April 28, 2022

Dear Friends:

This year has been quite a busy one in our Rabbinic Leadership Transition. We have spent the past many months honoring and thanking Rabbi Sussman for his 21 years as our distinguished Senior Rabbi and for his significant accomplishments both within our congregation and the greater community. Concurrently, a Rabbinic Search Committee met for nearly a year and after an exhaustive search recommended Rabbi Benjamin David to succeed Rabbi Sussman. Following the KI Board of Trustees’ overwhelming majority to confirm that recommendation, the transition for Rabbi David to KI began in earnest.

We are well aware that a transition for a new rabbi to understand our complex congregation and for our members to get to know him can take the better part of a year, if not longer. To that end, a Rabbinic Transition Core Committee was named several months ago to create the structure for this important work. The members include:

Karen Sirota, Rabbinic Transition Chair
Jaimie Shmelzer, KI Membership Engagement Director
Andrew Altman
Arlene Holtz
Cantor Amy Levy
Norma Meshkov
Ryan Perlman
Brian Rissinger
Carey Roseman
Janice Schwartz-Donahue

After its initial work, the Core Committee delineated nine key areas to be considered and planned for. That decision led to the Transition Committee expansion to include KI members who would then create opportunities for Rabbi David and our members to get to know each other. Those on the expanded Transition Committee include:

Jody Brookman
Lynore Eisman
Sue Fried
Yoni Greenbaum
Elyse Herman
Evonne Kruger
Karen Langsfeld
Caryl Levin
Sharon Rhodes
Pam Saltzburg
Lise Schwartz
Ellen Segalow
Paulette Sterman-Soroko
Susan Zaslow
Debbie Zlotnick

As a result, the Committee designated five transition areas to KI Executive Director Brian Rissinger to coordinate those administrative aspects. The four program areas and chairs were then named and are as follows:

KI Committees – Arlene Holtz and Carey Roseman
Small Group Welcomes – Jody Brookman
Large Group Welcomes – Pam Saltzburg and Debbie Zlotnick
Religious School Students and Families – Deborah Rosen and Ellen Segalow

Watch your email and e-KI for specifics. The success of this historic rabbinic transition depends on our members’ participation. So come join us in community to share in this new beginning and to offer a warm KI welcome to Rabbi David.

Sincerely,

Janice Schwartz-Donahue, KI President

Karen Sirota, KI Rabbinic Transition Chair

Jaimie Shmelzer, KI Membership Engagement Director

January 20, 2022

KI Board of Trustees Approves KI’s Next Rabbi

Dear Congregants:

On Tuesday, January 18, 2022, the KI Board of Trustees overwhelmingly approved the recommendation of the Rabbinic Search Committee to offer the position of KI’s next rabbi to Rabbi Benjamin David, effective July 1, 2022.

This is indeed an historic moment in the life of our congregation as we welcome Rabbi David and also honor our beloved Rabbi Lance J. Sussman, Ph.D., who will officially retire from KI after 21 years of distinguished service, and will be honored with the title of KI Rabbi Emeritus.

Rabbi David currently serves as rabbi at Adath Emanu-El in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, where he has been an inspiring leader for the past ten years. Prior to his rabbinate there, he served for seven years as Associate Rabbi at Temple Sinai in Roslyn Heights, NY.

A native of Cherry Hill, where his father served as Senior Rabbi at Temple Emanuel, Rabbi David is a Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Muhlenberg College, majoring in English Literature. Upon graduation, he entered Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion where he received a Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters (2003) and was ordained in 2004.

During his tenure at Adath Emanu-El, Rabbi David formed meaningful relationships with his congregants, from the very young to seniors. He developed engaging programs, promoting real-world application of Jewish ideas. He explored and instituted diverse formal and informal worship opportunities, promoted his deep commitment to many Social Justice initiatives and expanded Israel engagement through text, dialogue and experience. Rabbi David has taught lifelong learning about contemporary issues, from race to gender to Jewish understandings of identity and patriotism, revitalized the post-Bnei Mitzvah program through community activity, advocacy and interfaith conversations and revitalized the adult Bar/Bat Mitzvah and Confirmation programs.

KI’s Search Committee was impressed with Rabbi David’s commitment to teaching and learning, building relationships and engaging those across a spectrum of ages and stages in meaningful Jewish life. Rabbi David is eager to join our community and is excited to partner with the professional and lay leadership and the entire KI membership, building on and supporting our outstanding work, as we journey toward the future together.

