As part of my research for a piece I am writing about religion in Brooklyn for the Brooklyn Papers, I’ve discovered that Beth Elohim is getting a new senior rabbi and his name is Rabbi Andy Bachman and HE’S GOT A BLOG. How cool is that? A rabbi with a blog. Here’s a post from March 21st. I am hoping he’ll let me interview him for the Brooklyn Papers piece.

Today I was officially voted in as the new rabbi at Congregation
Beth Elohim of Brooklyn. Congregational by-laws require an election by
at least a quorum of its members for such large, transitional issues as
hiring a new rabbi. And so today, after hearing a thorough presentation
on the rabbinic search process from the committee chair, David
Kasakove, the shul’s president, Jules Hirsh, called for a vote.

It passed.  And in an instant, or so it seemed, my life and our life as a family changed forever.

Of
course, the community was stil humming along–there was Religious School
across the street in the Temple House; the choir was itching to
rehearse; traffic on 8th Avenue was speeding along outside. Our Irish
neighbors were preparing for the Brooklyn version of St. Patricks Day.
But our life was changed in an instant.