Rabbi Einhorn’s SynaBlog is a new innovative blog that shares tips, tactics, strategies and best practices that enable Shul growth and promote Shul vitality.
I’d like to start a brief series that focuses on some ideas for shuls that are looking for new rabbis. Running a proper search committee is a very grueling process. If done wrong it can split your shul, alienate potential new members, and leave a bitterness lingering in the air for years to come. Finding a new rabbi for your shul should be an exciting period in this history of the organization. It’s a pivotal opportunity to activate and excite a membership base that have been inactive possibly for a lengthy period of time. In the next few articles I would like to cover:
- How to properly set up a search committee
- How to properly interview rabbinic candidates
- How to properly spot the “right qualities” necessary for a rabbi
Meanwhile, please send me your search committee horror stories and triumphs – rabbieinhorn@gmail.com. I would love to incorporate (anonymously) the central take home ideas that emerge from your anecdotes.
To receive the OU Synablog to your inbox, please click here to sign up.
Rabbi Shlomo Einhorn is a Musmach of Yeshiva University. He has served as the founder of WINGS a Synagogue Consulting group. Prior to moving to Los Angeles, Rabbi Einhorn was the Rabbi of Manhattan’s West Side Institutional Synagogue where he helped grow the membership by 70% over 4 years. Currently, he is the Rav and Dean of Yeshivat Yavneh.