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The New Rabbi
From award-winning journalist Stephen Fried comes a vividly intimate portrait of American Judaism today in which faith, family, and community are explored through the dramatic life of a landmark congregation as it seeks to replace its legendary retiring rabbi—and reinvent itself for the next generation.
The New Rabbi
The center of this compelling chronicle is Har Zion Temple on Philadelphia’s Main Line, which for the last seventy-five years has been one of the largest and most influential congregations in America. For thirty years Rabbi Gerald Wolpe has been its spiritual leader, a brilliant sermonizer of wide renown--but now he has announced his retirement. It is the start of a remarkable nationwide search process largely unknown to the lay world--and of much more. For at this dramatic moment Wolpe agrees to give extraordinary access to Fried, inviting him--and the reader—into the intense personal and professional life of the clergy and the complex behind-the-scenes life of a major Conservative congregation.
These riveting pages bring us a unique view of Judaism in from Har Zion’s strong-willed leaders and influential families to the young bar and bat mitzvahs just beginning their Jewish lives; from the three-days-a-year synagogue goers to the hard core of devout attendees. We are touched by their times of joy and times of grief, intrigued by congregational politics, moved by the search for faith. We witness the conflicts between generations about issues of belief, observance, and the pressures of secular life. We meet Wolpe’s vigorous-minded ailing wife and his sons, one of whom has become a celebrity rabbi in Los Angeles. And we follow the author’s own moving search for meaning as he reconnects with the religion of his youth.
We also have a front-row seat at the usually clandestine process of choosing a new rabbi, as what was expected to be a simple one-year search for Rabbi Wolpe’s successor extends to two years and then three. Dozens of résumés are rejected, a parade of prospects come to interview, the chosen successor changes his mind at the last minute, and a confrontation erupts between the synagogue and the New York–based Conservative rabbis’ “union” that governs the process. As the time comes for Wolpe to depart, a venerated house of worship is being torn apart. And thrust onto the pulpit is Wolpe’s young assistant, Rabbi Jacob Herber, in his first job out of rabbinical school, facing the nearly impossible situation of taking over despite being technically ineligible for the position--and finding himself on trial with the congregation and at odds with his mentor.
Rich in anecdote and scenes of wonderful immediacy, this is a riveting book about the search for personal faith, about the tension between secular concerns and ancient tradition in affluent America, and about what Wolpe himself has called “the retail business of religion.” Stephen Fried brings all these elements to vivid life with the passion and energy of a superbly gifted storyteller.
The New Rabbi
The center of this compelling chronicle is Har Zion Temple on Philadelphia’s Main Line, which for the last seventy-five years has been one of the largest and most influential congregations in America. For thirty years Rabbi Gerald Wolpe has been its spiritual leader, a brilliant sermonizer of wide renown--but now he has announced his retirement. It is the start of a remarkable nationwide search process largely unknown to the lay world--and of much more. For at this dramatic moment Wolpe agrees to give extraordinary access to Fried, inviting him--and the reader—into the intense personal and professional life of the clergy and the complex behind-the-scenes life of a major Conservative congregation.
These riveting pages bring us a unique view of Judaism in from Har Zion’s strong-willed leaders and influential families to the young bar and bat mitzvahs just beginning their Jewish lives; from the three-days-a-year synagogue goers to the hard core of devout attendees. We are touched by their times of joy and times of grief, intrigued by congregational politics, moved by the search for faith. We witness the conflicts between generations about issues of belief, observance, and the pressures of secular life. We meet Wolpe’s vigorous-minded ailing wife and his sons, one of whom has become a celebrity rabbi in Los Angeles. And we follow the author’s own moving search for meaning as he reconnects with the religion of his youth.
We also have a front-row seat at the usually clandestine process of choosing a new rabbi, as what was expected to be a simple one-year search for Rabbi Wolpe’s successor extends to two years and then three. Dozens of résumés are rejected, a parade of prospects come to interview, the chosen successor changes his mind at the last minute, and a confrontation erupts between the synagogue and the New York–based Conservative rabbis’ “union” that governs the process. As the time comes for Wolpe to depart, a venerated house of worship is being torn apart. And thrust onto the pulpit is Wolpe’s young assistant, Rabbi Jacob Herber, in his first job out of rabbinical school, facing the nearly impossible situation of taking over despite being technically ineligible for the position--and finding himself on trial with the congregation and at odds with his mentor.
