I received this Comment from a member of the Los Angeles Jewish community and thought it worthy of reflection and discussion.
"There they go again.
The Los Angeles Jewish Federation announced the selection of Rabbi Noah Farkas (Valley Beth Shalom, Encino, CA) as its new President and CEO: https://jewishla.org/announcing-our-new-president-ceo/
I don’t know Rabbi Farkas. He might be a wonderful person and a successful Synagogue and Community Rabbi. But, is he ready for the number one position of one of the largest Jewish Federations in the country?
David Suissa, the Publisher of the Los Angeles Jewish Journal, in his column about this appointment ( https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/columnist/editors-note/338279/as-new-leader-of-l-a-federation-rabbi-farkas-will-expand-his-leadership-horizon/), writes: “Since he will now be a leader of the whole community, he’ll have to wrestle with a new category of challenges: the intense political divisions within our community; the heated and polarized arguments over Israel; the balance between particularity (helping Jews) and universalism (helping the world); the many religious differences among denominations; the priorities in allocating limited funds and resources; the alarming rise in antisemitism; the fraying of Jewish identity among the new generation; and so on.”
Does Rabbi Farkas have the experience and ability to handle these issues?
What I do know is that there are many experienced and successful Jewish Communal professionals serving other large city and intermediate city Jewish Federations who have experience in dealing with these issues. Were any of these professionals looked at, and where was the JFNA in this process?
Another nail in the coffin of the Jewish Federation system and its hard-working community of professionals."
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8 comments:
In these complicated times Federation work is tough -- maybe there weren't better candidates willing to step into the challenge? And, two more questions to ask -- were there no female or internal candidates? A young pulpit rabbi sure isn't an obvious answer.
Like Major League Baseball, the Federation world has been in the process of contracting its farm system. The cupboard there is getting more and more bare.
It may be getting more and more bare but if so that is due in large part to the many long serving execs and JFNA that never were willing to develop professionals for fear of being replaced. In my 40 years of federation involvement I have seen many highly competent professionals that have gone into other fields of service because they were blocked at the top. Yet having said that there are many still in the field who would have been very capable of leading this federation. I find it ironic that if a national/international search was conducted (probably wasn't) isn't it surprising that the most qualified lived within about a 20 mile radius of the LA federation building?
It's not like Chicago is any great example to crow about, either.
But hey--Chicago's a company town and the good ol' boychick network.
Anon 1:10 - the Chicago hire had extensive and successful Fed experience. Big difference.
Of course knowing a community should not be relevant…the quality of the current “insiders” should not be relevant…the concept of if you’ve seen one Federation you’ve seen one Federation should not be relevant… the aging donor base and the very aging lay leadership pool including this blog’s commentators should not be relevant…
Part of me will continue to bemoan the absence of institutional history in the Federation world. Then again (as Hamilton testifies) being an orphan in a new world has its benefits as well. The tell will be if the guy has the humility to eschew the title Rabbi and the smarts to learn his Federation and communal culture anthropologically from the inside out. Let's wish him well.
(And welcome back Richard!)
Anon 9:17
Incorrect. His father was the longtime CEO of the Chicago Federation, but he himself had never been employed within the Federation system.
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