Looking Ahead – Rabbinic and Cantorial Searches Underway

Over the coming months, we will be preparing for two significant changes within our Clergy Team.

First, Rabbi Satz has made a lasting impact on our congregation over the four years he has been with us at Holy Blossom Temple as our Associate Rabbi.  He has brought kindness to the sick, the aged, and the bereaved. He has built bridges among faith groups and faith leaders in the city.  He has been an integral part of our team of Rabbis, Cantors, and Educators.  And most notably, he has brought meaningful insight to students at every stage of life. As he prepares to leave the congregation at the end of June 2019, we wish to express our gratitude and appreciation to him.

Over the next eight months, Rabbi Satz will continue his work at Holy Blossom Temple, working closely together with our Clergy Team to ensure a smooth transition and continuity of his good work. We will have opportunities to collectively thank and honour Rabbi Satz in personal and communal ways, including a special Shabbat for all to attend.

A search committee, reporting to the Board of Directors, is being established and led by Darren Sukonick, Vice-President at Large. The committee will search for and select either an Assistant Rabbi or another Associate Rabbi to join Rabbi Splansky and Rabbi Helfman for this July. If you have any questions or if you’d like to give input, you can reach Darren at darren@msapera.com and/or Rabbi Splansky at ysplansky@holyblossom.org.

While we are not ready to say goodbye, we do wish Rabbi Satz every success in his future rabbinate. We know that he will remain a trusted teacher and friend of our Congregation and he and his family will be missed.

Second, in May 2017, Rabbi Splansky and then-President Joan Garson jointly announced our beloved Cantor Maissner’s decision to become our first Cantor Emeritus as of July 1, 2020.  Our Congregation is now starting to prepare for his retirement.

As part of our Temple’s planning, a search committee has been established to identify our next Senior Cantor. This committee will begin its work by convening a Congregational discussion about our musical future. Click here to read more.

It is an honour to serve as The Pulpit Committee. As a committee of the Temple Board of Directors, we work closely with our Senior Rabbi and President to support the Temple’s long-term aspirations with a focus on attending to the relationships between the Temple and its Rabbis and Cantors.

The Holy Blossom Pulpit Committee

Lisa Taylor, Chair

Joan Garson, Immediate Past President

Jascha Jabes, Vice President of the Department of Tikun Olam and Israel