{"id":28613,"date":"2016-02-25T10:19:30","date_gmt":"2016-02-25T16:19:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=28613"},"modified":"2016-02-27T10:25:11","modified_gmt":"2016-02-27T16:25:11","slug":"polsky-abruptly-announces-departure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/polsky-abruptly-announces-departure\/","title":{"rendered":"Polsky abruptly announces departure"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By ALAN SMASON<\/p>\n<p>Rabbi David Polsky, the spiritual leader of Congregation Anshe Sfard, the only non-Chabad Orthodox synagogue still located in Orleans Parish, announced in a newsletter yesterday his intention to step down from his pulpit when his current contract expires on July 31.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_28620\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Polsky10Comm.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28620\" class=\"wp-image-28620 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Polsky10Comm-300x234.jpg\" alt=\"Polsky10Comm\" width=\"300\" height=\"234\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Polsky10Comm-300x234.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Polsky10Comm-1024x800.jpg 1024w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/234;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28620\" class=\"wp-image-28620 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Polsky10Comm-300x234.jpg\" alt=\"Polsky10Comm\" width=\"300\" height=\"234\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Polsky10Comm-300x234.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Polsky10Comm-1024x800.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-28620\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rabbi David Polsky speaking at the pulpit at Congregation Anshe Sfard. (Photo by Alan Smason)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Polsky&#8217;s announcement follows on the heels of a similar letter drafted by Rabbi Ethan Linden of Shir Chadash Conservative Congregation, acknowledging his plans to accept the position of director of Camp Ramah in the Berkshires. With the search still on to replace Rabbi Ed Paul Cohn at Temple Sinai, three area pulpits will be in play over the course of the next several months.<\/p>\n<p>In a praiseworthy open letter to his congregation, Polsky spoke glowingly of how he and his wife Mindy had been warmly welcomed to New Orleans four and a half years ago, as he sought to assume his first pulpit.<\/p>\n<p>He referred to the supportive nature of the synagogue and in general how much he enjoyed being a part of the New Orleans rabbinic leadership. Things changed, he explained, when he and his wife welcomed the first of their two children. &#8220;We began to realize how challenging it is to raise children without family support,&#8221; Polsky wrote. &#8220;Many of us have heard the aphorism, &#8216;it takes a village to raise a child.&#8217; I don&#8217;t know whether it really should take a village, and different families have their own unique needs. I can say, however, that that raising children without an additional support structure has been difficult for us.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Polsky went on to praise the synagogue leadership, beginning with former president Ben Berman and continuing with current president Gary Remer. In particular, the rabbi thanked Remer and the synagogue for understanding what Polsky termed an &#8220;unprecedented&#8221; month-long unpaid paternity leave as he and his wife welcomed the second of their two children into the family.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_28623\" style=\"width: 160px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Polsky_head.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28623\" class=\"wp-image-28623 size-thumbnail lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Polsky_head-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Polsky_head\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Polsky_head-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Polsky_head-350x350.jpg 350w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 150px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 150\/150;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28623\" class=\"wp-image-28623 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Polsky_head-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Polsky_head\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Polsky_head-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Polsky_head-350x350.jpg 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-28623\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Polsky<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>After several trips to the Detroit area, where most of his wife&#8217;s family lives, it became obvious to Polsky that the support they could received from family there would make a substantial difference.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">&#8220;As fun and fulfilling as it is to live in New Orleans, we&#8217;ve realized that we have to make sacrifices for our children. And that nothing replaces family,&#8221; Polsky continued. &#8220;We have therefore made the difficult decision to move to Southfield, Michigan in August, after my contract ends.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_28621\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Polsksy_Uri_Dance.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28621\" class=\"wp-image-28621 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Polsksy_Uri_Dance-300x229.jpg\" alt=\"Polsksy_Uri_Dance\" width=\"300\" height=\"229\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Polsksy_Uri_Dance-300x229.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Polsksy_Uri_Dance-1024x781.jpg 1024w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/229;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28621\" class=\"wp-image-28621 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Polsksy_Uri_Dance-300x229.jpg\" alt=\"Polsksy_Uri_Dance\" width=\"300\" height=\"229\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Polsksy_Uri_Dance-300x229.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Polsksy_Uri_Dance-1024x781.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-28621\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rabbi David Polsky in his seersucker suit dances with Rabbi Uri Topolosky at the Congregation Beth Israel dedication in 2012. (Photo by Alan Smason)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\">Remer said he and congregation members will be sorry to see the Polskys leave. He credited the rabbi with a number of innovative programs, such as programming for young professionals on Friday nights, and said he performed well as a pulpit rabbi to Anshe Sfard as well as for many observant visitors to the city.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Remer said that a search committee is already in place, which will be charged with the responsibility of finding an observant Orthodox rabbi who will fulfill the ritual functions of the synagogue such as <em>leining<\/em> (reading the Torah), leading the <em>davening<\/em> (praying) during services, counseling congregation members and visiting the sick.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We\u2019re going to be conducting a search so that our goal is to have someone in place by the time he leaves,&#8221; Remer said. &#8220;It might be someone for a year or two or, if we&#8217;re lucky enough, to find someone permanent.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The first of the candidates, Rabbi Garth Silberstein, of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah (YCT)of Riverdale, NY, will be returning to New Orleans on March 12 to meet with congregation members. Silberstein, who is receiving his smicha at YCT, had filled in for Polsky during his month-long paternity break.<\/p>\n<p>Berman, who oversaw the search committee that brought Polsky to New Orleans, also expressed regret that Polsky would be leaving, especially after having been so much a part of the synagogue and the New Orleans Jewish community for the past half decade.<\/p>\n<p>When contacted by the CCJN, Polsky declined to offer any additional comments.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"Tumblr\",\"Email\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Polsky%20abruptly%20announces%20departure\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":28620,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[993,8790,8795,8788,591],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28613"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28613"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28613\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28662,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28613\/revisions\/28662"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28613"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28613"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28613"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}