Rich in anecdote and scenes of wonderful immediacy, this is a riveting book about the search for personal faith, about the tension between secular concerns and ancient tradition in affluent America, and about what Wolpe himself has called “the retail business of religion.” Stephen Fried brings all these elements to vivid life with the passion and energy of a superbly gifted storyteller.
384 pages, Paperback
First published August 13, 2002
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About the author
Stephen Fried
22 books86 followersStephen Fried is an award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author who teaches at Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania.
His latest books are RUSH: Revolution, Madness and Benjamin Rush, the Visionary Doctor Who Became a Founding Father (Crown) and Profiles in Mental Health Courage (Dutton) by Patrick Kennedy & Stephen Fried.
He has written six other acclaimed nonfiction books, including the biographies Appetite for America: Fred Harvey and the Business of Civilizing the Wild West—One Meal at a Time and Thing of Beauty: The Tragedy of Supermodel Gia; and the mental health memoir A Common Struggle, co-authored with Congressman Patrick Kennedy. Fried also wrote the investigative books Bitter Pills: Inside the Hazardous World of Legal Drugs and The New Rabbi, as well as a collection of essays on marriage, Husbandry.
A two-time winner of the National Magazine Award, he has written frequently for Vanity Fair, GQ, The Washington Post Magazine, Smithsonian, Rolling Stone, Glamour, and Philadelphia Magazine.
Fried lectures widely on the subjects of his books and magazine articles, and does editorial consulting. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, author Diane Ayres.
FB author page: https://www.facebook.com/Stephen-Frie...
His latest books are RUSH: Revolution, Madness and Benjamin Rush, the Visionary Doctor Who Became a Founding Father (Crown) and Profiles in Mental Health Courage (Dutton) by Patrick Kennedy & Stephen Fried.
He has written six other acclaimed nonfiction books, including the biographies Appetite for America: Fred Harvey and the Business of Civilizing the Wild West—One Meal at a Time and Thing of Beauty: The Tragedy of Supermodel Gia; and the mental health memoir A Common Struggle, co-authored with Congressman Patrick Kennedy. Fried also wrote the investigative books Bitter Pills: Inside the Hazardous World of Legal Drugs and The New Rabbi, as well as a collection of essays on marriage, Husbandry.
A two-time winner of the National Magazine Award, he has written frequently for Vanity Fair, GQ, The Washington Post Magazine, Smithsonian, Rolling Stone, Glamour, and Philadelphia Magazine.
Fried lectures widely on the subjects of his books and magazine articles, and does editorial consulting. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, author Diane Ayres.
FB author page: https://www.facebook.com/Stephen-Frie...
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
December 12, 2018
I struggled to get through the first quarter of this book. Then I hesitated between the decision to forge through and continue reading or to put this read on pause for a while and come back when I was ready. (The latter won.) Having not picked it up in several months and no desire to continue the read, I have decided to stop pretending and to admit that this one will be a DNF. Perhaps it's because it wasn't what I expected or perhaps I wasn't in the right mindset when I picked it up, but this one was lackluster from the get-go for me and never picked up steam. One sad little star.
September 27, 2022
As I am involved with a Rabbi search, reading about one occurring 22 years ago, with the struggles and challenges broadened my understanding/appreciation for this aspect of the rabbinate.
July 17, 2023
The New Rabbi
Stephen Fried
4/5 stars
"Not quite timeless, not quite dated."
*******
I had thought that reading this book would give me an idea about the dynamics of selecting a rabbi. (It didn't. More on this later.)
The rabbi search at our synagogue went on for probably a year and some change.
The search for the congregation profiled in this book went on for every bit of 3 years.
And, if you know that shuls are very political places with the outward appearance of religious organizations, then none of this should be a surprise.
