Rabbinic Transition: Opportunity for Important Conversations

by the Rabbinic Transition Team

As many of you know, Kehilla has begun a rabbinic transition. Over the next two years, Rabbi Dev will gradually assume more rabbinic duties now held by Rabbi David. Rabbi Dev will stay on as School Director through the remainder of the 2015-2016 school year, and possibly longer. In July 2016, Rabbi David and Rabbi Dev will both shift their roles to become “co-rabbis.” The details of that transitional year (2016-17) and the time frame for hiring a new School Director are still being worked out. After the transition is complete in 2017, Rabbi Dev will stay involved in Kehilla School and in the lives of our children and families, and Rabbi David will continue as one of Kehilla’s rabbis.

We are committed to using this time of transitions as an opportunity for us – as a community – to take stock of our riches, be thoughtful in the face of the upcoming change, and use this as a chance to strengthen our engagement with each other. Our goal is to create an ongoing environment that allows our spiritual leadership best to serve the community and its many different voices.

Towards this goal, the Transition Team has held a meeting of Kehilla school parents and two community-wide meetings to discuss the transition. Statements of great affection and support for both rabbis Dev and David were shared. In addition, congregants raised questions and expressed concerns about staffing and budgeting, school leadership, and excitement about the transitions and Kehilla’s future. By the end of December, the Transition Team will submit a report with these questions, hopes and concerns as well as a set of recommendations to the Personnel Committee and the Board of Trustees. Those two bodies, in addition to the Finance Committee, will be responsible for the next stages of the transition.

Because there will be no changes in Rabbi David’s or Rabbi Dev’s role prior to July 1,  2016, there is plenty of time for us to address the issues that will arise from our rabbinic transitions. Through Kol Kehilla and Kehilla’s weekly email updates, we will continue to offer opportunities for community input and provide updates. If you want more information or want to provide any feedback before December 10, please email the Rabbinic Transition Team at TransitionTeam@kehillasynagogue.org. After that, you can contact Executive Director, Michael Saxe-Taller (Michael@kehillasynagogue.org) and he will pass on your thoughts and questions to the appropriate people.

Thank you for your continued participation.

Rabbinic Transition Team

Karen Cohn, Barbara Petterson, Ralph Silber, Richard Speiglman, Naomi Tucker and Michael Saxe-Taller