The Temple B'nai Torah board approved establishing a Rabbi Search Committee in January 2013 to recommend a candidate for Senior Rabbi by November 2013. The committee has been holding community conversations to get input from hundreds of congregants. They have received 27 applications and conducted phone and Skype interviews of candidates. Personal interviews will be completed in late November with a target of December for the committee's recommendation and January/February for congregational ratification of the final candidate. The congregation will continue to be updated and involved through the transition website and meetings.

1. Temple B’nai Torah
Update of Rabbi Search
Committee
October 6, 2013

2. Why are we here?
“Approve the establishment of a Rabbi Search
Committee. This committee will develop and
manage the process for selection of a candidate
for Senior Rabbi of our congregation in
accordance with the CCAR placement process,
and ensure broad congregational input,
recommending a candidate to the Board of
Directors by November 2013.”
Approved by the BOD January 9, 2013

3. Getting from Here to There
•Formulation of the committee
• Smart, caring, engaged, diverse, representative
•Development of a communications plan
• Transparent, discreet, informative, multi-media
•Community Conversations
• Participatory, everyone has a voice
•Establish Rules of Voting and Procedures
• The importance of Consensus
•Develop a Candidate Screening Process

4. The Committee
•Broad representation
of the congregation
•Taking this assignment
very seriously
•Process must have integrity to be legitimate
•Consistency and fairness
•Transparency with discretion
•Congregation should continue to have faith and
confidence in the committee – thank you!

5. Communications
•templebnaitorah.org/transition/
•Web Blog
•D’varim
•Weekly TBT email
•Regular mail,
as appropriate

6. Community Conversations
•>25 meetings, various constituencies
•Hundreds of congregants involved
•Letters, emails, paper towels
•Written and web based surveys
•Findings posted on the web
Everyone should have a voice, let’s build
community by getting people involved, and
leverage for future strategic planning

7. Voting thru Phases
•Receipt of Resume
• Simple majority of those present or participating advance to:
•Phone Screen
• A 2/3 majority of those present or participating advance to:
•Skype Screenings and References Request
• 75% majority of those present or participating advance to:
•Personal Interviews
• All votes regarding candidates from this point on require 75% of those
present to continue the process, until the final step.
•Recommend Engagement
• 90% of the entire committee (i.e., 12 of 13 votes) is required to
recommend a candidate be offered the position of Rabbi. However, the
committee will strive for consensus.

8. Consensus
Achieved when every person involved in the
decision can say: “I believe that this is the best
decision we can arrive at for TBT at this time, and
I will support its implementation.”
•Cooperative search for solutions
•Disagreement a positive force
•Every voice matters
•Decisions in the interest of the group

9. Status & Next Steps
• Application submitted to the CCAR 6/24/13
• Rabbi Kinberg is in the candidate pool
• To date
• Received 27 applications
• 17 advanced to phone interviews
• 7 advanced to Skype
• 5 Skype interviews completed
• Personal interviews
• Final candidates to be socialized late Nov
• Target of December committee recommendation, Board
recommendation
• January or early February 2014 Congregational
ratification

10. The Role of The Congregation
• Community Conversations (and surveys) – THANK YOU
for your voice and your insight!
• Staying involved by knowing where we are in the process
via /transition and meetings like this
• Sending in your perspective (emails to
searchcommittee@templebnaitorah.org, letters)
• Supporting the congregational representative community
of the Search Committee and the Board
• Participation in the Process & Congregational Meeting
Ask questions & assume good intentions -
thank you!