The amount of ego around these transitions is just breathtaking - - especially when you consider that observant Jews have been saying the same prayers and the exact same order for about 20 centuries now. (How many questions around the edges could there be for a service that can run on autopilot? And I have been to many synagogues where the rabbi is only in town sporadically and the service runs just fine without him.)
A sample of how out of control these situations can get (p.311): "....so a lot of prominent people were upset when the news spread that the Rabbi of Temple Emanuel, Leonid Feldman, had punched the President of the Synagogue in the face. [He knocked the president to the floor in his own $9 million mansion.]
Also (p.314): "Armed guards are called to one board meeting to separate angry synagogue members."
In many respects, the details in this book are just so much verbal spinach.
Spillover thoughts and things learned:
1. This book talks about search by committee, and while it is true of the non-Orthodox world (which is probably > 85% of American Judaism), it is not true for most of Orthodoxy (in the Haredi world, most of these pulpits are EITHER hereditary OR self-built to later become hereditary, and Haredim are about 3/4 of Orthodoxy).
Rabbi-by-committee is true of Young Israel and congregations to its left.
But even the search process is not restrictive in the same way it was by Masorti Jews: Conservative synagogues are (or at least were at the time of this writing) required to select from an approved list of candidates vetted by the Rabbinical Assembly. There was no such stipulation for the Young Israel brand --with the exception of not being able to choose clergy from Yeshivat Chovivei Torah.
Is very interesting that Conservative has lost almost all of its people and Centrist and Open Orthodoxy have only modest growth, if any at all.
2. In some synagogues, if you get 9 people, the Aron Kodesh is open and the Torah itself can stand in as the 10th.
3. (p.80) The author is of the opinion that: when the American rabbinate was professionalized, they copied from the Xtians. (It's probably best to avoid using the words "pulpit" and "sermon" for that exact reason.)
4. (p.93). "In Judaism, belief in God is optional, something you may wrestle with for your entire life. But respect for and fascination with the Torah...... is not optional."
5. Strange Conservative extremes. The author counts 3,000 people there for Yom Kippur, but then a little bit later there are only 22 people in services for Sukkot.
6. How quickly things can change. This book was researched in 1999--nearly a quarter of a century ago. That is between the time that the Conservative movement was the largest branch of Judaism in the 1950s (and seemingly invincible), and the time today where they have lost over 2/3 of their membership.
At the time of this writing, Har Zion had 1,450 families, but just 20 years later they are down to 700. (We have one Conservative minyan here in town in a huge building that barely has a dozen people in it, and they are all extremely old. It's hard to foresee it lasting more than a couple of years; really, it's amazing that they have made it this far.)
7. Some of the strange psychology of people that work a job for decades and then retire is present here.
You know the case.....Where someone retires and is then is bored out of his skull and tries to find ways to insinuate himself into the position that he used to have? (p.311: "So I am truly shocked just like everyone else who knows him [Wolpe], when he announces that he is coming out of retirement. He has agreed to spend one year as interim Rabbi at Temple Emanuel.")
This case is just incidentally about a rabbi.
8. In Orthodoxy, it seems like synagogues are money losing affairs. But the Reform synagogues seem to be a very different thing. I'm reading here that even back in 1999, the salary for David Wolpe was $300,000. And that they were 10 other Reform rabbis that were around the $300,000 mark. (And I don't think we've even gotten into fringe benefits.)
9. Who knew? The first is that there is a Persian New Year. NoRuz. And the second is that Persian Jews celebrate it.
*******
Interesting factoids:
1. 230,000 churches in the United States; 4000 synagogues (of the time of this writing, 2002).
2. There is, apparently, such a thing as rabbinic royalty even in Conservative/Reform Judaism: David Wolpe is the son of the man whose replacement this book is about.
