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Rabbi Siger joins CJCN
By Lyn Payne, Associate
Editor
Rabbi Jonathan
Siger, executive director of Central Florida Hillel, has accepted a position as
rabbi of Congregation Jewish Community North, a Reform synagogue in Spring,
Texas, near Houston. He and his wife Jennifer, along with three-year-old son Azi
and baby daughter Gavi, will be moving in May, and he’ll start his new job at
the beginning of June.
“I’m very sad to
be leaving Orlando,” Siger told the Heritage, “and very excited about this
opportunity to do what I’d gone to school for”—being a pulpit rabbi—“where I can
really apply everything I’ve learned, including the years at Hillel.” As a
student rabbi, he served congregations in Jerusalem and across the U.S., and
served as campus rabbi for the University of Florida’s Hillel before making the
move to the executive position in Orlando in 2007.
“It’s incredibly
rewarding working with students on campus and watching them take responsibility
and acting to build their community,” said Siger. “You’re watching the future
leaders of our people develop before your eyes. I was in particular very proud
of what we had done in terms of making Hillel at UCF relevant and
much-sought-after as a partner, with not only the university, but other student
groups. We were able to make Hillel into one of the premier student
organizations on the campus.”
“There are just wonderful people at UCF and Rollins that I’ve
gotten to work with, incredibly inspiring students and lay leaders and donors,”
yet he’s looking forward to “a tremendous opportunity for me in terms of
professional and personal growth as well” in Houston. He’s working on a book,
and blogs regularly at www.jewlistic.com.
While Siger
leaves with many positive feelings about Orlando’s Jewish community, he does
have some advice.
“For any Jewish
community, if you lose touch with Torah, you do so at great peril. By Torah, I
don’t necessarily mean the Five Books of Moses, but our wealth of sacred
literature. If we aren’t engaged in a meaningful way with what being a Jew means
to us, and what it means to those around us, we’re spinning our
wheels.
“I think
everyone sees the potential that Orlando has. You see it in the hard work people
at the federation and agencies and synagogues are doing to improve, to grow, and
to reach out more. My one real piece of advice for Orlando is the same thing we
say on campus: We must do a better job of outreach, of reaching people on the
periphery who do not feel comfortable or welcome or invited into Jewish
life.”
Congregation Jewish Community, home of the prestigious Jacques C.
Shure Religious School, was founded over 30 years ago. Also known as CJCN and a
covenant founding congregation of NAM, CJCN also enjoys the talents of Cantor
Renee Waghalter as Cantor Educator. "We feel blessed to have such a team in
place for the coming year." states President Elect Gale Saltzman. "Becoming
president in June is very intimidating, but with such talented professionals in
place, my job becomes so much easier".
Rabbi Siger's first service will be on June 4, 2010 at 7:45 pm. Check out his musings at Jewlistic.com.
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