From the Desk of the President

The Transition Task Force has handed over most of the process and action steps to various task forces. The original Transition Task Force will only convene as needed and when asked for any clarification by the various sub task forces. A sub task force has been created to assist with all of the immediate action steps and positions identified in the report. Below is the progress of each of the four task forces. Work from each of the task forces will need to be completed and presented to the Board of Trustees for approval. In the case of the new contract for Cantor Fine and the search for a new settled Rabbi, they will also need the approval of the congregation at the May meeting.

To view the Final Report for Staffing Model and the Transition Presentation on Staff Model given to the board, members may visit the TBE Transition Notes blog—note, you must be logged into your account to have access.

Rabbinic Search Task Force

Temple Beth El's application for a Solo/Senior Rabbi has been sent to and received by the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR). This puts us officially into placement. On behalf of the 15-member Rabbinic Search Task Force (RSTF), Jim Friedman, RSTF chair, has had several communications with the CCAR. They have continued to provide guidance throughout the process. Our application was reviewed by our Search Task Force and by the head of the CCAR placement office.

We continue to receive resumes from Rabbis interested in the position at Temple Beth El. The RSTF has and continues to review all of the resumes received. The RSTF has established the format and set questions for initial interviews, which occurred via zoom in mid-November. Candidates that the RSTF decides to continue in the selection process will have a second more in-depth interview, hopefully in December

It is our intention to keep you informed of the progress of the search. Please understand that the RSTF will not be sharing the names of applicants, but efforts will be made to keep you up to date on how the process progresses.

New Contract for Cantor Fine

This group is led by Stacy Van Wagoner. She has met with Cantor Fine to discuss his desire to stay with Temple Beth El and to work on a new three-year contract. The task force began meeting to discuss the parameters and scope of the contract in the middle of November.

Director of Administration

This task force is being led by Eli Berniker. As this is a new position they are working hard on creating a job description and timeline as well as how it may fit into the annual budget. It is important to note that while this person will take on some of the responsibilities that Andy held they will also be tasked with some additional roles. This task force will also need to determine how some of the work currently completed by Andy may be moved to other people at TBE or completed by a hired agency. They have met a few times in the month of November and should have something to present to the Board of Trustees in the near future.

Director of Education

This has been a full-time position for the past three years. Prior to that, it was a part-time position. The conclusion from the report and the Transition Task Force was that due to the current size of the religious school that it was more sustainable to again be a part-time position. The hope is that in the future the school again grow and we will be able to afford a full-time Religious Education Director.

This task force is being led by Aaron Petersen. The task force has met twice during the month of November as well as continuing to work on a number of shared documents. The current plan is to have an updated job description by no later than mid-December. We will also evaluate how this aligns with the previous part-time role and how it needs to be updated based on current needs and roles identified in the Transition staffing report.