3. Conservative seminaries are graduating on the order of 15 people this year--2023. 12 rabbis and three cantors, and that demand outstrips supply. (Not sure what this could mean.) One article 2014 mentioned that the numbers were:
Yeshiva University: 75
Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (Reform): 35
Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies (Conservative): 17
Jewish Theological Seminary (Conservative): 14
Reconstructionist Rabbinical College: 6
Yeshivat Chovevei Torah (Orthodox): 2
4. Ziegler School has slashed tuition by 80% in order to attract people.
Quotable quotes:
1. It's amazing that they [the committee] all agreed to put their chairs in a circle, with so many other geometric shapes available for debate.
2. Fryman gives the impression that if a discussion can't be resolved in one quarter of a billable hour, then it is not worth having.
3. "We basically get two chances to get you back. It's either the death of a parent, or kids' reaching preschool or Hebrew age. That's it."
4. "And that, in a nutshell, is the joy and sorrow of being a great sermonizer. Yours is the voice that many people associated with the most important moments in their lives, yet they don't always really remember what you said."
5. "They want the rabbi that has been preaching for the last 30 years but is only 28 years old."
6. "It is my dream to one day take the greatest gospel songs and edit the bejesus out of them, so that they're only about God and can be enjoyed by people of all faiths."
New Vocabulary:
gragger
Verdict: worth the read at the price of $0. It works well as a palate cleanser from heavier books.
Stephen Fried
4/5 stars
"Not quite timeless, not quite dated."
*******
I had thought that reading this book would give me an idea about the dynamics of selecting a rabbi. (It didn't. More on this later.)
The rabbi search at our synagogue went on for probably a year and some change.
The search for the congregation profiled in this book went on for every bit of 3 years.
And, if you know that shuls are very political places with the outward appearance of religious organizations, then none of this should be a surprise.
The amount of ego around these transitions is just breathtaking - - especially when you consider that observant Jews have been saying the same prayers and the exact same order for about 20 centuries now. (How many questions around the edges could there be for a service that can run on autopilot? And I have been to many synagogues where the rabbi is only in town sporadically and the service runs just fine without him.)
A sample of how out of control these situations can get (p.311): "....so a lot of prominent people were upset when the news spread that the Rabbi of Temple Emanuel, Leonid Feldman, had punched the President of the Synagogue in the face. [He knocked the president to the floor in his own $9 million mansion.]
Also (p.314): "Armed guards are called to one board meeting to separate angry synagogue members."
In many respects, the details in this book are just so much verbal spinach.
Spillover thoughts and things learned:
1. This book talks about search by committee, and while it is true of the non-Orthodox world (which is probably > 85% of American Judaism), it is not true for most of Orthodoxy (in the Haredi world, most of these pulpits are EITHER hereditary OR self-built to later become hereditary, and Haredim are about 3/4 of Orthodoxy).
Rabbi-by-committee is true of Young Israel and congregations to its left.
But even the search process is not restrictive in the same way it was by Masorti Jews: Conservative synagogues are (or at least were at the time of this writing) required to select from an approved list of candidates vetted by the Rabbinical Assembly. There was no such stipulation for the Young Israel brand --with the exception of not being able to choose clergy from Yeshivat Chovivei Torah.
Is very interesting that Conservative has lost almost all of its people and Centrist and Open Orthodoxy have only modest growth, if any at all.
2. In some synagogues, if you get 9 people, the Aron Kodesh is open and the Torah itself can stand in as the 10th.
3. (p.80) The author is of the opinion that: when the American rabbinate was professionalized, they copied from the Xtians. (It's probably best to avoid using the words "pulpit" and "sermon" for that exact reason.)
4. (p.93). "In Judaism, belief in God is optional, something you may wrestle with for your entire life. But respect for and fascination with the Torah...... is not optional."
5. Strange Conservative extremes. The author counts 3,000 people there for Yom Kippur, but then a little bit later there are only 22 people in services for Sukkot.
6. How quickly things can change. This book was researched in 1999--nearly a quarter of a century ago. That is between the time that the Conservative movement was the largest branch of Judaism in the 1950s (and seemingly invincible), and the time today where they have lost over 2/3 of their membership.
At the time of this writing, Har Zion had 1,450 families, but just 20 years later they are down to 700. (We have one Conservative minyan here in town in a huge building that barely has a dozen people in it, and they are all extremely old. It's hard to foresee it lasting more than a couple of years; really, it's amazing that they have made it this far.)
