Education Director at Beth El Synagogue
Role
The Educator Director will lead, guide, and inspire our children and families for our growing and vibrant synagogue. We aim to give our families the skills and desire for Jewish living. We seek a Jewish educator with a vision for engaging and educating our community’s children and their families—from expecting parents to high school graduation. This individual should have the skills to create best-in-class programs for our school-age children.
Responsibilities
- Evaluate/create a curriculum for all age groups within our Talmud Torah Program. We seek an individual who can introduce modern ideas and innovative approaches and navigate the ever-changing educational landscape with adaptability and foresight.
- Responsible for vibrant pre-Kadima, Kadima, and USY programming, including supervising and hiring potential new staff to grow the team.
- Collaborate with the Rabbi to develop robust inter-generational family e
- Recruiting, hiring, and retaining knowledgeable and effective teachers and youth group leaders.
- Administer day-to-day operation of the Talmud Torah
- Oversee Youth and Family Services for Shabbat and holidays.
- Measure and evaluate engagement and program success.
- Manage attendance and contacts through ShulCloud software.
- Ritual and lifecycle officiation when Rabbi is not available (for candidates with Rabbinic ordination/candidacy)
Desired Background
- Strong record of successful educational administration including knowledge of, and commitment to, the principles of the Conservative movement
- Exceptional oral and written communication skills to relate effectively with kids, families, and the community.
- Leadership skills to help guide/mentor teachers and staff.
- Ability to think critically about meeting our community's current and changing needs.
- Self-starter who effectively manages time as a resource. Gives balanced attention to appropriate long-term and short-term priorities.
- See themselves as part of a larger team.
Compensation and Benefits
As summarized below, Beth El offers a competitive salary and generous benefits package. Candidates invited for an interview can receive more specific information on benefits.
Salary: $80,000 to $100,000 depending on experience and education (e.g. Rabbinic ordination)
Benefits: health insurance stipend, professional development allowance, professional dues, retirement plan with employer contribution, synagogue dues, religious school tuition discount, flexible spending account for health spending/childcare and/or eldercare, paid vacation/sick leave/family leave, paid holidays
To Apply
Interested candidates should e-mail a cover letter and resume to [email protected]. Applications will be kept confidential, and reference checking will only be performed with the candidate's permission. The last date to submit application materials is April 28, 2024, but candidates are encouraged to apply quickly, as application materials will be evaluated on a rolling basis.
Equal opportunity organization
Beth El is committed to providing a workplace free from discrimination or harassment. We expect every community member to do their part to cultivate and maintain an environment where everyone can feel included and is afforded the respect and dignity they deserve.
Decisions related to hiring, compensation, training, evaluating performance, or terminating are made fairly, and we provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified candidates and employees. We examine our unconscious biases and take responsibility for always striving to create an inclusive environment that makes every employee and candidate feel welcome. We treat our community members with the same dignity and respect and expect all employees to do the same.
Who We Are
Synagogue
Beth El is a pluralistic community that welcomes members with diverse backgrounds, ideas, levels of knowledge, and observance. We are an egalitarian Conservative congregation and a member of the Southeast Seaboard District of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. We offer an Orthodox Kehillah affiliated with the Orthodox Union for those who wish to worship according to that tradition.
Educational Philosophy
We strive for children at Beth El to grow up with the skills and desire for a lifetime of connection to the Torah, tefillah, Israel & the Jewish people, the world, and God. Through a combination of Talmud Torah, family, and youth programs, our children emerge not only with strong synagogue skills (Shabbat and weekday prayer, Torah & haftarah reading, tefillin) but also with a sense that Judaism is a powerful way to confront life’s critical questions. Learning at Beth El assumes
- Jewish life is most fully lived through community and connection; therefore, children’s education cannot exist in a vacuum but must connect kids to each other, multiple generations in the community, and to other Jewish communities, past, present, and future.
- Students are encouraged to participate in modern and ancient Jewish conversations. By listening, asking, and answering questions, we hope to build a strong and critical Jewish identity.
- Immersion in Jewish ritual and communal living is a pre-requisite for understanding the vocabulary of the Jewish tradition (i.e., to understand “Shabbat” one must experience Shabbat).
- Religious education must engage every student's heart, mind, and soul.
The Community
Beth El Synagogue has strong ties to the university communities of Duke, the University of North Carolina, and NC State, all within a half-hour drive to the synagogue. Durham is a colorful, creative, and entrepreneurial community that continuously earns accolades as one of the best places in the country to visit, live, and do business. With nationally acclaimed restaurants, shopping, historical sites, and many other things to do, Durham is where wonderful things happen. A sizable portion of our congregation comes from Chapel Hill, a town that continually receives accolades for being a top location to visit, live, and do business. The A & E television channel recently recognized Chapel Hill as the #2 city in their “Top Ten Cities to Have it All” and Money magazine rated the town as the #1 “Best Place to Live in the South.” Durham-Chapel Hill is part of what is known as the Research Triangle, home to the Research Triangle Park that is one of the nation's fastest-growing high-tech centers. Residents of the Durham-Chapel Hill area can easily take advantage of the many cultural amenities of nearby Raleigh, NC.
Centrally located in the state, Durham-Chapel Hill offers a convenient departure point for day trips to explore all that the beautiful State of North Carolina has to offer--from the breathtaking scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the gentle, breaking waves of our ocean coastline.
For More Information
For more information on the Beth El Synagogue, visit us on the web at:
http://www.betheldurham.org
Beth El Synagogue is affiliated with the Conservative movement. For more information on the Conservative Mov