Congregational Questionnaire

Synagogue Name: ______ Date:______

Address:______

City:______State/Province:____Postal Code:______

Country: ______

Telephone:______Fax:______

Website:______

Primary Contact’s Email:______

Facebook Page:______

Twitter Handle: ______

What websites can the candidate check for more informationregarding the larger Jewish community?

What websites can the candidate check for more information for the general geographic area?

Part I: Primary Mission

  1. Who are you as a congregation? Please describe your institutional story in one paragraph:
  1. What is your mission? (please share your mission statement, if you have one)
  1. What is it about your congregation that would signal to a visitor that yours is a Conservative/Masorticongregation?
  1. Why are you currently searching for new rabbinic leadership?
  1. What are your congregation's core values and principles which guide the actions of the congregation and which are not dependent on the rabbi? List three:

  1. In addition to leading religious services; what are the three next most important tasks/priorities/roles of the rabbi?


  1. What are your congregation’s strengths? List three:



  1. What are your congregation’s challenges? List three:

  1. What is unique about your congregation?
  1. What are the three most important issues to confront your synagogue in the next five years?



What role do you want the rabbi to play in meeting these challenges?

  1. What do you want your next rabbi to change?
  1. What do you want your next rabbi to preserve?
  1. The most important thing a rabbi needs to know about your congregation is:
  1. What is it about your synagogue that makes your synagogue particularly attractive to a rabbi? Why should a rabbi come to you?

Part II:Demographics

  1. Number of member units today:
  1. Total households/memberships:______
  2. Number of households
  3. Under 45 years old:______
  4. Between 45-64:______
  5. Between 65-84:______
  6. Over 85:______
  7. Number ofhouseholds consisting of:
  8. Singles:______
  9. Married/Partnered:______
  10. Single Parents:______
  11. Empty Nesters:______

Comments about demographics:

  1. Number of member units five years ago:
  1. Total households/memberships:______
  2. Number of households
  3. Under 45 years. old: ______
  4. Between 45-64: ______
  5. Between 65-84: ______
  6. Over 85: ______
  7. Number of households consisting of:
  8. Singles: ______
  9. Married/Partnered: ______
  10. Single Parents: ______
  11. Empty Nesters: ______

Comments:

  1. Are you affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism/Masorti Olami?

□Yes

□No

D. Synagogue Facility

Describe your physical space:

Describe the room where you usually meet for Shabbatservices:

Please feel free to include any links to pictures on the web of your building:

E. Senior staff history (all that apply)

Name / Years Served / Email / Phone
Present Rabbi
Preceding Rabbi
Preceding Rabbi
Cantor (hazzan)
Executive Director
Educational Director

F. Key lay leaders

Name / Years Served / Email / Phone
President
Search Committee Chair
Search Committee Co-chair

G. Religious Life

What is your primary siddur for:

Daily/weekday? ______

Shabbat and Festivals?______

High Holy Days?______

What are your goals for Shabbat and Festival services?

Describe your Shabbat morning services:

Do you have a sermon or Torah discussion?

Does your service include congregational singing?

What is the balance of Hebrew and English used?

What are your attendance patterns forFriday night?

What are your attendance patterns for Shabbat morning?

Do you use a full, triennial or other division of Torah reading?

Who usually reads Torah?

Describe the High Holy Day services in your congregation:

Do you have a choir?

□Yes

□No

Comments:

Do you have parallel services?

□Yes

□No

Comments:

Who leads the services?

What religious service is the synagogue most proud of and why?

Is there a mikveh in the community?

□Yes

□No

Website: ______

Is there an eruv in the community?

□Yes

□No

Website: ______

Describe your congregation’s current approach to:

  1. Instrumental music/music:
  1. Kashrut:
  1. Egalitarianism:
  1. Electronic media on Shabbat:
  1. Gay and lesbian families:
  1. Interfaith families:

The last successful major religious policy change was:

-Describe the impact of this change:

-Describe the change process and what factors made the change successful:

What is likely to be thenext major religious policy issue facing the congregation?

What are future religious trends the candidate should know about?

G.Programming

Describe three current synagogue events of which your congregation is most proud:

Describe your current adult education program:

Describe your current social justice programs:

Which adult Jewish learning opportunity is your congregation most proud of?

