As adopted and recommended by the URJ Board of Trustees and the CCAR -- Fall 1984
Guidelines for
RABBINICAL-CONGREGATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS
III. RABBINATE: (SENIOR) RABBI, ASSISTANT RABBI, ASSOCIATE RABBI
A. Engagement of Additional Rabbis
The decision to engage additional Rabbis shall be by mutual agreement between the (Senior) Rabbi and the Congregation or its Board of Trustees.
B.Titles
Some Congregations designate each member of the rabbinic staff as Rabbi. Others prefer the titles Senior Rabbi (or Rabbi), Assistant Rabbi, Associate Rabbi. An Assistant Rabbi is generally a Rabbi with less than five years' experience after ordination, although older Rabbis may occupy assistantships.
It should be remembered that each member of the rabbinic staff, of whatever title or rank, is an ordained Rabbi. Assistant and Associate Rabbis are as much entitled to the respect and dignity accorded to the rabbinic office as is a (Senior) Rabbi.
C. The Assistant Rabbi
The selection or re-engagement of the Assistant Rabbi shall be subject to the recommendation and approval of the (Senior) Rabbi. Prior to the engagement of the Assistant, the (Senior) Rabbi, in consultation with the appropriate congregational body, shall define the areas in which the Assistant Rabbi is to function. In performing these duties, the Assistant shall be responsible to the (Senior) Rabbi, reporting to him/her on all matters of policy and program before taking action.
Upon completion of three years of satisfactory service to the Congregation, the Assistant Rabbi, upon the recommendation of the (Senior) Rabbi to the Congregation or Board or its appropriate committee, shall be eligible for promotion to the position of Associate Rabbi.
D. The Associate Rabbi
The title of Associate Rabbi may be conferred by the Congregation, upon the recommendation and approval of the (Senior) Rabbi and the concurrence of the Board of Trustees, in accordance with one of the following options:
1. An Assistant Rabbi whom the Congregation wishes to retain after the initial three years of service.
2. A newly engaged Rabbi with not less than five years of rabbinic experience.
3. A Rabbi who is engaged with the assurance of succession when the incumbent retires, provided that the Associate will then be eligible under the Guidelines established by the Rabbinical Placement Commission. A Congregation should engage an Associate-Successor only when the (Senior) Rabbi has announced the date of retirement, and when that date is not more than three years in the future.
The duties and responsibilities of the Associate Rabbi shall be determined by the (Senior) Rabbi and the Congregation or the Board of Trustees.
After an Associate Rabbi who has received the title under options (1) or (2) has served the Congregation for three years, the (Senior) Rabbi and the Board of Trustees should decide whether (a) the Associate, if eligible under Placement Guidelines, is to be regarded as successor to the pulpit when the (Senior) Rabbi retires, or whether (b) the Associate is to be invited to remain in his/her present position with the clear understanding that successorship is not to be expected, or whether (c) the Associate is to seek another position, the Congregation allowing ample time to secure placement, or whether (d) the Associate may eventually be considered a candidate for succession to the pulpit, together with other candidates whose names will be provided by the Placement Commission. This determination should be recorded in the Minutes of the Congregation.
E. Co-Rabbi
Experience indicates that effective leadership requires that rabbinic responsibility be vested in a single (Senior) Rabbi. The position of Co-Rabbi is not recommended.
F. The Rabbi Serving Part-Time
Congregations may engage the service of a Rabbi to serve on a part-time basis, either as Rabbi of the Congregation or as an Assistant or Associate Rabbi or to assist the Rabbi of the Congregation. The duties and responsibilities should be precisely defined in writing, specifying how many hours each week and how many days each month are to be devoted to the part-time post. The Rabbi's privacy should be respected in regard to those hours or days not specifically designated for congregational service. The Rabbi serving part-time is entitled to be elected for a fixed term and to receive prorated pension and other fringe benefits, as provided in subsequent sections of this booklet.
G. Temple Staff
The (Senior) Rabbi is the supervisor of the professional staff. The especial competence brought to the service of the Congregation by each professional staff member must always be respected. The selection and engagement of professional staff members shall be upon the recommendation of the (Senior) Rabbi and the appropriate congregational committee. The professional staff, whenever possible, should be chosen from the membership of the American Conference of Cantors (ACC), the National Association of Temple Educators (NATE), and the National Association of Temple Administrators (NATA).
H. Pulpit Succession
Congregations seeking a Rabbi to fill a pulpit vacancy and Rabbis desiring a change of pulpit are required to follow the procedures established by the Rabbinical Placement Commission, an agency under the joint sponsorship of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and the Central Conference of American Rabbis. The address of the Rabbinical Placement Commission is 355 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10017; telephone 212.972.3636..
The Commission's pamphlet, 'When Your Congregation Seeks a New Rabbi,' and other materials on rabbinic placement will be sent to Congregations and Rabbis on request.
1. Candidates for Ordination
Students about to be ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion are placed jointly by the College-Institute and the Rabbinical Placement Commission. The date on which senior students will be available for interviews will be announced each year by the College-Institute and the Commission, and meetings between applicants and congregational search committees will be arranged by the College-Institute placement officers at the Cincinnati and New York Schools. Congregations seeking the services of newly-ordained Rabbis are asked to communicate initially with the Placement Commission.
2. Credentials
Congregations should be aware that pulpit vacancies may attract applications from individuals of questionable character and credentials. Members of the Central Conference of American Rabbis will discuss placement only through the Rabbinical Placement Commission. Any application received directly from a Rabbi should be forwarded to the Director of Placement, 21 East 40 Street, New York, NY 10016.
I. Former Rabbis
Rabbis who have maintained contact with members of the Congregations to which they previously ministered should be guided by the provisions of the CCAR Code of Ethics, which states:
No Rabbi should offer and/or render such pastoral attentions to members of other congregations, as will disturb the relations between Rabbinical colleagues, between congregations, or between a Rabbi and a member of his/her Congregation.
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