Are you the next Temple Habonim Education Director?

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Read on to find out.
Read on to find out.

 

/Temple HabonimRobert Frost has said, “I am not a teacher, but an awakener.” Temple Habonim’s past Education Director, Linda Silverman Levine, had a saying of her own. She liked the quote, “Every teacher is a learner, and every learner is a teacher.” The Search Committee members don’t know yet who the new director at Habonim will be. They do know they are looking for someone who is a representation of the two statements above. The Jewish Voice sat down with Nicole Jellinek and Craig Gordon, co-chairs of the committee, to find out exactly what qualities the candidate for the position must possess to be “practically perfect in every way.”

The idea to hire a professional education director emerged with Rabbi James Rosenberg’s retirement. Seven and a half years ago, Silverman Levine was hired to take on the role and merged seamlessly with it. Now, the committee members can’t fathom how they ever managed without an education director – the person is so vital to the community. Jellinek explains, “Linda’s leaving was a loss for us. She was innovative, she was creative, she was the first education director. We are trying to fill some shoes.” Brenda Gross-Stahl is filling them in the interim. However, the temple expects a new education director to start in June.

Temple Habonim is a relatively small congregation in Barrington of about 200 families and 125 students. The new director will join a staff that consists of the rabbi and the temple administrator. The director will lead the 11 teachers, helping them instill the values of Jewish heritage in the program’s three schools – Religious School (Kindergarten through seventh grade), Chai School (grades eight through ten) and Hebrew School (grades three through seven).

Gordon elaborates on the crucial role the temple plays in forming the students’ sense of self, “They are coming to our temple because they all identify as Jewish and we want to enhance that sense every time they come through our building. It’s an important community center for families to come together, celebrate Judaism and engage.” Rabbi Andrew (Andy) Klein, whom Gordon describes as “wonderfully supportive,” will work together with the education director to encourage the learning of the students and their families.

The school boasts a diverse student body. Because the children bring different abilities and backgrounds, the education director will be tasked with maintaining, developing and enhancing a sense of inclusion, welcome and belonging. Hence, the committee is looking for someone who offers not only stellar professional skills, but also appropriate personal traits. Overseeing various learning needs, which range from those of interfaith families to those of differently abled students, is at the core of the role. The congregation’s openness and inclusivity requires the education director to work within the scope of tremendous diversity of Jewish knowledge.

Jellinek describes the type of candidate they are looking for as “someone who has some experience in curriculum development and somebody who is aware of the current trends in religious education and interested in experiential learning and teaching to the needs of differential learners.” In addition to searching for a wonderful instructor who has taught Jewish education classes in the past, the committee would like to consider someone with musical abilities because the congregation, along with the current teachers, has determined music to be a great way to involve students and their families.

As of now, the salaried position is a part-time one – between 20 and 25 hours per week. However, the co-chairs stress that they’re able to expand the scope and the compensation for the position by including song leading at Shabbat (three or four times a month) and at B’nai Mitzvah services and some holidays. While Habonim has a long-standing relationship with Dr. Daniel Marwil, “a well-established cantor,” Gordon shares that hiring a director possessing musical abilities would be a great bonus.

If you lack such talent, don’t despair – not all is lost. As long as you are a creative person, you have the opportunity to bring your enthusiasm, ideas and innovations to effect a change.

Emphasizing the strong foundation the new director will be able to use as a guidepost, Gordon says, “Our very first leader did a wonderful job and we are hoping that the new person we hire will take it from that level and bring it to an even higher level.” One of the duties pertaining to the position will be to lead the faculty, most of whom lack the training and prior teaching experience. These teachers are avocational– they are people who want to be involved with a religious school. Only a few of them are certified as teachers; most hold day jobs, employed in fields such as business and social work.

The goal for the education director will be not only to mentor, support and assist the faculty, but also to inspire them, enhancing their love of Jewish culture and an overall sense of Jewish community. It’s advantageous that the position is starting in the summer when religious school is not in session. The director will be able to use this time to focus on collaborating with the teachers and developing the curriculum.

Jellinek and Gordon feel proud about the process they are using to select the candidates. A committee consisting of twelve congregants – parents, students, teachers, youth group members – will review the qualifications of the applicants together. Gordon says, “As much as we are absolutely looking for an innovative, creative person, we are following a very deliberate process that involves all the congregation as a community. We have held a series of forums and done an online survey to get the community feedback.”

If you think you have the core values required by the role and can handle the responsibilities of an imaginative and stimulating leader, get a jump on the competition and get in touch with the Education Search Committee of Temple Habonim by emailing them at employment@templehabonim.org or calling at 401-245-6536.