rabbinic transitions

[cellio]

An observation from perhaps too little data (so further data welcome): if a rabbi leaves his congregation and is seeking other employment, then it seems that one of the following things is true: (1) his next job is not with a congregation; (2) he's helping to found a new congregation; (3) he's leaving town. It appears that trying to move to another established congregation in the same city is awkward in several ways and thus rarely done.

Just something for someone thinking about the rabbinate to keep in mind: congregational life implies nomadic life.

Comments

not necessarily nomadic

[miz-hatbox.livejournal.com]

Well, let's see. Before our congregation had Rabbi Laurie Rice, we had Rabbi Drora Setel.

Rabbi Setel, iirc, was rabbi part-time to 2 different small congregations (ours & another). She left our congregation (on good terms) to devote extra attention to some family issues (I believe her mother was very ill) around the time our congregation decided we wanted a full-time rabbi, and that's when we found Rabbi Rice. But Rabbi Setel still stayed in the Seattle area with her other congregation (though I note they have a different rabbi now). I think she eventually moved to Buffalo because she has family there.