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   Share your voice: Shma Emanuel-Listening Sessions 

 Sign Ups now Available 

These Shma ("listening" in Hebrew) listening sessions are meant to amplify and learn more about your responses to clearly capture your input in the rabbinical search process and fine-tune the Search Committee's lens as we interview candidates. Your voice matters as part of this process and we value your input greatly.

To that purpose, you are invited to join us at small group get-togethers to share your voice. These listening sessions will occur in December at Temple Emanuel and at congregants’ homes. We will gather your input about worship services, education, holiday programming, and pastoral care.

Click this Sign-Up Genius to select the date that best fits your need. Please note that additional sessions will be added as needed, and this link refreshed accordingly.

Help us select the best Rabbi for our congregation by making your voice heard. Your feedback will share the future of our community. 

Thank you in advance for your participation and support! 

 Rabbinic Search Update 

It is with great pleasure and excitement that we announce that Howard Paley has accepted the role of Chairperson for the Settled Rabbi Search Committee. Howard is a long-time TEOT member, Past President, and has previous rabbinic search committee experience. His leadership style will bring high energy and collaboration.

Howard will be leading the committee members through the process and toward the successful hiring of our next Rabbi.

The core of the committee is made up of the Interim Search committee that successfully brought Rabbi Jonathan to us. The committee represents a diverse cross-section of our community.

 Committee Members 

Howard Paley
Search Committee Chair

Arnold Bedak

Seth Tongay

Karen Kahn

Kerri Robbins

Aaron Baumann    

Frieda Pollack

Natalie Gruber

Jen LeGrand

Sue Dermer

Isabella Small

 Rabbinic Search Checklist 

On this website we will continually update our congregation about our search for an interim rabbi followed by our search for a settled rabbi. The checklist below keeps track of our major goals throughout the process. Read all of our communications regarding the transition below.

  •      Appoint interim rabbi search committee
  •      Conduct Sh'ma Emanuel listening sessions 
  •    Apply for interim rabbi search process
  •       Apply for settled rabbi search process
  •      Interview interim rabbi candidates
  •       Receive and review rabbi applications
  •      Hire interim rabbi for one year
  •       Conduct interviews
  •        Hold good-bye events for Rabbi Olshein
  •       Top candidate site visits
  •        Hold welcome events for interim rabbi
  •       Recommend final candidate to Board of Trustees
  •       Appoint settled rabbi search committee   
  •       Congregational vote on final candidate

 Welcome Rabbi Jonathan A. Biatch 

 July 1, 2024 

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 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

 

Wed, February 19 2025 21 Sh'vat 5785