Whereas Rabbi Jerome Epstein, the executive vice president and chief executive officer of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, has been the chief professional at the helm of United Synagogue since 1986;
Whereas Rabbi Epstein has devoted his energies to United Synagogue throughout North America and to its presence in Israel;
Whereas Rabbi Epstein has encouraged the growth and strengthening of Conservative congregations; has been responsible for the creation of programs for lay leadership training, most notably IMUN and SULAM; was involved in the establishment of the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem, and has been the driving force in the building of the Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center; and
Whereas Rabbi Epstein led the United Synagogue involvement in movement publications which have become the cornerstone of Conservative congregations’ worship.
Therefore, we, the members of the Rabbinical Assembly, proclaim that we honor our friend and colleague Rabbi Jerome Epstein and appreciate his many years of dedicated service to our movement as he reaches the time of his retirement;
We thank him for all that he has accomplished on our behalf and on behalf of the Conservative movement; and
We pray for his continued good health. עד מאה ועשרים.
Passed by the Rabbinical Assembly Plenum, Februrary, 2009