Letter from the Editor
The Gig-ification of the Rabbinate and Other Modern Predicaments
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have had increasing difficult finding new leadership when their rabbis move on or retire. Enter the freelance rabbi. In a small but growing movement, people are creating new models for rabbinical education and ser- universities, denominations, and congregations that have shaped the modern rabbinate until now. In his cover story for this issue of Scribe Quarterly , contributing editor Avi Finegold (himself a rabbi not vice — ones that are generally independent of the yeshivot, installed in a pulpit) explores the causes and effects of an emerging shift in how Jewish life is organized. As we each participate in what- ever our own rituals of the season are, wherever they may take place and whoever may be involved, I hope that they all do, indeed, bring comfort and meaning. Leshanah tova, HAMUTAL DOTAN EDITOR IN CHIEF SCRIBE QUARTERLY
HIS TIME OF YEAR is known for its many meaningful, often comforting rituals: forgiveness and fresh starts, shofars and sukkot,
apples and honey. It is, relatedly, the time of year lay Jews are most likely to find themselves in syna- gogue — and by extension, you might assume, most likely to find themselves in the presence of a rabbi. This is starting to change. For about 150 years, and espe- cially in the latter half of the 20th century, there has been a particular rhythm and structure to Jewish life in the diaspora. Whether you were secular, observant, or something in between, synagogue was understood to be a pillar of communal life, and its rabbis were the obvious people to turn to if you found yourself in need of a wedding, a bat mitzvah, or some spiritual counsel. But synagogue attendance has been dropping for years (a trend exacerbated by pan- demic lockdowns), as has religious participation more broadly; at the same time, many congregations
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