Senior Rabbi Transition Process FAQs

Why are we doing this search? 

• Rabbi Stacy has informed the Board of Directors that she intends to retire as Senior Rabbi in June 2027. We therefore need to begin the process of searching for and hiring a new Senior Rabbi.

Who is involved in the search process?

• The Board has established a Senior Rabbi Search Committee, comprising 18 congregants who represent a diverse cross-section of our community. Gary Alpert and Beth Katz are co-chairing the committee. The full committee roster can be found in an email sent out on September 9, 2025, and on the Rodef Sholom Transition webpage.
• The committee’s goal is to provide a recommendation to the Board regarding the selection of our next Senior Rabbi, and to lead a transparent and thoughtful process during this phase of the search. 
• The committee is keeping Rodef’s Executive Director and clergy fully updated about the process and timeline, and they are fully supportive.
• Ultimately, the Board will make all relevant decisions related to the hiring of a new Senior Rabbi.

How is the search structured? 

• Because an internal candidate, Rabbi Elana Rosen-Brown, has expressed interest in becoming the next Senior Rabbi, we are following a phased approach through which we will first consider Rabbi Elana’s candidacy before determining whether a further search is needed or appropriate.

What is a phased approach, and how did we arrive at the decision to conduct our search with a phased approach?

• A phased approach means we are conducting the search for our next Senior Rabbi, starting with an evaluation of our internal candidate (phase one) and, depending on the outcome of phase one, preparing for a national search (phase two) if required. 
• The phased approach to the search is the process that many similar congregations follow and is recommended by the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), part of the Reform movement. Moreover, we believe it is respectful of Rabbi Elana’s 11-year tenure with our congregation and also ensures that the process moves forward without undue delay.

Could we engage in a national search now? 

• No. The CCAR has established strict guidelines for rabbinic succession. According to these guidelines, a national search for a position commencing in July 2027 cannot be initiated until August 2026. Therefore, consistent with the widely accepted practice when there is an internal candidate for the position of Senior Rabbi, the Board of Directors approved a plan at its June 2025 board meeting that begins with interviewing our internal candidate. Our Board determined that it was in the congregation's best interest to begin planning earlier instead of waiting for a full year to commence the process.

Could the Board have decided on our internal candidate without running the phased approach we are conducting?

• Yes. In other synagogues, the Boards have appointed the successor senior rabbi without having a search process.  While this worked well for their communities, our Board and past Board leaders believe that this approach is not aligned with our community’s core values of inclusiveness and transparency. The Board recognizes the importance of this moment in selecting our next Senior Rabbi, and wants to ensure that the congregation has the ability to participate in the process in a meaningful way.

What is the timeline for the search? 

The search committee began its work in September 2025 and aims to deliver a recommendation, based on phase 1 of the process, to the Board of Directors by early Q1 2026. If a subsequent phase of a national search is recommended, it will begin in Q3-2026.

Why will this phase of the search take several months? 

• We want to ensure that the process is robust, inclusive, and handled with the intention and care it deserves. Our work is well underway, but it will take time to develop the robust frameworks required to guide the search for our next Senior Rabbi. 
• We are not conducting work during the High Holidays, but will enter an intensive phase of the search following Sukkot.

Will the candidate in phase one be meeting with different groups of congregants?

• Our search committee will be working on the specifics of the interview process later this Fall. Our next few updates will include more details about the process.

Are we going to hire a cantor or another rabbi?

• The search committee is focused exclusively on hiring our next Senior Rabbi. The Senior Rabbi will work with the Board on the clergy structure that would be best for our congregation.

How can I share feedback with the committee?

• We welcome all feedback. We have set up a specific email to receive feedback for the committee. The email address is transition@rodefsholom.org. You can also use the same address to request a conversation with a member of the committee. 
• We are particularly interested in hearing what our community is looking for in a Senior Rabbi, what values and skills are most important to you, and how our incoming Senior Rabbi will help lead our congregation into the future.