A message from Greg Warren, Member-at-Large, TBT Board of Directors:
I’m a big sports fan. So when I think of transformational personnel changes, I tend to think of #1 picks like Victor Wembanyama or Shohei Ohtani. Well, now I’m going to have to rethink and expand my gauges because TBT just killed it in the 2026 Rabbi Draft!!
Whadda you mean there’s no such thing as a Rabbi Draft? Just check with Michelle Gutmann, chair of the Rabbi Search Committee, or Ginger Weeden, TBT president. They will tell you that it is definitely that thing – NOW!
Not only did TBT pull the top pick but we beat out the state of New Jersey in the process. Rabbi Sarah Livschitz had an offer in hand from an established temple in New Jersey and saw in us — in this place — something that spoke to her and provided a vision of all that our town and congregation could mean to her at this critical time in her life.
I know that there are many non-believers. I mean it was only a year ago that we came up with a lone rabbi candidate who eventually said, “thanks but no thanks” and left us looking bleakly toward 2025.
So, what the heck changed in one year to produce a flurry of candidates and enabled us to sign our top pick? A few very important things.
First, TBT received several generous donations that allowed us to fund a full-time rabbi position while the membership grows. That made a tremendous difference. It meant we were no longer trying to interest someone in a role that might otherwise require them to spend part of the week serving the congregation and the rest guiding fly-fishing trips to make the economics work.
Second, we did a much better job of telling our story. In 2025, our materials gave candidates a much clearer picture of Bend, not just as a dot on a map, but as a place people genuinely want to live. Suddenly, Bend was no longer just the name of a town. It became a community, a lifestyle, and an opportunity.
Perhaps it was the persistence and hard work of Michelle Gutmann and her team. Most likely, it was the combination of many factors. But whatever first drew Rabbi Sarah in, what truly sealed it was Bend itself and the many congregants who took the time to meet with her, talk with her, and show her who we are during her visit with her fiancé Margalit.
Attracting and securing Rabbi Sarah was not luck. It was a community effort, and more importantly, a community showing. We showed Rabbi Sarah that TBT is a place with heart, warmth, vision, and real possibility. TBT is a congregation where something meaningful can be built and where both rabbi and community can thrive.
So yes, go ahead and pat yourselves on the back a little. This is something worth celebrating.
I will admit that I briefly considered ordering “WE BEAT JERSEY” T-shirts to wear around purely for public kvelling purposes. However, in the end, I decided that without context, that slogan might not fully capture the magnitude of the achievement.
So perhaps we keep this particular victory to ourselves as a quiet reminder of what this congregation already is, and of what it can become. Together with Rabbi Sarah, we have a wonderful opportunity to grow into our shared potential.
Be proud. Be excited. Be inspired and Be Energized… there is much to do together!
Greg Warren
Member-at-Large