates as the educational counterpart within the same Reconstructionist triad (RRC, Reconstructing Judaism, RRA), with shared leadership (Ex-Officio board seats).
• Reconstructing Judaism: The central congregational and movement organization of the Reconstructionist movement and RRA's primary strategic partner. Oversees a broader mission (congregations, education, movement advocacy) of which RRA is the rabbinic-specific arm, and shares staff and joint statements.
• World Union for Progressive Judaism: The international umbrella organization for Progressive/Reform/ Reconstructionist communities worldwide. Functions as a transnational counterpart to denominational rabbinic associations, hosting global conferences and representing the movements in interfaith and policy fora.

Emerging players

• Academy for Jewish Religion: A pluralistic rabbinical seminary that ordains rabbis from multiple denominational streams. While RRA membership eligibility is tied to RRC ordination, AJR ordainees enter overlapping professional rabbinic communities and serve congregations across denominational lines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/The-Reconstructionist-Rabbinical-Association-1610917675819359
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/reconstructionist-rabbinical-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about RECONSTRUCTIONIST RABBINICAL ASSOCIATION