Rabbi

We look forward to meeting candidates interested in our wonderful, haimish community! San Diego is a beautiful place to live, and Ner Tamid is a unique place with congregants who come from so many backgrounds but come together in their love of and commitment to Judaism. We are a very caring community, with a feeling that we are all one family. We are also very diverse, with many congregants of different ethnic backgrounds and many converts. This lends to our welcoming atmosphere that we truly welcome anyone and we welcome them as they are. We do not expect much municipal or interfaith participation from our rabbi. There is a local interfaith group, which meets occasionally and does, for example, have an interfaith Thanksgiving service we participate in. We are open to a rabbi who is passionate about interfaith collaboration, but it is not a requirement. As a suburb of San Diego, we welcome any participation with the greater San Diego Jewish community as well as with our local community. Our rabbi attends our board meetings (monthly) and a weekly administration meeting (1 hour/week). They are an important leadership voice in our shul, and we want them to have an opportunity to bring ideas to the community about the synagogue as an organization as well as religious programming. Our rabbi has a lot of autonomy as it relates to their daily schedule, the programs they implement, and their vision for our shul. As a congregation with a small staff, it’s imperative for our rabbi to be able to self-manage and ask for help when needed. Our staff and volunteers are very enthusiastic, but the rabbi needs to communicate effectively so we can collectively ensure successful programming. We look to the rabbi as a leader with vision, who can work in concert with the board to support Ner Tamid. Our ideal applicant will dive into getting to know us, both as a community and personally. Personal connection is an important part of our community, so taking the time to get to know us, sharing Shabbat meals with us, and connecting on a personal level must be something our next Rabbi embraces wholeheartedly. Our rabbi is at the heart of our caring community, and developing relationships with our congregants must be at the top of the list. We want our rabbi to welcome us into their home, and we want to welcome them into ours. We want our new rabbi to get to know us, but we also want them to bring their ideas to us. We are interested in what they think will help our congregation thrive and grow in the coming years. This includes the new rabbi understanding our Hebrew school approach, our current programming, our holiday and weekly services, and how we operate as an organization. We expect the rabbi to understand and assess how we are currently operating quickly, so they can offer suggestions and immediately contribute to our community. Ner Tamid has a history of creative programming that engages our multi-generational community. It is important to us to continue creative programming, bringing our community together in meaningful ways. We also have a commitment to learning, both for children and adults, so we are seeking a rabbi who brings interesting sermons, Torah study, and other learning opportunities.  We would expect that rabbi keep kosher at home, as we keep kosher in the synagogue. We would also expect the rabbi drives on Shabbat (at least to shul) – San Diego is not conducive to walking, although there is one neighborhood nearby where that would be possible should the rabbi prefer it. Our rabbi should be a caring person interested in lifelong learning (themselves and for the community). They need to be able to lead lifecycle/creative ritual programs, be a strong prayer leader (able to read Torah when needed), with executive skills sufficient to manage their day to day. Many of our congregants seek the rabbi for pastoral care, so someone who considers counseling/pastoral care a strength of theirs would be a strong candidate. We do not regulate or prescribe the rabbi’s personal religious observance. We expect they honor Shabbat and observe holidays, etc, but we think personal observance is…personal. As a member of USCJ, the current policy is that interfaith weddings are not allowed. However, we have a substantial number of interfaith families and are open to discussions about that in the future.  Initially, the new rabbi will need to foster relationships particularly with our newer members who may be most unsettled by the change in rabbinic leadership. Beyond that, we expect the candidate to start planning High Holy Days with our long-time HHD cantor, Dr. Sharna Shachar. She has been with Ner Tamid for well over a decade, and is a wonderful partner to our rabbis as well as a consistent presence for our members. Beyond the timely issues, we hope the new rabbi will assess our existing programming and start to put their vision forward for our community’s future. We look forward to new ideas that will attract new families while being true to Ner Tamid’s mission of connecting Jews to Torah and to each other. Salary: $130,000. Conference fees/allowances for books etc. Our rabbi usually apportions part of their salary for parsonage. Full-time to start before July 2024 (ideally but flexible). Co-Chairs of Search Committee: Marisa Connell, 858-753-8820, [email protected] & Max Ader, 858-775-0649, [email protected]. www.nertamidsd.org.        

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