ITS virtually unheard of for a senior rabbi with no intention of retiring or moving away to willingly offer his or her position to the assistant rabbi.
But thats exactly what transpired in Boulder earlier this summer.
On July 1, Joshua Rose became Har HaShems senior rabbi with the full support of the congregations spiritual leader, Rabbi Deborah Bronstein.
In fact, the whole thing was entirely her idea.
Bronstein, 52, who joined Har HaShem as senior rabbi in 1994, has no desire to leave or opt for emeritus status.
Nor is she stepping down to the assistant level.
People just call me rabbi, Bronstein tells the IJN.
Bronstein is actively pursuing a congregational vision encompassing her two greatest passions pastoral care and social justice.
I have always understood, in theological terms at least, that there are lots of ways to walk in G-ds ways, she says. Whether its tzeddek or chesed or social justice, it doesnt really matter.
During a 2008 sabbatical to Sudan, Bronstein spent a long period with a nun who administers to the needs of lost boys and girls from Sudan and orphans in Kenya.
It was the perfect environment for reflection, self-examination and a profound new awareness.
At certain stages in life you think, Well, my life has unrolled this far already, why change course? Bronstein says. But I kept questioning whether my current path was the one I really wanted to be on.
In the isolation of Sudan, her thoughts crystallized like the immense stars above her head.
She returned to Har HaShem with a singular goal devoting her energies to social justice rather than juggling the CEO side of the job.
A skilled and compassionate counselor, Bronstein envisioned integrating an awareness of congregants individual needs with social justice so that it permeates all other things.
I wanted to make visiting the sick, comforting the bereaved, serving different needs in our community and in the world part of our congregational consciousness.
But I knew I couldnt do that and be senior rabbi at the same time.
Bronstein realized the first order of business was delicately approaching Rose about her desire to swap hierarchical roles within the 500 family-unit Reform temple.
IN 2007, Har HaShem hired Joshua Rose, then 37, as assistant rabbi straight out of HUC-JIR in New York. It was his first pulpit appointment.
When Rabbi Bronstein returned from her sabbatical, we began to dialogue about how we could build a different future together, Rose tells the IJN.
I asked him if he would be theoretically interested in this idea of me having a whole new role where Id concentrate on pastoral care and social action as a single theological act, Bronstein recalls.
Rose would take over as senior rabbi, and she would supervise projects directly related to her spiritual passions at least half of the time.
Despite the inherent problems and a lack of existing paradigms, Bronstein was convinced this was the best solution.
She says that from the moment Rose started his tenure at Har HaShem, she recognized his potential.
Ever since Josh arrived, I realized that I never had the opportunity to work with someone as wonderful as he is, Bronstein says. He is completely exceptional. What hes done for this congregation is more than I could ever have expected.
Upon hearing her comments, Rose reacts in kind.
Im incredibly blessed to work with Rabbi Bronstein, he says. She and I are quite different in terms of our interests and how Judaism finds expression through us.
But we share a deep level of connection and spiritual empathy that allows us to work together. Shes a great teacher, a magnificent rabbi and a really wonderful partner in building Jewish community.
Despite her tantalizing suggestion and stunning vote of confidence, Rose had to think about Bronsteins revolutionary proposal.
This was obviously a significant decision for me as a Jew and a rabbi, and a significant moment for our congregation, he says.
I needed to talk with my wife Channah and make sure this was a good spiritual fit for us and our young son (they now have two).
I also had to do some soul searching and self-reflection about who I am whether I was the right person to provide for the needs of this congregation.
When he completed the deliberation process, Rose had his answer.
It was a clear yes, he says.
As soon as they reached an agreement, the rabbis pursued the proper institutional channels.
Paul Schwartz, who was synagogue president when Rabbi Bronstein first broached the subject with him last summer, responded enthusiastically.
I saw this as an opportunity for Har HaShem to have the best of both worlds, he tells the IJN.
We would have the continued leadership and extraordinary service of Rabbi Bronstein, and the thoughtful and dynamic leadership of Rabbi Rose, who clearly had the talent and ability to serve as senior rabbi.
On Dec. 8, 2009, Har HaShem held a congregational vote regarding Roses promotion to senior rabbi and Bronsteins desire to coordinate and expand pastoral care and social justice projects at the synagogue.
The vote passed overwhelmingly, Schwartz says, but the huge congregational turnout and participation was the most extraordinary thing Ive ever seen.
This was an acknowledgement of the moments significance in our history, and an affirmation of what both rabbis are bringing to our future.
The beauty of the partnership between Rabbis Rose and Bronstein is that their responsibilities overlap, reinforce, duplicate yet individuate.
Rabbi Rose delivers sermons. So does Rabbi Bronstein, but on a less frequent basis.
Jewish education and Torah are extremely important to both of them.
Rose and Bronstein officiate at weddings, funerals and Bar Mitzvahs, and proclaim social action from the rooftop.
Both are integral to Har HaShems religious identity.
Still, their roles deviate.
Rabbi Bronstein has cut back from 60 to 40 hours a week.
Rabbi Roses 60-hour week is gaining weight as we speak.
The short version, says Rose, is that Im responsible for the staff and direction of the congregation.
He attends a plethora of meetings and is involved in every nuance of congregational life.
