Rabbi yitzhak miller
Santa Cruz,#2
Sun, September 13, 2009
From
the Desk of Professor Linda Nurick
Former Board Member
April, 2008
As a former board member of Temple Beth El, I am writing regarding the
Press Enterprise article of January 25th, which was a biased, one-dimensional
view of a complex, difficult time for both Rabbi Miller and Temple Beth
El. It saddens me that a single
newspaper article could have such a devastating effect on the promising career
of an exceptional young Rabbi. This
letter is an attempt to restore the balance so that those who may consider
hiring Rabbi Miller in the future can make a fully-informed decision.
Temple Beth El has been through many rabbis over the last twelve or so
years, and this constant change has left its mark on us. A number of these previous Rabbis truly have
engaged in seriously problematic behavior, which means the biggest mark that
has been left is a congregation that has a very difficult time trusting Rabbis
and a difficult time trusting that Rabbis will be around for any extended
period of time. Rabbi Miller is not a
perfect man, but the Press Enterprise article made it sound as if Rabbi is a
dangerous, unpredictable man.
I am and always have been one of the most active members of the
Lets look at the Press Enterprise article from a journalistic point of
view: The Temple president acknowledges
that there were many, many members who were trying to keep Miller on, but the
reporter made no mention of contacting them (and to my knowledge, he didnt try
to contact anyone who opposed the boards decision). He did not attend the
There were many people who opposed the boards decision to accept Rabbi
Millers resignation. Many of the board
members admitted that had there been a vote at the congregational meeting, or
had they been willing to take a congregational poll, a substantial majority of
people wanted Rabbi Miller to stay. A
formal request that such a poll be taken was officially submitted to the board
of directors, who refused to do so. It
must be noted here that Rabbi Miller was given a 5-year contract when he was
hired, but soon after he came, the established fiefdoms in staff and
leadership were clearly threatened by his strong presence. It must also be noted that within 6 months of
his hiring, the board recognized they could not afford the contract they had
signed. It is inconceivable that these
issues were not strong motivation in the boards decision to request Rabbi
Millers resignation in the wake of this incident.
There were certainly people with whom Rabbi had problems and it is also
true that Rabbi Miller has some interpersonal skills that could use work and
that he is working on. I dont believe
Rabbi Miller has substantially more or fewer challenges than any other Rabbis. What is not acknowledged is the substantial
problems others at the
I have often said that Rabbi Miller is like a thoroughbred horse. He is a powerful force in any situationand
that force can be a great boon to any organization provided it is respected and
harnessed. There are many people at
Temple Beth El who are convinced that with time and commitment, Rabbi Millers
personality and skills would have been great assets for the Jewish community in
When Rabbi Miller was hired (I was on the board at that time), he was
given a mandate to make significant changes at Temple Beth El. We thought that was what we wanted, but once
Rabbi started to make those changes, some began to question the changes, others
were threatened by the changes themselves, and a number of board and staff
members were clearly threatened by Rabbi Millers presence and success. There is no question that Rabbi could have
led the congregation down the road of change more gently and with more
understanding of the difficulty of change for people who have built what
exists, but he didnt, and our Temple has had such difficulties with rabbis
that when we see problems, we are too quick to judge.
There is no way to tell for sure whether Rabbi Miller would have worked
out long-term as Temple Beth Els rabbi, but he wasnt given the chance, and we
miss him terribly. This is a person who
has the energy, charisma, passion, and dedication to make a real difference in
this world. Those of us who know and
love him pray that another organization will find a way to utilize his immense
talents to the fullest.
Submitted with love and caring,
Linda Nurick
From
the Desk of Professor Linda Nurick
Former Board Member
April, 2008
As a former board member of Temple Beth El, I am writing regarding the
Press Enterprise article of January 25th, which was a biased, one-dimensional
view of a complex, difficult time for both Rabbi Miller and Temple Beth
El. It saddens me that a single
newspaper article could have such a devastating effect on the promising career
of an exceptional young Rabbi. This
letter is an attempt to restore the balance so that those who may consider
hiring Rabbi Miller in the future can make a fully-informed decision.
Temple Beth El has been through many rabbis over the last twelve or so
years, and this constant change has left its mark on us. A number of these previous Rabbis truly have
engaged in seriously problematic behavior, which means the biggest mark that
has been left is a congregation that has a very difficult time trusting Rabbis
and a difficult time trusting that Rabbis will be around for any extended
period of time. Rabbi Miller is not a
perfect man, but the Press Enterprise article made it sound as if Rabbi is a
dangerous, unpredictable man.
