This week’s Torah portion in Leviticus, Emor, lists in a single chapter all of our major Jewish holidays, all of the Mikrah Kodesh, our sacred occasions, our sacred assemblies. It describes in order the observance of Shabbat each week, Pesach, Counting the Omer, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippor and Sukkot. It lists the times for sacred assemblies that allow us to remain Jews, part of our local Jewish community, and part of the world Jewish population.

Jews can be Jewish alone, with family and perhaps with a few friends, but the commandments to observe these sacred occasions proscribe the need for community. In order to observe the traditions that have kept Jews Jewish for thousands of years we must create a sacred assembly in order to sanctify our sacred occasions. A minyon may be as small as ten people, but we as members of this sacred community understand the wealth of numbers, the significance of observing sacred occasions with all our friends and family throughout the year.

The results of having sacred occasions is that we remain a sacred assembly even as we struggle in this modern age to understand what it means to be a sacred assembly. B’nai Torah’s struggle is not over. We continue to battle for our identity as a result of time, change, age, doubt, fear and misunderstanding.

Only as a sacred community can we unify our vision for a strong and vital B’nai Torah that feeds our souls and soothes our spirits. Together we remain the Israelites of old and new praying, studying and learning and building our future by remembering our past.

Fellow Congregants,

I’m pleased to provide an update of recent developments in the Rabbinic Search and what to expect going forward.

The Search Committee conducted the first round of phone & face-to-face interviews with 7 remaining candidates from 2/15 through 2/26. We met on 2/27 to discuss the candidates and selected 4 for the second round of more in depth interviews. One of the candidates withdrew prior to the second interview. We interviewed the 3 remaining candidates on 3/11 & 3/12 and voted on 3/14 to invite two candidates for a visit to B’nai Torah.

The candidate visits were conducted from 3/20 through 4/4. Our committee worked diligently to insure both candidates were extended the same opportunities to interview with the search committee & board of directors, conduct a d’var torah and meet informally with small & diverse groups of members in our homes. I found this part of the process to be stimulating, informative and very intense. Upon conclusion of the visits, the committee decided to retain both candidates for consideration and proceeded to conduct interviews with the candidates’ references.

Search guidelines require us to schedule visits to the congregations of the remaining candidates. These visits will be concluded by 5/6. The Search Committee will meet the week of 5/7 to consider the candidates and determine which rabbi will be submitted to the Board of Directors for approval. Please note the board of directors has the final say in selecting the rabbi and is not bound by the search committee’s recommendation.  B’nai Torah’s by-laws don’t require a vote of approval by the congregation. Upon approval by the board, the executive committee will commence and finalize contract negotiations with the rabbi. We will then hold a meeting of the congregation to introduce the rabbi, hear their vision for the future and ask the rabbi questions.

Finally, the search could not have been conducted without the extensive participation and support of committee members who represent all corners of the B’nai Torah community. Our conversations during this journey have been open, frank and respectful. While we may have different viewpoints - we leave every meeting as friends. It’s our hope that the membership will respect the fact that we conducted the search according to established guidelines for carrying out this mission with the best interests of the congregation in mind. Certainly, these guidelines have informed and served our committee well. 

Once again, it has been my honor to serve as Search Committee Chair. It has been a pleasure to work with the search committee members. Many thanks to Steve Adelstein, Roger Wilk, Andy Lask, Theresa Jaffe, Mitch Hoffman, Josh Gordon, Matt Sands, Danny Shapiro, Helene Gelberg, Brian Browdy, Jim Woldenberg and Marc Tepper for your diligent and dedicated service.  I would also like to thank committee observers Steve Adler, Margo Walton, Joe Fieger, Michael Rosen and Dennis Passis for your input. Congregants are invited to direct comments to the Search Committee by clicking-on to the Rabbinic Search link on the BT website. Regardless of the decision, I hope everyone will unite behind our rabbi and afford them the opportunity to settle into their new position.

 Warmest regards, Hillel Singer

Dear Friends,