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From the Desk of Professor Linda Nurick
Former Board Member

Riverside TempleBeth El

April, 2008

As a former board member of Temple Beth El, I am writing regarding the Press Enterprise article of January 25^th, which was a biased, one-dimensional view of a complex, difficult time for both Rabbi Miller and Temple Beth El.  It saddens me that a single newspaper article could have such a devastating effect on the promising career of an exceptional young Rabbi.  This letter is an attempt to restore the balance so that those who may consider hiring Rabbi Miller in the future can make a fully-informed decision.

Temple Beth El has been through many rabbis over the last twelve or so years, and this constant change has left its mark on us.  A number of these previous Rabbis truly have engaged in seriously problematic behavior, which means the biggest mark that has been left is a congregation that has a very difficult time trusting Rabbis and a difficult time trusting that Rabbis will be around for any extended period of time.  Rabbi Miller is not a perfect man, but the Press Enterprise article made it sound as if Rabbi is a dangerous, unpredictable man. 

I am and always have been one of the most active members of the Temple.  I have worked directly with Rabbi Miller as the social action chair, the youth programs chair, as a member of the Religious School faculty, and as he helped prepare my son for Bar Mitzvah.  I have seen absolutely no evidence of the articles implicationsnone.  To the contrary, while Rabbi Miller is certainly highly passionate, his fundamental kindheartedness is one of his greatest virtues.  Violence sells papers asin the wake of the Catholic Church scandals of lateso does clergy-bashing.

Lets look at the Press Enterprise article from a journalistic point of view:  The Temple president acknowledges that there were many, many members who were trying to keep Miller on, but the reporter made no mention of contacting them (and to my knowledge, he didnt try to contact anyone who opposed the boards decision).  He did not attend the Temples annual congregational meeting, at which the Temple president stated ahead-of-time the issue was to be discussed, and at which the vast majority of speakers questioned the boards decision.  Nor did the reporter try to find out what people opposing the boards decision may have been thinking.  In the Press Enterprise itself, there had been several articles throughout Rabbi Millers 2-year tenure about Rabbi Millers powerful presence in the Riverside community: in the interfaith council, on the Mayors cultural committee, as a Jewish commentator on events in Riverside; yet the reporter made no effort to speak to any of the people with whom Rabbi Miller had had contact outside of the Temple.  The journalism needed some work.

There were many people who opposed the boards decision to accept Rabbi Millers resignation.  Many of the board members admitted that had there been a vote at the congregational meeting, or had they been willing to take a congregational poll, a substantial majority of people wanted Rabbi Miller to stay.  A formal request that such a poll be taken was officially submitted to the board of directors, who refused to do so.  It must be noted here that Rabbi Miller was given a 5-year contract when he was hired, but soon after he came, the established fiefdoms in staff and leadership were clearly threatened by his strong presence.  It must also be noted that within 6 months of his hiring, the board recognized they could not afford the contract they had signed.  It is inconceivable that these issues were not strong motivation in the boards decision to request Rabbi Millers resignation in the wake of this incident.

There were certainly people with whom Rabbi had problems and it is also true that Rabbi Miller has some interpersonal skills that could use work and that he is working on.  I dont believe Rabbi Miller has substantially more or fewer challenges than any other Rabbis.  What is not acknowledged is the substantial problems others at the Temple have with their own lack of interpersonal skills and also the clear challenges that Temple Beth El and its board have with working with, respecting, and keeping Rabbis.  In this particular case, a lot of the challenges stem from Rabbi Miller being a man with a strong personality, a clear vision of the future, strong convictions, and an inexhaustible amount of energy.  As with all personality traits, there is the good and bad of these. 

I have often said that Rabbi Miller is like a thoroughbred horse.  He is a powerful force in any situationand that force can be a great boon to any organization provided it is respected and harnessed.  There are many people at Temple Beth El who are convinced that with time and commitment, Rabbi Millers personality and skills would have been great assets for the Jewish community in Riverside and Riverside as a whole.  It saddens me and many others that he wasnt given the opportunity. 

When Rabbi Miller was hired (I was on the board at that time), he was given a mandate to make significant changes at Temple Beth El.  We thought that was what we wanted, but once Rabbi started to make those changes, some began to question the changes, others were threatened by the changes themselves, and a number of board and staff members were clearly threatened by Rabbi Millers presence and success.  There is no question that Rabbi could have led the congregation down the road of change more gently and with more understanding of the difficulty of change for people who have built what exists, but he didnt, and our Temple has had such difficulties with rabbis that when we see problems, we are too quick to judge. 

There is no way to tell for sure whether Rabbi Miller would have worked out long-term as Temple Beth Els rabbi, but he wasnt given the chance, and we miss him terribly.  This is a person who has the energy, charisma, passion, and dedication to make a real difference in this world.  Those of us who know and love him pray that another organization will find a way to utilize his immense talents to the fullest.

