Letter From the Shir Tikvah Board of Trustees Executive Committee


Dear Shir Tikvah,


We write today to share that we have accepted Rabbi Latz’s resignation, effective immediately, as Lead Rabbi of Shir Tikvah. We thank him for his years of service.  He led our community through years of change, growth and creativity. 


Rabbi Latz’s departure follows a months’-long process (during which we engaged external consultants), that revealed long-standing, significant issues with his interactions with staff. The details are personnel matters that will remain private, though we do want to be clear that there have been no allegations of sexual misconduct or financial impropriety. Our hope is that this transition will create the conditions for Shir Tikvah's work environment to be more in alignment with our core values.


We have great confidence in Rabbi Lekach-Rosenberg, Alison Olig and our amazing staff as they hold our community through this time of transition.  Rabbi Lekach-Rosenberg will assume duties previously held by Rabbi Latz as the congregation enters a period of discernment about the future of our rabbinic staffing (see below).  


Our rabbinic team looks very different than it did even a few months ago.  We will soon begin a process for visioning as a community our needs and desires for rabbinic leadership.  We will convene a Rabbinic Leadership Discernment Team that will facilitate conversations and solicit feedback to help shape the vision for our rabbinic leadership. We anticipate this first phase of discernment will take approximately the next six months.

 

Our congregation has been asked to hold a lot of change over these last months.  We are sure it’s been hard and heavy for many of you.  We invite you to participate in community conversations, which will provide space for you to bring your questions, your hopes and concerns, and your visions for what is to come.  As we engage in these conversations and beyond, we want to prioritize open, honest updates to our community.  We have done our best to live up to the trust you’ve placed in us as we’ve shepherded our community through this challenging time. 


There will be an opportunity to say goodbye to Rabbi Latz, details to follow in the coming months. Meanwhile, we look forward to praying with you on Shabbat, to celebrating our upcoming Spring holidays together, to showing up for each other in our times of struggle and joy. We thank Rabbi Latz for his service as we open, with humility and hope, to the next chapter of our beloved community.


The Shir Tikvah Board of Trustees Executive Committee

Letter from Rabbi Latz


Dear Shir Tikvah,


We find ourselves inside a Sh’mita year, a year that the Torah asks us to let the land rest and invites us to reflect and to renew. It is a time for self examination and discernment about what matters most. 


After almost 13 years as Lead Rabbi of Shir Tikvah and 22 years as a congregational rabbi, my family and I have decided that it is time for me to enter the next chapter of my rabbinic career. I am stepping away from my role at Shir Tikvah.


It has been an honor beyond words to have been your rabbi these past years; to stand beneath the chuppah in moments of joy and at the graveside in moments of unspeakable sorrow; to bestow names upon your newborns and rise with your children as they read Torah; to wrestle with the meaning of prayer and Torah in our day as we strived to marry our prayers in the sanctuary with our justice work on the streets. 


I leave with a grateful heart. I will pray for the outstanding lay leadership and inspiring professional team lead by Rabbi Lekach-Rosenberg and Alison Olig. It has been an honor to be their colleague in this holy work.


And for you, this resilient and fiercely loving Shir Tikvah community, I pray that you sing your robust song of hope for generations to come. 


With abundant gratitude, 

Michael

Facebook      Instagram      YouTube

Shir Tikvah | 612-822-1440 | office@shirtikvah.net | shirtikvahmn.org