Information for Rabbinic Candidates

In a nutshell:  Congregation Kol Ami in Elmira, NY, a small unaffiliated congregation located near the beautiful Finger Lakes, is looking for a Spiritual Leader to join and guide us in our Jewish life. The intimate nature of our community allows our worship services to be participatory, featuring engaging D'var Torah or discussion and music from a variety of denominations, ensuring all in attendance feel welcome and included. We share a strong bond outside the sanctuary, working together to plan and carry out a variety of social, educational, and spiritual activities. Community members from inside and outside our Jewish community are welcome and frequent beneficiaries of our efforts. We look forward to forming a partnership with a Spiritual Leader who will worship, learn, and play with us, both as our mentor and our friend.  We are very proud to be part of the Makom Fellowship Program through the Center for Small Town Jewish Life at Colby College and anticipate this partnership will benefit our new spiritual leader, our lay leaders, and our entire congregation.

Our congregation:  Congregation Kol Ami (CKA) was formed in 2011 with the merger of two local synagogues, one Reform and one Conservative, who together represent 284 years of rich Jewish history in the Southern Tier/Finger Lakes region of NYS.  Unlike in other communities where two congregations move into the same building for economic reasons but maintain their separate identities, Congregation Kol Ami, while housed in the former conservative congregation’s building, is a wholly new Jewish house of worship.  The congregational merger was preceded by the merger of the two religious schools and sisterhoods and was a natural progression that revitalized and unified the area’s Jewish Community.  While at the beginning it was hard for us to forget “who came from where”, we all now identify proudly as CKA members.

​​As all our lives changed as a result of the pandemic, we were able to continue to serve the congregation’s needs through online Shabbat and High Holiday worship services, meetings, and education.  We have continued to utilize the technology and knowledge we gained to offer online options as we have opened our building to in person activities.  In this way, we are able to bring Jewish life to our congregants both in our building and in their homes.

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We are proud to have a core group of loyal and enthusiastic service attendees and committed volunteers who provide the manpower needed for successful social events, fundraisers, and community service projects.  Our goal is to grow the number of congregants who are actively engaged by broadening our offerings of programs and reaching out to people personally.

Our volunteers also spend a lot of time in the kitchen.  We prepare desserts and Challah for Kiddish and Onegs, meals for Congregational dinners, including a second-night Passover Seder.  We make a first-day Rosh Hashanah luncheon for all.  We take part in Shabbat Across America, including a sit-down meal.   We make Hamantaschen for our Shalach Manot Purim Project.  We do luncheons in coordination with speakers who we bring in.  We have a Sisterhood Break the Fast for Yom Kippur, and we are always willing to prepare food for any other event that comes up. 

In addition, we have expanded our culinary offerings to the wider community in the form of a Jewish Food Festival where we welcome hundreds of community members into our building, which, because of COVID restrictions, became” Nosh of the Month” wherein our loyal customers enthusiastically order and pick up from our building a different Jewish food specialty each month.

The rabbi we envision: Our worship services combine a mixture of traditions from different forms of Judaism. Congregants pray in Hebrew and English, cover their heads or not, wear Tallit when comfortable, and participate in rituals that are important to each individual. We expect our Spiritual Leader to not only be comfortable with this arrangement, but to actively express comfort with these differences. Phrases like “please stand if it is your custom” are often uttered from the pulpit and it is important to our congregation that this acceptance of different forms of religious expression continue. 

Lay participation is an important part of our worship services, ranging from opening the Ark to chanting from the Torah. The Spiritual Leader we are looking for will encourage this to continue, encouraging attendees to feel comfortable leading prayers or responsive readings, both in Hebrew and in English, according to their comfort level. Also important to us during worship is music. We are looking for someone who shares our passion for music as an intrinsic part of ritual observance and is comfortable finding ways to use it to enhance the worship experience. 

Also important to us is that our spiritual leader encourages lay leadership during worship services, wherein attendees feel comfortable leading prayers or responsive readings, both in Hebrew and in English. In addition, we would like a spiritual leader who can lead discussions in which all feel welcome to participate no matter their level of Jewish education and knowledge.

Community Composition:  Our membership includes 135 households from the Elmira, Corning and Finger Lakes Regions of New York’s Southern Tier as well as Waverly and Sayre of Pennsylvania’s Northern Tier.  With the addition of live streamed virtual services, we have expanded our community to include families residing at greater distances – some of whom have relocated from our area but choose to continue to participate in our services.  We are a community largely made up of empty nesters and retirees.  Many of our families have been here for generations, and we also have a large group of members who moved to this area for employment with our two major medical centers, and Corning Incorporated.  Our community includes many interfaith families, LGBTQ families, and Jews by Choice.  All are embraced with no distinctions.

