Vermont's oldest, largest synagogue losing rabbi

By TED COHEN/Patch.com EXCLUSIVE ©

The financially-strapped and largest synagogue in Vermont is losing its first-ever female rabbi even as it tries to stem its continuing cash-flow crises.

Amy Small, 63, who was hired in 2016, is "retiring" rather than seeking to renew her contract and will be succeeded next year by a cantor and a part-time rabbi at Ohavi Zedek Synagogue.

The 340-family synagogue, founded in 1885, has never had a part-time rabbi but financial duress is requiring what synagogue officials called "belt- tightening" measures.

The news of Small's leaving rocked the 137-year-old Jewish house of worship in Burlington, the oldest synagogue in Vermont where rabbi tenure generally lasts decades.

The synagogue is $200,000 in debt, roughly one-fifth of its annual $1 million budget, and has resorted to occasionally borrowing money from members, officials said. But they also tried to put a brave face on its condition, claiming the synagogue is strong financially while admitting cutting expenses is inevitable.

"To remain fiscally responsible, we need to tighten our belt and reign (sic) in our expenses," board president Jeff Potash said.

The board is considering having a cantor "as our lead clergy, with a part-time rabbi at his side" after the full-time rabbi "retires" next year, Potash added.

"Moving forward, the Executive Committee is recommending that following Rabbi Amy’s retirement, Cantor Steve (Zeidenberg) serve as our spiritual leader and we explore options, including a part-time rabbi, to support him in leading us for two years (2023-2025)."

Small's early retirement comes at a challenging time for the synagogue, as well as houses of worship in general.

The Washington Post reported in 2020 that "the coronavirus is pressing painfully on the soft underbelly of U.S. houses of worship: their finances. About a third of all congregations have no savings, according to the 2018-2019 National Congregations Study. Just 20 percent streamed their services and 48 percent were able to accept donations electronically, the study found, making it more challenging to serve the faithful and gather their donations during the virus shutdown."

"The blow has been hardest on the nation’s many small congregations," The Post said. "Some experts think the coronavirus could reshape the country’s religious landscape and wipe out many small houses of worship. These are places where members typically go to seek guidance and comfort, but members are now finding closed buildings and desperate pleas for funds."

In the Vermont synagogue's latest newsletter, The Voice, Small's regular message belied mention of her plans to retire earlier than she had planned. But she spoke of crushing frustration over the COVID pandemic:

"Two years into this pandemic, we are tired of it; tired of the isolation, tired of the restrictions, tired of the suspicions of others or ourselves regarding virus protections, tired of minyan and services on Zoom, tired of reading the statistics of the day – how many infected, what is the percentage of our population, how many died? Tired of some of us working from home, others of no longer working, others working in highly stressful situations. Many of us are juggling
situations with childcare and school with seemingly endless uncertainty. We and our world have been forever transformed and we don’t yet even know what and who we will be in the future."

Small, who was the synagogue's second choice as the top rabbi, told her bosses last fall she would not try to renew her contract in July 2023.

"When I came here in 2015, I imagined with hope that I would continue in this role through my 70th year (2028-2029)," she wrote in an open letter to the synagogue membership. "But the demands of the past two years have sparked a reconsideration of that timeline for me and for my family. After considerable thought and processing with family, I have decided that I will retire at the end of my current contract, at the end of June 2023."

Meanwhile, the synagogue's shaky finances remain a major focus - and have been center stage "for decades," said treasurer Bill Miller.

"Several of us on the Finance Committee have been concerned that that over a couple of decades Ohavi Zedek might not be running a sustainable budget and might eat up our $1 million unrestricted endowment, and that we may have to consider selling off some of our $6 million in land and buildings," Miller wrote in The Voice. "But though we had an unfortunate series of years in the early 2010s, when we were not aware of our true financial status, we are now, and I can assure you we are in good shape overall. We do need to trim expenses and expand revenue."