"I am very pleased to report to the Congregation that at [a] special congregational meeting, we had a unanimous vote in favor of hiring Rabbi Rachel Bearman as our new rabbi," said a posting from temple President David Abraham.
"Rabbi Bearman visited us this past weekend with a busy schedule that gave everyone the opportunity to meet with her in groups small and large, formal and informal, and in teaching and social settings," the post said. "These events were well-attended, and thank you to all who organized and hosted them."
Over this last year, the Rabbinic Search Committee reviewed rabbinic candidates and interviewed them by Skype and in person,
Bearman will be ordained in May at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati and will join Temple B'nai Chaim in late June.
Interim Rabbi David Lipper has been leading Temple B'nai Chaim since the departure of Rabbi Leah Cohen in spring 2013 who moved on to a position with Yale University.
The search committee and executive board said they were “particularly impressed by Rabbi Bearman’s warmth and her deep interest in pastoral matters, as well as her knowledge of our faith’s texts and traditions. She also has had several experiences as a religious school and Hebrew school teacher," according to a report in the Wilton Bulletin.
Bearman of Memphis, Tenn., has had rabbinical internships at two Ohio synagogues and was a student rabbi at Temple Beth El in Muncie, Ind.
Temple B’nai Chaim engages families from Wilton, Ridgefield, Weston, Redding, Westport and beyond. It is located at 82 Portland Ave. in Georgetown.
Read the full report in the Wilton Bulletin here.
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