Rabbi David and his wife Lisa, Director of URJ Camp Harlam, have three children, Noa, Elijah and Sam, and they plan to relocate to our community and happily dwell among us.

Many thanks to our Search Committee members, staff and congregants who supported our efforts over these last seven months (click here for a full scope of work report). We appreciate their diligence, commitment and understanding of this sacred work that brought us to this joyous moment.

There will be small and large group opportunities, particularly over the summer, for our members to meet our next rabbi as we begin to connect and move ahead together from strength to strength.

L’shalom,
Janice Schwartz-Donahue

KI President and Search Committee Co-Chair

Karen Sirota

KI Past President and Search Committee Co-Chair

Find for yourself a rabbi, acquire for yourself a friend…
Pirkei Avot 1:6

• The Jewish Exponent recently published a piece on the hire of Rabbi Benjamin David, effective July 2022 ~ Click here to read the article!
• We look forward to welcoming Rabbi David to KI this summer!

December 1, 2021

Rabbinic Search Update

The past month has been a busy one for the Rabbinic Search Committee. When KI’s pulpit position was posted on the CCAR website, we received 18 rabbinic applications from many impressive candidates. The number of applicants reflects KI’s strong reputation in the Reform Movement, our esteemed history, the reputation of our programming, creative learning opportunities, many ways we make a difference and an interest by candidates in assuming the pulpit of our distinguished former rabbis and certainly Rabbi Sussman.  

The Search Committee carefully analyzed each rabbi’s resume and personal statement and invited several candidates for an initial Zoom meeting. Questions were created based on what was learned from both our congregational survey and the Focus Groups where members shared their hopes for KI’s future and the positive attributes of our next rabbi who will lead us there. As a reminder, Focus Groups are still ongoing and more than 75 KI members have already met in small groups. If you are interested in sharing your views about what is most meaningful for you at KI and how you envision our future, contact Liz Kaufman-Taylor (elizdrew@aol.com) to be part of an upcoming gathering.

We hope that the remaining days of Hanukkah are light- and joy-filled for you and your family.

Janice Schwartz-Donahue (kipresident@kenesethisrael.org)

Karen Sirota (klsirota@gmail.com)

Rabbinic Search Committee Co-Chairs (kirabbisearch@kenesethisrael.org)

October 22, 2021

Rabbinic Search Focus Groups – Make Your Voice Heard!

The Rabbinic Search Committee has been hard at work over the summer gathering feedback from the congregational survey. We are now looking to take a deeper dive with those members who are interested in participating in one of several focus groups. These gatherings will be an opportunity to discuss our hopes for the next rabbi and our vision for the future. The committee is eager to hear from you and share more about the search process. Make sure your voice is heard! Participate Here.

Janice Schwartz-Donahue (kipresident@kenesethisrael.org)

Karen Sirota (klsirota@gmail.com)

Rabbinic Search Committee Co-Chairs (kirabbisearch@kenesethisrael.org)

October 1, 2021

Focus Groups are Upcoming as We Await Candidate Applications

Dear Friends:

Now that the congregation survey is completed and results have been analyzed, the Rabbinic Search Committee has turned its attention to planning the upcoming Focus Groups. Coordinated by Liz Kaufman-Taylor, Marijke Shenkman and Andrew Altman, these will be opportunities for KI members to gather in small, facilitated groups – some in-person and others virtually – to discuss important attributes of the next KI Rabbi and to envision ways to build on our robust community and secure our future together. An email invitation will be sent to all members soon. Those KI members interested in sharing their perspectives are encouraged to return the requested form as this is yet another way to be part of the process and for your voice to be heard. We look forward to your participation.

Our detailed application to post our rabbinic search was completed and submitted to the Placement Office of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR). We expect it to be posted on the CCAR website in the next several days. The first group of applicants will be sent to us in the next few weeks, and the committee will review the applications and invite candidates for the first virtual interviews. Search Committee members have been creating thoughtful interview questions so that we can evaluate which candidate will be the best fit for KI.

As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact either of us at kirabbisearch@kenesethisrael.org or at our individual email addresses below.

Until next month – or sooner if we have specific updates…

L’shalom,

Janice Schwartz-Donahue (kipresident@kenesethisrael.org)

Karen Sirota (klsirota@gmail.com)

Rabbinic Search Committee Co-Chairs

August 16, 2021

Rabbinic Search – Congregation Survey Report

We would like to thank those of you in our congregation who took the time to fill out the Rabbinic Search Congregation Survey.  The information gleaned will help to inform the Search Committee’s work as we move through this important process.

There will be many other opportunities in the coming months for KI congregants to meet with members of the Rabbinic Search Committee to discuss these questions and answers more fully, and to review any additional questions you may have.  We realize that the selection of the next Rabbi and the resulting transition are critical times for our congregation, and we want to make sure we are respectful of the broad range of individual emotions and perspectives generated by the retirement of Rabbi Sussman and the welcoming of our next Rabbi. 

Below are the survey results, as well as a summary of the trends that are reflected in our disaggregated data. Please note: The survey data has been broken down by detailed sub-categories, in this case by age cohorts.

Comments or Questions: please feel free to email us:

Sincerely,

Janice Schwartz Donahue  jschwartzdonahue@gmail.com

Karen Sirota klsirota@gmail.com

Rabbinic Search Committee Co-chairs kirabbisearch@kenesethisrael.org

Rabbinic Search Survey Results:

Question #1

What qualities in our next Rabbi are most important to you?

While we know all of these categories are important, the trends showed that Pastor, Relational Leader and Visionary were our top three choices.

Pastor:  Caring pastoral presence, sensitive, attentive, and approachable, sharing joyful times, and offering comfort and support to congregants regardless of age, gender, race or socio-economic status

Relational leader:   Approachable, and has easy rapport with adults, children and young families

Visionary:   Committed to a vibrant, engaged, spiritual community willing to explore changes that move KI in healthy, new directions that deepen connections and encourage new members to join KI

There was a difference in the age group 18-34 who chose Relational Leader, Social Justice Advocate and Visionary as very important characteristics slightly ahead of Pastor

Relational leader:  Approachable, and has easy rapport with adults, children and young families

Social Justice Advocate:  Passionate about issues of social justice, and committed to social action by engaging the congregation in the work of advocacy

Visionary:  Committed to a vibrant, engaged, spiritual community willing to explore changes that move KI in healthy, new directions that deepen connections and encourage new members to join KI

Question # 2

What are the most important things our next Rabbi needs to know about our congregation?

We are an inclusive congregation, demographics changing and proud of our music & arts program

Our inclusive congregation welcomes all who are interested in a connection to Jewish life. Our rabbi officiates at life cycle events including interfaith and LGBTQ weddings

KI’s demographics are changing: We are an aging congregation in a neighborhood with unaffiliated Jews whom we seek to bring into our congregation

KI is proud of its beautiful music, art, and culture which are reflected in its rich programming

Question # 3

What are the most important issues confronting KI in the next 5 years?

Attracting members, Changing demographics and Transition of a new(next) Rabbi are the three most important and crucial issues regarding our growth over the next 5 years. 

Attracting new members in all age demographics, especially younger members, in order to remain relevant, vibrant and financially sound

Changing demographics, an aging membership, declining Jewish population, and local unaffiliated Jews to cultivate for membership

Transition of next Rabbi

Question # 4

We turned your answers into a Word Cloud with the larger printed words those words that were found most often.

Question # 5

What else do you want us to know as we begin our search for our next Rabbi?

Thanks for all of your interesting comments.  

We plan on hearing from the rest of our congregation in the months ahead.

Survey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-W2RHDZQD9/

July 14, 2021

Rabbinic Search Congregation Survey

Dear KI Members,

In Pirkei Avot, the Sayings of the Founders, we are told, “Make for yourself a teacher, acquire for yourself a friend.” Indeed, that has been true as we have been blessed for the past 21 years by the outstanding leadership of our teacher and friend, Rabbi Lance Sussman, who has announced his retirement from KI as of June 30, 2022.

As we prepare for Rabbi Sussman’s retirement, we are now involved in two specific areas: making plans to celebrate his years as our Rabbi, and conducting our search for our next Rabbi. This is a sacred undertaking that does not happen often. Rabbi Sussman is only the 8th Rabbi in KI’s 174-year history.

