Overview

Who We Are:

Congregation Or VeShalom (OVS), with its rich and diverse 100+ year history, is located in the rapidly growing intown Atlanta neighborhood of Brookhaven, and currently serves over 350 member households. Founded in 1914 by families primarily from the Mediterranean Island of Rhodes and Turkey, OVS is known for its distinctive heritage, often counting multi-generational families among the membership. Over time, our congregation has attracted families from Sephardic communities around the world as well as Ashkenazi Jews from the United States. The tradition of our synagogue is Sephardic; however, our membership today represents a wide variety of religious practices and varied levels of personal observance within Judaism.

We are financially stable and debt-free with a generous membership, a sizable endowment, and a beautiful, architectural award winning building. Our lay leadership is dedicated to OVS and eager to achieve the goals laid out in our recently completed Strategic Plan (December 2018).  Our members give of their time and financial resources to OVS as well as their involvement in the greater Atlanta Jewish community, including recent board chairs of the Atlanta JCC and the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, Jewish day schools, and other city-wide Jewish organizations. We have an active and vibrant Sisterhood, recently featured in a New York Times article, and a strong Chevra Kadisha group.

Over the last century, OVS has been predominantly led by three rabbis.  We are known for our hospitality and look forward to embracing and supporting a new rabbi and his family. As the oldest Sephardic synagogue in the Southeast, we have the unique feature of a religious service that offers both separate and mixed seating sections (a Tri-chitzah). We believe it is our responsibility to foster Sephardic ritual, Jewish learning, and service to OVS members, the greater Atlanta community, and the State of Israel. We strive to be a place where the wisdom of Judaism is conveyed and applied to improve our lives in today’s complex and questioning world.

Overview of the Position:

Through the work completed in strategic planning, the congregation is excited about the ongoing process of reengaging children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of our founding members, as well as attracting new young families.

Our members desire more ways to connect with OVS through varied programming, religious offerings, and community service opportunities. The rabbi will preserve our traditional Sephardic service, actively participate in a contemporary service that provides for equal participation of men and women, and create experiential learning opportunities.

We are working to foster an environment that is attractive to multiple generations and creates a community centric atmosphere. He will work alongside the membership and programming committees in attracting and engaging young adults and families with an emphasis on personal outreach and relationship building.

Responsibilities of the Rabbi:

  • Serve as spiritual leader and halachic authority of the congregation and minister to the religious, educational, and pastoral needs of its members.
  • Partner with the programming, membership, and other board committees to promote outreach to current and prospective young families.
  • Serve as the Torah reader or ensure coverage for weekly Torah readings.
  • Oversee the preparations of B’nai Mitzvah students.
  • Engage in outreach with the preschool and Sunday school housed at OVS in order to create relationships and connections with those young families.
  • Serve as the OVS ambassador to the larger Atlanta Jewish community.

**2018/5779 Strategic Plan to be provided to qualified applicants during the interview process **

As a traditional Sephardic congregation, we are looking for a male rabbi who would be comfortable in both a traditional service as well as one that provides for men and women participating equally.

Work Remotely: no
Qualifications:

Ordination from recognized Rabbinical school or Seminary

Position Start Date: Spring/Summer 2020
Benefits:

Parsonage is an option

Salary Range: Negotiable
Send resumes and cover letter to:

All inquiries including sending resumes and cover letter should be addressed to:
Bryan Lavine, Chair of the OVS Rabbinic Search Committee: rabbisearch@orveshalom.org

About Congregation Or VeShalom

OVS is centrally located in a geographically convenient community filled with young Jewish families and single professionals, many of whom are not yet affiliated. The greater Atlanta area, with a thriving and expanding Jewish community of over 120,000, offers a full range of Jewish day schools and kosher restaurants. The success and growth of our Jewish community is in large part due to the collaborative working relationships of area synagogues, day schools, the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, the Atlanta JCC, and a multitude of other Jewish organizations around the city.  Atlanta is a cosmopolitan city, with a myriad of cultural attractions, sporting events, and educational opportunities.