EVERETT – The rabbi of Everett’s only Reform Jewish temple has accepted a position at a temple in Wilmington, N.C.
Rabbi Harley Karz-Wagman, who has led Temple Beth Or for the past six years, plans to leave Everett today. His final Shabbat service at the temple was held Friday.
Temple Beth Or could be without a rabbi for more than a year, said Heidi Piel, president of the temple’s governing board.
Most Reform Jewish congregations search for rabbis to fill vacancies in the fall, after the annual graduation at Hebrew Union College, a multisite rabbinical institute, Piel said.
“We probably will not be prepared to enter the process this year, so we’ll look to enter the process a year from this fall,” she said.
A Transition Committee has sought local rabbis who aren’t currently serving temples full time to fulfill day-to-day needs of the congregation, including counseling and religious training, Piel said.
A recently retired Hebrew Union College professor is scheduled to lead the congregation through high holy days in September, she said.
“The ideal would be to work with somebody who works with us really well and then it becomes a regular position,” Piel said.
Karz-Wagman requested permission from the board to search for another post late last year, Piel said. In April, he announced his move to Temple of Israel in Wilmington. The city’s rapidly growing population and larger Jewish community drew him there, he said.
He said he’ll remember Temple Beth Or for its warm and caring members, and Snohomish County for its progressiveness. Over the past six years, Karz-Wagman has been involved with the city of Everett’s diversity committee and the Interfaith Association of Snohomish County.
“I’ve seen Snohomish County make some remarkable steps forward,” he said.
Reporter Krista J. Kapralos: 425-339-3422 or kkapralos@heraldnet.com.
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