November 6, 2014

Unique Opportunity – Rabbi of the Denver Academy of Community (DAT Minyan and Denver Academy of Torah) Denver, Colorado

The DAT Minyan and Denver Academy of Torah are seeking a Rabbi who will shape our growing synagogue and school into what together is rapidly becoming one of the most desired Modern Orthodox communities in North America. We are looking for a Rabbi who possesses an ability to articulate the beauty and complexity of Modern Orthodoxy, inspire a diverse community, and implement a vision for enhancing and directing its growth. We believe this opportunity is unparalleled – and allows a talented individual to truly become the leader of not just a shul – but a community.

The Rabbi of the Denver Academy of Torah Community will be a man with experience growing and leading a Modern Orthodox synagogue, skilled in developing relationships and inspiring commitment from diverse members, with a love and talent for teaching Torah to both men and women of varied backgrounds. He is an articulate communicator, a creative thinker, and committed to our novel institutional community model (partnership between shul and school). The DAT community is a portal to a large sector of Denver observant Jewish community, as we value our shul families with children enrolled in other schools and school families who are members in other synagogues. Our Rabbi will be the halakhic authority for our school and shul, and provide religious guidance to our community. He will be an inspiring role model and lead by example.

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Founded in 2006, the Denver Academy of Torah (DAT) Minyan is located on the Glassman Education campus, a 9-acre campus on the East side of Denver. Together with its sister institution Denver Academy of Torah (a mission aligned K-12 religious Zionist, innovative, and academically rigorous day school), the shul and school comprise the epicenter of Denver’s Modern Orthodox community.

The DAT community has developed a unique institutional model in which both institutions reside on the same debt-free campus, share a common vision, and are dedicated to collaboration and partnership. Together, the school and shul are the preeminent Modern Orthodox institutions in the city. Over the past three years our community has experienced double-digit growth, with the shul now representing 140 families, most of whom have school-aged children. The school’s enrollment is presently 175 students. Both institutions have outgrown the available space in the current building, and look forward to a coordinated capital campaign in the near future.

The Rabbinic position for the DAT Community offers an incredible opportunity for the right candidate. As there are no other full-time Modern Orthodox school or shul leadership positions in Denver, the DAT Community Rabbi who is passionate about Modern Orthodoxy, warm, and inspirational, will serve not only as the leader of our community, but as the leader of Modern Orthodoxy in all of Colorado.

The Denver Difference

Denver is enjoying spectacular growth and a booming economy. Our city provides a high quality-of-life Modern Orthodox experience which has steadily attracted families Job Description - Rabbi DAT Minyan and DAT Community from across the country.

Denver is known for • Beautiful and affordable housing within the eruv • Expansive and plentiful parks within walking distance of the shul • World class skiing and national parks within 90 minutes of the city and over 300 days of sunshine a year • professional sports teams and stadiums within 20 minutes of home

Denver offers a strong Jewish infrastructure, including multiple day schools, numerous kiruv organizations, a community Kollel, kosher food options and multiple Mikvahs (which include an East-side mikvah mid-way through a capital campaign).

Our Shul

The DAT Minyan is housed within the Denver Academy of Torah school building in East Denver, an area which is home to Denver’s largest Orthodox population. The shul has daily shacharit, mincha, and maariv minyanim. On there is both a hashkama minyan and main minyan with youth programming and adult education. The shul is preparing to launch a capital campaign in the next 12-24 months in conjunction with the school to further develop the physical spaces required for our growing community.

The DAT Minyan enjoys a diverse membership: Denver natives and families new to Colorado; Americans and Israelis; yeshiva/seminary graduates and those who have never enjoyed a formal ; FFBs, BTs and geirei tzedek; marathon runners and gartel wearers, and some who are both! The majority of the shul’s school-aged children are enrolled in Denver Academy of Torah.

Our shul is known for • a quiet and focused davening experience • a warm, supportive, and friendly community with a strong focus on g’milut chessed and hachnasat orchim • coordinated adult education programming for all learning levels • strong teen participation in davening and leining • a large (and growing number) of young children • a commitment to youth programming

Our School

Denver Academy of Torah is the only Modern Orthodox day school among the 3 Jewish day school options in Denver. Founded in 1993, the K-12 school has enjoyed steady growth over the past decade (85 students in 2006 and 175 students today) and is housed in a debt-free building that was built in 1999. Nearly all Judaic staff and administrators are members of the DAT Minyan.

DAT’s lower school (K-8th grades) is known for its warm environment, focus on skill- building in limudei kodesh and chol, development of fine midot, educational innovation, and a dedicated administration and faculty. It is accredited by the Association of Colorado Independent Schools (ACIS), the body which accredits the finest private schools in the state. One example of DAT’s commitment to educational innovation is our selection by the Avi Chai Foundation to be a BOLD school (bolddayschools.org). This grant provided to only five Jewish day schools nationally enabled DAT to incorporate 2

Job Description - Rabbi DAT Minyan and DAT Community cutting-edge blended (teacher and computer driven) learning into its K-8 instruction.

DAT High School has developed a cutting-edge pedagogic model in only 5 years that is quickly becoming an exemplar for education in the Jewish Day School community. High School leadership have authored numerous articles and book chapters and lectured at national conferences to educate others about DAT’s unique experiential educational model. Jewish high schools around North America are now looking to DAT to learn best practices.

In addition to the collaborative relationship between DAT and DAT Minyan, DAT has fostered unique partnerships with other Denver institutions. For example, in 2010 DAT provided underutilized acreages to Ekar Farm and Community Gardens (ekarfarm.org). Produce grown on land adjacent to the school building has become a community resource and provides educational opportunities for our students.