What does your congregation do to reach out to the unaffiliated?

What are other committees and programs the rabbi should know about:

Describe the rabbi’s role in synagogue governance:

Does the rabbi attend board meetings?

□Yes

□No

What is the rabbi’s role at board meetings?

H. Congregation Education for Youth

  1. What are your community’s overall educational goals?
  1. Does you congregation have a preschool or early childhood programs?

□Yes

□No

If yes:

□ Onsite

□Offsite

Describethe program:

  1. How many and which days does your supplemental school meeteach week?
    ______

How many students does it have in grades K-8?______

Describe the program:

  1. How many b’nei mitzvah does your congregation have per year? ____

How many b’nei mitzvah did your congregation have 5 years ago? ____

What is your congregation especially proud of in its b’nei mitzvah program?

  1. Does your congregation have a Post Bar/Bat Mitzvah Program?

□Yes

□No

If yes, how many children are enrolled?_____

Describe the program:

  1. What program for young adults are you most proud of?

How many children are involved?_____

Describe the program:

  1. How many children in your congregation go to Camp Ramah/Noam Camp:_____
  1. How many children in your congregation are involved with USY/Noam?_____
  1. How manychildren in your congregation are involved with USY/Noamsummer programs?_____
  1. What other youth movements and camps are popular in your community?
  1. Are there Jewish day schools in or near your community?

□Yes

□No

If yes, please fill out the following information about each of the schools:

Name:______

Website:______

Affiliation: ______

Grades:______

Name:______

Website:______

Affiliation: ______

Grades:______

Name:______

Website:______

Affiliation: ______

Grades:______

Name:______

Website:______

Affiliation: ______

Grades:______

What is the total the number of students in local Jewish day schools?______

What is the total number of students from your synagogue in day schools? ______

How does your congregation connect to the college age population?

Part III: Synagogue Finances and HousingRemuneration

We ask you to indicate either a specific figure(s) or a specific range. The “Proposed Salary” section should read, for example, “the salary range is $120,000 to $150,000” or “the minimum salary base is $150,000 or the maximum salary is $200,000.” We ask you not to write “negotiable” with no numbers attached.

A.Proposed salary (does not include the value of benefits):______

Comments:

B.Standard benefits for the rabbi in addition to salary (not included in “A” above):

  1. Pension contribution ______
  1. Major Medical Insurance – Hospitalization ______
  1. Convention Allowance/Continuing Education ______
  1. Income – Disability Insurance ______
  1. Professional Dues ______
  1. Vacation ______
  1. Maternity/Paternity Leave ______
  1. Is FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Tax) covered or reimbursed (not applicable outside the U.S.)?
    □Yes

□No
□N/A

  1. Other benefits (e.g. Vacation apartment in Jerusalem, Canada Health Act plus provincial programs, etc.):
  1. Describe the benefits arrangements:

Totalvalue of benefits for the rabbi: ______

Housing (in addition to proposed salary)

  1. Is housing provided by the congregation?
    □Yes

□No

If yes, what is the distance from the synagogue?______miles

Describe the parsonage:

Address of the parsonage: ______

What is the estimated value of the parsonage? ______

  1. Where housing not provided by the Congregation, please describe :
  1. The Minimum cost of housing:______

Please list:

Type of Housing / Cost / Distance from Synagogue
  1. Websites to check on housing in your community:
  1. Have previous rabbis felt the need to drive on Shabbat?

4. Are you willing to help the Rabbi purchase a residence?
□Yes

□No

If yes, please explain how:

Total Compensation

Estimate the total value of compensation (salary + benefits + housing) = ______

Budget

What is the size of the congregational budget? ______

What percentage of your budget is devoted to

  1. Operations/infrastructure: ____
  2. Staff:____
  3. Programming:____
  4. Other (please elaborate):______

Does the congregation currently have a deficit?

□Yes

□No

If so, how is it met?

Part IV: Additional Info

If you are looking for an interim rabbi, please indicate why:

What special needs do you have at this time?

If you are looking for a second rabbi, please indicate what special responsibilities they may have:

Questions or concerns?
Contact Rabbi Elliot Salo Schoenberg at , 212-280-6000

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