7. Some of the strange psychology of people that work a job for decades and then retire is present here.
You know the case.....Where someone retires and is then is bored out of his skull and tries to find ways to insinuate himself into the position that he used to have? (p.311: "So I am truly shocked just like everyone else who knows him [Wolpe], when he announces that he is coming out of retirement. He has agreed to spend one year as interim Rabbi at Temple Emanuel.")
This case is just incidentally about a rabbi.
8. In Orthodoxy, it seems like synagogues are money losing affairs. But the Reform synagogues seem to be a very different thing. I'm reading here that even back in 1999, the salary for David Wolpe was $300,000. And that they were 10 other Reform rabbis that were around the $300,000 mark. (And I don't think we've even gotten into fringe benefits.)
9. Who knew? The first is that there is a Persian New Year. NoRuz. And the second is that Persian Jews celebrate it.
*******
Interesting factoids:
1. 230,000 churches in the United States; 4000 synagogues (of the time of this writing, 2002).
2. There is, apparently, such a thing as rabbinic royalty even in Conservative/Reform Judaism: David Wolpe is the son of the man whose replacement this book is about.
3. Conservative seminaries are graduating on the order of 15 people this year--2023. 12 rabbis and three cantors, and that demand outstrips supply. (Not sure what this could mean.) One article 2014 mentioned that the numbers were:
Yeshiva University: 75
Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (Reform): 35
Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies (Conservative): 17
Jewish Theological Seminary (Conservative): 14
Reconstructionist Rabbinical College: 6
Yeshivat Chovevei Torah (Orthodox): 2
4. Ziegler School has slashed tuition by 80% in order to attract people.
Quotable quotes:
1. It's amazing that they [the committee] all agreed to put their chairs in a circle, with so many other geometric shapes available for debate.
2. Fryman gives the impression that if a discussion can't be resolved in one quarter of a billable hour, then it is not worth having.
3. "We basically get two chances to get you back. It's either the death of a parent, or kids' reaching preschool or Hebrew age. That's it."
4. "And that, in a nutshell, is the joy and sorrow of being a great sermonizer. Yours is the voice that many people associated with the most important moments in their lives, yet they don't always really remember what you said."
5. "They want the rabbi that has been preaching for the last 30 years but is only 28 years old."
6. "It is my dream to one day take the greatest gospel songs and edit the bejesus out of them, so that they're only about God and can be enjoyed by people of all faiths."
New Vocabulary:
gragger
Verdict: worth the read at the price of $0. It works well as a palate cleanser from heavier books.
February 8, 2017
I decided to pick this book up because our longtime rabbi is retiring and it sounded like it covered material that I could use for background as we considered ways to honor our retiring rabbi and began searching for a new religious leader.
The book certainly begins that way. You meet the rabbi, find out a little about the inner politics and learn about the search for a new rabbi. It quickly veers though into a soap opera drama as the synagogue disqualifies countless candidates for the job and decides to take a stand against its governing body and promote their assistant rabbi. In the background is the story of the author's deepening Judaism as he honors his fathers death and reclaims his faith. While this is an interesting story it's not the story it purported itself to be.
Fried writes in a style that is easy to read but it is mostly surface. All told, this is a fascinating story of the inner politics of a conservative synagogue spiraling out of control. You'll enjoy this quick read, just don't expect to get too much of an insight into hiring a new rabbi when your long time rabbi retires.
The book certainly begins that way. You meet the rabbi, find out a little about the inner politics and learn about the search for a new rabbi. It quickly veers though into a soap opera drama as the synagogue disqualifies countless candidates for the job and decides to take a stand against its governing body and promote their assistant rabbi. In the background is the story of the author's deepening Judaism as he honors his fathers death and reclaims his faith. While this is an interesting story it's not the story it purported itself to be.
Fried writes in a style that is easy to read but it is mostly surface. All told, this is a fascinating story of the inner politics of a conservative synagogue spiraling out of control. You'll enjoy this quick read, just don't expect to get too much of an insight into hiring a new rabbi when your long time rabbi retires.
