Overview

Congregation Neve Shalom in Metuchen, New Jersey, the premier egalitarian Conservative Synagogue in Northern Middlesex County, is searching for our next Spiritual Leader.  We are affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ), have an active USY, Men’s Club, Sisterhood, a small but mighty religious school, and an award-winning Adult Education program.  We are known as a highly participatory community, with Shabbat morning attendance post-COVID between 60 and 80 people in person with all lay-led Torah and Haftorah readers and a cadre of Service Leaders.

We are located in beautiful Metuchen, NJ, a quick train ride or drive to New York City or Philadelphia, close to Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, with its large Hillel and Chabad.  There is a Kosher restaurant, The Orchid, on Main Street in Metuchen, as well as Kosher restaurants and butchers in nearby Highland Park and East Brunswick.  There are synagogues of all denominations in towns nearby.  There is a strong, vibrant Jewish presence in the area.

The Metuchen / Edison area is home to the Metuchen Edison Interfaith Clergy Association, an active group of clergy from across the spectrum, all working together to foster dialog and community.

Our top priorities for our new Rabbi are:

  • To work with our congregation and lay leadership to create an atmosphere of growth for our community.
  • To work with our congregation to provide spiritual, educational, and communal experiences for all sectors of our diverse community.
  • To foster Jewish learning and spiritual growth.
  • To work with our education director to provide a robust Jewish learning experience for our children.
  • To work together with our lay leadership and volunteers to adapt creatively to the changing environment for Conservative Judaism.

We want our new Rabbi to enhance our community’s ritual and learning experiences, reaffirm personal relationships within our community and establish new connections within our broader local community. We also want our new rabbi to lead meaningful and participatory t’fillot, bring the wisdom of our traditional Jewish texts to our contemporary congregation and exhibit pastoral excellence. In addition, we want our new Rabbi to be the very visible face of Congregation Neve Shalom, provide a visible example of Jewish observance and values, and be a source of and advocate for Jewish learning throughout our community.

Who are we?

Neve Shalom has been part of the Metuchen-Edison community for close to one hundred years. Our congregation has always had as its guiding principles and core values making everyone who enters our community feel welcomed and comfortable, supporting active participation and volunteerism, and embracing change with an eye toward the future.

Our reputation reflects the extent to which our community takes to heart our core values. When we see someone new come to visit, whether in services or other activities, we actively seek them out, introduce ourselves, and help them integrate into the community. For over 45 years, we have had an active program for lay members to lead services, read Torah, and chant haftaroth and megillot. We emphasize the importance of congregational participation in t’fillot—we see davening not as a performance by the leaders of the service, but as a participatory activity. We have always had a well-attended Shabbat morning service with active participation and congregational ruach.

We hold monthly community Erev Shabbat dinners which are regularly attended by people from all generational cohorts of our community. We became fully egalitarian in 1980, regularly inviting our women to be called to the Torah and lead services. In 2002, we relocated our Shulchan for reading Torah to make it accessible for all. We have always had an engaged and supportive corps of volunteers and annually honor a volunteer who has distinguished themselves during the year. This individual is honored according to the effort and energy they have contributed to the Neve Shalom community, regardless of their financial contributions.

Work Remotely: no
Qualifications:

We are looking for following qualities and skills in our new Rabbi:

  • Flexibility and nimbleness in working with our lay leadership to identify aspects of our community that should be preserved and what modifications we should make together to adapt to a changing environment.
  • Deep ritual knowledge and preparation for and execution of ritual events (e.g., of halakhically appropriate and highly energizing t'fillot).
  • The ability to read Torah and lead parts of the Shabbat and Holiday service on a regular basis, and to be able to mentor members who wish to do the same.
  • The ability proactively to engage those in the larger community who have not, to date, participated in our synagogue community.
  • Excellent teamwork skills, to partner with both our professional staff and our lay leaders to achieve our goals.
  • Strong interpersonal relationship skills.
  • Skills in conflict resolution.
  • Strong leadership abilities.

 

Position Start Date: July 1, 2023
Benefits:

We will provide an additional 2% of salary for pension, Major Medical Insurance, up to $12,000 for family medical premiums, professional convention and continuing education and 4 weeks’ vacation per year.

Salary Range: between $150,000 and $165,000 based on experience
Send resumes and cover letter to:

Jeffrey Schulman
jlschul01@gmail.com

About Congregation Neve Shalom

Congregation Neve Shalom in Metuchen New Jersey, the premier egalitarian Conservative Synagogue in Northern Middlesex County is searching for our next Spiritual Leader.  We are affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ), have an active USY, Men’s Club, Sisterhood, a small but mighty religious school and an award-winning Adult Education program.  We are known as a highly participatory community, with Shabbat morning attendance post-COVID between 60 and 80 people in person with all lay led Torah and Haftorah readers and a cadre of Service Leaders.

We are located in beautiful Metuchen, NJ, a quick train ride or drive to New York City or Philadelphia, close to Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, with its large Hillel and Chabad.  There is a kosher restaurant, The Orchid, on Main Street in Metuchen as well as kosher restaurants and kosher butchers in nearby Highland Park and East Brunswick.  There are synagogues of all denominations in towns nearby.  There is a strong, vibrant Jewish presence in the area.

The Metuchen / Edison area is home to the Metuchen Edison Interfaith Clergy Association, an active group of clergy from across the spectrum, all working together to foster dialog and community.