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ASSISTING
CONGREGATIONS
IN NEED OF JEWISH PROFESSIONALS
Submitted
by: The Joint Commission on Synagogue Music,
Youth Coordinating Committee, and the Small Congregations
Committee
On
behalf of the Task Force on the shortage of Jewish Professionals
BACKGROUND
The
Reform Movement's current shortage of Jewish professionals
- rabbis, cantors, educators, and administrators - affects
many of our congregations. To some extent, the shortage
reflects the success of the movement. One hundred and
twelve congregations have joined the UAHC since the 1991
Biennial convention, and many of those congregations are
looking to engage one or more Jewish professionals. Furthermore,
many UAHC congregations are growing in size and programming;
to meet the needs of their congregants, they require greater
numbers of professional staff.
In
this context, our movement especially benefits when our
synagogue communities, through both professional and lay
leadership, encourage their members to pursue careers
as rabbis, cantors, educators and communal service professionals.
We recognize the hard work of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish
Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in its recruitment efforts,
but we also know that it is the responsibility of the
entire Reform Movement to encourage our youth, college
students, and synagogue leaders to become Jewish professionals.
In
addition, a number of professionals have offered to assist
congregations on a part-time basis during the current
period of need. As a result, several congregations, with
the assistance of their UAHC regional director, have been
able to find local professionals to help out on a limited
basis. Other congregations have sought to increase the
level of knowledge of their lay members, including sending
some to the UAHC/HUC-JIR/CCAR Para Rabbinic Fellows Program,
thus expanding the number of people able to assist in
congregational life. Still other congregations that are
blessed with several professionals have encouraged efforts
by those professionals to assist underserved congregations
on an occasional basis. All these initiatives help, but
more is required.
In
the midst of this shortage, we are mindful of the words
of our tradition:
Kol
Yisrael areivim zeh bazeh.
"All Israel is responsible for one another."
It
is the obligation of all of us in the Reform movement
to assist those congregations in need of professional
support.
THEREFORE,
the Union of American Hebrew Congregations resolves to:
- Congratulate
those congregations and those professional and volunteer
leaders who have nurtured and encouraged individuals
to pursue education, training opportunities and careers
as Jewish professionals.
- Urge
all Reform congregations, professionals, and lay people
to undertake similar efforts to nurture and encourage
individuals to pursue such education, training, and
careers.
- Urge
congregational leaders to support congregations in need
of professional leadership by encouraging members of
their professional staff to assist underserved congregations
and facilitating their efforts. For example, within
reasonable bounds, professionals engaging in such efforts
should be able to do so without loss of vacation time
or professional development hours.
- Urge
the Reform professional organizations - the Central
Conference of American Rabbis, the American Conference
of Cantors, the National Association of Temple Educators,
and the National Association of Temple Administrators
- to encourage their members, particularly those members
who are retired or who work part-time or outside congregational
life, to assist congregations that lack the Jewish professionals
they need, with services such as the following:
- leading
worship;
- teaching
an adult education course;
- advising
a confirmation class;
- officiating
at life-cycle events;
- directing
an adult or children's choir;
- tutoring
b'nei mitzvah students;
- curriculum
development;
- providing
teacher training;
- running
a school or family retreat; and
- consulting
on specific issues such as building maintenance, finances,
and capital campaigns.
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