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The rabbi is gone. A public announcement in the local Jewish newspaper states that he has decided to retire and move to Israel. The true story is quite different.

After the rabbi had been with the congregation for a number of years, rumblings of discontent began. Some people disliked his sermons; others liked them. Some people said he wasn't friendly; other people said the rabbi had favorites in the congregation and snubbed others. Some people liked his wife; others did not. Some said he wanted too much money; others claimed he was worth his weight in gold. And then there were individual tales of petty grievances against him even though he would, each year at the beginning of the Kol Nidre service, publicly apologize to anyone he might have unknowingly offended during the year just passed. So it comes to pass that anti-rabbi forces prevail over pro-rabbi forces and his contract is not renewed.

The president of the congregation appoints the chairperson of a committee to search for a new rabbi. An interim rabbi is engaged to cover the lengthy period needed to find the perfect replacement. This temporary rabbi cannot lead or make policy or decisions during this period, so the temple is actually rudderless for a period that may be six or more months long.

During this time, there is discussion about the proper role for the rabbi to play. Is he simply an employee or is he truly the spiritual leader who will make the final decisions on many matters, ritual and otherwise? While there is much debate over this, the chairperson selects members of his Search Committee. Volunteers are officially sought but, in the end, the committee is composed of the oldest members and former officers, with a few big contributors thrown in. They put ads in the paper and also approach the proper rabbinical council for candidates. The resumes are examined and several rabbis are invited to audition for the position. A debate rages: Must the committee be bound by the recommendations of the Rabbinical Assembly?

Nobody in the congregation at large has any information about the selection process. They know nothing of the secret meetings and are privileged to hear the candidates only when they appear at services for a weekend. When the weekend is over, nobody asks the congregation if they are pleased or not. Shortly afterward, there will be a few more auditions. There is no way to register opinion. The Search Committee makes its recommendation to the Board of Directors. There is a vote and the new rabbi is selected by this small group of perhaps 40 people for a congregation that may number a thousand to two thousand. Since this committee rarely contains any younger members, their points of view are entirely excluded.

The new rabbi is engaged and properly welcomed. As his work begins, members begin to evaluate him immediately. Unlike the president of the United States, the rabbi is not given the "first hundred days" to establish himself before judgment is pronounced. There is instant animosity among some members because their voices were not heard during the rabbi selection process. The congregation feels that he, or rarely she, has been thrust upon them. Little by little the rumblings of discontent begin in quiet whispers.

"I liked the other one better."

"He is not as good as the first one we heard."

"The rabbi should be married. Have I got a girl for him!"

"She didn't visit me in the hospital."

In a few years, a move begins again to oust the rabbi. Soon he must again pack up and audition someplace else. The temple is rudderless again.

I think this is not always necessary. The current process is not in the interests of any congregation. Just as individual citizens vote to elect a president for our country, individual members should vote for or against rabbinical candidates. The Search Committee should find the candidates and examine credentials. But the board of directors alone should not make the selection. Members in good standing should vote on this. There would be a better likelihood of hiring somebody who truly reflects the feelings of the congregation as a whole -- not just the feelings of a small number of older people. Many times, younger people split off in protest to form new temples to meet their true needs. All too many younger families leave the temple as soon as the bar/bat mitzvah is over.

If you want young people to stay in your congregation, give them a voice. Give every member a voice. There will always be some disagreements but there will be more unity and less grumbling if everyone has participated in the selection of the new rabbi.

In the best of all worlds, the rabbi is not a nomad who uproots his family every few years. He or she stays long enough to build a life with a congregation. The result: A more successful temple life.

Toby Rosenstrauch, an award-winning columnist, lives in Boynton Beach, Fla.