Appreciation for our Departing Rabbis

Remarks given at services, Saturday, July 18, 2009, by Harvey Sanders, President, upon presentation of a gift from the congregation to Rabbi Steven Conn. Rabbi Conn served as interim rabbi of Temple Beth Tzedek for 2008-2009, the first year of the merged congregation.

In April of 2007, the most recent merger discussions began between Temple Shaarey Zedek and Temple Beth El.  It took nearly a year of difficult and diligent work and there were many times when the merger seemed in jeopardy.  In March of 2008, both boards voted to recommend the merger to their respective memberships.  In May of 2008, both memberships voted to merge.  We were all so proud of this milestone accomplishment (and still are).

In January 2008, Temple Shaarey Zedek experienced a vacancy in its Rabbi position.  It began a search for an interim Rabbi.  Any Rabbi search is difficult.  Under the circumstances, this was a critical and time-sensitive search.  Rabbi Conn visited the week of the merger and made a great impression.  He started in July 2008 – just about one year ago.  We were so thrilled to have filled the position with Rabbi Conn.

We quickly learned these two accomplishments – the merger and hiring Rabbi Conn - were not conclusions, but only the beginning.  The work of the past year was significant.  I cannot even begin to list everything we accomplished during our first year.  Rabbi Conn knew we were merging and that Rabbi Shalman had left.  So I guess I could say he knew what he was getting himself into.  I can say that as a Vice President last year, I did not know what I was getting myself into.  A year later, Rabbi Conn and I are both standing here today.

While it is true Rabbi Conn is leaving, he is certainly not abandoning ship.  Like the tribes of Reuben and Gad in this week’s Parsha, who made the commitment to conquer the land before returning to the other side of the Jordan, Rabbi Conn made the promise to help us with this merger.  He certainly did.  Throughout the year, he never shrank away from a challenge.  Whenever there was an issue to be resolved, he studied the history of the predecessor congregations and then made the decision that was best for Temple Beth Tzedek.

Harold Gelfand recently observed that Rabbi Conn never seemed like an interim rabbi.  I took this in two ways.  First, Rabbi Conn came up to speed so quickly and became so comfortable with all of us that when you attended services it seemed like he had been serving this congregation for many years.  Second, Rabbi Conn never made a decision as if he was “just” an interim rabbi.  He made decisions based on what was in the best interest of the shul – period.

When considering a gift for Rabbi Conn, of course we turned to the Torah – as Rabbi Conn routinely did when guiding us throughout the year.  We considered the way that he pointed us in the right direction whenever there was a challenging issue to resolve.  And finally, we considered the fact that unlike here, where Cantor Spindler does almost all of the Torah reading, in Rabbi Conn’s new job in Plainview, LI, he will have to do half the torah reading.  He showed us today that he will be up to the task.  As you have undoubtedly figured out, we are presenting Rabbi Conn with a Yad to remember us by.  Just as he lent us a hand and pointed us in the right direction, we wanted to do the same for him.  Rabbi Conn – we will miss you and we will never forget you.  Thank you!

This spring (2009), we bade farewell to Rabbi Larry Moldo, who had served Temple Beth El as rabbi for three years, prior to the merger, and remained with Temple Beth Tzedek, the merged congregation, for one more year.  Under the merger agreement, Rabbi Moldo was generally responsible for the Friday evening services, overseeing the school and youth attendance as Shabbat services, teaching at Hebrew High, leading the confirmation program, and teaching adult education programs, including the daily mishnah, in addition to the usual duties of visiting the sick and bereaved, and officiating at life-cycle events.  Rabbi Moldo led an innovative series of programs entitled “Alternative Means for Connecting to G-d” during his year of service to Temple Beth Tzedek.

At Shavuot services in May, 2009, Marian Lustig, as a representative of the Board of Trustees of Temple Beth Tzedek and a past President of Temple Beth El, presented Rabbi Moldo with a tzedekah box, a symbol of acts of loving kindness, in appreciation for his service to our congregation and predecessor Temple Beth El during his tenure as rabbi.  Rabbi Moldo has accepted a pulpit in Modesto, California.