Dear Shir Chadash Family,
As Past Presidents of the synagogue, it is our honor to serve as Co-chairs of the Rabbinic Search Committee and "congregation communicators" throughout the search process.
Selecting our next rabbi is one of the most important steps our congregation will undertake for possibly the next 5-10 years. Our goal in this process is to find Shir Chadash’s best match.
Transparency and involvement are critical to the success of this selection process, and we will be soliciting input formally and informally from the congregation over the coming months. To begin, we are asking for your input through the survey linked at the bottom of this email. The survey aims to get a more detailed understanding of our community’s preferences for our next rabbi and our shared vision for the synagogue as a whole.
This is intended as an individual survey: each member of your household should complete it separately. We ask that you complete the survey by Friday, November 5th.
In composing our search committee, we have striven to reflect the broad demographics of our membership, while keeping the committee to the size recommended by the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ). Our search process will be guided by the recommendations of the USCJ and assisted by a USCJ liaison.
In order for Shir Chadash to enter the search process officially, we were asked to complete the extensive Rabbinical Assembly-USCJ Rabbinic Search Questionnaire, which serves as our application for rabbinic placement. This questionnaire is a synagogue profile designed to offer potential applicants a snapshot of our community as well as our synagogue’s strengths, successes and challenges. The search committee has spent the last several months hard at work on the questionnaire, which we submitted to the Rabbinical Assembly last week.
Now that we have submitted our completed search questionnaire to the Rabbinical Assembly, they will post the Questionnaire internally, allowing potential rabbinical candidates to see which synagogues are currently searching for a rabbi. Candidates interested in applying to Shir Chadash will submit their responses, which the search committee will review.
In most cases, we anticipate inviting all applicants for an initial phone or Zoom interview. The full search committee will view the compiled rabbinic applications as well as input from follow-up phone and Zoom interviews to determine a short list of finalists.
Finding a new rabbi to lead our community is a process that requires thought, care and time. We hope that each of you will join us in meeting and greeting the candidates (virtually or in person) and providing feedback to the Search Committee.
This should not be a quick decision. However, congregations have been known to sweep up a rabbi before they interview all applicants. We realize we may make a match, and then again, we may not. We are not going to hire a candidate for the sake of hiring someone; we will strive to achieve the right match for our Congregation.
We will keep you informed as we move through the process. Please feel free to contact either one of us with questions or concerns.
Click here to complete the Rabbinical Preference Survey.
Bob Kutcher
Nicole Tygier
Rabbinic Search Committee
Julie Finkelstein-Steinhaus
Rebecca Friedman
Ken Klein, ex-officio
Bob Kutcher, co-chair
Danny Mintz
Rochelle Sackett
Mark Schleifstein
Karen Sher
Laurie Sterbcow
Peter Title
Nicole Tygier, co-chair
