When I began at Congregation Beth Shalom after almost thirty years in Gary, Indiana, I was fortunate enough to be teamed with Cantor Deb Winston as we began to nurture the Temple in its infancy. Just like a child, a Temple in its infancy is a very different creature and has very different needs than a Temple five or ten years down the road. The Cantor and I had two years to provide nurturing before she moved on professionally, leaving me on my own.
So it is appropriate that Congregation Beth Shalom bring in a second professional clergy to work together with me in guiding the Temple in this next phase of our existence. Congregation Beth Shalom must have rabbinic leadership that is based on a sacred partnership — a sacred partnership between the congregation and me and between the congregation and any future professional staff.
A sacred partnership is a commitment to building and nurturing relationships that elevate the work of lay and professional leadership to a level of holiness. Sacred partnerships recognize each of us as individuals who have the desire to inspire sacred action.
Sacred partnerships are built and nurtured through the Jewish values of mutual respect, trust, honesty, communication based on listening, transparency, confidentiality, flexibility, and reflection. Sacred partnerships do not just occur by happenstance. They must be built with intentionality.
I would call upon you to offer your input and to assist us, as the congregation and I work together to achieve this new vital sacred partnership.
B’Shalom
Rabbi Stanley Halpern