Adath Jeshurun Congregation Rabbi Aaron Weininger announced in an email to the congregation that he would be leaving his role as senior rabbi when his contract ends May 31, 2027.
Weininger was hired as associate rabbi in 2012 as a trailblazer – the first openly gay student to be admitted to the Jewish Theological Seminary, and the first openly gay person to become a senior rabbi of a large Conservative congregation.
“This has been a difficult decision. I love Adath, our trailblazing spirit as the oldest Conservative congregation west of the Mississippi, and our larger community,” Weininger said in an email to the community. “Proud of our history, we choose questions born of curiosity over answers that idolize conformity. Finding a synagogue that practices what it preaches, that develops a culture of philanthropy through a visionary foundation – almost 40 years old – isn’t just a nice match. This is the stuff of [a] sacred relationship.”
Weininger told senior officials at the synagogue about his decision last week, Adath Executive Director Susan Geller said. She said the decision was a “thoughtful and difficult” one.
In a list of frequently asked questions, the leadership plan is for the Board of Trustees to convene a small task force of lay leaders to partner with staff and clergy and begin planning for the congregation’s next chapter. Geller said the synagogue will be transparent and intentional with how it moves forward over the next 11 months.
“Rabbi Weininger has left a remarkable impact on all of our lives,” Adath Board President Ann Miller wrote in the congregational email announcement. ”He has led a legacy of kindness that is truly the secret sauce of our beloved k’hillah. We know this news will be met with a mix of emotions. For me, sadness is present – the price I pay for the love and care he offered to all of us. Equally present are gratitude, respect, admiration, and a deep knowing that Rabbi Weininger will always remain my Rabbi.”
The announcement comes a month after Weininger returned after a three-month leave of absence to support several family members who were going through a variety of health challenges.
Weininger will leave at the conclusion of his first contract as senior rabbi. He succeeded Rabbi Harold Kravitz as senior rabbi at the synagogue in 2023, as part of a nearly two-year transition plan, with Kravitz becoming rabbi emeritus. Kravitz’s retirement was announced in 2021, and the announcement of Weininger’s elevation to the synagogue’s 10th senior rabbi came in 2022.
“As I feel the grief of saying goodbye, I am excited about all we will do this coming year,” Weininger wrote. “I give my full support in the transition and believe in the joyful future of our community. We are enriched, not depleted, when more people have skin in the game.”