Local Landscape: The small town feel of the Elmira-Corning area, situated near the beautiful Finger Lakes region of New York, is complemented by easy access to a number of larger cities within a two-hour radius. We are home to The Clemens Center for the Performing Arts, The Rockwell Museum of Western Art, The Corning Museum of Glass, and The Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes, as well as multiple Golf Clubs and Ski Resorts. Watkins Glen International Racetrack and minor league professional sports teams are available to satisfy the needs of sports enthusiasts. The dozens of nationally known Finger Lake Wineries are a must see for both those who enjoy the excellent products produced there and those who enjoy the gorgeous scenery.  We have four delightful seasons to enjoy, with moderate winters and summers which allow for outdoor activities all year long.  We have an airport with direct flights to Florida and to many US and International destinations through Detroit.  For those looking to pursue higher education within our community we have Elmira College, a small four-year school with strong nursing, education, and other departments; LECOM School of Osteopathic Medicine; and Corning Community College.  In addition, we are less than an hour’s drive from Cornell University and Ithaca College and an hour from SUNY Binghamton.    

Religious and spiritual life:  Shabbat services are held every Friday evening at 7:30 pm and Saturday morning at 9:30 am and are live streamed for those who prefer to attend virtually.  We use a customized comprehensive prayerbook developed by our current Rabbi and Ritual Committee, both for Shabbat and Holiday services.  On Friday nights, average attendance is 20-25 and Saturday mornings, 15 to 20.  On Rosh Hashanah, we hold service on the Erev and first and second day morning services with Torah readings. On Yom Kippur, we hold Kol Nidre service on the Erev, and morning, Minchah, Maariv, Yizkor, N’eilah and Havdalah services. Congregants lead the Torah service, and many other parts during the Days of Awe.  For Kol Nidre, we include instruments during the chanting of the Kol Nidre prayer.  We have used a clarinetist, a cellist or a violinist, all local musicians, to enhance the spiritual experience.  We also have a full choir of congregants who sing at all High Holiday services.  This past year, we had 14 members in the choir who were under the direction of our Rabbi.  We also have a congregant who serves as our Cantor during High Holiday and some Shabbat services. Congregants participate in many ways, both during the holidays and on Shabbat. We have several congregants who chant from the Torah.  Congregants also lead many of the readings as well as leading prayers.  We incorporate a mix of English and Hebrew into our services to meet the needs of those attending services. 

Our services always include discussion inspired by the Rabbi’s D’var Torah or sermon topic, and all attendees are encouraged to share their thoughts and opinions. With a new spiritual leader, we expect these discussions, which have become integral to our service format, to continue.

Lifelong Learning: Our congregation offers multiple adult classes weekly, currently including Talmud, Prophets, service leadership and beginning Hebrew.  Some examples of past topics are classes on Pirkei Avot, Kabbalah, and Introduction to Judaism.  These classes are designed and led by our Rabbi or the Director of the Jewish Center and Federation.  Classes are open to all members of our Jewish Community, Synagogue membership status notwithstanding.  We also have an adult book group that meets monthly to discuss books with a Jewish connection.  Due to the demographics of our community, we do not currently have an active religious school.  We do have a religious school board willing to facilitate a customized educational plan for families who express an interest in a Jewish education for their children.  Should a young adult desire to become a B’nai Mitzvah, we would expect our spiritual leader to train him or her.  It is not uncommon in our congregation for adults, who did not have the opportunity to become a B’nai Mitzvah as a young person, to study with our Rabbi to reach this meaningful public milestone.

Civic engagement: Our Mitzvah Committee works in the local community food kitchen the first Thursday of each month.  Loyal volunteers plan a meal, purchase the food, and prepare and serve up to 100 meals to members of the Elmira community.  Mitzvah Committee members also provide contact for and assistance to our ill and shut-in congregants.

CKA has a strong presence in and relationship with the greater community and is an active member of the region’s Southern Tier Interfaith Coalition (STIC) and regularly hosts and participates in events with local Muslim and Christian communities.  The community has hosted an interfaith Thanksgiving, the Abrahamic Walk, an annual Holocaust Memorial Lecture and Yachad lecture, all of which are open to other faith communities.  We expect our next spiritual leader to continue to represent the Jewish Community as part of STIC and the larger faith community.

During the pandemic in 2021, our building was unsuitable to use due to ventilation issues. We were invited by First Presbyterian Church to use their social hall for our High Holy Day Services.  We periodically have members of other faith communities attend our weekly Shabbat services. 

Staff and lay leadership:  We have an office that is currently run by volunteers.  Our long-term office administrator who had been employed by one of the two congregations that combined to form CKA and remained with us after the merger, recently passed away.  We are currently searching for a suitable replacement.  

