Recommendation of Search Committee to the Coordinating Committee
for Chevrei's next Rabbi
TO: THE COORDINATING COMMITTEE
FR: THE RABBINIC SEARCH COMMITTEE
RE: RECOMMENDATION
DATE: 3/22/23
Our committee was appointed in late November, 2022. Here we are about four months later.
We are delighted with the extraordinary participation by the congregation in our search for a new
Rabbi. We have about 119 adult members. About 70 individuals attended each service, plus a
few more by zoom. Our survey generated responses from 64 individuals, 51 of whom attended
both services. We also had listening sessions with many persons in attendance, voicing concerns
and ideas. Each member of the Rabbinic Search Committee has received personal messages
from members. We have also spoken to outside persons with knowledge about each of the two
candidates.
The specific quotations from persons who responded to the survey were promised to be
confidential and they shall remain so. But, generally speaking, we heard that our members
wanted an experienced Rabbi who will stimulate us, inspire us, engage us, help us build
consensus, help us build the congregation, mentor us as individuals and as a congregation,
support us through good times and bad, give thought provoking and memorable divrei Torah, and
excel in pastoral care and the performance of life-cycle events.
Taking all of this into consideration, and based on the survey results, interviews with the
candidates, personal messages, discussions with others, and the like, our committee unanimously
recommends that the Congregation extend an offer to Rabbi Marci Jacobs.
While the details of a rabbinic contract would need to be negotiated, Rabbi Jacobs has been
advised that we would recommend to the congregation a three year contract, commencing on July
1, 2023. We have advised her that we want her to aspire to attend our services every Shabbat and
Chaggim, but that we recognize that this will not be possible, as she’ll have vacation, conflicts
with family s’machot, and other reasons why she won’t be able to attend every service. We have
advised her that that the budget package would be in the neighborhood of $65,000, (including
wages/salary and/or benefits to be negotiated). The details need to be finalized in negotiation.
We hasten to add that Rabbi Cantor had support from many congregants as well. She would be
our second choice, but a significant percentage of the congregants who answered the survey
expressed a strong preference for Rabbi Jacobs.
Our concept is that the Coordinating Committee would vote on this Motion: The coordinating
committee accepts the recommendation of the rabbinic search committee and will put this to a
vote at the Congregation’s meeting on March 26.
If the coordinating committee accepts the recommendation, then the vote on March 26 will be on
this question:
The congregation should offer a contract to Rabbi Marci Jacobs. The choices of the voters will
be “Yes” or “No”.
Only members in good standing, as defined by the Treasurers, will have their votes counted. The
March 26 meeting will be by zoom. We will try to accommodate persons who cannot attend .
On March 26, we’ll divide into breakout rooms to facilitate the
counting of votes. If a vote is cast as “Abstain” it will NOT be counted as a vote cast. Only Yes
and No votes will count as votes cast.
Irwin Weiss
Jeanne Glazer
Elissa Hozore
Becky Pearlman
David Saltzberg
FR: THE RABBINIC SEARCH COMMITTEE
RE: RECOMMENDATION
DATE: 3/22/23
Our committee was appointed in late November, 2022. Here we are about four months later.
We are delighted with the extraordinary participation by the congregation in our search for a new
Rabbi. We have about 119 adult members. About 70 individuals attended each service, plus a
few more by zoom. Our survey generated responses from 64 individuals, 51 of whom attended
both services. We also had listening sessions with many persons in attendance, voicing concerns
and ideas. Each member of the Rabbinic Search Committee has received personal messages
from members. We have also spoken to outside persons with knowledge about each of the two
candidates.
The specific quotations from persons who responded to the survey were promised to be
confidential and they shall remain so. But, generally speaking, we heard that our members
wanted an experienced Rabbi who will stimulate us, inspire us, engage us, help us build
consensus, help us build the congregation, mentor us as individuals and as a congregation,
support us through good times and bad, give thought provoking and memorable divrei Torah, and
excel in pastoral care and the performance of life-cycle events.
Taking all of this into consideration, and based on the survey results, interviews with the
candidates, personal messages, discussions with others, and the like, our committee unanimously
recommends that the Congregation extend an offer to Rabbi Marci Jacobs.
While the details of a rabbinic contract would need to be negotiated, Rabbi Jacobs has been
advised that we would recommend to the congregation a three year contract, commencing on July
1, 2023. We have advised her that we want her to aspire to attend our services every Shabbat and
Chaggim, but that we recognize that this will not be possible, as she’ll have vacation, conflicts
with family s’machot, and other reasons why she won’t be able to attend every service. We have
advised her that that the budget package would be in the neighborhood of $65,000, (including
wages/salary and/or benefits to be negotiated). The details need to be finalized in negotiation.
We hasten to add that Rabbi Cantor had support from many congregants as well. She would be
our second choice, but a significant percentage of the congregants who answered the survey
expressed a strong preference for Rabbi Jacobs.
Our concept is that the Coordinating Committee would vote on this Motion: The coordinating
committee accepts the recommendation of the rabbinic search committee and will put this to a
vote at the Congregation’s meeting on March 26.
If the coordinating committee accepts the recommendation, then the vote on March 26 will be on
this question:
The congregation should offer a contract to Rabbi Marci Jacobs. The choices of the voters will
be “Yes” or “No”.
Only members in good standing, as defined by the Treasurers, will have their votes counted. The
March 26 meeting will be by zoom. We will try to accommodate persons who cannot attend .
On March 26, we’ll divide into breakout rooms to facilitate the
counting of votes. If a vote is cast as “Abstain” it will NOT be counted as a vote cast. Only Yes
and No votes will count as votes cast.
Irwin Weiss
Jeanne Glazer
Elissa Hozore
Becky Pearlman
David Saltzberg
