Rabbi, B’nai Jeshurun

B’nai Jeshurun (BJ), a 200-year-old historic and spiritually vibrant progressive synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper West Side with nearly 2,000 member households, is seeking a rabbi to join our spiritual leadership team, beginning July 1, 2026.

With the forthcoming retirement in July 2026 of Rabbi Roly Matalon, who has served as Rosh Kehillah, Senior Rabbi Felicia Sol is ascending into that role and is thrilled to welcome a new rabbi to the team. This new rabbi will complete a four-person spiritual leadership team led by Rabbi Felicia Sol, and work in close collaboration with Rabbi Rebecca Weintraub and Hazzan Ari Priven, alongside a dedicated staff and committed lay leadership. The Rabbi will embody a deep commitment to traditional Jewish practice, spiritual creativity, progressive values, and a thoughtful, loving engagement with Israel and Jewish peoplehood—one that embraces complexity, moral responsibility, and enduring commitment.

This is a unique opportunity to serve a deeply engaged, multigenerational community grounded in musical prayer, Torah, justice, and a sacred communal relationship, rooted on the Upper West Side and spanning around the world. We are seeking a rabbi who brings both vision and attentiveness to the everyday rhythms of supporting a deeply committed staff and community like ours—someone who sees the big picture while tending to the people and practices that make a community flourish. This rabbi will help shape the spiritual life of the congregation through prayer leadership, teaching, programmatic vision, pastoral presence, and partnership across every dimension of our communal life.

About You

You are a 21st-century rabbi rooted in timeless wisdom. You lead with presence, integrity, and compassion. Your rabbinate is shaped by a deep love of Jewish tradition and an openness to spiritual innovation. You are energized by the work of community: walking with people through life’s milestones, helping others find meaning in text and ritual, and building spaces of belonging. You thrive in partnership, finding joy and strength in collaboration with a spiritual leadership team. You bring emotional depth, humility, nuance and moral clarity to your leadership. You are deeply connected to Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael, and your spiritual leadership reflects a vision of an Israel that strives toward its highest moral and ethical aspirations. Our community welcomes multi-heritage families and our rabbis officiate Jewish ceremonies for multi-heritage couples committed to building a Jewish home. You are aligned with this position even if you have yet to officiate at multi-heritage ceremonies. You understand that vibrant community and strong leadership is sustained not only by vision and relationships, but also by thoughtful systems, processes, and excellent organizational management skills.

What You’ll Do

Prayer, Teaching, and Spiritual Leadership

• Lead and co-lead prayer services regularly, including Shabbat, daily minyanim, shiva minyanim, holidays, and High Holy Days (on a rotating basis with the spiritual leadership team)
• Offer sermons and divrei Torah that are intellectually grounded, spiritually resonant, and relevant to contemporary life
• Teach engaging classes: translating timeless texts to contemporary contexts; sharpening students’ ability to understand the tradition while nourishing their souls
• Envision and implement a dynamic, multi-dimensional adult education strategy, including cohort-based classes, ongoing series, holiday learning, and educational resources
• Serve as the rabbinic lead for select holiday programming, shaping meaningful and accessible experiences in collaboration with clergy and program teams

Pastoral Care and Lifecycle

• Provide pastoral counseling and support to individuals and families
• Officiate at lifecycle events including baby namings, weddings, funerals, unveilings, and conversions
• Participate in the spiritual leadership’s lifecycle emergency on-call rotation
• Support members through moments of meaning, vulnerability, and transition

Community Engagement and Organizational Leadership

• Cultivate sustained relationships with members across generations and backgrounds
• Be a rabbinic resource and visible presence for BJ’s professional staff
• Partner with the development team to cultivate and steward donors
• Contribute to a culture of shared leadership, mutual respect, and spiritual integrity

Education, Experience, and Skills

Strong candidates will bring:

• Rabbinic ordination from an accredited institution
• At least five years of rabbinic experience, preferably in a congregational or community setting
• A strong singing voice and the ability to lead participatory, music-centered tefillah
• Comfort with spoken Hebrew
• At least one year living, studying, or working in Israel
• Additional professional or life experience beyond the rabbinate is a plus

Core Attributes

• Deep love of prayer with the ability to lead spiritually rich services
• Commitment to serious Torah study and skill in making Jewish texts accessible and relevant
• Warm, grounded, and accessible pastoral presence
• Religious practice aligned with BJ’s spiritual vision—rooted in tradition, open to innovation, with a serious and intentional personal observance (Shabbat, prayer, kashrut)
• Engaging bimah presence and strong homiletic ability
• Inclusive approach to intergenerational community, able to connect with children, teens, adults, and elders alike
• Flexibility and steadiness in the face of evolving needs

Compensation and Benefits

We offer a competitive salary and benefits package, including a base salary range of $180–$225k with parsonage eligibility, an additional housing allowance, highly subsidized health insurance, retirement contributions, and support for professional development. 

Application Process

To apply, please submit:

• Cover letter
• Resume
• Vision statement for your rabbinate
• A sermon (written or video)
• A video clip or livestream link of you leading prayer
• One additional written piece (i.e., community message, blog post, or published piece)

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Priority consideration will be given to applications received by November 1.

Equity and Inclusion

B’nai Jeshurun is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in recognition of its values, commitment to social justice, and responsibility to its spiritual leaders and staff, congregants, and the communities within which it lives and works. It strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, veterans, immigrants, and LGBTQIA+ applicants.