Minimum Skills and Experience

• Ordination from an Orthodox institution and member of (or eligible for membership in) the Rabbinical Council of America • Undergraduate degree from 4-year academic institution • Knowledge and wisdom to serve as community posek (i.e. , taharat hamishpacha, eruv, etc.)

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience as assistant Rabbi or senior Rabbi of Modern Orthodox synagogue • Experience in successfully growing a shul membership and building community. • Strong collaboration skills, demonstrated ability to gain support and trust across the community to achieve goals • Excellent communicator and speaker • Ability to deliver engaging shiurim for men and women of all levels • Demonstrated success building strategic fund raising campaigns.

Compensation Package

• $135,000-$165,000, commensurate with experience Inclusive of: • Health Insurance • Tuition discounts • Season ski pass • Jewish Community Center membership

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Job Description - Rabbi DAT Minyan and DAT Community

Expanded Job Description

Leadership and Vision: • Leader for our modern Orthodox community and its partner organizations. • Become the voice and face of the DAT Minyan, DAT school and Modern Orthodoxy in all community needs and events. • Express the richness and challenges of modern Orthodoxy, and grow a community committed to those principles. • Advocate for the central importance of religious Zionism in our and the modern world. • Inspire religious and spiritual growth and engagement with the shul’s educational and social programs by DAT Minyan members. • Inspire excitement for the mission of DAT, the centrality of a modern Orthodox day school education, and its importance for the future of Jewish peoplehood. • Provide vision and guidance as the community grows and moves towards establishing a building and scaling to accommodate its growing needs. • Articulate and embody the ideals of modern Orthodoxy within a diverse congregation. • Connect and relate to diverse families who send their children to DAT for school but are not members of DAT Minyan (including families committed to synagogues to the left and to the right of modern Orthodoxy). • Religious role model for students and to create an exemplary modern Orthodox/religious Zionist environment on campus. • Respected religious authority among not just the shul membership, but the Denver and greater world Jewish community as a whole.

Community Building: • Maintain the partnership between school and shul, with a commitment to strengthening bridges between the two institutions. • Foster relationships between the DAT community and the greater Denver Jewish community • Develop warm and meaningful relationships with shul members of all ages • Build a strong Modern Orthodox presence within the Denver Jewish community

Fundraising and Expansion: The Central figure in our community must be comfortable raising significant funding to help develop the physical spaces needed to meet the needs of our community. This would require that our rabbinic figure be able to articulate the importance of the DAT Minyan and School to a wide range of potential donors, outside of the DAT community as well as within it. Fundraising is a central aspect to being the Rabbinic and community leader needed for the DAT Community.

Ability to oversee existing employees and new hires as we expand (Ex: director of operations, youth director, administrative assistant, and executive director)

School leadership: • Serve as the rabbinic leader of the school • Provide halakhic guidance and decision making for school issues • Provide spiritual leadership for the school; fostering a warm environment committed to modern Orthodox ideals • Set standards at the school that exemplify modern Orthodox and religious Zionist values • Create meaningful connections to religiously diverse families • Serve as a mentor and rabbinic resource as needed for the school’s Judaic faculty

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Job Description - Rabbi DAT Minyan and DAT Community

Youth: To oversee the development of a youth program, with a youth director, which will teach, motivate, and inspire our youth to become committed modern Orthodox , who love to learn, come to shul, and fully participate in Orthodox life.

Ability and desire to connect with youth of various ages (elementary school, teens) and backgrounds

Finding ways to work directly with Denver Academy of Torah to create continuity between what is taught in school Judaic programs and reinforced in shul programs.

Talmud Torah: To develop, execute and implement an overall program of adult Torah that includes professionally run and sophisticated study opportunities for all levels. The community envisions a chavura program, scholar in residence program, and opportunities to work collaboratively with other community organizations and other shuls in the area. We would hope to see high level gemora shiurim, women’s programming, along with a Judaic literacy program and educational programs for teens.

Shabbat and Chagim speaking would be the full responsibility of the shul Rabbi. Included in this would be a weekly written drash to be included in the weekly newsletter sent out by the shul.

Lastly, a daf yomi shiur is desired to facilitate this important learning opportunity for our community. This shiur could be taught by the shul Rabbi or coordinated by him with external talent.

Tefila: Work in conjunction with the ritual committee to increase the attendance and inspiration at daily minyanim. The Rabbi would be expected to attend all minyanim on time daily, and teach before shacharit and between mincha maariv. Overall handling of any and all psak issues during all minyanim and davening.

During Shabbat and Chagim working as an integral part of leading, planning and developing innovative and inspiring tefilot to exceed the expectations of the community and meet the needs of spiritual fulfillment. Coordination of the tefilot would be the responsibility of the gabaim.

Chesed: Ensuring the shul is the most welcoming institution it can be. This includes recruiting individuals to join a committee to develop a program for visitors, integration of new families, finding ways to develop relationships among groups within the shul that do not naturally mix. A central theme is development of unity and relationships as a community and a minyan. We hope to find a leader that drives the desire for all our community members to build stronger relationships among the kehila.

Pastoral: All general pastoral duties including life-cycle-events, counseling, and a focus on ensuring the needs of the individuals and families during both crisis and smachot are met to the fullest extent possible.

Programming: In addition the Rabbi should lead the vision of what chaggim programs should look like. Laying out a general vision and plan and enlisting members of the community and paid staff to help execute on the vision and deliver a meaningful program for all needs 5

Job Description - Rabbi DAT Minyan and DAT Community throughout the year.

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