Rabbi Daniel Kirzane will leave The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah when his contract expires at the end of June 2018. Rabbi Kirzane has been serving as one of B’nai Jehudah’s rabbis since July 2015. In his letter to the congregation, sent via email on Sunday, he said that he and his family will be moving to Chicago, where his wife, Jessica, has accepted a position teaching Yiddish language and literature beginning fall 2018 at the University of Chicago.
In the same email, B’nai Jehudah Board of Trustees President Ken Sigman and Senior Rabbi Arthur Nemitoff said the Reform congregation has begun the search process “to find our next rabbi who will partner with our professional staff and will be a great teacher and guide for all of our families.”
B’nai Jehudah will look for a new rabbi through the placement arm of the Reform movement’s rabbinic organization, the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), and the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR), the Reform movement’s rabbinical school. Interviews — both at HUC-JIR and here in Kansas City — will take place during the month of February.
In addition, a Rabbinic Search Advisory Task Force will be formed to consult with and assist Rabbi Nemitoff in the search.
“We anticipate that the placement process will be finished by mid-March. Our new rabbi will join our congregation beginning July 1, 2018,” they announced in the joint statement.
The B’nai Jehudah leadership wished the Kirzane family well as they begin new chapters in their careers.
“We are delighted for this professional opportunity afforded Jessica, and we are sad to see them move to Chicago,” the leaders stated in the email.
“We will have a chance publicly to say thank you to Rabbi Kirzane in May or June. For now, we thank him for his leadership and we look forward to the next nine months of his continued service to us, our community, and to the world,” the statement continued.
In his letter to B’nai Jehudah members, Rabbi Kirzane said the move to Chicago is a “great opportunity for Jessica and for our entire family.”
“These past two years have been enormously important for me and my family, and we are grateful for the relationships and experiences we have formed here in Kansas City. We’re looking forward to one more year of personal and professional growth as this chapter comes to a close,” he said.
Rabbi Kirzane added that he hoped his years here had some positive impact upon the community.
“And as for me, the lessons I have gained will surely remain with me throughout my life. Thank you, and shanah tovah!”
