Soon, very soon, Rabbi Michelle Fisher will be taking the clerical reins here at Congregation B’nai Shalom. As I have shared with you before, Rabbi Fisher’s selection, hiring, and arrival are not points in time or fixed accomplishments – they are steps on the path to the future of this Congregation. We are making history, not just witnessing it. This process involves all of us, which makes its success or failure the responsibility of each of us, as individuals, as families, and as well as the community as a whole. All of us are connected, individuals within families, families within our community.

My gosh, with all this “connection stuff,” how does a new Rabbi become a part of our community? Don’t you think the obstacles faced by a new person would be pretty daunting? Well, I for one believe they are. But we are taking steps to make them less so, both for Rabbi Fisher and for the congregation. In 2005, Lynn Levine and I attended the United Synagogue Eit Ratzon program. It was there, just as we were beginning our rabbinic search, that we learned of some of the problems other congregations had with their new rabbis. We brought these stories back to the Pulpit Committee and have set up strategies that will hopefully make our own transition successful and easier.

One of these ideas was the concept of doing more Parlor Meetings. But this time, instead of having congregants discuss what they wanted in a Rabbi and what they wanted for CBS, we would use this forum to let Rabbi Fisher and the members of the congregation get to know each other in a more personal environment. In addition, in my new role as Chair of the Rabbi Transition Team (as of July 1st), I am leading a group of congregants who are assisting us in setting up get-to-know-you meetings with local politicians, community agencies, and Jewish organizations in the area. Although this is an ambitious project, we cannot command all of Rabbi Fisher’s time. Therefore, we are spacing these events out over several months.

First on the list, though, is the Parlor Meetings. We have scheduled 10 meetings so far – one during religious school hours on a Sunday, the remainder in the evening from 7:30 to 9:00pm. The dates are July 29, August 1, 7, and 12, October 23 and 28, November 14 and 27, and December 4. Our hosts will be the following families: Flato, Frucht-Sherne, Gomberg-Malool, Horwitz, Korney, Lipman-Weiss, Liron-Kahn, Lustig, and Marshak. Watch your mail and email for announcements about specific locations and what you will need to do to reserve a place. As with last year’s Parlor Meetings, there is no limit on the number you may attend, but the seating will be limited at each family’s home.

On this transitional note, as of July 1, because of term limits, I will no longer be Religious VP and Pulpit Committee Chair. I leave the office in the capable hands and heart of Dorothy Blint, who will be working with the extraordinary team with which I have been blessed over the last four years.

As the Parlor Meetings progress, I anticipate that we will schedule more, possibly beginning January 2008. As always, we welcome your feedback and comments.

B’shalom,

Michael Bloom, Chair
Rabbi Transition Team