Rabbinic Search

RABBINIC SEARCH SURVEY:
FOCUS GROUPS: THANK YOU! Many thanks to the over 130 congregants who participated in one of the 13 focus group meetings held in January, February and March. The conversations were warm, lively, and inspiring; and the contributions were thoughtful and informative. It was also wonderful “seeing” so many of our CBE family together on the zoom calls. Thank you again to everyone who participated!

SURVEY: The Rabbinic Search Survey will be emailed to members the week of March 23rd.

Why should I complete the survey? The survey is another format for congregants to have their voices heard. YOUR INPUT IS IMPORTANT AND HELPFUL!

 Who should complete the survey? All members are encouraged to complete the survey.

 If I participated in a focus group, should I complete the survey? Absolutely! The survey is for all members to complete.

 Will my responses be public or anonymous? All responses are anonymous.

 What if I don’t receive the email with the survey? Please contact Debbie Schaffer 

What if I know someone who does not have access to a computer? Will they be able

to participate in the survey? Yes, a paper copy of the survey will be available.

Is there a deadline? Yes - April 12th.  One survey/person (not household).

Other questions? Please reach out to Garry, Robyn or a member of the Search Committee

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR COMPLETING THE SURVEY

RABBINIC SEARCH TIME LINE:  CLICK HERE

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Q:  WHO SELECTS THE RABBI?
As per CBE by-laws, the Rabbinic Search Committee selects the Rabbinic candidate finalist to be recommended to the Board of Trustees.  Upon the approval of the candidate by the Board, the rabbinic candidate will be submitted for approval by vote of the congregation's membership.

Q: IS THERE A  SPECIFIC PROCESS WE WILL BE USING TO SELECT A NEW RABBI?
We are fortunate to have a framework for this process that has been developed by the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR).  If you are interested in learning more about he CCAR process, CLICK HERE.

Q: WILL I BE ABLE TO SHARE MY THOUGHTS ABOUT THE SEARCH PROCESS OR OTHER IDEAS I HAVE WITH THE SEARCH COMMITTEE?
Yes.  We encourage you to participate.  All Beth Emeth congregants are invited to attend a focus group (via Zoom) and participate in a survey (available in March 2021 on-line or paper format).  The focus group and survey are designed to learn from our congregants what matters most to them in terms of rabbinic characteristics and skills as well as what areas of emphasis they believe a senior Rabbi should focus us in leading Beth Emeth forward.  CLICK HERE for more information and to register for a focus group.

Q:  WHAT IS THE TIMING FOR THIS SEARCH?
The end goal is recruiting a new Senior Rabbi who will join Congregation Beth Emeth on or about July, 2022.   The new Rabbi will overlap with Rabbi Shpeen for one year.  Rabbi Shpeen will become Emeritus at that time.  Reaching this goal requires time, energy, some flexibility, and most important . . . a congregational commitment to a successful and transparent search process.

Q:  HOW WILL THE TRANSITION TAKE PLACE BETWEEN RABBI SHPEEN AND THE NEW RABBI?
There will be a Rabbinic Transition Committee established following this search.  The Committee will have the role of working with both Rabbi Shpeen and the new Senior Rabbi to ensure a fluid, warm, and collaborative transition in the best interests of the Congregation.

RABBINIC SEARCH COMMITTEE:
It is with great pleasure that we announce the members of the Rabbinic Search Committee:
Gayle Abrams
Dan Dembling
Craig Alfred
Cheryl Gelder-Kogan
Liz Albright
Steve Ostroff
Michael Bigley
Donna Rosen
Jennifer Colman
Steve Shrager
Dan Cotton
As a group, they represent our diverse and warm community and are prepared to embrace their responsibility for an historic, emotional and awesome task of leading our congregation forward from Rabbi Shpeen’s illustrious and lauded rabbinate. As individuals, each brings good judgment, strong engagement, interesting ideas and a personal commitment to CBE. As we, the Beth Emeth community say and pray: Going from strength to strength.  CLICK HERE to learn more about our Search Committee.

Robyn Marinstein - rmarinstein@gmail.com
Garry Sanders - garrettrsanders@gmail.com