Rabbinic Search
View the FAQ of some of the questions you may have regarding Rabbi Jaffe’s retirement and the process for selecting our next senior rabbi. As time goes by, you will have more questions and we will provide more answers. This is our search as we build the next decades of our Temple Isaiah journey—together.
Update on Our Rabbinic Search
May 5, 2021
Dear Friends,
Thank you to the many congregants who reached out after my last update. We appreciate what some of you have already chosen to share about attributes we might favor in our next rabbi, what you learned from past searches, and your offers to help with the rabbinic transition. All of this is evidence of our community’s energy and engagement, and it is both helpful and energizing.
Right now, we are forming a search committee of up to 12 people, consistent with guidance from the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR). To ensure we are using best practice in structuring the committee, several congregants conducted interviews with peer synagogues that have recently completed successful searches. We want the committee to be diverse and representative of our entire Isaiah family.
I welcome your continued input as we enter the earliest phase of our search. Please email rabbinicsearch@templeisaiah.net. A summary of what's to come in May and June can be viewed here.
Rachel Hayes
President
Update on Our Senior Rabbi Search
March 30, 2021
Dear Friends,
It’s the middle of Pesach—we still have leftovers to finish from our Seders and we’re already a little tired of matzoh in all its forms.
It is also time the to embark on our search for a senior rabbi. Our Board of Trustees, after careful and thorough consideration of the options, voted unanimously on March 25 to move toward selecting a settled (long-term) rabbi for our community, rather than an interim rabbi. We are most fortunate to have a passionate, thoughtful Board, committed to doing the very best for our community. You can feel confident that our lay leadership team, working in tandem with our senior staff and clergy, constantly strive to live our values and keep our community strong. It is an honor to work with this remarkable team.
As the first step toward our transition, I will appoint a search committee and chair, with substantial input from the Executive Committee and Board. I had said earlier that I would chair the committee, but have recently learned that best practice is for temple presidents not to chair the search committee.
The search committee represents only one group that will be instrumental in this transition. Teams will also be formed to: plan our farewells to Rabbi Jaffe and Irene; welcome a new rabbi; coordinate communication on all of our activities with you; and to focus on special opportunities for philanthropy over the course of the next year. If you are interested in participating in any of these teams, please write to me at president@templeisaiah.net. There will also be broader opportunities for the community to engage in the transition as we seek input on what we are looking for in our next senior rabbi; please watch for more information to follow.
It’s the middle of Pesach. I’m full of the feelings of spring and hope. And I continue to be so optimistic about what comes next for our community. Rabbi Jaffe and I share a belief that we will do so much to advance our community during the remainder of his tenure, while we simultaneously anticipate with excitement what lies ahead. Our Temple Isaiah community will continue to deepen lives and inspire purpose—together.
L'Shalom,
Rachel Hayes
President
Our Rabbinic Transition: Together in Sacred Community
February 25, 2021
Read a letter from Rachel Hayes on our rabbinic transition here.
Watch Rabbi Jaffe's Retirement Announcement
