Overview
We are a merged Reform-Conservative Temple (merger was back in the 1960’s) in Lima, Ohio and we are looking for a Reform Rabbi or Cantor, retired or not who is willing to come bi-monthly to conduct Friday night Shabbat Eve Services, Saturday morning Adult Learning classes and teach one or two conversion students. We have one member in a nursing home and between Friday afternoon and Saturday afternoon, we encourage the rabbi/cantor to visit her when in town. Most of our rabbis have come to us from Columbus and one from Cincinnati, OH. We request two weekends per month closest to Jewish holidays plus a rabbi/cantor to conduct High Holidays services for us. We have a cantorial soloist (non-Jewish area college student) until December, and will need a replacement. That is one main reason we are looking for a cantor to fulfill our needs. We want EITHER a cantor OR a rabbi, not both. We are a small but active congregation with mostly older members and a few young families. We sponsor a corned beef fundraiser on Super Bowl Sunday and sell 900 lunches (in little Lima), so we have great community support and are also part of the Lima Interfaith Fellowship.
Lima is midway between Dayton and Toledo in Northwest Ohio, and is between one and two hours from Columbus and Cincinnati. We are also an hour from Ft. Wayne, IN to the west. Lima proper is about 38,000 people, but with the surrounding suburbs and outlying areas, the metro population is about 150,000. Our Jewish population used to have 300-400 families in the 1950's-60's but children grew up and left. The two Jewish synagogues (shul and temple) merged in the mid-1960's and have been a Reform congregation ever since. We have had student rabbis and retired rabbis, some right out of rabbinical school, and some who were here for many years. We have a few young families with all boys plus a young family with a newborn, as all other children have grown and gone. The congregation is mostly older adults - cultured, intelligent, well-read, and involved with Adult Learning classes even more than with Services. The classes have some non-Jews who attend. We are a temple family and celebrate holidays together, mourn and rejoice together. We have a Bar Mitzvah student this weekend and will celebrate with him, although his training has been at a temple in Dayton with a much larger Jewish population of peers. The family joined both temples. We have a few snowbirds who go to Florida for 5-6 months of the year but those who are here come to services as much as they can. We have a core group of about 30+ people here and another 20+ who maintain Associate Memberships to get our bulletins but live outside of Lima or Ohio. We have had rabbis who will conduct mixed marriages and some who will not. We understand personal preferences. We do have a transgender member who is still in her transition and not all temple members have met her as her trans self yet, but she is being very well-accepted. We had a gay rabbi for 12 years whom we all loved and we are very open to all. We have some Conservative people politically, but many liberal thinkers. If you think you would fit in with us, please contact us and come and meet us!
Ordained cantor or rabbi, retired or not, male or female, or former camp leader who also connects with older adults and wishes to have a part-time position. We meet two weekends per month for Shabbat Services on Friday nights, and need the spiritual leader to teach an Adult Learning class on Saturday (Shabbat) mornings. The candidate will also teach any conversion students and help with Hebrew training for any Bar Mitzvah students. The rabbi/cantor will conduct a 30-minute Family service for each major holiday preceding the adult service. We hope the candidate will help us to promote our temple by social media and other contacts encouraging more Jewish families to move to Lima. Other rabbis have taught college classes at various universities (Hebrew, Jewish studies, comparative religion) or Temples in their hometowns to supplement their income.
Large bonus for High Holy Days Services, vacation for the month of July and last 2 weeks in December (depending on when Chanukah falls). Temple pays for mileage to travel here and for hotel costs to stay overnight, unless you are willing to stay with a Temple member. Past rabbis have been independent contractors with us - this is negotiable.
Connie Levy Hornung, President
Temple Beth Israel-Shaare Zedek
1678 Jo Jean Road
Lima, OH 45806-1743