I am and always have been one of the most active members of the
Lets look at the Press Enterprise article from a journalistic point of
view: The Temple president acknowledges
that there were many, many members who were trying to keep Miller on, but the
reporter made no mention of contacting them (and to my knowledge, he didnt try
to contact anyone who opposed the boards decision). He did not attend the
There were many people who opposed the boards decision to accept Rabbi
Millers resignation. Many of the board
members admitted that had there been a vote at the congregational meeting, or
had they been willing to take a congregational poll, a substantial majority of
people wanted Rabbi Miller to stay. A
formal request that such a poll be taken was officially submitted to the board
of directors, who refused to do so. It
must be noted here that Rabbi Miller was given a 5-year contract when he was
hired, but soon after he came, the established fiefdoms in staff and
leadership were clearly threatened by his strong presence. It must also be noted that within 6 months of
his hiring, the board recognized they could not afford the contract they had
signed. It is inconceivable that these
issues were not strong motivation in the boards decision to request Rabbi
Millers resignation in the wake of this incident.
There were certainly people with whom Rabbi had problems and it is also
true that Rabbi Miller has some interpersonal skills that could use work and
that he is working on. I dont believe
Rabbi Miller has substantially more or fewer challenges than any other Rabbis. What is not acknowledged is the substantial
problems others at the
I have often said that Rabbi Miller is like a thoroughbred horse. He is a powerful force in any situationand
that force can be a great boon to any organization provided it is respected and
harnessed. There are many people at
Temple Beth El who are convinced that with time and commitment, Rabbi Millers
personality and skills would have been great assets for the Jewish community in
When Rabbi Miller was hired (I was on the board at that time), he was
given a mandate to make significant changes at Temple Beth El. We thought that was what we wanted, but once
Rabbi started to make those changes, some began to question the changes, others
were threatened by the changes themselves, and a number of board and staff
members were clearly threatened by Rabbi Millers presence and success. There is no question that Rabbi could have
led the congregation down the road of change more gently and with more
understanding of the difficulty of change for people who have built what
exists, but he didnt, and our Temple has had such difficulties with rabbis
that when we see problems, we are too quick to judge.
There is no way to tell for sure whether Rabbi Miller would have worked
out long-term as Temple Beth Els rabbi, but he wasnt given the chance, and we
miss him terribly. This is a person who
has the energy, charisma, passion, and dedication to make a real difference in
this world. Those of us who know and
love him pray that another organization will find a way to utilize his immense
talents to the fullest.
Submitted with love and caring,
Linda Nurick
Rabbi Yitzhak Miller
Santa Cruz,#3REBUTTAL Individual responds
Fri, July 10, 2009
Look at all the posts this person has made on ComplaintsBoard.com and RipoffReport.com and ask yourself whether these posts seem like someone "working in the best interests of humanity", or someone who has chosen to use the powerful tool we have in the internet in a way that does disservice to all of us by making legitimate critiques and complaints difficult to find. Check RabbiYitzhakMiller.org for all the testimonials from members of the Riverside Congregation and ask yourself whether Sidney Cohen actually speaks for the community. Ask yourself whether all these people would say what they did if Sidney's comments are actually true. Were things a "perfect match" between me and Riverside Temple Beth El? Far from it. Am I perfect? Far from it. Perfection is not the goal. Acknowledgement of our past failings, making amends for those if they have harmed someone, and serious continuous self-improvement is what Judaism and basic human decency expect of us. Neither I nor Judaism expect a person to be perfect. I stand solidly, though, on my record of continuous self-improvement and improvement of the world around me. Look at CyberJudaism.org and see what it means to be committed to working in the best interests of humanity and the Jewish community. Ask yourself: "who in this discussion is working to always be a better and better person? Who in this discussion is spending their time being a positive force in the world?" If you're wondering whether Sidney Cohen's comments are credible, Call Riverside Temple Beth El at 951-684-4511 and ask any of the staff or clergy there what kind of person Sidney Cohen, how he has behaved over the years towards congregants, board members, and clergy. Ask them whether his messages and motives are well-intended. Or, better yet, call or email him yourself and assess what kind of person he is. B'shalom, Rabbi Yitzi Miller
Rabbi Yitzhak Miller
Santa Cruz,#4REBUTTAL Individual responds
Fri, July 10, 2009
Look at all the posts this person has made on ComplaintsBoard.com and RipoffReport.com and ask yourself whether these posts seem like someone "working in the best interests of humanity", or someone who has chosen to use the powerful tool we have in the internet in a way that does disservice to all of us by making legitimate critiques and complaints difficult to find. Check RabbiYitzhakMiller.org for all the testimonials from members of the Riverside Congregation and ask yourself whether Sidney Cohen actually speaks for the community. Ask yourself whether all these people would say what they did if Sidney's comments are actually true. Were things a "perfect match" between me and Riverside Temple Beth El? Far from it. Am I perfect? Far from it. Perfection is not the goal. Acknowledgement of our past failings, making amends for those if they have harmed someone, and serious continuous self-improvement is what Judaism and basic human decency expect of us. Neither I nor Judaism expect a person to be perfect. I stand solidly, though, on my record of continuous self-improvement and improvement of the world around me. Look at CyberJudaism.org and see what it means to be committed to working in the best interests of humanity and the Jewish community. Ask yourself: "who in this discussion is working to always be a better and better person? Who in this discussion is spending their time being a positive force in the world?" If you're wondering whether Sidney Cohen's comments are credible, Call Riverside Temple Beth El at 951-684-4511 and ask any of the staff or clergy there what kind of person Sidney Cohen, how he has behaved over the years towards congregants, board members, and clergy. Ask them whether his messages and motives are well-intended. Or, better yet, call or email him yourself and assess what kind of person he is. B'shalom, Rabbi Yitzi Miller
Rabbi Yitzhak Miller
Santa Cruz,#5REBUTTAL Individual responds
Fri, July 10, 2009
Look at all the posts this person has made on ComplaintsBoard.com and RipoffReport.com and ask yourself whether these posts seem like someone "working in the best interests of humanity", or someone who has chosen to use the powerful tool we have in the internet in a way that does disservice to all of us by making legitimate critiques and complaints difficult to find. Check RabbiYitzhakMiller.org for all the testimonials from members of the Riverside Congregation and ask yourself whether Sidney Cohen actually speaks for the community. Ask yourself whether all these people would say what they did if Sidney's comments are actually true. Were things a "perfect match" between me and Riverside Temple Beth El? Far from it. Am I perfect? Far from it. Perfection is not the goal. Acknowledgement of our past failings, making amends for those if they have harmed someone, and serious continuous self-improvement is what Judaism and basic human decency expect of us. Neither I nor Judaism expect a person to be perfect. I stand solidly, though, on my record of continuous self-improvement and improvement of the world around me. Look at CyberJudaism.org and see what it means to be committed to working in the best interests of humanity and the Jewish community. Ask yourself: "who in this discussion is working to always be a better and better person? Who in this discussion is spending their time being a positive force in the world?" If you're wondering whether Sidney Cohen's comments are credible, Call Riverside Temple Beth El at 951-684-4511 and ask any of the staff or clergy there what kind of person Sidney Cohen, how he has behaved over the years towards congregants, board members, and clergy. Ask them whether his messages and motives are well-intended. Or, better yet, call or email him yourself and assess what kind of person he is. B'shalom, Rabbi Yitzi Miller
Rabbi Yitzhak Miller
Santa Cruz,#6REBUTTAL Individual responds
Fri, July 10, 2009
Look at all the posts this person has made on ComplaintsBoard.com and RipoffReport.com and ask yourself whether these posts seem like someone "working in the best interests of humanity", or someone who has chosen to use the powerful tool we have in the internet in a way that does disservice to all of us by making legitimate critiques and complaints difficult to find. Check RabbiYitzhakMiller.org for all the testimonials from members of the Riverside Congregation and ask yourself whether Sidney Cohen actually speaks for the community. Ask yourself whether all these people would say what they did if Sidney's comments are actually true. Were things a "perfect match" between me and Riverside Temple Beth El? Far from it. Am I perfect? Far from it. Perfection is not the goal. Acknowledgement of our past failings, making amends for those if they have harmed someone, and serious continuous self-improvement is what Judaism and basic human decency expect of us. Neither I nor Judaism expect a person to be perfect. I stand solidly, though, on my record of continuous self-improvement and improvement of the world around me. Look at CyberJudaism.org and see what it means to be committed to working in the best interests of humanity and the Jewish community. Ask yourself: "who in this discussion is working to always be a better and better person? Who in this discussion is spending their time being a positive force in the world?" If you're wondering whether Sidney Cohen's comments are credible, Call Riverside Temple Beth El at 951-684-4511 and ask any of the staff or clergy there what kind of person Sidney Cohen, how he has behaved over the years towards congregants, board members, and clergy. Ask them whether his messages and motives are well-intended. Or, better yet, call or email him yourself and assess what kind of person he is. B'shalom, Rabbi Yitzi Miller