Rabbi Goor to make Aliyah
To my Temple Judea family:
When Evan and I were in our early thirties, we created a life plan that included realizing our personal dream and eventually moving to Israel. After much personal thought, and with much sadness at what I leave behind, I would like to share that at the end of June of 2013 we will realize our dream to make Aliyah, move to Israel, and begin a new chapter in our lives.
This has not been an easy decision. It’s hard to imagine my life without you – without our Temple community. Over the 25 years I’ve been your rabbi, we’ve developed wonderful relationships. I’ve truly matured as a rabbi in your midst. We’ve mourned together and celebrated together. I hope and pray that these relationships will continue for many years to come.
I’ve come to realize that there is no right to time to leave a place that has truly become my home. As I enjoy living in our new campus and experiencing the renewed vitality of our community, I feel confident in our future and know that I’m leaving the temple well positioned to meet the challenges of the future.
While I will miss Temple Judea deeply, I am committed to working with our Temple leadership and our search committee to find a worthy successor. And most importantly, I look forward to seeing many of you in Israel and on our return visits to Los Angeles. I will remain deeply committed to Temple Judea and look forward to creating an ongoing relationship as an active Rabbi Emeritus.
With all the difficulty of this tough decision, and knowing there will be a hole in my heart as I leave Temple Judea, I look forward to the next chapter in my life in Israel, and I am comforted knowing that we have another year and a half together to continue the important work that makes Temple Judea truly a place to belong.
Shalom
Don