The Search Committee
In accordance with the KI By-laws, it is the congregational President’s duty to name a Search Committee that reflects the diversity of our congregation. Our By-laws specify that certain Officers, Board members and Trustees serve, as well as congregants-at-large who represent different demographics including age groups, and constituent and cohort groups. We felt that it was important to invite parents of children who are currently in the Preschool, JQuest, and Confirmation Academy, as well as parents with college age students. We also invited Past Presidents who have an understanding and experience with the rabbinic search process. Our committee members are also representative of families that have been at KI for many generations, as well as those who are relatively new to our community. Those on the committee include:

RABBINIC SEARCH COMMITTEE

Search Committee Co-chairs

Janice Schwartz-Donahue has been a member of KI for nearly 40 years although her family’s connection to KI reaches back to the 1920s. She taught 5^th grade in Philadelphia  for 39 years and was an active KI Sisterhood member, serving as Sisterhood Co-President in 2007-08 where she coordinated countless programs and events. She then served as KI Board Secretary and Vice President before assuming the leadership of KI as President in 2019 and she remains in that position today. Janice is a long-time volunteer at the Gift of Life Family House for Organ Transplant patients and their families and has been an advocate for Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness for the past 25 years. Inspired by the loss of her beloved daughter Jessica, Janice established a College Scholarship Program for students who have had life saving solid organ transplants, raising over $130,000 in scholarships that honor her daughter’s memory.

Karen Sirota has been a KI member since 1983. She has been an active member on most committees and was KI Bulletin editor for 15 years. Karen served as KI Assistant Secretary, Vice President and then President for four years (2000-04). She remains active in the life of KI and as a Board Trustee. Karen chaired the 2000-01 Senior Rabbinic Search Committee that recommended Rabbi Lance Sussman serve as our Senior Rabbi. Subsequent to her KI presidency, she worked at the Union for Reform Judaism for 15 years, the last nine of which she served as URJ Large Congregations Director. Karen and her husband Rob have three married sons, each of whom became a Bar Mitzvah and Confirmand at KI.

Rabbinic Search Committee

Andrew Altman has served on several committees, including Education, Men’s Room Refurbishment, Finance, Investment, Rabbinic Search, and Spring Celebration 2022, and was co-chair of the Hazak initiative and the 2021 Spring Celebration committee. He joined KI with his family fifteen years ago. He and his husband were married at KI seven years ago and their son became a Bar Mitzvah and was confirmed here. He has served on the Board of Directors for six years and is currently Vice-President.

Andrew Eimer has been a KI member for 4 years and his children, who are fifth generation members of KI, currently attend JQuest, KI’s religious school. He is currently a Project Manager on the Hedge Fund and Private Credit team at PJT Park Hill.

Marc Furman has been a member of KI since the early 1960s. He became a Bar Mitzvah, was confirmed, and married (the first time around) at KI. Marc served on both the KI Executive Committee and Board of Trustees, the latter as a regular and Senior Trustee, as well as in the positions of KI Treasurer, Associate Secretary and Secretary for about 10 years. Marc has served on or chaired many committees over the years and remains an active congregant. Outside of KI, Marc is the Chair of the Labor and Employment Group of Cohen Seglias Pallas Greenhall & Furman, PC, headquartered in Philadelphia.

Joe Gordon has been a KI member since 2011, shortly before he and his wife Jennie Choe were married. He is in practice as an immigration lawyer, has served as Board Trustee since 2017, has joined the Social Justice and Music Committees, and has a daughter participating in JQuest for the third year.

Elyse Herman has been a KI member for 12 years. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees and Board of Directors. Elyse was a teacher in the KI Preschool, Religious School and Confirmation Academy. She currently teaches 4^th grade at JQuest. Elyse is married with two children. Her daughter is in Kindergarten and attends JQuest. Her son is in the KI Preschool.

Dr. Arlene B. Holtz is Chair of the KI Social Justice Committee and also serves on the Board of Directors, Board of Trustees and Religious Practices Committee. She is a lay leader for the Shabbat Torah Chavurah, the mid-week Tanakh study group and for Shabbat morning services. She worked as both a public and Jewish educator and currently serves as the Board Chair of a charter school in Philadelphia. She has been a member of KI for 25 years.

