Dear Fellow Congregants,

I wanted to remind you that last week, on July 1, Rabbi Angela Buchdahl became our Senior Rabbi! This is an historic and joyful time for our congregation and I know that all of us join together to wish Rabbi Buchdahl all good things as she takes on this awesome responsibility.

For those who missed it, you will want to watch Rabbi Rubinstein bless Rabbi Buchdahl on Friday night, June 27. It was a magical and moving moment in a season full of wonderful celebrations and tributes.

Now, as we plunge into the summer, I wanted to update you on several more items.

Rabbi Buchdahl

We will be formally installing Rabbi Buchdahl as our Senior Rabbi during Friday night services on September 19. This promises to be an especially meaningful event for our Central community, so please mark it on your calendar. Additionally, we will be creating opportunities for Rabbi Buchdahl to share and discuss her vision for Central with us over the coming months… stay tuned.

Cantor Glazman

Mo Glazman became our Senior Cantor last week and is already hard at work! Rabbi Buchdahl and Cantor Glazman’s first service together on the bimah will be this Friday, July 11—we hope you will greet them then. Cantor Glazman would welcome the chance to meet Central members throughout the summer. Also, please note on your calendars that we will be formally installing Cantor Glazman as our Senior Cantor on January 30.

Rabbi Straus

Andrew Straus joined last week as our Interim Rabbi for the coming twelve months. While Rabbi Straus will be involved across the spectrum of rabbinic duties, he will be devoting significant time to working with our Education team. More details about the year ahead in Education will be forthcoming.

Cantor Cadrain

You may soon notice another new name among our clergy: Cantor Julia R. Cadrain. I can assure you, however, that you already know her very well! Our wonderful Assistant Cantor is reverting to her original name to reflect her divorce this past year. Cantor Cadrain has asked me to share with you that she is at peace and content with this change in her personal life.

Donations in Honor of Central’s Clergy & Staff

Working with Rabbi Buchdahl and our clergy team, we have revised our approach to providing our clergy with funds for their discretionary use by discontinuing our individual clergy discretionary funds. Instead, we ask those wishing to recognize Central’s clergy or staff members to contribute directly to the Synagogue in their honor. Under this new approach, we will allocate Synagogue funds to the clergy, both individually and as a team, for their discretionary use. This shift reflects the team effort involved when our clergy and staff provide support to our members at special or challenging times in their lives. Clergy and staff members will be notified of and acknowledge donations made to the Synagogue in their honor. Visit the About Our Funds page for more information or feel free to contact the Clergy Study at (212) 838-5122 x1000.

Fund Honoring Rabbi Rubinstein

We have raised close to $1.5 million to date for The Rabbi Peter J. Rubinstein Fund for the Renaissance of Reform Judaism. The Fund was created to honor Rabbi Rubinstein’s 23 years as Senior Rabbi of Central by funding initiatives consistent with his passion for the rich possibilities of Reform Judaism. Rabbi Rubinstein and Rabbi Buchdahl will serve as Advisors to the committee overseeing the Fund and will help the committee conceive, develop and review potential initiatives. In addition, Rabbi Rubinstein and Central’s pulpit clergy will likely play a role in any symposia and other programs sponsored by the Fund. If you have yet to contribute to the Fund, please consider doing so now: donate online.

High Holy Days

Our High Holy Days online guide can now be found on the Central website. As a reminder, Erev Rosh HaShanah is on Wednesday, September 24 and Kol Nidrei is on Friday, October 3.

Wishing everyone an enjoyable and safe summer,

David B. Edelson
President