Rodef Shalom, Temple Sinai continue with unification talks
“Doing nothing is not an option.”
In his book “Cheshbon HaNefesh,” Menachem Mendel Lefin of Satanov writes, “All your acts should be preceded by deliberation.” It’s a lesson leaders of Rodef Shalom Congregation and Temple Sinai have internalized.
In December 2023, the two Reform congregations announced plans to begin exploring the idea of collaboration through an “18-month intentional and targeted process with the goal of strengthening our Reform Jewish community,” according to a joint letter sent to congregants from Rodef Shalom President Bill Battistone and Temple Sinai President Stephen Jurman.
Since that time, they have engaged merger consultant David Weinberg and begun examining the functions of the congregations in six broad categories: financial, community, education, legal, operations and ritual.
Battistone said that about 150 members of the two congregations have joined the six different committees in some capacity throughout the process.
The goal, according to an email sent in February to congregation members, is to “establish where we align, where we have difference, and what a unified congregation would look like in each area.”
Battistone said the deliberate process appears slow but is” purposeful” and “meaningful.”
Early on, he said, time was spent looking at congregations across the country that have unified.
“One of the things we realized when we talked to congregations who have gone through a unification — and maybe it didn’t work out as perfectly as they wanted it to — one of the common themes was that they didn’t do the work we’re trying to do now ahead of time,” he said.
The hope is to answer questions that might present points of contention if a merger is approved without much forethought. An example, Battistone said, is what would happen to the two religious schools.
“We are really setting out to try and answer some of those questions,” he said, “so that if we do decide to unify, some of the bigger questions have already been discussed and deliberated.”
That does not necessarily mean having an answer to every question, he noted.
Jurman said the work has been important but harder than expected.
“When Bill and I started this process, I expected it to be difficult. As it turns out, I really didn’t have a clue,” he said. “There are so many moving parts, so many details, that are deeply personal to our various congregations. Trying to get to a point where we are unified — it’s not impossible but it takes a lot of hard work.”
The hope, Battistone said, is to have a recommendation to the congregations’ boards by late spring.
“It’s a time-consuming process but it’s definitely intentional,” he said. “We’re being diligent in what we’re talking about. We’re getting all the information we need and then we can make an educated recommendation to our boards and our congregations.”
Notwithstanding the unification talks, Rodef Shalom is addressing issues affecting its spiritual needs during the interim.
In 2024, Rabbi Sharyn Henry announced her plans to retire in June of this year. In January, Cantor Toby Glaser said that he would leave the congregation this summer for a position in his homeland of Australia.
Battistone said that Rodef Shalom is in the process of hiring an interim rabbi.
“If there’s a unification, that rabbi’s role and responsibilities may look different,” he said. “If we unify, we’d like to move to one senior clergy model. So, if that’s the case, the interim rabbi may serve in a different capacity.”
Of course, the 500-pound matzo ball of any unification decision is what will happen to the buildings the two congregations currently occupy.
To help make that decision, members of the Pittsburgh-based architecture firm Rothschild Doyno Collaborative were brought on as consultants. They have toured both buildings and are in the process of helping the congregations understand the conditions, opportunities and challenges of each structure.
“They’re not going to make a recommendation, per se,” Battistone said. “They’re not going to say, ‘You should use this building,’ but they are going to point out the problems and opportunities in each site — the problems that might exist if we try to do significant rehabilitation, or zoning issues, cost issues, things like that.”
Appraisals are also being made to determine the fair market value of each property.
And while no decision has been made concerning where a unified congregation might reside —Rodef Shalom’s building, Temple Sinai’s building, or a new property — Jurman said one determination was already made.
“We would not keep both buildings,” he said. “Since a great deal of the emphasis here is the financial issues of each congregation, one of the major opportunities in unification is that we can get rid of a huge part of our separate overheads.”
Both Battistone and Jurman are clear that, even if the congregations vote to merge, an immediate consolidation into one building on July 1 is unlikely, and that the timeline will probably be within a six-month to two-year window.
That means that the tenants currently located in Rodef Shalom — such as Tree of Life Congregation and Congregation Dor Hadash — would see no immediate change.
“None of our lease agreements are being tossed out because of a unification,” Battistone said. “We have every intention of honoring any agreement we have with any sort of tenant for the duration of whatever the agreement, and depending on how the unification vote goes and what ultimate decision is made, we’ll revisit those agreements.”
At the end of the day, Battistone said a decision won’t be simply binary.
“It’s not going to be yes or no,” he said. “The choice that’s on the table is, do you want to unify and figure this out together, or do we want to stay on our own and figure it out. Either of those options are going to involve some tough decisions. Either of those options will involve change.”
Still, he said, one thing is clear: “Doing nothing is not an option.”
Jurman concurs.
“We can’t go on separately the way we are,” he said. “We are both going to wind up making a lot of changes that we won’t like. If we can come together and make something sustainable that will be in the best interest of both congregations — doing nothing is not an option.” PJC
David Rullo can be reached at drullo@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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