Isaak Kruger, KI member since 2005, is the current Treasurer after serving on the Finance and Investment Committees and Board of Trustees. He and his wife, Evonne, are Shabbat Torah Study and midweek Tanakh Study leaders, and active Adult Education and Library program presenters.  He is a graduate of the Melton Program.  During his professional career he was Senior Director, Strategic Planning and Executive Affairs at a national medical society where he helped restructure the society, did leadership development while responsible for two boards and laid the groundwork for a Washington presence. He also served as director of graduate medical education and administrative director of perioperative services at several medical centers, responsible for educational program accreditation and professional contracts.  

Norma Meshkov is a second generation and lifelong member of KI.  She attended KI Religious School and was a Confirmand as well. Norma and her husband, Dr. Arnold Meshkov, also a KI lifelong member, were married by KI Rabbi Bertram Korn. Norma served as KI Treasurer and Vice President and then President (1998-2000) and spent several years as librarian for KI’s Meyers Library. Norma and Arnold are honored to have been the first couple to have separately served as KI Presidents. She currently serves as Chair of the Friends of the Temple Judea Museum of KI.

Ryan Perlman has been a KI member for four years. He grew up locally and attended Adath Jeshurun. Ryan earned a teaching certificate from Gratz College and taught Hebrew school & tutored bar/bat mitzvahs students for 25 years. He is a partner in his family packaging business started by his grandfather. Ryan and his wife Tracy have a son Joah, who is in sixth grade in KI’s religious school.

Carey S. Roseman is a lifetime member of KI, the 4th generation of her family. She has served in numerous leadership positions and, ultimately, as President from 2004-2007. Carey is “married with children” and a retired corporate attorney.

Will Saltzburg is a fifth-generation member of KI; he became a bar mitzvah, was confirmed, and was active in KI’s Temple Youth Group, KIFTY. As a young adult, Will served on the NFTY-PAR Regional Board and NFTY North American Board as Membership Vice President. Will remains active in supporting the NFTY-PAR regional board and the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. Will graduated from American University in December 2020 and currently works for Everytown for Gun Safety in Washington, DC.

Lisè Schwartz has been a KI member since moving to Philadelphia 16 years ago.  She has served KI as Membership Director, Confirmation Academy Class representative (for her son’s graduating class) and now chairs the Religious Practices Committee.  She is on the Board of Directors and Board of Trustees. Lisè is a graduate of the URJ Schindler Fellows Membership Certification Program and has served on other URJ synagogue boards in New York. Lisè is a Change and Transition practitioner helping organizations and individuals improve performance and achieve career objectives.

Liz Kaufman-Taylor has been a member of KI for 15 years, although her family has a rich history with KI and her kids are 4th generation. Liz has led several committees that revolve around family engagement through programming and volunteerism. She has been on KI’s Board Trustee for about ten years and remains an active congregant. Liz has a dual masters from Brandeis University in Jewish Communal Service and Non-profit Management. Helping non-profits implement Salesforce CRM is Liz’s day job — working with Moving Traditions and other small organizations in the community.

Dick Weiss has been a KI member for 17 years and is a member of the Board of Trustees and the Investment Committee. He was formerly chairman of the Religious Observance Committee, a Vice-President, and was KI President from 2011-2013. Dick is a retired radiologist.

Congregational Survey
In the next few days KI members will receive a survey asking for their thoughts on the following questions:
1. What qualities in our next Rabbi would be most important to you?
2. What are the most important things the next rabbi needs to know about our congregation?
3. What are the most important issues confronting KI in the next 5 years?

This survey will be sent to our members, by email (for those with email addresses on file) and regular mail. Should you need assistance, please call the KI office (215-887-8700) and a member of the office staff or Search Committee will assist you in filling it out. The survey results will help inform the Search Committee of the attributes important to our members which will, in turn, be considered when filling out the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) application. That organization and the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) will assist us in the search process and in identifying prospective candidates. We hope that you will consider the questions seriously and respond thoughtfully by the requested due date so that your opinions can be heard.

Looking Ahead
Everyone in our KI community is an integral part of this process. The initial survey is just the beginning. Small focus group meetings, led by Search Committee members, are also being planned for the months ahead. At these meetings, there will be opportunities for group discussions and to ask questions. For your convenience, we even created an email address (kirabbisearch@kenesethisrael.org) so that you can contact us for information, answers or comments.

As our historic synagogue and its members emerge from a global pandemic, and as we begin our 174th year, we look forward to “Building On Our Legacy and Ensuring The Future”!

L’shalom,