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.
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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