Rabbinic Transition

Rabbi Jonathan A. Biatch

Dear Members,

We are thrilled to introduce you to our new interim rabbi, Jonathan Biatch (pronounced BYtch). Rabbi Biatch comes to us from Madison, Wisconsin where he has served as the senior rabbi of Temple Beth El for the last 19 years. As he transitions to rabbi emeritus at Temple Beth El, he is excited to share his wealth of rabbinic experience, wisdom and knowledge as our interim rabbi. It is a wonderful gift for Temple Emanuel to have someone of his caliber to guide us for the next year.

You can learn more about Rabbi Baitch below, including special messages from him and more about his background and experience.

Rabbi Biatch will join us on July 1. He looks forward to supporting Temple Emanuel just like a permanent rabbi, performing lifecycle events, leading us in prayer, providing pastoral support and much more. He will work closely with our bar and bat mitzvah families to continue their learning and prepare for their simchas. He will also serve as an advisor to the Board of Trustees and the staff.

As a reminder, the Temple Board of Trustees made the decision to employ an interim rabbi for one year to help us best prepare for our next settled rabbi. Interim rabbis are trained for this role, understand the process of hiring a permanent Rabbi and provide valued advice to their congregations. They don’t participate in the hiring process and are not eligible to become our senior Rabbi. This allows them to maintain an objective role as our spiritual leader.

Our search for a permanent, settled Rabbi will begin in the Fall after High Holidays. Prior that time, we will hold Sh’ma Emanuel listening sessions to hear directly from you. We want to know what is important in our next settled Rabbi and what you see for the future of Temple Emanuel. We hope you will join us to share your thoughts.

We extend a warm welcome to Rabbi Biatch and his family and look forward to giving you the chance to meet him. There will be opportunities to assist in planning welcome events this summer and we let you know how you can be involved.

We extend our sincere appreciation to the Interim Rabbi Search Committee, the Board and staff, and all those who participated in the interview process. Your hard work has paid off and we can’t wait for Rabbi Biatch to join us.

B’shalom,

Karen Kahn, President

Vivian Gealer, Interim Rabbi Search Committee Chair