Beth El Synagogue, a vibrant egalitarian Conservative Jewish congregation in Omaha, Nebraska, with 430 family units, seeks a well-rounded, enthusiastic and engaging Jewish professional and leader who will partner with our Rabbi, other staff, lay leaders and congregants in continuing to advance Beth El’s leadership position as an innovative, inclusive Conservative institution.
As an active participant in the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, we are committed to the principles and values of Conservative Judaism.
The ideal candidate will play a key role in partnering with the Rabbi to lead the spiritual, educational and ritual aspects of Beth El. In addition to leading or co-leading services, you will tutor and mentor B’nai Mitzvah students, and work to foster an inclusive, meaningful and engaging Jewish experience for congregants of all ages.
The successful candidate will have primary responsibility for musical elements of religious services and other aspects of congregational life. Appreciation and knowledge of traditional and contemporary liturgical and non-liturgical settings is important. This role is for a strong leader with deep knowledge of Jewish traditions, passion for education, commitment to community building, and the ability to conduct services in ways designed to increase congregational engagement and participation.
Essential Qualifications
Candidates may display a wide variety of professional qualifications and congregational experiences. While some aspects of our job responsibilities are consistent with those of an ordained Hazzan or Rabbi, ordination as such – while welcome – is not a firm requirement. The following qualifications are more important than specific titles or specialized education. These qualifications include:
- A strong desire to provide educational opportunities for congregants of all ages, with emphasis on children and youth.
- Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to develop positive relationships and inspire and encourage participation.
- Demonstrated ability to collaborate with synagogue staff and congregants on a range of activities.
- Excellent organization, time management and communication skills, including ability to organize and potentially direct areas of interest outside of traditional cantorial and/or rabbinic duties.
- Possess vocal skills and appreciation and knowledge of traditional and contemporary Jewish music, including liturgical settings. Formal music training is not required but strongly encouraged.
- Ability to manage and/or lead the full range of services held throughout the year, including weekly, daily and High Holiday services.
- Competency in reading and understanding Hebrew, and ability to read and teach Torah, Haftarah and Megillot.
- Demonstrated ability and experience working with young people to increase their level of engagement with Conservative Judaism.
- Flexibility to fill gaps and roles as they emerge. Versatility will be an important virtue for the successful candidate.
- Demonstrated experience working in a Jewish educational environment and a proven ability to create quality educational programs is highly desirable, but not required.
The ideal candidate will:
- Help congregants develop their interests and skills in leading services and make assignments for member participation.
- Chant Torah, Haftarah and Megillot as required, and draw on Beth El’s corps of capable congregants to participate in these opportunities.
- Teach and develop Torah, Haftarah and Megillah skills in congregants.
- Incorporate traditional and contemporary prayer melodies in services and events.
- Develop and coordinate alternative and creative Shabbat and holiday musical components.
- Collaborate with the Rabbi and lay leaders to plan and enhance religious services and special observances, ensuring they are accessible and meaningful for a diverse congregation.
- Work with Beth El’s Religious Life Committee to develop initiatives that increase congregational engagement with services.
- Coordinate and provide individual and small-group tutoring to B’nai Mitzvah students for Torah and Haftarah chanting and service participation.
- Conduct or assist the Rabbi with life cycle and personal events including funerals, weddings, and baby namings when needed.
- Organize annual concert events.
- Find creative ways to incorporate new music into synagogue life.
- Lead our current group of singers.
- Collaborate with educational staff to support religious school programming and curriculum development.
- Teach classes in the Beth El Synagogue Talmud Torah.
- Conduct adult education classes.
- Develop opportunities for intergenerational education programming and activities.
- Fashion innovative program offerings using your special talents.
- Work to enrich programs for people of all ages.
- Assist the Rabbi with visiting cholim, helping people through difficult times, and providing counsel to demonstrate how Judaism can provide insight and assistance. Also, recognize congregants who may require professional intervention.
- Work with the Rabbi and staff to coordinate religious life initiatives.
- Participate in regular staff meetings and collaborate on synagogue programming, strategic planning and other activities.
- Assist in developing and managing budgets related to religious life and B’nai Mitzvah programming.
- Assist with translations of names and dates on cemetery stones.
Supplementary Roles
No one person can do everything, and that will not be expected. Nevertheless, we expect you to be a leader in one or more of these supplementary roles: Youth Programming and Leadership; Community Outreach; Cemetery Programming; Writing and Communications; and Strategic Planning. We look forward to understanding your personal areas of interest and how they can help our community.
About Omaha, Nebraska
The successful candidate will find that Beth El and the greater Omaha Jewish community provide a rewarding environment for professional development, intellectual challenge and spiritual growth.
Omaha, a metropolitan community with a population of about 1 million, offers an unusually large number of assets and attractions. Its Henry Doorly Zoo is rated among America’s five best zoos. A revitalized riverfront includes a Discovery Playground, a major urban park, the Kiewit Luminarium Science Center, the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, and in the near future a major Children’s Museum. Arts offerings include The Joslyn – a major and recently expanded art museum; a high-quality symphony, and a lively theater and art community. The Omaha area’s higher educational offerings include Creighton University, the University of Nebraska at Omaha, the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Bellevue University, Clarkson College, College of Saint Mary and a variety of community colleges.
Omaha is a major center for sports and physical activity and is home to the NCAA Men’s College World Series. Local teams include Creighton’s nationally ranked basketball team, UNO’s highly rated hockey team, professional men’s soccer and women’s volleyball teams, and the Omaha Storm Chasers – the Kansas City Royals’ top minor league club. The city also has an extensive park system, a regional trail network of over 100 miles, a variety of walkable neighborhood business districts, and historic and contemporary urban neighborhoods.
Like the overall city, Jewish Omaha offers resources that are the envy of larger communities. In addition to Beth El, the city has Reform and Modern Orthodox congregations, a Chabad Center and a unique living history synagogue across the Missouri River in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Omaha has a dynamic Jewish Federation. Its campus includes a large Jewish Community Center housing cultural, social and physical activities; the Rose Blumkin Jewish Home for the Aged; and the Friedel Jewish Academy, which provides a great secular and Jewish education to kids from kindergarten through eighth grade. Additionally, Creighton, UNO and the University of Nebraska – Lincoln have centers for Jewish Studies with endowed staff. The Jewish Publication Society (JPS) is an imprint of the University of Nebraska Press. The Jewish Federation of Omaha also publishes a weekly newspaper, the Jewish Press.
Salary: Commensurate with experience. We expect that this range will fall between $120,000 and $170,000, again depending on both experience, qualities and consistency with our goals for the successful candidate.
To apply, please send your expression of interest, resume and links to your Jewish leadership experience to: [email protected]