Overview
TBZ is an independent, inclusive Jewish congregation with members of all ages who are committed to each other, joyful participatory worship, meaningful Jewish learning, spiritual growth, and acts of social justice. We nurture a love for Judaism – for Jewish learning, ritual, and prayer – in order to deepen our commitment to justice and compassion and help each other live lives of meaning and purpose.
We are searching for an Assistant Rabbi, Director of Community Engagement to lead our efforts in engaging new and seasoned members, in order to help all members find their place in the community and strengthen the sustainability of TBZ.
A successful leader of TBZ’s community engagement work will get to know all members by learning about their interests, their hopes for involvement with TBZ and potential avenues for connection with other members. They will work with the TBZ staff to develop systems for community engagement. These systems may include the use of technology to capture important information about members and help scale our engagement efforts. The Assistant Rabbi will develop a diverse array of creative programs that help all members connect and find their place in the TBZ community, increase overall engagement, and create pathways to future leadership.
Outcomes and Goals
- Help to foster a relational culture that builds community and inspires belonging;
- Set up one-on-one time (breakfast, lunch, coffee, etc) with every new member and 25% of the existing membership each year;
- Cultivate a strong volunteer pipeline that increases the percent of congregants serving on committees and interested in serving on the Board;
- Implement an effective engagement strategy to re-engage members who are no longer actively involved in shul life;
- Create 2 new events and 2 new programs in year 1, in collaboration with TBZ’s rabbinic and lay leadership, that offer new ways for members to connect with each other in smaller groups or with the community as a whole;
- Develop/improve the systems to capture important information about members and their interests, make it easier to connect members to volunteer opportunities and relevant programs, and follow-up with members who participate in programs to gather feedback;
- Use and increase TBZ’s presence on social media as a tool for connection;
- Over time, improve membership acquisition and retention rates.
Responsibilities
- Rabbinic Community Engagement (70%):
- Meet with prospective, new, and current members in groups and one-on-one to assess member and community needs in order to develop and make informed programming decisions;
- Participate in Shabbat and holiday services and other community events to welcome and greet members and develop relationships;
- Use social media to connect with TBZ members and prospective members and promote TBZ’s vision, values, and goals;
- Collaborate with lay leadership in strengthening committees and other leadership positions; provide staff support for several committees;
- Work in collaboration with the Executive Director to evolve and improve systems, including data capture, that enable the team to scale engagement and volunteer efforts;
- Recognize evolving cohorts within the community and organize opportunities for connections and belonging.
- Pulpit and Pastoral Duties (20%):
- Participate with the davening team, leading Shabbat, holiday, and weekday services;
- Assist with other pastoral duties (i.e. life-cycle events) as needed.
- Other Responsibilities (10%):
- Other duties that may arise and be agreed to.
- Rabbinic Ordination from a recognized rabbinical school;
- Ability to work both independently, taking the initiative to do what is necessary to get the job done, and to work collaboratively as part of a team;
- Warm, self-motivated, and energetic with a vision for participation, engagement, and growth;
- Energized by building relationships and fostering personal connections;
- Effective organization, communication, and interpersonal skills;
- Proficiency with technology, experience with databases/CRM a plus;
- Skillful with social media and basic computer applications;
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills;
- Proficiency with leading services.
TBZ offers benefits that include health insurance, paid time off including Jewish and secular holidays, and a budget for professional development to pursue learning opportunities to build and strengthen the skills required in this role.
To apply please submit 1) a resume and 2) a letter of interest to assistantrabbisearch@tbzbrookline.org. We encourage applicants to submit as soon as possible. We will begin interviewing on a rolling basis.
About TBZ (Temple Beth Zion)
Located in Brookline's Washington Square, TBZ has been growing steadily with over 450 member households. TBZ is populated by an extraordinary mix of passionate people. We are families, solo parents, singles and those on single-life paths, newlyweds and longtime couples, college students, members of the LGBTQ community, newcomers to this land, people of all different ability types, interfaith and multicultural couples and families, Jews by choice, Jews of color, seekers of all kinds.
Our members come from a wide variety of spiritual and life paths. Some of us were raised in observant families. For others, TBZ is the first shul we have ever joined. Our weekly services are populated by former twice-a-year-Jews – those who, after b’nai mitzvah, would attend services only on the High Holy Days. Others among us had attended synagogues regularly, dutifully (if passively) following along in the prayer books, reading responsively and standing when asked, only to discover that something – anything; everything! – was missing. Many of us came to TBZ out of a longing we could barely begin to articulate, even to ourselves.
Unaffiliated with any one denomination, we steep ourselves in many Jewish traditions, weaving together a deeply coherent, radiantly alive Judaism enriched by borrowings from the Orthodox, Hasidic, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist and Renewal movements.
We practice an engaged Judaism. For us, that means caring for tradition while being mindful that tradition must change, thoughtfully, in response to changing times. Our Judaism is in motion, informed by our own ever-evolving community and remaining alert to how we can both serve and learn from the wider world.
We are a relaxed place. We laugh a lot. We ask questions, argue, sing, tell jokes. We cry when we need to. Sometimes we make room for silence, for just breathing together. We are a community of seekers and activists, of learners and teachers, of people who do not comfortably fit into neat categories of Judaism, of people who have long experience with other spiritual paths and find, to their delight, that they can achieve fulfillment within their own Jewish tradition without denigrating or negating the experiences they bring with them. TBZ is a place to find oneself. Alongside our commitment to passing on traditional forms of Judaism, we are constantly introducing innovative and creative means of expression. TBZ is an energy we carry within us and out into the world.
