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Dear Hamakom Community,
Several months ago, we announced our plans to conclude our full-time roles as Co-Senior Rabbis, effective July 2026. Since then, we’ve been deeply moved by the personal conversations, heartfelt mazel tovs, and thoughtful questions about the future many of you have shared. We feel so blessed by the successes over the last two years as we create a new synagogue experience. The High Holy Days, holiday celebrations, Shabbat and our varied programs and classes have brought the community of Hamakom together with joy. Each of us feels blessed by the new relationships we have developed with congregants who were previously part of “the other” synagogue. We truly are feeling the sense of Hamakom’s potential as reflected through your dedication to our new venture.
We are writing now to provide further clarity on what the coming years will look like for us and Hamakom. In the upcoming year (2025/2026), we will continue in our full-time roles as Co-Senior Rabbis while Hamakom undertakes the important process of searching for a new Senior Rabbi. During this time, we will remain actively engaged in all aspects of congregational life—teaching, leading services, officiating lifecycle events, guiding programs, and continuing to serve as mara d’atra, providing religious and spiritual leadership for our community.
We also look forward to working with our outstanding lay leadership as they guide the search process for the new rabbi, partnering with them to ensure that there is full community engagement in this essential search for new rabbinic leadership.
With the proposed engagement of a new Senior Rabbi for the 2026/2027 fiscal year, we will transition to the role of Rabbis Emeriti. While stepping back from day-to-day operations, we will remain present and supportive during the new rabbi’s first year to help ensure a smooth and successful transition.
During this year, although we will no longer attend board or staff meetings or supervise staff, we look forward to continuing to serve Hamakom by:
- Officiating b’nai mitzvah and other lifecycle events for families who request our involvement
- Meeting with congregants for personal counsel as needed
- Teaching classes that complement those of the new Senior Rabbi
- Giving sermons, teaching and leading Shabbat and holiday services as needed
- Supporting the new rabbi in getting to know the Hamakom community and becoming part of your lives
In 2027/2028 and beyond, we will continue to be guided by the needs of the new rabbi and the community, finding meaningful ways to support Hamakom as your Rabbis Emeriti.
We have devoted our lives to building this synagogue and sharing in the sacred milestones of your lives. These relationships are a profound blessing to us, and we trust they will continue as our roles evolve. We are proud of Hamakom’s accomplishments, grateful for the journey we've shared, and inspired by the bright future ahead.
With deep faith in Hamakom’s continued role as a center for Jewish life, learning, social action, and spiritual connection, we look forward to witnessing—and supporting—its continued growth as a model Jewish community for the 21st century.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
In Gratitude, Appreciation, and Much Affection,
Rabbi Stewart Vogel and Rabbi Richard Camras
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