7 Comments

1. Kerry Olitzky  •  Jun 25, 2010 @1:01 pm

   Just like I believe faith in Judaism to be a struggle (ala Jacob’s wrestling) and not tranquil as some other religions might put it, I see the rabbinate in a certain way. It is indeed not a vocation. Rather, it is a calling, irrespective of where you sow in the vineyards. Two things that my own teachers advised come to mind. One said, keep your smicha on your wall so that you can read the obligations that you have undertaken and with which you have been priveleged everyday and so that you dont lose sight of them. The second suggested that if we dont put our job on the line each day–or are not prepared to do so–for a principle, then we are not much of a rabbi. i have found both of these guiding principles to be quite helpful as each place that my rabbinate has taken me has indeed been a quantum leap from the previous work that I had been doing.

2. Lisa Colton  •  Jun 25, 2010 @2:04 pm

   Though not a rabbi, and not an expert in this particular area, one thing I’ve noticed (and you’ve written about) is the need for not only spiritual leadership, but also business leadership to be a successful congregational rabbi. The changes in the marketplace that you mention are also calling for new models of leadership. A bunch of new books have recently come out on this specific topic. They’re on my summer reading list, and might be helpful for Rabbis too. Beth Kanter and Allison Fine’s “The Networked Nonprofit”, Charlene Li’s “Open Leadership”, and Clay Shirky’s new book, “Cognitive Surplus”. They all have important implications for leading a community, running a nonprofit business, and positioning oneself for the next stage of a career. A few others are noted here: http://jewpoint0.org/2010/05/the-new-normal-is-change-deal-with-it/ and I’ll be reviewing each of the above on the JewPoint0 blog as I complete them this summer. I’m looking forward to hearing other’s suggestions and reflections as well.

3. Marc  •  Jun 28, 2010 @11:08 am

   I’m not a rabbi but I thought it about once, and have thought about it again, and, from a personal perspective, my ongoing involvement in Jewish organizations feels like some sort of calling.

   What I would say, thought, is that it’s not just Rabbis right now. The whole economy is challenged. It’s a question of what I would call finding a “sustainable business model.” Doctors and hospitals, even, aren’t sure what that’s going to be with healthcare reform. Publishers and the news media are in a much more difficult position than Rabbis, because while the Internet can dis-intermediate a lot of Jewish knowledge, it can’t replace personal advice or a hug or a minyan in the way that Web displaces folded newsprint.

   On the other hand, I think of the ancient monasteries that made their worldly livelihood by fermenting wine or cheese in their cellars in France or whatever, and realize there are probably other business models for religion than synagogue membership dues.

4. Larry Kaufman  •  Jul 1, 2010 @11:08 pm

   The Forward just posted an article summarizing the placement results for 2010 graduates of various seminaries across the streams — pointing out that there currently aren’t enough pulpits to go around and that many new ordinees are making other career choices based on their rabbinic training (institutional/organizational positions and academe, in particular).

   So without belittling the problem you cite, it does appear that newly-minted rabbis have more career options than many new graduates in other disciplines, which do not offer as many career paths related to training.

   As Marc points out, the real issue is finding business models other than membership dues. We are living in a time of NOT joining. Progressive synagogues in Israel — especially Beit Daniel in Tel Aviv — are thriving by serving hundreds of families on a fee-for-service basis. Rabbi Azari suggests that Tel Avivians (Avivers?) will pay big money for a bar mitzvah, but won’t pay even small money for “dues,” or formal ongoing affiliation.

   Some 15 years ago, Modern Orthodox Rabbi Irving Glickman z”l identified himself as a member of an endangered species — the full-time-employed Orthodox rabbi. He cited the differing need of Orthodox congregations from those of other streams — no school to run, because the kids go to day school; no catering facility to oversee, because members want glossy hotels for their simchas; no need to preside over services because members are qualified to lead the davening; etcetera. Thus, he told us — a group of lay leaders from the other streams — his typical colleague had a day job, supplemented by whatever pastoral and posek functions the congregation required.

   But with all this, I would still remind new rabbis that the world they will function in will be different from the world they grew up in — and they may have to forge new realities in envisioning their career paths — recognizing that denominational lines are blurring, high tech is minimizing some (not all) the need for high touch, endogamous marriages and commitment to Israel and peoplehood can no longer be taken for granted. To the extent that the current model stands, it will stand alongside a variety of other models. So whatever qualities it took before to achieve success in the rabbinate will still be needed, alongside a higher quotient of creativity and resiliance.

5. Ellen Flax  •  Jul 7, 2010 @10:57 pm

   Since my ordination in 1997, I’ve served several small congregations on a part-time basis while simultaneously pursing other work both within, and outside, the Jewish community. This has been a good (albeit sometimes challenging) mix for me, but I dare say it would not be the ideal for most of my colleagues. Unfortunately for them, however, I think the future liberal rabbinate will increasingly look like the current state of the Orthodox rabbinate: few FT congregational positions, but more and more PT congregational positions. In response, the seminaries will need to shift their focus–perhaps admit more second-career people who can still ply their original trade while working PT in a congregation; alternatively, require (or strongly encourage) those without substantial work experience to pursue concurrently a second degree/coursework/internships in fields (perhaps totally outside the Jewish community) that will be their real source of income. Ultimately, I think this will be a positive change for the rabbinate and the Jewish community (although the transition will be quite painful)–once a rabbi knows that s/he can indeed support themselves with positions outside the congregation, they will be less willing to tolerate a community that mistreats them (because, alas, such shuls do exist) or compromise a deeply-held religious belief in order to keep their job. As rabbis work fewer hours in the congregation, lay people, by definition, will have to take on more responsibilities/decide what are the core needs of their community–developments that will ultimately strengthen shuls.

6. Ellen Flax  •  Jul 13, 2010 @9:27 pm

   There was a story today on NPR that was closely related to this topic: the growing level of unemployment and underemployment by clergy across all denominations (save the Hindus, due to the fast-growing Indian community in the US). Listen and weep: http://www.thetakeaway.org/2010/jul/13/start-conversation-churches-recession/
   The website links to a blog post by Beth Kobliner (who was also in the NPR segment) that lists resources for unemployed clergy.

7. Adina Frydman  •  Jul 22, 2010 @2:45 pm

   http://synagogue2point0.posterous.com/the-rabbi-as-network-weaver
   With synagogues adapting to the social media revolution it is time for rabbis to add a new role to their job description: Network Weaver. According to Beth Kanter and Allison Fine’s new book, The Networked Nonprofit: Connecting with Social Media to Drive Change, Network Weaving is “a term coined by Valdis Krebs and June Holley in Building Smart Communities through Network Weaving and describes a set of skills that help strengthen and build social networks. These online efforts mirror the kinds of engagement, relationship building, facilitation skills that are crucial elements of community organizing on land.” The rabbi’s role has always been critical in creating sacred community. For years congregational rabbis have functioned as community builders even without technology (usually with a little help from their fellow clergy or “rebbetzins”). However, in most congregations the very ratios are simply against them (in a 600 member congregation with 3 clergy the ratio is 200 to 1). How can clergy possibly maintain relationships with all of their congregants? The nature of a social network is that there is not a single hub but that there are connections that exist across the entire network. The role of the network weaver is critical to introducing and connecting people, building relationships, empowering other weavers, bringing fellow congregants into conversations about sacred purpose, learning about and connecting with what they care most deeply about. Social media is a tool which can help facilitate meaningful connections in order to build community. Recently, some rabbis have begun transferring their skills to incorporate new technologies. If you consider yourself a rabbinic network weaver let me know who you are. I’d love to connect frydmana@ujafedny.org.

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