Copyright 2002 The Tribune Co. Publishes The Tampa Tribune
The Tampa Tribune
September 1, 2002, Sunday, FINAL EDITION

SECTION: COMMENTARY, Pg. 4

LENGTH: 672 words

HEADLINE: A Congregation Looks To The Future

BYLINE: MARK F. LEWIS; Mark F. Lewis of Tampa is a prosecutor in the
Hillsborough state attorney's office.

BODY:

THE NEW RABBI: A Congregation Searches For Its Leader.By Stephen Fried.

Bantam Books. 352 pages. $25.95.

It's a crucial time for the members of Philadelphia's Har Zion synagogue -
after 30 years, Gerald Wolpe is resigning as the rabbi. The drama
surrounding the search for his replacement forms the backdrop for Stephen
Fried's "The New Rabbi." While telling the fascinating tale of this
process, Fried also provides insights into the broader questions regarding
the future of organized Judaism. In addition, during the writing of this
work, the author also found out a lot about himself. What emerges is a book
full of wisdom, written with a lot of clarity and a healthy dose of humor.
(For example, one of his chapters is entitled "Pulpit Friction.")

Just what kind of rabbi can replace Wolpe, a man Fried describes as a
"brilliant orator and politician"? According to the synagogue surveys,
being a great sermonizer still ranks at the top of the list. But there is
something else - apparently there is a debate brewing regarding the
ability of congregation members to address their rabbi by his first name,
something that was rarely done during the previous three decades.

Fried suggests that they can't have both: "Most dramatic homileticists
don't want to be called by their first names. It undercuts the drama."

More significantly, Fried sees through this seemingly superficial struggle
to the bigger picture: "The question is whether baby boomers and the
generations after them want their clergy to be as dress-casual as the rest
of their lives, or whether the significant return to religion in the 1990s
is made up of people who will ultimately desire more formality."

During the candidate interview proceedings, it is clear that the
traditionalists are winning. One interviewee seems to be sailing through
until he describes how he incorporated a Bob Dylan lyric into one of his
sermons. Not satisfied with this response nor with the overall crop of
candidates, the congregation's search committee seeks out a rabbi from a
nearby town and seems determined to select him for the job.

There is just one problem, however. After pursuing the position for a
while, that rabbi withdraws his application. After floundering for a time,
the committee comes up with a radical proposal - offer the position to the
current assistant rabbi, a man only a few years out of the seminary. This
causes great problems for the Rabbinical Assembly, which has strict rules
against such a practice. There is a feeling that the congregation is
panicking. And the committee's insistence on this move seems to be
motivated, at least to some extent, by the desire of some of the members to
flex their muscles by standing
up to the central authority.

Is the committee being shortsighted, settling for someone they are used to
rather than seeking the best person available? Could anyone fill this
position to their satisfaction? In Fried's opinion, the jury is still out
on that question, and the congregation's relationship with the rabbi it
finally selected may ultimately be "revealed as the transitional romance
needed before the next major commitment."

Since this work reads like a good novel, I won't give away the ending. It
is the process, however, and not just the result, that makes for
fascinating reading. Along the way, Fried describes, with explanations that
make his stories understandable to the non-Jew, the cycle of a year's
events in the life of the synagogue. He also becomes transformed-- from a
person who was at first compelled to attend synagogue on a regular basis
because it was now "his beat" to one who looks forward to services and is
missed by his fellow congregants when he plays hooky.

While "The New Rabbi" will appeal mainly to Jews and should be required
reading for anyone involved in voting on a rabbi's contract, its lessons
can be appreciated by any reader who is interested in organized religion,
congregational politics and the perils of being a spiritual leader in any
faith.

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