Rabbi David Cantor of Congregation Beth Israel is one of 20 rabbis from 15 states who have been accepted into a yearlong national leadership program. The program, Professional Education for Excellence in Rabbis, is sponsored by Synagogues: Transformation and Renewal, a nonprofit organization based in Minneapolis. The program is designed for rabbis in the first decade of their careers to help them acquire essential management skills, identify their vision for a successful rabbinate, and develop a roadmap toward creating a vibrant community. “I applied for it because continuing education is always a good thing,” Cantor said earlier this week, “and also because, being out here in Maine, it represents an opportunity to develop for myself a group of colleagues … to create a support network.” Cantor said that anything he learned and could put into practice would benefit his congregation. Beth Israel’s rabbi will be one of three from New England, but the only Maine rabbi, taking the course.