The special-interest rabbi

The Reform movement has lost sight of the forest for the trees.

It’s immaterial whether one ideologically or practically favors or opposes the recent decision by Hebrew Union College (HUC) to accept rabbinical students who are married to non-Jews. Most troubling is a seemingly willful misunderstanding of what it means to be a rabbi in today’s world.

Despite the idealistic dictionary definition or seminary aspirations, look at the job descriptions of the congregations and institutions that hire “rabbis.” You will find priorities given to education, spirituality and fiscal responsibility. You will find outreach to the unaffiliated, and perhaps pastoral work.

Yes, working with intermarried families is included in outreach and pastoral work, but these families are only one of many demographics. And, if a significant number of affiliated families are already intermarried, wouldn’t outreach be more directed to single parent, LGBTQ, shut-in, elderly and handicapped populations?

I have served in congregations as both rabbi and interim, and I have found that above all, the rabbi is expected to be two things: a role model and accessible. They must embody congregational values and be someone members can talk to, who cares and actively advocates for the Jewish community.

But Reform Judaism has made the rabbi into a special-interest position. If, as one advocate (Samira Mehta in The Forward) put it, “Finally, one of the major denominations will allow the clergy it ordains to reflect the reality of the community it serves,” then we have redefined the concept of rabbinic leadership and the community itself.

It’s just sad that I am dismissed being able to effectively serve intermarried families because I am not intermarried. As a divorced rabbi, I guess I am unable to serve and counsel those who are married or single by choice. As a father of daughters only, I guess I am unable to understand parents with sons.

And by that analogy, an intermarried rabbi is unable to work effectively with couples who are both Jewish.

True, not all rabbis are able to work with the many and varied dynamics of their congregants, but this is because of a lack of skill, experience or just plain insensitivity. To dismiss me out of hand is to prejudge my abilities and effectiveness.

If I may use a well-worn but appropriate analogy: the best coaches in sports never played professionally. Their knowledge and experience come from an understanding of the game that is not always accessible to a player.

And that so many affiliated families are already intermarried suggests that our current crop of rabbis is doing an effective job in outreach to this niche … and destroys this myopic view of what it means to be a rabbi.

If, as has been suggested, this policy is an attempt to remedy the current shortage of rabbis in Reform Judaism, then HUC would be better served in bettering the conditions of the rabbis in the field and help the community make the position more attractive to those who want to dedicate themselves in service of Judaism and the Jewish community.