Rabbi Biatch Personal Statement

My Vision for Communal Rabbinic Responsibility and Commitment as an Interim Rabbi 

Rabbi Jonathan A. Biatch 

“Rabbi, I consider myself Jewish. Don’t you think I’m Jewish?” 

The 12-year-old daughter of a very recent conversion student sincerely challenged me with her query in a pre-bat mitzvah meeting. The daughter had been engaged in our religious school program for five years but had not gone through any formal conversion process. I stopped to consider the implications of any answer I would provide. 

For, on one hand, I serve as gatekeeper to our tradition, and I am charged to bring constancy and continuity to the boundaries of Judaism. On the other hand, as a liberal rabbi, I believe that Jewish identity and God – however one defines deity – can be found in many places: in the heart, in the sanctuary, in one’s everyday life, and in the relationships that we create in the world. 

I consider tradition and the text of the Sh’ma, “Listen up, Israel: God the Eternal is our God, and God the Eternal is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). So, for this young person who joyfully includes herself in the collective of Israel, the answer needed to be a welcoming and affirming ‘yes’. 

As a member of the Reform rabbinate, I support each individual in their quest to discover their own level of knowledge and their unique balance of personal autonomy and adherence to tradition. Then, our joyous task as a Jewish community is to celebrate these affirmations. Each of us is called to decide those aspects of Judaism that we wish to embrace, reject, or create anew. We weigh the evidence of Jewish history and experience for ourselves and come independently to informed decisions regarding belief and practice. 

Through my teaching of adults, adolescents, and children, I impart a vision of the historical and cultural connections that bind one generation of Jews to another, and I advance an understanding of the importance of Jewish continuity through the community. I impart Jewish knowledge with sensitivity, insight, and humor. 

* * * 

“Rabbi, Jeff is in the ER at UW Hospital. Last night he choked on a piece of steak at a dinner party, and he was oxygen deprived for four minutes. He’s on a ventilator.” Those heartbreaking and mind-numbing words over my phone began three weeks of dread and difficulty for this family and their son. This horrible emergency room vigil ended in tragedy for the parents of this 40-year-old man. 

As a rabbi, I have confronted many painful family situations, and few have been so difficult. Still and always, my role as pastor has been to be present, to offer solace from the synagogue community, and to help a family toward eventual wholeness, even if a healing is not possible. Whether as a sole pastor or as a supportive community, we follow the direction of commitment contained in tradition, “When the very foundations of the earth have been torn down, what is the righteous person to do?” (Psalm 11:3). 

Indeed, we must be present; we must be involved. My connections with people and my fostering of relationship begin, sometimes sadly, with this kind of calamity, and we must be engaged with one another to seize immediately the moment: to be present, to celebrate life, to bring public joy, and to offer private spiritual guidance. I lead my community with sensitivity, thoughtfulness, passion, and commitment, and serve in ways that bring honor and pride to the Jewish community. 

* * * 

“All right. If we’re going online, then we need to show them and involve them.” Thus, my Cantor and I began to plan for what turned out to be seventeen months of exclusively online worship. My principle was that no one should be left out of the viewing and participating collective, and no one should be an observer only. Although my background in television production management guided much of our Covid online direction, Zoom has sound production limitations. Yet we still needed to be present for the spiritual needs of our community, and we had to provide picture and sound that would engage them, and to create connection. 

Even when we returned to our renewed sanctuary with multiple cameras, excellent sound, and smooth streaming, all worshipers – in person and online – needed to feel as though we were speaking and singing directly to them. We wanted to make them know – in their kishkes – that they were a beloved part of community, allowing them to pursue the value found in Pirkei Avot, “Do not separate yourself from the community” (Pirkei Avot 2:4). 

For worship, life-cycle events, committee and board meetings, and anything in between: the online medium needed to support true contact with our members despite the distance. This not only cemented our personal relationships, but it also helped to maintain our membership. All in all, we lost very few members during the time Covid and afterward. 

In all areas of my professional life, I strive to create an atmosphere of true partnership, wherein each person, whether volunteer or professional, acts to advance the causes of the synagogue and Judaism. And as an interim rabbi, my collaborative partnership with Temple leaders should help to create the right conditions for the Temple’s next settled rabbi. This, too, is part of the sacred partnership with the Temple community and its members. 

“Community” is a primary value in Judaism. As a member of the community, I support the congregation’s activities, policies, and procedures that enhance the quality of Jewish life. I do so by my presence and involvement. As a source of strength, I realize that I serve as a role model for families who confront similarly competing demands on their time and energies. 

Rabbi Jonathan Biatch