I don't really know what made me pursue a career in the rabbinate when I started almost 40 years ago. I didn't know what I was getting into then and I am not sorry now. I have served five congregations in the past 40 years.
Recently, a 16 year relationship with Northbrook Congregation Ezra Habonim, in Northbrook, Illinois came to end when my Congregation Board decided to merge with two other community congregations. I was caught by surprise when I learned that secret meetings were held to discuss the sale of the building that was our home and merger with other Congregations in our neighborhood. I was even more surprised when I learned that none of the rabbis from any of the other congregations were going to be kept. They were also baby boomers. I am the last one negotiating and feelings are raw.
I am 60 years old and just recovering from a rare but serious autoimmune sydrome that attacked my nervous system. There was a time in the not so distant past that I wondered if I would ever recover. Many of my colleagues are faced with similar circumstance, termination or early retirement and all of us are asking ourselves, What should I do now?
This blog is going to explore this issue. What to do now and how to do it. It is my hope that these friends will find this blog helpful.
