Rabbi Janet Offel is the director of consulting and transition management in strengthening congregations at the Union for Reform Judaism. Prior to joining the URJ staff in July 2011, she served as the solo rabbi at Temple Kol Tikvah in Woodland Hills, CA. She began her rabbinic career as the assistant rabbi at Temple Isaiah in Los Angeles and has also served as an interim associate rabbi at Temple Aliyah in Woodland Hills, CA. Rabbi Offel has served the broader Jewish community in positions including hospice chaplain, community rabbi, and curriculum consultant. She has served the Reform Movement in a number of capacities and has also been an adjunct lecturer in the religious studies department at California State University at Northridge.
Embrace these cultural habits to inspire healthy leadership and promote good governance: sacred partnership, diversity, new ideas, and an inquisitive, positive mindset.
At some point, every congregation faces a time of rabbinic transition – and the process is inevitably an emotional one. Here are eight tips for managing that process.
As congregational families, how do we manage feelings of disruption and discomfort, especially as we prepare to welcome new clergy and senior staff to the temple family.