April 28, 2021
16 Iyar 5781
Dear Friends,
In the Book of Ecclesiastes, attributed to King Solomon who ruled in Jerusalem 3000 years ago, there is a familiar and beloved passage which reads “To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) My time as Senior Rabbi of Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel began in the summer of 2001. For 20 years it has been a time to teach, preach, console and give counsel. After two full decades of service, I have decided, with the counsel of my family, to step down from that position and begin the next phase of my life. My plan is to serve out the term of my current contract, which ends on June 30, 2022. Thereafter, I hope to continue my relationship with the congregation as Rabbi Emeritus. Together, we will welcome a new rabbi to carry on with the full range of rabbinic responsibilities at Keneseth Israel. It will be a new day for all of us, a season of transition, a time of hope and gratitude.
My job at KI was to help lead our historic congregation into the 21st century. I believe we accomplished that through the introduction of technology into the worship experience and administrative business of the synagogue. KI has been a pioneer in “visual Tefillah,” streaming, zooming and PowerPoint-based adult education. We are about to debut a world-class cantata commissioned by Cantor Levy, which I then produced into a major video documentary for global distribution. We have studied Torah and traveled the world together. I published extensively in the world of Jewish scholarship, partnered regularly with our wonderful Temple Judea Museum and reinvigorated our remarkable KI Archives including the creation of a unique online archival site documenting KI’s past.
At the national level, I served as the Chair of the Press of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, and helped usher in the new generation of Reform prayer books for our entire movement. I have also had the honor of serving as Chair of the Board of Governors of Gratz College and was invited to teach American Jewish History at Princeton University. You honored me with the creation of the endowed “Lance J. Sussman Rabbinic Chair” at Keneseth Israel.
“To everything there is a season,” King Solomon wrote so long ago, “and a time for every purpose under heaven.” My time at KI has been filled with a true sense of purpose and many gratifying achievements. It has been a season of joy.
Most importantly over the last two decades, I have been able to form thousands of relationships at KI with the staff, the leadership, our members and their extended families. We have created new institutional partnerships and programs, and kept KI loyal to its original mandate articulated in 1847 by our founders, “to love our neighbors as ourselves.” (Leviticus 19:18) I now hope to take my place in the long chain of tradition forged by Rabbis Einhorn, Hirsch, Krauskopf, Fineshriber, Korn and Maslin. I could not be prouder, happier or more satisfied.
Thank you for your support, trust and love.
Shalom,
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Rabbi Lance J. Sussman, Ph.D.
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April 28, 2021
Dear Keneseth Israel Community,
In Rabbi Sussman’s letter, he shared news of his decision to step down from his position as KI’s Senior Rabbi and begin the next phase of his life. As with any significant change, I imagine that you may greet this news with a broad range of emotions: understanding, appreciation, sadness, concern, apprehension or surprise.
During Rabbi Sussman’s 20-year tenure, he elevated KI’s profile nationally and internationally by helping develop and make accessible our KI Archives, by establishing KI’s visual Tefillah and streaming, and by being a prolific and esteemed scholar of Judaism. Rabbi Sussman also helped create and grow programs deeply rooted in serving our community locally. With his guidance and involvement, the KI Puppets helped teach our children, HaMotzi feeds those in need, and our Interfaith and Social Justice efforts are flourishing.
Over the years, many have been comforted by Rabbi Sussman during times of grief, others nurtured when they needed healing, and still others celebrated during Mitzvahs and happy lifecycle occasions. By definition a rabbi is a teacher, but Rabbi Sussman is so much more to us personally: he has been our visionary, spiritual leader, confidante, historian, cheerleader, advocate, humorist, mentor and friend.
Rabbi Sussman referred to his years at KI as a “season of joy,” and expressed that the coming year, including welcoming a new rabbi, will be a “season of transition, a time of hope and gratitude.” With that, Rabbi has graciously set the tone for us for the next fourteen months. Saying goodbye to our Rabbi will include an ongoing celebration of his accomplishments and an opportunity to honor someone who means a great deal to us.
I encourage all of you to join us as we support Rabbi and Liz Sussman through this process, wishing them good health and happiness in their next chapter.
In tandem with our farewell celebration planning, we will begin an active search for a new Senior Rabbi. Our congregation has the appeal and reputation to draw exciting qualified candidates, with the credentials necessary to lead our historic community; a Rabbi who will follow and build on the achievements of the great Rabbis of KI’s past. The Union for Reform Judaism and the Central Conference of American Rabbis have provided a detailed roadmap to aid us in our search and transition, and we have the expertise of congregants and past presidents who brought Rabbi Sussman to our Bimah 20 years ago. You will all be given the opportunity to share your vision, hopes, needs and desires for the future of our congregation.
We look forward to moving from strength to strength.
Sincerely,
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