RSC Interim V Permanent

Background:
• At the January 24 Board meeting, the Board issued a call for volunteers to serve on the
Rabbi Selection Committee. The Board approved the appointment of that committee at
a special meeting on February 7, and the members of the committee were announced
to the congregation via email on February 13.
• The Board has tasked the committee with presenting to the Board its decision on
whether to seek an interim or a permanent rabbi to replace Rabbi Glazer at the end of
her contract in June. This document outlines the committee’s decision and thought
process behind such decision.

Decision:
The Rabbi Selection Committee will create a job description that primarily focuses on recruiting
an interim rabbi, while also including language stating that the synagogue remains open to
receiving applications from candidates who would be well-suited to the role of permanent
rabbi.

Rationale for recruiting an interim rabbi:
• Waiting to hire a permanent rabbi would allow our congregation the time to continue to
work through some of the challenges we have been facing. It enables us to create a
better nest for the new permanent rabbi to land in.
• Hiring an interim rabbi first also gives us time to cast a wider net and more thoroughly
vet candidates for the permanent rabbi position.
• We may not have enough time to identify and hire a permanent rabbi. We are
significantly past the typical timeline for a rabbi search, which usually begins
immediately after the High Holidays. Rabbi contracts generally begin and end in the
summer.
• Finally, an interim rabbi may specifically possess the necessary experience to assist the
synagogue in the transition to our next permanent rabbi.

Rationale for remaining open to permanent rabbi candidates:
• There is a national shortage of interim rabbis.i Most congregations hire interim rabbis
through their affiliated movements, making it even more challenging for Adat Reyim
because we are unaffiliated and there is a very small pool of unaffiliated interim rabbis.
Although we will engage in an extensive outreach effort to advertise the position to
many seminaries and Jewish job listings, we are concerned about our ability to find an
interim rabbi quickly given the small pool.
• Although an interim rabbi is our primary goal, we do not want to exclude from our
search a potential permanent rabbi who may fall in our lap outside of the typical
timeline. For example, we are aware of other NoVa synagogues nearing the end of their
rabbi searches, and they have identified multiple finalists who specifically want to serve
congregations in the DMV area. We see this as potentially convenient timing for such
candidates to apply to become our permanent rabbi in the event they are not hired
through the processes already in progress in our area.
• If the job listing states that we are only looking for an interim rabbi, potential
permanent rabbi candidates will not consider applying to Adat Reyim, even if they
otherwise would have been interested in our congregation. By stating in the job
description that we are looking for an interim rabbi but are open to the possibility of
permanent placement for the right candidate, this would open the door to these
potential candidates.

Next steps: The Rabbi Selection Committee has created an Outreach and Recruitment
Subcommittee, co-chaired by Sarah Berry and Phil Selz. This subcommittee will craft a job
description and begin to post it in relevant forums. The Rabbi Search Committee recommends
that the job description allow the flexibility for both interim and permanent candidates to
apply, and that it asks candidates to specify their interest in an interim vs. a permanent position
in their cover letters.

Articles explaining the national rabbi shortage:

https://www.jewishtimes.com/is-a-rabbi-shortage-sweeping-the-country-local-rabbis-weigh-in/

https://njjewishnews.timesofisrael.com/the-great-american-rabbi-shortage-we-need-a-paradigm-shift/#:~:text=Jewish%20communal%20attention%20increasingly%20has%20been%20focusing%20on,adequate%2

Return to Rabbi Search Page.