Rabbinic Search Updates
May 5, 2025
,Dear Temple Emanuel Family
After many months of thoughtful and dedicated work, the Rabbi Search Committee has concluded its process. It is with heavy hearts that we share that we did not ultimately identify a candidate to recommend as our next settled Rabbi. While this outcome is not what we had hoped for, the journey was filled with meaningful engagement, strengthened connections, and deep reflection on what our community values most in rabbinic leadership.
After launching the search in September 2024, the committee met with six accomplished rabbis and welcomed three for in-person visits. Across more than 20 meetings and 200 hours of discernment, we evaluated each candidate through the lens of the priorities and aspirations you helped us define. We’re deeply grateful for the trust and support you’ve shown throughout this process.
The committee did reach full consensus on one of the visiting rabbis, someone we believed had the potential to lead our congregation with warmth, integrity, and vision. Unfortunately, after learning of our intent to recommend them, the candidate withdrew from consideration due to family-related concerns about relocating to Phoenix due to our weather/climate.
Despite further deliberation, the committee was unable to reach consensus on either of the remaining candidates. While each brought meaningful strengths, neither aligned closely enough with the qualities and priorities our community expressed. The committee held fast to a consensus-based approach, not just a majority vote, as we believe the selection of our next rabbi must be grounded in shared confidence and clarity. While we know this outcome may feel disappointing, we remain steadfast in our commitment to finding a rabbi who can guide and inspire us into our next chapter.
In the meantime, we are grateful to continue working with Rabbi Jonathan during this transitional year. His presence and leadership have meant so much to our community. We are actively planning next steps. The committee has already re-engaged with the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) and the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), and we will continue to work closely with them to determine the best path forward.
We promise to keep you informed through weekly updates and invite your questions to help guide what we share. Please email any questions you have to president@emanueloftempe.org, and we’ll address as many as we can in our upcoming communications.
We deeply appreciate the commitment of the Rabbi Search Committee and the ongoing strength and unity of our congregation as we continue this sacred journey together.
From strength to strength,
Arnold Bedak, President, Board of Trustees
Howard Paley, Chair, Rabbi Search Committee
April 25, 2025
The Rabbi Search Committee has finished the last of our onsite visits and is looking forward to making a recommendation soon. Per our bylaws, the Search Committee’s recommendation will be presented to the Board of Trustees and then brought to the congregation for a community vote during a special session. We will share the meeting date and additional details in early May, allowing our community to review and vote on the recommendation.
Rabbi Jonathan Biatch has been a wonderful leader this year, and we hope you have had an opportunity to engage with him. We are deeply grateful to Rabbi Jonathan for his guidance and care during this interim year. His presence has made a lasting impact, and we look forward to honoring his contributions with upcoming opportunities to come together as a community and wish him well in his next chapter.
April 8, 2025
The Rabbinic Search Committee continues to move forward with care and diligence. At this stage, no recommendations have yet been made to the Board of Trustees, and no offers have been extended. The committee remains actively engaged in the process, and we look forward to welcoming additional candidates for in-person visits in the coming weeks. Given the timing of Passover and candidates’ schedules, some of these visits may take place outside of a traditional Shabbat weekend.
We are deeply grateful for your continued engagement, thoughtful feedback, and warm hospitality. It has made a meaningful impression on every candidate we’ve met so far. I am incredibly proud of the way our congregation continues to show up with kindness, curiosity, and a deep sense of community, not just during this search, but every day.
We also want to extend our sincere thanks to the members of the Search Committee for their commitment, time, and thoughtful leadership throughout this process. Their dedication to finding the right rabbinic partner for our community is deeply appreciated. I also want to thank our dedicated staff and Rabbi Jonathan for their steady leadership and unwavering support throughout this journey.
September 27, 2024:
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.
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!
Committee Members
Howard Paley
Search Committee Chair
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Arnold Bedak |
Seth Tongay |
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Karen Kahn |
Kerri Robbins |
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Aaron Baumann |
Frieda Pollack |
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Natalie Gruber |
Jen LeGrand |
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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