Some rabbis think that Judaism is relevant for American society. If you’re one of those rabbis, you should seriously consider attending CCAR’s upcoming Media Savvy: Harnessing Your Rabbinic Voice in Troubled Times.
When I joined the Auburn team in 2007 and participated in our media training, I had a number of revelations. I used to think that if a journalist called me I should answer their questions. I used to think that I knew how to translate my own writing for a broad audience. I used to think the media was made by other people. Not today.
Auburn’s media training has become somewhat infamous. Over 4,000 leaders of faith and moral courage have taken it over the last decade. Hundreds of organizations, including dozens of Jewish ones, have hired Auburn to media train their top leaders. It is a bonding experience.
You will learn whether to take an interview, how to get your writing “placed,” how to craft a message, how to stay on message, and even practice it all on camera. Most of all, you will learn and practice a discipline (we call it the “triangle”) that will stay with you for years, one that will help you with your sermons, your writing, and any media work you do.
If you want to take one concrete step to learn how to do all of that a little bit better, come to the media training hosted by the CCAR, on April 24-25th in New York: Media Savvy: Harnessing Your Rabbinic Voice in Troubled Times. Day one will be led by Auburn Seminary and will focus on media training for leaders of faith and moral courage, and day two will be covered by Berlin Rosen Public Relations and will focus on effective messaging, best practices, and understanding the media landscape. We rabbis have a responsibility to bring our voice into the media landscape, whether it be print, radio, television, YouTube, social media, blogging, or anything else.
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Rabbi Justus Baird is Dean of Auburn Seminary in New York