March 22, 2023
A word to the wise... The hardcover edition does not include the afterword, which is absolutely required reading after you finish the rest of the book. Get your hands on it. It's available either in the paperback or the Kindle edition.
December 20, 2014
This was required reading in Rabbinic school. Learned a lot!
January 4, 2023
I came to this via reading Search, a fictionalized account of a UU congregation's hunt for a new minister. The New Rabbi does involve some of the same territory -- the rules of how a rabbi is selected, the politics in a congregation itself, the sense that Har Zion (the synagogue in question) is not as desirable as it thinks it is. This is all interesting, and Fried combines this with stories of a history of theological Judaism (how various movements came to be) as well as an underlying story about fathers and loss.
This book did everything it set out to do -- in some ways, it does too much, so that some of the incredible power (and humor at times) is diluted by the many stories.
This book did everything it set out to do -- in some ways, it does too much, so that some of the incredible power (and humor at times) is diluted by the many stories.
June 29, 2025
I had a hard time putting this book down, although a little of that has to do with the fact that the book centers on the synagogue that I grew up in (and actually lived right across the street from it). I had already moved away when the events in the book took place, so it kept me hanging as to how the leadership transition would turn out.
I also agree with one of the other reviewers that you need to have a version of the book that has the Afterword because that was quite the must read to complete the story.
I also agree with one of the other reviewers that you need to have a version of the book that has the Afterword because that was quite the must read to complete the story.
November 1, 2021
The book is a tour through 20th century American Jewish leaders and issues, and an engaging read. I got the impression that I knew the personalities described, though I'm sure it's an illusion. And that too is an insight. I found the author's personal journey into Jewish observance interesting, too.
February 19, 2018
A window into synagogue politics filled with the difficulties and the joys. Plenty of inside information coupled with a host of weird inaccuracies. A good read about American Conservative Judaism and the rabbinate.
Thank you to Bobbie Handel for suggesting it and giving me a copy!
Thank you to Bobbie Handel for suggesting it and giving me a copy!
April 17, 2019
Interesting behind the scene view of a synagogue’s search for a new rabbi
July 1, 2020
This was a terrific and thoughtful book. A really interesting story told by an author who also makes it all personal. I really enjoyed reading this.
January 27, 2021
Ok I skimmed this and skipped large parts but don’t feel like I missed much. Turned off by the self importance — it just doesn’t feel relevant now!
October 28, 2025
There have been many changes in American Judaism, the Conservative movement and at Temple Har Zion since the book's publication in 2002 Still, it's an interesting introduction to all of the above.
February 17, 2012
Fascinating, depressing, shocking, overly important, and sometimes just boring. Fascinating to learn the machinations of how Jewish clergy compete for pulpit jobs. Depressing to learn that large, old-guard congregations think it's ok to break the rules for their own benefit. Depressing to watch them get away with it. Overly important in writing style, as if Judaism might rise and fall on the outcome of this one, idiosyncratic book. And because of that last part, too long, too wordy, and too far between the interesting bits. 100 pages shorter and this would be a great read.
April 3, 2008
The New Rabbi is the fascinating story of a synagogue's search for a new spiritual leader when its revered rabbi retires after many years. The author, Stephen Fried, spent time with the rabbi, his family, the search committee, and members of the congregation for about a year while the search went on. This is a touching, wonderful book, about the place of faith in daily life.
April 5, 2008
Life-changing
May 18, 2010
Fascinating insight into the rabinnical hiring process and congregation politics. Probably not so fascinating to actual rabbis....
July 23, 2012
Engaging book about a topic I'm familiar with, written by an author I graduated from college with, including personalities I'm also familiar with.
August 24, 2012
A discussion of what it means for a religious congregation to say goodbye to a beloved leader and search for a replacement.
December 21, 2014
interesting insight into the side of my family I never really understood growing up. this book filled in some of the blanks.
February 22, 2008
A look inside the clergy selection process for conservative Jewwish congregations--fascinating.
April 6, 2017
A book that shows us that there is not much different between synagogue and church politics.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews