Community religious leader becomes ‘kosher’ coacher
Rabbi Uriel Genzel finds practical way to provide people with answers using a touch of tangibility, Jewish sources. ‘Jewish faith allows a person to find their purpose and mission,’ he says
Finally you can deal with the problem and with yourselves in a series of meetings with the first “kosher” coacher – Rabbi Uriel Genzel.
The rabbi from the West Bank’s Revava settlement will train you to release yourselves from barriers and suffering while utilizing Jewish sources.
These days, when every other person has turned into a personal coach, the situation has truly become confusing. Everyone has their treatment methods and it is not always clear who is coaching, how and why.
Rabbi Genzel, who is married and the father of seven, decided to combine the tangible with Jewish spirit and a belief that tries to outline a new method of living with Jewish sources.
After studying at the Birkat Moshe yeshiva in Ma'aleh Adumim for 15 years and serving as a rabbi for 13 years, he discovered that he is entirely interested in this field.
It all started when he wrote an article on midot (the hermeneutical rules). He explains that “at the same time I met Tal Ronen who is a master in everything related to coaching in Israel and we became friends.
“When he read my article, he invited me to his school where I was trained and I completed the personal coaching course. We both had a dream to combine the two worlds,” he says.
What is the connection between Judaism and coaching?
“As a rabbi, people endlessly turn to me on subjects and issues in which they need assistance. I have always made sure not to counsel but rather to create the connection and understanding that will help the person reach a decision alone.
“When I was trained to be a coach, I received the tools of how to do so as a coach,” he says.
“One of my favorite slogans is ‘Jewish purposeful faith.' My outlook says that every person was born in God’s image and has a mission and purpose; a purpose opposite God.
“The Jewish faith allows a person to find their purpose and mission; like why did God send me to the world? The way to discover this is with the inspiration of the bible, our Sages of Blessed Memory and Jewish tradition,” says Genzel.
How about people who are not connected to the religion, will they be successful in “connecting” to this coaching?
“Yes, of course. Many of the people I coach are not religious, but the association with the Jewish sources really speaks to them.
“I think that we are all Jewish and live better when we learn to combine our world of values with our spirituality,” says the rabbi.
"When people come to me for coaching they manage to see things in a new light, and this is a breakthrough for a different perspective of the world.”
So how does it work? What happens when a couple begins to fight?
“With couples, the dynamic in the fight itself assures the next fight. If you come and tell a couple that God is never wrong, that if something happened there is a reason for it and that the fight is a type of ‘present’ so that life will progress, this is a new perspective of the problem.
“People don’t like to change. They have the willingness to open up to change only when the suffering is full of discomfort.
“This is where faith makes its entrance and says let’s change our perspective on the fight from a problem to a solution; to a God-given gift to create a new life.
“Even secular couples who come to me receive these instructions and this turns into a great tool for them because they understand that God wants what’s best for them and is granting them another chance to reach this goodness,” he explains.
Somewhere between his dealings with faith and prayer, Rabbi Genzel is also working on a book on Jewish-purposeful faith with author and journalist Anat Lev-Adler.
He also conducts workshops on “preparing for life” and owns a coaching company.
