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The Search for a Long-term Rabbi

11/05/2021 08:06:17 PM

Nov5

Dear Haverim,

       We wanted to let you know that in partnership with the Rabbinical Assembly and United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, B'nai Shalom of Olney has officially embarked on the search for a long-term Rabbi. We are at the beginning stages of the search and would like to share our vision for the process.

       A search committee has been carefully selected with members who represent the various perspectives and demographics of our community. Each has committed to the process and understands the gravity of the role they have agreed to perform, all with the best interests of Bnai Shalom of Olney in mind. This group will be responsible for preparing the Congregational Questionnaire, which is essentially our job posting, and will do so taking into consideration feedback from last year's board retreats, congregational focus groups, and strategic planning group as well as input from our staff. The Questionnaire will be submitted the week of November 15th which places BSO in the appropriate timeline for consideration of candidates. We are hoping to have completed the search by April.

       It is imperative that the congregation be part of this undertaking, your time and your voice are important. There will be ample opportunities for congregational involvement and input. There will be frequent updates from the search committee regarding the timeline and where we are in the process both via email and in the weekly announcements. When it comes time to invite candidates to our community whether virtually, in person, or hybrid, your participation and opinions are welcomed and crucial. There is also an email set up: Rabbisearch@bnaishalomofolney.org for you to share any questions you may have with the search committee. This is our journey to take together, and we want the process to be transparent.

       This is an exciting time for our community and although there is always some uncertainty with every transition, BSO is well positioned to start this next chapter in our congregational life. We are financially stable, the number of students in our schools are growing, we have a fully accredited Kindergarten in our Early Childhood School, and membership is on the rise. We were able to quickly pivot during Covid continuing to provide meaningful services and programs to our congregants. We are grateful to Rabbi Hoffman for his role as our interim Rabbi and for helping us position ourselves for the next stage. We are fortunate to be able to embark on this journey together and we look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead.

Kol Tuv (all the best)

The Rabbi Search Committee:
Laurie Blumstein- Chair
Rabbi Matthew Bellas
Aaron Weinberg
Paula Evans
Gary Bonnett
Zach Briton
Lisa Ratta-Shoshan
Lauren Gould
Emie Weingarten

Fri, March 29 2024 19 Adar II 5784