Dear Aliyah Family,

I am delighted to share with you that Rabbi David Mendelson will join our excellent clergy team beginning July 1, 2023. Many of you already know Rabbi Mendelson as one of our fabulous current rabbinic interns, and he will be ordained at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies this May. Rabbi Mendelson's responsibilities will include leading our Community of Caring, overseeing social action, interfaith and community engagement activities, organizing our programs for 20s and 30s, and working with our b'nai mitzvah students as they choose their Tikkun Olam projects and prepare their b'nai mitzvah speeches. He will serve as the rabbinic presence for our teens and work with our ECE to create programming for our families.

If the merger with Shomrei Torah is approved by both congregations, Rabbi Mendelson will work with Co-Senior Rabbis Vogel and Camras. If the merger is not approved, he will be the second rabbi at Aliyah.

Thank you to everyone who participated in our search process, taking the time to meet our candidates, and providing feedback. I want to also thank the members of Aliyah and Shomrei Torah who served on the Rabbinic Search Committee, and especially its co-chairs, Patti Samuels and Jody Levin, for their dedication to this successful process.

Please join me in welcoming Rabbi Mendelson and his wife Sara to our community.

L'shalom,

Debbie Strom

Debbie Strom, President