CKA has a strong partnership with the Jewish Center and Federation of the Twin Tiers which rents office space in our building and employs a Director and an Administrative Assistant.  Sharing space makes it easier for us to work together seamlessly and plan events for the community.

Our lay leaders include the CKA Board of Trustees with 17 members. Included in this number is an appointee from the Sisterhood Board and a Youth Representative.  While our Rabbi is an ex officio member without voting privileges, we expect our spiritual leader to be an active participant in Board of Trustee conversations. We give weight to the Rabbi's thoughts, suggestions, and references especially in areas surrounding ritual, but in secular decisions as well. We have a five-member school board which meets when necessary.  While our school is inactive at this time, the Rabbi attends all meetings as a voting member.  When warranted we employ an administrator who also is expected to attend board meetings.

We have a very vibrant and active Sisterhood. They plan and lead programs throughout the year and nurture many of the needs of the Congregation.  Some examples are Sisterhood Shabbat, Trivia Night, Break the Fast, Judaica shop, and other fundraising events. Sisterhood makes substantial financial contributions to CKA annually as well as funding special projects when needed. 

Facilities: Congregation Kol Ami, built in the late 1950’s, is located in an attractive residential neighborhood.  Major renovations were done twelve years ago when the two congregations combined.  To make our building accessible, we added an elevator.  Just within the last year, our main sanctuary was completely remodeled, and a state-of-the-art ventilation system was installed. Stationary pews were removed and replaced with comfortable free-standing chairs; new carpeting, lighting, and live streaming equipment including cameras and screens were put in place.  The chairs are currently set in a semicircle surrounding the floor level dais but can be reconfigured if a different arrangement is preferred.  One hundred and ten chairs including the choir fit comfortably, and we have enough new chairs to allow seating to expand into the adjacent social hall.  Our small sanctuary holds about 30 for worship services and is also equipped with current technology and a new ventilation system.

The building’s main level floor plan includes a main sanctuary, a small sanctuary, separate office spaces for our administrative staff, Rabbi and JCF staff, a beautiful wood paneled library, several meeting rooms, and a fully stocked Kosher kitchen.  The kitchen includes an industrial size dish washer, convection oven and stand mixer, two smaller ovens, a twelve-burner stove, and whatever else we might need to cater our own events.

Downstairs we have a smaller but still well stocked non-Kosher kitchen, a pantry to store our food supplies, eight refrigerators and/or freezers, and two large closets for storing other kitchen necessities.  Our lower level also features a Performing Arts Hall and an Exhibition Area to present the rich histories of our parent congregations.  Additional rooms include a youth lounge, archive room, and educational support area, as well as other small meeting rooms.

Security has been enhanced in recent years.  The building is locked 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with cameras that allow office staff to see who is at the door.  Congregants who choose to have a code or fob can choose to have access to the building at predetermined times.  We have panic buttons that link to the local law enforcement.  We have an excellent relationship with the local police department, which is located less than a mile away.  Officers are provided whenever we request their presence for major social events like our Food Festival and other fundraisers, and during our High Holy Day services.

Financial Situation: CKA is in a strong financial position as a congregation. We have no long-term liabilities other than the remainder of our current Rabbi's contract, which we will satisfy in less than a year. We have significant assets, about half of which are in restricted funds. The remaining half is split between numerous other funds, the largest being the building fund, savings, and the Rubin Scholarship. There are varying degrees of restrictions for these - some are undesignated, some are designated by Board action, and some are totally restricted. 

Our biggest financial challenge is our operational deficit which has been ongoing for the years leading up to and including the pandemic. Pre-pandemic it was mostly due to uncollected dues, but was a manageable amount. Inability to fundraise, since our main fundraiser was an in-person large event, has exacerbated the situation in recent years. 

Our main sources of income are dues and donations and our largest expense is the Rabbi's salary and benefits. 

Rabbinic Compensation: The Salary Range for CKA’s Spiritual Leader is $100,000 - $140,000, including benefits, depending on qualifications and experience.  Health Insurance, Pension, Housing Allowance, and Professional Development expenses are available as benefits.  The process for salary negotiation allows the Spiritual Leader to proportion the salary and benefits that meets his/her/their needs best. The slower pace of small-town living, minimal traffic, and the relatively low cost of housing in our area are contributing factors to a healthy work-life balance.

It is important to us that our spiritual leader enjoys a strong quality of life and a healthy work/life balance.  The high level of involvement of congregants in worship services, administrative tasks, and social activities help keep the expected workload manageable. We respect our spiritual leader's right to regularly scheduled days off, consciously avoiding infringing on that needed opportunity to relax. Our participation in the Makom Fellowship Program is a proactive mode of support for a spiritual leader beginning pastoral service in our small community.