Rabbinic Transition

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After 30 years of outstanding rabbinic leadership, Rabbi Hochberg will retire from his formal rabbinic responsibilities at YIJE at the end of June 2019. At that time, he and our indefatigable Rebbetzin, Karen, will be relocating to a new home in New Jersey and enjoy a much-deserved sabbatical year, after which, Rabbi Hochberg will assume the title of Rabbi Emeritus of the Young Israel of Jamaica Estates. Our shul’s identity has been shaped in large part by Rabbi Hochberg and Karen over the last three decades and the challenge that lies ahead is to build on their many accomplishments and on the strengths of YIJE as the central community center in the Jamaica Estates area.

The path we take through the transition period ahead will determine not only who our next spiritual leader will be, but also will help set the stage for the next phase of YIJE’s growth.

Several Committees have been (and will be) established to guide us through this process:

The Rabbinic Transition Committee (RTC) – Chaired by Judy Berman and Co-Chaired by Asher Abramovitz, the RTC is responsible for providing support and resources to all other committees and individuals involved in the rabbinic transition process from the initial stages until after the next Rabbi is in place. In addition, they are specifically tasked with surveying the community, the development of a position description for the next Rabbi and the planning of tribute activity in celebration of Rabbi Hochberg’s tenure. The RTC can be contacted at transition@yije.org.

The Rabbinic Search Committee (RSC) – Chaired by Jay Lisker and Gerry Zahtz, the RSC is responsible for the advertisement of the Rabbi position, the review of candidates and the recommendation of the top candidate to the YIJE Board for ratification by the membership. Leading candidates will be brought to YIJE for Shabbat to meet and interact with the membership who will be given the opportunity to provide feedback to the RSC. The RSC can be contacted at search@yije.org.

Contract Committee – Committee members, Jay Grunfeld, Sid Itzkowitz and Jay Lehon, are responsible for working with each of the final candidates to outline the basic terms of a potential contract and ultimately to develop and agree on a full contract with the final candidate which must then be presented to the Board of Directors and ratified by the General Membership.

Regular updates will be posted below throughout the process.

RABBINIC SEARCH RESOURCES:

Rabbinic Candidate Profiles

Tentative Shabbat Schedule (for Candidate Visits)

Personal Evaluation Tool

Search Timeline

Frequently Asked Questions

FORMS:

Submit Question for Saturday Night Q & A

Q & A Video Screening Reservation

Register for the Selection Survey

UPDATES: