re

chairs are in the classrooms for
religious school, and that the tem-
ple doors are unlocked each
morning.
Some administrators handle
these jobs themselves. Others
oversee bookkeepers, secretaries,
receptionists and maintenance
supervisors who carry out the dai-
ly tasks. In either case, all of them
work closely with clergy and oth-
er synagogue staff, as well as lay
leaders.
Leonard Baruch, executive di-
rector of Congregation Shaarey
Zedek in Southfield, was once a
lay leader. The longtime syna-
gogue member left retirement to

Place

S USAN KNOPPOW

SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

A peek inside

the synagogue

3 business.

eth Robinson's job changes daily. Shaarey Zedek's
As temple administrator at Oak executive director
Baruch with
Park's Temple Emanu-El, Ms. Leonard
Rena Weintraub,
Robinson oversees programming, associate director of
consults with accountants and at- the synagogue's Beth
torneys and checks that the lawn Hayeled nursery
is neatly mowed. She also hires school.
plumbers, writes press releases,
orders tablecloths and talks to
members about dues.
"My job never gets stale," Ms.
Robinson says. "The only thing
that never changes is what the
institution is here for."
Most people think of their syn-
agogue or temple as a place to
pray, celebrate weddings and at-
tend religious school. Temple ad-
ministrators and executive
directors make sure those ser-
vices are available, day-in and
day-out.
While precise responsibilities
differ by congregation, one thing
is true across metro Detroit —
synagogue professionals are a
busy group.
Historically, rabbis were in to-
tal charge of their congregations.
This is still true in some syna-
gogues, particularly among the
Orthodox. As congregations grew
and fewer volunteers were avail-
able during the day, it took more
professionals to keep things run-
ning smoothly.
Today, most Conservative and
Reform congregations, as well as
some Orthodox, employ some sort
of administrator to make sure Beth Robinson: "My job never gets stale."

step in as temporary director in
1990.
"I was only supposed to be here
for a few months," Mr. Baruch
says. "That was four years ago."
As a synagogue member, Mr.
Baruch served on the board of
trustees and acted as the men's
club president. Today, he works
with 150 other staff members,
and has at least some involve-
ment with nearly every aspect of
synagogue programming in two
buildings — Shaarey Zedek and
the Shaarey Zedek B'nai Israel
Center in West Bloomfield.
Mr. Baruch is at work seven
days a week, often from early
morning until late evening. In all
his years in the children's camp-
ing business and as part of an in-
dustrial laundry company, he
doesn't recall any other job that
required such a significant per-
sonal commitment.
"It's very time-consuming," he
says. "And the financial
responsibilities are very, very dif-
ficult."
Finance is one area where
synagogue management is like
management of any other orga-
nization. If there's not enough
money to go around, services suf-
fer. Directors help ensure that
budgets stay on track and that
funds continue to come in.
Tom Jablonski, executive di-
rector of Temple Beth El in
Bloomfield Hills, has 25 years
experience in the synagogue ad-
ministration field. He has been
with both small and large con-
gregations, including Shaarey
Zedek, and has found money
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