luria@ucbvax.ARPA (Marc Luria) (10/07/84)
I realize that the number of rabbis reading this newsgroup is small, but I assume that there are least a few people who know someone who might be looking for a position. Beth Israel Synagogue in Berkeley has a membership of about 200 families, and is the only Orthodox synagogue in the East Bay, and is the strongest traditional synagogue, in terms of its members' activity in the entire San Francisco Bay Area. We get about 150 on an average Shabbat, about 350-400 on the High Holidays, and have a morning minyan during the week. Most of the members of the shul are not Shomer Shabbat, though many are in the process of becoming more observant. There is a strong core of observant families, many who have become Shomer Shabbat through their involvement in the shul. The membership is made up mainly of young families, though there are many older members and singles as well. The community is very Zionistic. During the 3 years we have lived here there have been a few families a year, who have made Aliyah. There are a number of other families, including ourselves, that plan on making Aliyah in the next year or two. The reason that we are looking for a new rabbi is that our Rabbi, Rabbi Joseph Leibowitz, has just made Aliyah himself. He has been here for fifteen years, and has been responsible for building up the shul to what it is today. The previous Rabbi was Saul Berman, formerly a dean at Stern College, and now at Lincoln Square Synagogue in New York. The job is more than full time. A big emphasis is put on youth education and the Rabbi will be expected to teach the high school students, and be involved in both the shul hebrew school and the day school in the area. The community has a real desire to learn and adult education is also stressed, in addition to Drashot on Shabbat, etc. In addition, we are looking for someone who can deal with issues that concern people in the shul, such as the role of women in Judaism. In short, our community is a vibrant one, the davening on Shabbat is the nicest I have seen in this country (you can hear a pin drop during much of it, except for the noise of kids who come), but we really need a Rabbi. The intellectual level and interest among the members is very high. If you know of someone who would be interested, please pass this information along to them. They can contact me on the net ucbvax!luria or luria@berkeley or at home at Marc Luria 2235 California #2 Berkeley, CA 94703 (415) 848-1353