Oak Park Temple
B'nai Abraham Zion

1235 N. Harlem Avenue
Oak Park, IL 60302
(708) 386-3937

Rabbi Search FAQ

● Why are we conducting a search for a new Rabbi? 
 
On August 1, 2009, Rabbi Gerson will retire from Oak Park Temple after 30 years of service. During his time here, he has brought stability, developed strong relationships across the community, and helped foster growth in programs that serve all of our members, from the youngest to the oldest. Now we stand poised to renew our community for the next phase in Oak Park Temple's life.

● Who selects the new Rabbi? 
 
Oak Park Temple's Bylaws require that the President appoint a Rabbi Search Committee to recommend a new Rabbi to the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors must approve a candidate and present the recommendation to the congregation. The congregation must then ratify the selection by a two-thirds vote of the members present and in good standing at a congregational meeting.

Of course, an enormous amount of work must be done to get us to that point.

The Rabbi Search Committee will be comprised of a diverse and dedicated group of congregants. This group will represent the wide range of Oak Park Temple's congregants, but at the same time is small enough to work effectively and efficiently on behalf of the congregation.

● What is the process for selecting a new Rabbi? 
 
The Rabbi Search Committee will be selected in November 2007 and will meet for the first time in December 2007. Our work, broadly speaking, will involve research, communications, recruitment, interviews, offers, and contract negotiation. The Rabbi Search Committee will undertake many specific tasks in each of these areas in order to define Oak Park Temple's needs and desires for a Rabbi with whom to partner and to attract the strongest applicants.

As a member of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), OPT is required to participate in a Search process governed by the Rabbi Placement Commission of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR). The CCAR provides the application form that our Rabbi Search Committee will need to complete by March 2008. The CCAR posts the application to its online database of congregations searching for rabbis. Our application provides information about our values, philosophy, history, community, and staff.  
 
Eligible rabbis interested in our position may request that the CCAR forward their resumes and background information to OPT.

We want to keep you informed of the search process. Click here for the projected timeline.

● What traits are you looking for in the new Rabbi? 
 
As an initial part of the search process, the Rabbi Search Committee will be seeking guidance and vision from our congregants as to what the ideal Oak Park Temple community should look like. We will integrate that information with what we know of the demographics of the Jewish Community in our immediate geographic area and beyond. We will then search for a Rabbi with the skills and attributes to help us achieve our goal and attain our vision.

● How much experience is required to be considered as a candidate for the position of Rabbi at Oak Park Temple?

The CCAR stipulates that only rabbis with three or more years of rabbinic experience can apply for Rabbi positions like Oak Park Temple which have between 301-599 ‘member units’ or families.

● What opportunities will there be for congregants to participate in the search process? 
 
The committee wants to hear from every congregant in the search for our new Rabbi. There will be several ways for you to participate in the search process:

• OPT “Open Forum” meetings will be held to allow for personal input from all who wish to be heard.
• Online comments can be sent to the committee at rabbisearch@oakparktemple.com.
• As early in the process as possible, but not later than December 2007, a survey will be available to each congregant online through this website. If you prefer, you can notify the Temple office to obtain a hard copy.
• Personal conversations with the committee members (click here for a list).

● How can I share my thoughts about the search process or other ideas I have with the Rabbi Search Committee? 
 
We encourage you to share your thoughts about the search process, your vision for the future of Oak Park Temple, and other relevant topics with members of the Rabbi Search Committee. You can send your comments to the Search Committee's general email address at rabbisearch@oakparktemple.com or provide your comments in the Rabbi Search Information Boxes that will be located in the Temple office and in the rotunda.

● Will my communications with the Rabbi Search Committee be confidential? 
 
The Search Committee wants to be as open, informative and accessible as possible in conducting the Rabbi Search, while at the same time protecting the privacy of applicants and fostering complete candor in Committee deliberations and in private communications with congregants and others. These somewhat competing goals will require that the Rabbi Search Committee solicit advice from the members of the congregation and Board of Directors as it deems appropriate and that all deliberations of the Rabbi Search Committee take place in executive session and be kept strictly confidential. It is our ethical obligation – as well as the CCAR placement rule – to honor this confidentiality.

A chief reason for confidentiality is that the mere suggestion or rumor that a Rabbi is considering another congregation may tarnish his or her current employment relationship to the great detriment of all parties. In addition, the Rabbi Search Committee must address many personal facts about applicants that are not appropriate for the public domain. Only by assuring confidentiality will the Rabbi Search Committee achieve open and frank discussions by and about those who apply.

We will respect your privacy as well. All input that we receive will be held in the strictest confidence and will be shared only within the Rabbi Search Committee. However, please understand that anonymous input will not be accepted or considered.

The integrity of the search process requires a judicious approach that, in keeping with Jewish values, protects applicants, Oak Park Temple members and the Committee from any kind of recrimination or lashon harah (evil tongue or bad mouthing).

● Will we hear about the process as it proceeds? How? 
 
We appreciate that congregants are eager to learn about the search process and we are committed to providing information about our findings and process as appropriate. We will update the Rabbi Search special section on our website, http://oakparktemple.com/rabbisearch, as news becomes available. There will be announcements in the Temple's weekly e-mail updates about “Open Forum” meetings and other opportunities to participate in the process. Finally, there will be regular articles in The Messenger about the search process.

If you know someone who is interested in the search process but doesn’t have access to, or isn’t comfortable using the Internet, please call Jeff Blaine at 312-201-4400 and alternative methods of communication will be arranged for those individuals.

● How are you advertising the opening? 
 
We will post the position with the Central Conference of American Rabbis, which is the primary resource for Reform Rabbis searching for a pulpit.

● Why are we posting only with the Reform movement? 
 
Each accredited rabbinical seminary (Hebrew Union College, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, University of Judaism, Jewish Theological Seminary, Yeshivah University) is affiliated with a specific movement and the movement's umbrella organization of member congregations. Oak Park Temple is formally affiliated with the Reform movement. The Reform seminary, the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, trains Rabbis specifically to serve the needs and concerns of Reform Jews.

The various movements have an interest in serving their own member congregations. Consequently, the Conservative movement usually does not let Reform congregations list with its placement service since its priority is serving its own member congregations. Similarly, the Reform movement will not allow Conservative congregations to list for placement of Reform Rabbis, because the Reform movement serves its member congregations. The same is generally true for Reconstructionist, Orthodox and organizations representing other branches of Judaism.

● How can I contact the Rabbi Search Committee with my comments?

• Send an e-mail to rabbisearch@oakparktemple.com.
• Drop your comments into one of the Rabbi Search Information Boxes located in the Temple office and in the rotunda.
• Send your comments by US mail to:  
   
            Rabbi Search Committee 
            Oak Park Temple 
            1235 Harlem Avenue 
            Oak Park, Illinois 60302