To the TSTI Community,
I hope you are all well, enjoying the summer and staying out of the heat! I am writing to follow-up on my prior correspondence and remarks at our annual meeting regarding Rabbi Cohen’s making Aliyah at the end of June 2026.
My first step as we began to consider this transition was to reach out to a few people to guide the process. I looked for members who have demonstrated leadership and represent a cross-section of our temple community. Graciously, Sue Wishnow and Heather Brochin have agreed to spearhead what will be a two-year process.
As you may know, as a Reform temple, TSTI is a member of the Union for Reform Judaism (“URJ”). The URJ provides significant guidance to aid its members in the transition from one Senior Rabbi to the next, including a generally agreed upon timeline. Sue and Heather have used the URJ resources as a starting point for our research, supplemented by conversations with experts from within the wider Jewish community who have experienced a transition like ours. This includes calls with the Central Conference of American Rabbis and other congregations to learn more about what we should be considering as we move forward.
The fact that we have two years is invaluable (thank you, Rabbi Cohen!). We will spend the next year gathering information from all of you, our community, on who we are as a temple, where we are headed, what we want from TSTI both now and in the future, and what we need to improve an already strong and vibrant community. This opportunity to reflect will help solidify and sustain TSTI going forward. We will also undertake a thorough financial evaluation to ensure our fiscal sustainability for many years to come. Your input will be essential, and you can expect to hear from a to-be-formed committee over the next few months.
After that, we will be in a position to spend the second year applying that information to the specific URJ process of hiring our next Senior Rabbi. All involved, from the Board to the committees (there will be a few), will be guided by what is best for TSTI and our TSTI community.
The first phase—community outreach and reflection—will be led by Becky Ackerman, Jane Randel, and Marjie Terry. They will be reaching out to those interested, and others, to help in the process. I am grateful to those who have contacted me personally to express interest in being a part of this transition. To all of you, rest assured that we will be reaching back out to gauge your level of interest and potential for involvement; there will be no shortage of opportunities to participate.
I need to close this correspondence with a huge thank you to Sue, Heather, Becky, Jane, and Marjie for their efforts to date and in the future. I will continue to provide updates as appropriate, but it is important to remember this is not a fast process. It will take a tremendous amount of time and effort as we better understand what is required of us to do this the right way – which is the only way that’s acceptable. That said, please do not hesitate to reach out with any additional questions or concerns.
Respectfully,
Bryan Bloom, President