Welcome to the Rabbinic Transition Page

This is the place to learn about Congregation Shomrei Torah’s short- and long-term plans for our rabbinical future. 

Welcome Rabbi Andi Berlin, CST's Interim Rabbi

Rabbinic Transition FAQs

The Rabbi Search Committee has begun familiarizing ourselves with the search process and preparing Congregation Shomrei Torah’s application to be considered by Rabbis seeking placement as of July 2025. The RSC represents a mix of generations and family constellations, as well as a variety of Jewish backgrounds and orientations toward Jewish life and practice.  Committee members have been broadly and deeply engaged with the CST community, giving the group familiarity with:

• Many aspects of our congregational life, including social action, Shabbat and holiday observance, Torah study, programs for children and teens, adult education, and working with clergy and administration.
• The range of rabbinic work.
• The process of collaborative rabbinic and lay leadership.
• The sacred nature of the rabbi-congregant relationship. ​​​​​​​

Members have committed themselves to serving the needs of the Shomrei Torah community as a whole and expect to devote a significant amount of time, individually and together, to the assessment of applicants.  We look forward to widespread involvement from members as the selection process proceeds later this year and into 2025. Look for updates in coming months.

Rabbini Search Committee Members:

Welcome Rabbi Andi Berlin!

The CST Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Rabbi Andi Berlin will serve as Interim Rabbi from July 2024 through June 2025, following the retirement of Rabbi Gittleman. 

Rabbi Berlin notes, “I came to know Shomrei Torah when I worked for the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and have always been impressed with the community’s warmth, engagement, and religious diversity. Given my blend of rabbinic expertise and organizational development skills, I can help Shomrei Torah process the retirement of your long-time senior rabbi, support the remaining staff, and look forward to welcoming a settled rabbi.”

Rabbi Berlin spent most of her congregational rabbinic career at Temple Sinai of Oakland, where she is known for her teaching and pastoral care. Rabbi Berlin developed a passion for helping organizations through transition, conflict, and development when she worked for the URJ. Most recently, she operated Berlin Consulting, LLC in the San Francisco Bay Area, working with corporations to resolve conflict, develop leaders, negotiate difficult decisions, and ensure organizational growth and strength. Rabbi Berlin was a member and chair of the Ethics Committee of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR); the president of the Pacific Area of Reform Rabbis; and chair of the East Bay Council of Rabbis.

Rabbi Berlin holds a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology/Sociology/World Religion from Ohio Wesleyan University, where she was recognized with several community and academic honors. She received a Master’s of Hebrew Letters and Ordination through the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where she received prizes for her sermons and community organizing.  The Interim Search Committee, Board of Directors, clergy, and staff were impressed with her ability to make Torah accessible and relevant and found her personally approachable and engaging.

In her free time, Rabbi Berlin enjoys hiking with Jon and Buddy (her spouse and her dog), spending time with her family, cooking, reading, camping, traveling, and performing with her improv troupe.

Rabbinic Transition - Frequently Asked Questions

What is the timeline for the change in rabbinic leadership?

CST leadership is in the process, outlined by the Rabbinical Placement Commission of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and Union for Reform Judaism, and selected an Interim Rabbi, who will be with us from (approximately) July 2024 through June 2025.

During the year when we have an Interim Rabbi, a search committee representing our diverse membership is leading the process of selecting our next Senior Rabbi, who we anticipate will begin July 2025.

What’s an Interim Rabbi? How is this person selected? Why engage a rabbi for a year instead of searching for a new Rabbi right away?

Following the loss of a longtime Senior Rabbi, it’s a challenge for a congregation to pivot to the future, assess current congregational needs and goals, and identify the rabbinic characteristics we feel would work best for our community in coming years and decades. An interim year allows CST leadership to thoughtfully listen to input from the congregation, review candidates, and make a careful selection. We are a large, diverse community and selecting a new rabbi is a big, important task: better to do it right than do it fast.

“Interim Rabbi” is a specialized job category. Interim rabbis are specifically trained and experienced in assisting a congregation in its transition from the previous rabbinic leadership to a new Senior Rabbi. An Interim Rabbi isn’t assigned: CST selected Rabbi Berlin whose Jewish values and practices, as well as personal style, are a good match with ours. There is a mutual understanding that an Interim Rabbi is essentially a placeholder: maintaining CST programming and community and offering guidance while we seek a longtime arrangement.