Kol Nidrei Address by Chairman of the Board Marc Becker
Shanah tovah!
Dear Congregants,
It is with great excitement that I write you to announce the appointment of Rabbi Neil Zuckerman as Associate Rabbi of Park Avenue Synagogue. As Director of Congregational Education, Rabbi Zuckerman has successfully initiated and overseen numerous programs and classes for learners of all ages. His transition from his present role to a more classically defined position of congregational rabbi is a moment of transformation that is both evolutionary and revolutionary for our community.
The past five years have been a time of dynamic growth for Park Avenue, as evidenced by the increased number of adult learners, the number and variety of programs, and the growth of the congregational school. The decision by the synagogue board last fall to return to the “three rabbi model,” reflected the desire and expectation for rabbinic leadership to meet the growing pastoral, pulpit and educational needs of our community. Not only was I fully supportive of this new/old model, but I was thrilled at the consensus that the associate position be filled by a fully seasoned rabbi, one totally at home with all aspects of congregational life. Indeed, given our growth, any sustainable clergy configuration must embrace a shared model of rabbinic leadership
In Rabbi Zuckerman, the Pulpit Committee has found such a rabbi and much, much more. With his established personal relationships and his successes as an educator, colleague and programmatic visionary, Rabbi Zuckerman is poised to build on his tenure thus far. I am also excited for him to draw on his untapped skills as pastoral and pulpit leader. Prior to coming to Park Avenue, Rabbi Zuckerman served ably as a congregational rabbi – recognized, loved and admired as a thought leader, preacher and clergyman of great compassion and care. I know that in Rabbi Zuckerman’s presence, life’s joy will be heightened and its bitterness sweetened with the benefit of his pastoral touch.
Beyond Rabbi Zuckerman’s manifold professional qualities and competencies, I am thrilled at the prospect of working with a partner who has my full and absolute trust and confidence. I have known Neil for nearly twenty years and know him to be a human being of profound intellect, vision and menschlichkeit. Under his watch, the needs of every congregant will be tended. In his presence, our community will be well represented in the community-at-large. In his company, we will dream – and realize – dreams we could otherwise not imagine. With him as our rabbi, our congregation and the Jewish people will be strengthened. In this instance, one plus one will prove to be far greater than two. I am so very excited for this new chapter of our congregational life to begin!
Pirke Avot, The Ethics of our Fathers, teaches: “Make for yourself a rabbi, acquire for yourself a friend, and judge every person favorably.” In the appointment of Rabbi Neil Zuckerman, we have found a rabbi and a friend. Mazal Tov to him and to all of us on this blessed moment for our congregation.
L’Shalom,
Rabbi Elliot J. Cosgrove
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Dear Fellow PAS Member,
We are writing to bring you up to date on the activities of the Rabbinic Search Committee. We are pleased to inform you that the Search Committee has recommended to the Board and the Board has approved the appointment of Rabbi Neil Zuckerman as the Associate Rabbi of the Synagogue, commencing on July 1, 2014.
As you may know, we decided last summer to enlarge our clergy team to better serve our vibrant and growing community. We recognized the need to add another clergy member to address the pulpit, spiritual, pastoral, teaching, life cycle and outreach needs of the community. To that end, we decided to add a Rabbi who can assist Rabbi Cosgrove in the day-to-day affairs of the congregation. In addition, as Rabbi Rein’s five-year term comes to an end in June, we will be searching for a new Rabbi to replace him.
In September, we convened an eight member Rabbinic Search Committee to search for an experienced rabbi who is equipped to step into our community. Paul Corwin chaired the committee. The members of the committee, who represented key demographics of our diverse community, worked tirelessly throughout the Fall to refine the job description and qualifications. During the course of the search, the committee contacted representatives of the Rabbinical Assembly and posted the position. Additionally the committee sought the counsel and advice of prominent lay leaders in the Conservative Movement, as well as in the broader Jewish community. They reached out to potential candidates to ascertain interest in the position; sorted through resumes; conducted numerous telephone and in-person interviews; and deliberated with the best interests of the community in mind.
In the end, the Committee concluded that our own Rabbi Neil Zuckerman is the best person for the job. Rabbi Zuckerman was ordained as a rabbi at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1999. He has served in a number of rabbinic positions including serving as Assistant Rabbi and Rabbi of Temple Israel Center of White Plains for eleven years, and as Rabbi of Congregation Har Shalom in Potomac, Maryland, for one year. He also participated as a Rabbinic Fellow in the Rabbinic Leadership Initiative at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem during the Summers of 2007-2010.
Rabbi Zuckerman came to Park Avenue Synagogue three years ago to serve as the Director of Congregational Education and has been instrumental in supervising and developing our educational and programming efforts at all levels. In that position, he helped to assemble and supervise our educational programming team, including the hiring of Matt Check as Director of Young Family Programs; Liz Offenbach as Director of Synagogue Programming; and Rabbi Eve Rudin as Principal of the Congregational School. He also led the ongoing effort to reimagine our Congregational School by revamping the curriculum and hiring three full-time educators to implement the new program. Currently, Rabbi Zuckerman is leading the effort to revamp our offerings for teens and is actively participating in the searches for a new Director of High School/Youth Activities and a new Director of the Early Childhood Center.
Rabbi Zuckerman has spoken often at PAS. He has taught adult classes, including Melton and lunch-and-learn programs. He is well received in his teaching, admired for his sermons, and well liked by congregants who have had the chance to encounter him.
We are pleased that Rabbi Zuckerman will be taking on pulpit responsibilities in the coming months, which will enable more congregants to have a chance to get to know him. We hope that you will welcome Rabbi Zuckerman in his new role with our community.
Sincerely,
Arthur Penn
Chairman
Paul M. Corwin
President and Chair, Rabbinic Search Committee