Bronstein attends far fewer meetings and no longer supervises.
If we were to make a job chart, Rabbi Rose is at the top, Bronstein says. In terms of my other responsibilities, it really has to do with the use of my time.
But I dont make the final calls anymore, she laughs.
THE Union of Reform Judaism (URJ) and Rabbis Leonard Thal and Alan Henkin, who have advised numerous congregations on navigating rabbinical transitions, consult regularly with Har HaShem.
However, because there is no precedent, the key players must rely not only on external guidelines but also their wits, experiences, instincts and intellects.
As senior rabbi, Rose administers the various methods and means that result in intensified Jewish engagement and learning at Har HaShem.
He sets the ritual tone of the congregation; implements programs targeted at all age groups; and tries to strengthen Judaism wherever Jews gather.
I dont want to be presumptuous and make assumptions about what senior rabbis do, Rose says of his new duties. Everyone is pushing the envelope.
But our congregation is doing some interesting things, like consciously attempting to construct Jewish community at the synagogue.
For so many in the Jewish community, as well as the American community, life has become increasingly atomized.
People are deeply tied to their families, but the bonds of community and traditions are more tenuous.
When Har HaShem began, it was a small shul where everybody knew everybody else.
Thats changed.
The answer, he says, is offering the very classic modes of synagogue life like traditional prayerful services with lively musical services, Shabbat at Home experiences outside the temple and once-monthly Shabbat dinners at Har HaShem.
Rose has launched two programs for members in their 20s and 30s: Kulam, a group that communicates and plans a variety of Jewish events via a website; and Soul Food, conversations about the nexus between Jewish and mainstream culture co-led by Orthodox Rabbi Gavriel Goldfeder of Kelillath Aish Kodesh.
Other intriguing projects accommodate older members.
Ultimately, my vision is forging an opportunity to bond with another person in every aspect of life at Har HaShem, Rose says.
How do we make synagogues catalysts for community not for this program or that program, but in everything we do?
RABBI Bronstein, a compassionate listener, healer and powerful voice for tikkun olam, oversees synagogue infrastructure for social action and pastoral care, whether on a personal or global scale.
Ill be working on local poverty and environmental issues, she says. Im very concerned about people in Boulder who are homeless and chronically mentally ill.
In addition to supervising the team that brings meals to mourners, shes interested in forming a system where congregants accompany older and-or single members to doctors appointments.
Those visits can be very confusing, she says. People need a third-party that can ask the right questions, take notes, keep a list of all medications.
The Sudan occupies a special place on her agenda, both as an individual and a rabbi.
Were working on a project that will improve the medical situation in a city in southern Sudan, says Bronstein, who also is contacting Jewish and interfaith groups to ship anti-malarial nets and coordinate personnel to dig wells where none exist.
For Jews, there are lots of opportunities for spiritual development in the mitzvot that allow us to work in an interfaith and inter-congregational way, she says.
Bronstein describes her efforts to raise and sustain awareness of Sudan as something very tangible that will help undo what happened in the Holocaust indifference.
Many of the lost girls come from this particular city. I want those girls to know that they have not been forgotten.
PEOPLE who have witnessed a longtime rabbi transition to emeritus as the new spiritual leader stamps his or her imprint on the congregation all have stories to tell.
Some fit into the murder mystery genre, while others read like Snow White.
Eventually, conflicts resolve themselves and allegiances settle.
Whats unique at Har HaShem is that the two major rabbinical figures traded places without a hint of clashing egos or resentments.
Professionally, its a clear case of bashert.
Rose is confident in his abilities. Bronstein has every confidence in hers.
And they trust one another.
Bronstein cites Roses technological fluency as a major factor in attracting the disenfranchised and unaffiliated: Hes strong in big picture visioning, especially in this era, she notes.
Rose laughs.
Shes so bad at (technology) that she thinks everyone else is good!
Its true, you have to use whats out there, he adds. You have to be able to tweet and text and use Facebook. But at the end of the day, people are looking for actual contact in three dimensions.
Throughout Roses tenure as assistant rabbi, Bronstein really encouraged me to delve into areas of congregational development where she felt I had a knack, Rose says. She pushed me in areas where she felt I needed work.
Finally she let me spread my wings.
Even for a teacher of Bronsteins caliber, there is no greater compliment.
We are breaking new ground, so were still encountering our share of challenges, says current board president Andrew Halperin. But the congregation is truly honored to have both rabbis involved in Har HaShem.
Paul Schwartz, immediate past president, agrees that there are always challenges. But so far, theres been nothing I would characterize as major or unexpected.
There are always bumps in the road. But I certainly dont regret, or anticipate regretting, the course upon which weve embarked.
Rose admits that he and Bronstein diverge on their road less traveled.
Rabbi Bronstein demonstrates how Jewish teaching can connect to healing lives in our world tikkun olam and pastoral care while Im interested in opening up the gates of traditional Jewish texts and teachings to those who are otherwise unfamiliar with them.
We have different kinds of Jewish energy, but they work together beautifully.
Bronstein, her soft voice relaxed and content, offers the final insight.
Im really lucky, she says. Its one of those times when it really pays to be a rabbi in Boulder.
Copyright © 2010 by the Intermountain Jewish News
