Rabbinic Search Update from Lisa P. Davis, President

January 15, 2014

Dear Temple Beth El Congregants,

As announced on December 27th, the Temple Beth El Rabbinic Search Committee and Board of Trustees each voted unanimously to recommend Rabbi Jonathan (Yoni) Jaffe as our next Senior Rabbi, subject to a vote of the congregation.  The Board of Trustees therefore has called for a special congregational meeting to be held on February 9, 2014 at 10:30 am for the purpose of considering this recommendation and holding a vote. In accordance with the bylaws, this notice is being sent by mail to every member of the congregation.

Rabbi Jaffe truly energized the Committee and the Board, and we are confident you will agree that he brings the right combination of intellect, rabbinic talents and personal engagement. In concert with our current leadership team, Rabbi Jaffe is prepared to lead our congregation forward and inspire the next generation of Temple Beth El.  If you haven't already done so, please take a moment to read about Rabbi Jaffe's background on the Congregation Emanu-El website and access some of his sermons, teachings and writings.

We hope you will join us on February 9th to meet Rabbi Jaffe and participate in this momentous congregational vote.

This is an extraordinary moment in the proud history of our congregation. We are excited to introduce Rabbi Jaffe to the congregation and, with your approval, to embark upon what promises to be a wonderful partnership.

See you on February 9^th!

Lisa Davis 
President
Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester

December 27, 2013

Dear Friends,

I am pleased to share some great news with you. The board of trustees voted unanimously to approve the selection of Rabbi Jonathan (Yoni) Jaffe as the next senior rabbi of Temple Beth El, subject to a vote of the congregation, to be held on Sunday, February 9, 2014. Rabbi Jaffe currently serves as a rabbi at Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco.

The board vote mirrored the unanimous, and in fact quite enthusiastic, vote by the rabbinic search committee. This has been an insightful and reflective process, and we were blessed to have several excellent candidates. With his intellect, spirituality, and warm, engaging personality, Rabbi Jaffe energized the committee and the board in a way we only imagined possible. We are confident that he is the right person to lead Temple Beth El into a bright, exciting future, in partnership with our clergy, lay leaders, congregants and staff.

Rabbi Jaffe was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. He graduated summa cum laude from Duke University in 1998 with a double major in philosophy and history. He worked in business for three years while teaching in the Jewish community, and then found his calling while serving as Education Director of a reform synagogue. In 2002, he entered the Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles and was ordained in 2007. He worked at Congregation Emanu-El as a rabbinic intern in 2006, and has served there ever since. Rabbi Jaffe is an alumnus of the Shalom Hartman Institute's Rabbinic Leadership Initiative and currently serves on the board of the President's Rabbinic Council of the Hebrew Union College and of the American Jewish Committee of Northern California. Rabbi Jaffe, his wife, Yael, and their daughters, Mali and Sammi, look forward to joining family members on the east coast and becoming an integral part of the Temple Beth El community.

We encourage you to visit the Congregation Emanu-El website to learn more about Rabbi Jaffe, and to read his sermons and writings.
http://www.emanuelsf.org/clergy
http://rabbijaffe.blogspot.com/

Many thanks to the members of the search committee who approached their work with diligence, dedication, and respect for every committee member, yet also maintained a sense of humor throughout their many long meetings.

This is an extraordinary time at Temple Beth El. We know you'll want to join us midday on February 9th to meet and study with Rabbi Jaffe, and to participate in the congregational vote. Please mark your calendar and watch for further emails regarding the schedule.

Best wishes for the New Year,
Lisa Davis
President Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester

November 2013: 

The Rabbinic Search Committee has been meeting since August with regularly scheduled Tuesday meetings. We have received over two dozen applications, conducted Skype interviews with about a dozen candidates, and have now begun to extend invitations to a smaller number of Rabbis to meet with the committee in person. It remains important to keep the names of applicants and on-site interviewees confidential so that their relationships in their home congregations are not negatively impacted. As soon a we have more information that we can share we will do so. 

August 27, 2013

The summer is whizzing by, and, somehow, the High Holy Days are just around the corner. This summer many congregants opened their homes for coffees to meet and greet our new clergy members. If you didn’t meet them this summer, there will be many more opportunities in the fall. I know they are eager to greet you during the High Holy Days. There is much excitement in the air as we work together as a leadership team to plan for the new year, and I’m certain you will be pleased. If you’ve already read the articles written by our clergy for this issue of The Ladder, you have a taste for what we have to look forward to this year.

This summer. we invited you to attend six Community Conversations Sessions of different cohorts so that we could hear your views on Judaism, temple membership, Temple Beth El, and our senior rabbi search. An electronic survey to the entire congregation will be distributed in early September, and we encourage you to share your thoughts. We need and want your input to help us plan for our future. An overview of your input and suggestions will be shared this fall.

At this time, we are pleased to announce the members of the Senior Rabbi Search Committee.

Co-chairs:
Richard Albert, Executive Vice President
Stephen Adler, Past President
David Abrams
Cheryl Ehrlich
Mike Grunebaum
Leslie Hinderstein
Doug Kraus
Michael Levine
Gloria Meisel
Kathy Raicht
Amy Robin
David Ruzow
Susan Pecker
Lisa Shaikin
Karen Silver
Noah Sorkin
Forrest Sussman
Justin Thaler
Alonna Travin
Rick Zenker

The search committee has had an organizational meeting and will be very busy throughout the fall. I encourage you to reach out to committee members to share your aspirations for the new rabbi and our congregation.

While much of the committee’s work will need to be confidential to protect the needs of applicants and their congregations, we will keep you informed via The Ladder, temple website, and targeted e-mails as appropriate.

July 19, 2013

Dear Congregant:

I am pleased to announce that Rich Albert (Executive Vice President) and Steve Adler (Past President) will be co-chairing the search committee for our new Senior Rabbi.

The search committee members will be announced by mid-August, and will represent the broad range of our temple community. In accordance with the Union of Reform Judaism (URJ) timeline for a rabbinic search, Temple Beth El will submit its application to the URJ before the High Holy Days, and will begin to receive applications thereafter. Any rabbi interested in this position must apply through the URJ. We anticipate that the interview process will begin in the late fall, and that we will announce the committee's recommendation by the end of the winter. The final candidate will be presented to the Board of Trustees, and upon their approval, the congregation will meet with the candidate and vote on the appointment. This is an important, and very exciting, time in the life of our congregation, and we are grateful for your ongoing support and enthusiasm for our future.  

Rabbi-Educator Maura H. Linzer and Cantor Star A. Trompeter are continuing to meet with congregants as they acclimate to Temple Beth El. It has been a joy to see the warm, positive response they have received from all who meet them. We know that this search process will be equally successful, and look forward to learning, worshiping and connecting with our new senior rabbi.

How can you help? The committee needs your input to help develop the profile we seek  for our new rabbinic leader. We encourage you to RSVP to attend the Community Conversation sessions which are being led this month by a professional facilitator. The information we gather from these sessions and from a subsequent electronic survey will help us better understand what is important to you as we begin our search and plan for our future. Please join the conversation.

Lisa P. Davis
President