The College has narrowed the search for a new College rabbi to 10 applicants, down from 30 rabbis who submitted resumes, according to Tucker Foundation Dean Scott Brown. The new rabbi will replace College Rabbi Daniel Siegel, who is stepping down, effective in December.
Siegel has been with the College since August, 1987.
The search committee has requested additional information from the 10 candidates, and intends to begin interviewing by the end of May. Brown said the committee's goal is to announce the new rabbi before Fall term.
The new rabbi will begin work full time on Jan. 1, but Brown said he hopes the new rabbi will spend time on campus in the fall once the new Roth Center for Jewish Life is dedicated in November.
The Roth Center, to be located on Occom Ridge next to Delta Delta Delta sorority, will replace the much smaller Hillel House, located on School St.
Brown said the search committee is "very optimistic" about locating a new rabbi. "We have many interesting candidates who will be stimulating to students as well as good for the community."
The search committee for Siegel's replacement was formed in early February, two months after Siegel announced his resignation. In early March, the committee advertised the position in a number of Jewish publications and notified rabbinical placement services.
Brown said that the most important criteria in choosing the new rabbi are community congregational experience, experience working with students on other campuses, intellectual depth to relate to a college community and the ability to relate well with children and run a children's education program.
Hillel President Shirley Sperling '98, a member of the search committee, said, "I am looking for an energetic and open individual who can lead Jewish students coming from very varied Jewish communities throughout the world."
Brown said the job will be far more complex than that of an ordinary College employee.
"The rabbi is not only the College Rabbi, but also the rabbi of the Upper Valley Jewish Community," he said. "This person must possess the skills to serve a community as well as the skills to relate well to students and run Hillel."
Brown said that because the rabbi will hold the joint positions of College Rabbi and Rabbi to the Upper Valley Jewish Community, the final selection will be a joint decision between the College and local residents.
The committee consists of six people, each of whom represents a different faction of the Jewish community. The members include Brown, Dean of Freshmen Peter Goldsmith, Upper Valley Jewish Community representative Rebecca Gottesman, Physics Professor Jane Lipson, Sperling and Computer Science Professor Cliff Stein.
