The Congregation
Congregation Beth Israel is a historic, 120 year old Modern Orthodox congregation located in Metairie, a suburb of New Orleans, Louisiana. An historic OU-affiliated congregation, we moved into a new, beautiful facility following Hurricane Katrina. Now our congregation of young families, seniors, those whose families have been members for generations, and recent additions to our community seeks a rabbinic family with a warm, dynamic spiritual leader, community builder, and teacher to serve as our next rabbi.
Congregation Beth Israel is a true Southern-style haimish shul, and we welcome our rabbinic families as extensions of our own. We currently have approximately seventy full member “units,” both individuals and families, of all ages and levels of observance. We also have nearly as many associate members, families with ties to Beth Israel but who primarily attend other synagogues. As we enter our next phase, we are focused on energizing this existing membership as well as continuing the slow and sustainable growth of new families realized over the past few years.
Despite our size we are a dynamic congregation. The Congregation has enjoyed evening classes, lunch-and-learns, weekly community kiddush lunches, monthly community Shabbat dinners with engaging speakers, and women’s and Rosh Chodesh programming. Weekly individualized learning between each child with the rabbi, and Shabbat and holiday morning children’s classes and programming enhance the shul experience for our younger generation.
The Community
The Jewish community of greater New Orleans is unique and must be experienced. The greater New Orleans area has one of the highest synagogue affiliation and participation rates of anywhere in the country. We enjoy exceptional cooperation amongst all of our synagogues and Jewish communal organizations--a rare and beautiful feature of our community.
Although one of the oldest Jewish communities in the United States, dating to the mid- eighteenth century, we’re constantly innovating. The community boasts two Jewish Community Center locations, one just blocks away from Beth Israel; two day schools–the Jewish Community Day School and the Slater Torah Academy–both located in Metairie; a kosher restaurant, several kosher caterers, and the world famous Cafe Du Monde; three mikvahs, a brand new community mikvah block away in Metairie, a women’s only mikvah run by Chabad in nearby Uptown and a privately run men’s mikvah; an expansive eruv surrounding Congregation Beth Israel; and many strong local agencies and organizations, including a robust, centralized young Jewish professionals network.
The City
The greater New Orleans area is perfect for families. While New Orleans tends to enjoy a reputation for tourism and conventions, the region is one of the best places in the country to raise children. Our unique New Orleans culture permeates even our largest corporations and, even in business, attention is paid to quality of life, with a deference to family concerns and focus on our local lifestyle of year-round festivals. The Metairie neighborhood is the idyllic combination of quiet, safe, affordable suburban life with proximity to all things New Orleans.
Over one-quarter of the city is dedicated to parks and playgrounds, including the second largest urban park in the country. The city is home to the world-class Audubon zoo and aquarium. We have numerous award winning museums, such as the National World War II Museum, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans Museum of Art, and our newest treasure, the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience. The city has both professional NFL and NBA sports teams. A hub for higher education, the city is the home of Tulane University, Loyola University, University of New Orleans, Xavier University, Southern University, and Dillard University. Our year-round, family friendly festivals, from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival to the family parades of Mardi Gras, from French Quarter Festival to the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival and Satchmo Summerfest, to name just a few, there is always something to do. The arts permeate the city’s DNA, with theater, dance, and, of course, music! Did someone say jazz?
The economic climate in the New Orleans metropolitan region has dramatically improved in recent years and we’re open for business, stronger than we’ve been in generations. In addition to the recent multi-billion dollar expansion in medicine and biotechnology, New Orleans has quietly become a hub for all things digital—from software and game development, to advanced manufacturing, to media and film. And of course, we also have something for the traditional disciplines, too. All these factors, along with a relatively low cost of living, combine to make New Orleans an attractive home and the place to put down roots.
Rabbinic Responsibilities
Halachic Life & The Pulpit: The rabbi will provide an inspiring vision of Modern Orthodoxy for both members and potential members of the Congregation. From the pulpit, the rabbi should be a sophisticated teacher of Torah and an outstanding communicator, able to create and deliver sermons weekly for Shabbat and holidays in concise, passionate, meaningful, and relevant ways. He should also maintain openness towards contemporary Orthodox halachic considerations and a respectful attitude for women seeking halachically appropriate participation in ritual.
The rabbi will be responsible for the ritual and halachic life of the congregation, including providing guidance to congregants; setting Kashrut policy and supervising standards for the synagogue, including its kitchen facilities, and the larger community; officiating lifecycle events; providing compassionate and skillful counseling to those needing pastoral support; leining a significant amount of each week’s Torah portion and davening; and maintaining the eruv.
Teaching & Classes: The rabbi will be responsible, along with input from our lay leadership and staff, for creating classes and curricula for both our children and adults alike. The Congregation is in the process of developing a robust Shabbat morning program, age appropriate for our youngest participants and culminating with a “junior congregation” prior to bar and bat mitzvah studies. Supplemental children’s programming should be tied to upcoming holidays and Jewish calendar. For children slightly older, approaching bar and bat mitzvah, the rabbi will provide individualized, one-on-one tutoring.
Adult classes may vary in duration and cadence, from short-run sessions prior to holidays to longer-running classes e.g. on prayerbook or conversational Hebrew. To target those working, these classes may occur at night or be held as lunch-and-learns; to accommodate our retirees, classes can also be hosted during the day, as was a long running once-monthly, weekday program for our older sisterhood members. The rabbi should understand that our congregants are interested in classes that present a halachic way to be a modern, American Jew and work with lay leadership on appropriate topics.
Programming & Community Engagement: Outreach, to develop and implement specific strategies to engage potential new synagogue members, will be essential to help keep Congregation Beth Israel on its sustainable path. Components of this include helping envision and create relevant programming, leveraging strategic partnerships locally and nationally, and working with lay leadership to develop metrics for success.
Shabbat and Yom Tov home hospitality for congregant and visitors, as well as home-based programming such as Rosh Chodesh events and Havdalah, should occur regularly in the Congregation-provided rabbinic domicile.
Finally, the rabbi will also engage with our local community organizations as the Congregation’s representative, such as serving on the Jewish Clergy Council of Greater New Orleans, the Jewish Community Relations Council, and the Community Mikvah Rabbinic Advisory Council.
Compensation: Overall compensation will be commensurate with experience. In addition to salary considerations, the Congregation will provide a four bedroom, two-story residence located just down the street from the synagogue.
Application Process
Please remit resumes and any questions to the Rabbinic Search Committee chair and immediate past president Bradley Bain via his email address, [email protected], or by contacting the synagogue office. Or sumit online here!