Submitted with love and caring,

Linda Nurick

Look at all the posts this person has made on ComplaintsBoard.com and RipoffReport.com and ask yourself whether these posts seem like someone "working in the best interests of humanity", or someone who has chosen to use the powerful tool we have in the internet in a way that does disservice to all of us by making legitimate critiques and complaints difficult to find.

Check RabbiYitzhakMiller.org for all the testimonials from members of the Riverside Congregation and ask yourself whether Sidney Cohen actually speaks for the community. Ask yourself whether all these people would say what they did if Sidney's comments are actually true.

Were things a "perfect match" between me and Riverside Temple Beth El? Far from it. Am I perfect? Far from it. Perfection is not the goal. Acknowledgement of our past failings, making amends for those if they have harmed someone, and serious continuous self-improvement is what Judaism and basic human decency expect of us. Neither I nor Judaism expect a person to be perfect. I stand solidly, though, on my record of continuous self-improvement and improvement of the world around me.

Look at CyberJudaism.org and see what it means to be committed to working in the best interests of humanity and the Jewish community.

Ask yourself: "who in this discussion is working to always be a better and better person? Who in this discussion is spending their time being a positive force in the world?"

If you're wondering whether Sidney Cohen's comments are credible, Call Riverside Temple Beth El at 951-684-4511 and ask any of the staff or clergy there what kind of person Sidney Cohen, how he has behaved over the years towards congregants, board members, and clergy. Ask them whether his messages and motives are well-intended.

Or, better yet, call or email him yourself and assess what kind of person he is.

B'shalom,

Rabbi Yitzi Miller

Look at all the posts this person has made on ComplaintsBoard.com and RipoffReport.com and ask yourself whether these posts seem like someone "working in the best interests of humanity", or someone who has chosen to use the powerful tool we have in the internet in a way that does disservice to all of us by making legitimate critiques and complaints difficult to find.

Check RabbiYitzhakMiller.org for all the testimonials from members of the Riverside Congregation and ask yourself whether Sidney Cohen actually speaks for the community. Ask yourself whether all these people would say what they did if Sidney's comments are actually true.

Were things a "perfect match" between me and Riverside Temple Beth El? Far from it. Am I perfect? Far from it. Perfection is not the goal. Acknowledgement of our past failings, making amends for those if they have harmed someone, and serious continuous self-improvement is what Judaism and basic human decency expect of us. Neither I nor Judaism expect a person to be perfect. I stand solidly, though, on my record of continuous self-improvement and improvement of the world around me.

Look at CyberJudaism.org and see what it means to be committed to working in the best interests of humanity and the Jewish community.

Ask yourself: "who in this discussion is working to always be a better and better person? Who in this discussion is spending their time being a positive force in the world?"

If you're wondering whether Sidney Cohen's comments are credible, Call Riverside Temple Beth El at 951-684-4511 and ask any of the staff or clergy there what kind of person Sidney Cohen, how he has behaved over the years towards congregants, board members, and clergy. Ask them whether his messages and motives are well-intended.

Or, better yet, call or email him yourself and assess what kind of person he is.

B'shalom,

Rabbi Yitzi Miller

Look at all the posts this person has made on ComplaintsBoard.com and RipoffReport.com and ask yourself whether these posts seem like someone "working in the best interests of humanity", or someone who has chosen to use the powerful tool we have in the internet in a way that does disservice to all of us by making legitimate critiques and complaints difficult to find.

Check RabbiYitzhakMiller.org for all the testimonials from members of the Riverside Congregation and ask yourself whether Sidney Cohen actually speaks for the community. Ask yourself whether all these people would say what they did if Sidney's comments are actually true.

Were things a "perfect match" between me and Riverside Temple Beth El? Far from it. Am I perfect? Far from it. Perfection is not the goal. Acknowledgement of our past failings, making amends for those if they have harmed someone, and serious continuous self-improvement is what Judaism and basic human decency expect of us. Neither I nor Judaism expect a person to be perfect. I stand solidly, though, on my record of continuous self-improvement and improvement of the world around me.

Look at CyberJudaism.org and see what it means to be committed to working in the best interests of humanity and the Jewish community.

Ask yourself: "who in this discussion is working to always be a better and better person? Who in this discussion is spending their time being a positive force in the world?"

If you're wondering whether Sidney Cohen's comments are credible, Call Riverside Temple Beth El at 951-684-4511 and ask any of the staff or clergy there what kind of person Sidney Cohen, how he has behaved over the years towards congregants, board members, and clergy. Ask them whether his messages and motives are well-intended.

Or, better yet, call or email him yourself and assess what kind of person he is.

B'shalom,

Rabbi Yitzi Miller

Look at all the posts this person has made on ComplaintsBoard.com and RipoffReport.com and ask yourself whether these posts seem like someone "working in the best interests of humanity", or someone who has chosen to use the powerful tool we have in the internet in a way that does disservice to all of us by making legitimate critiques and complaints difficult to find.

Check RabbiYitzhakMiller.org for all the testimonials from members of the Riverside Congregation and ask yourself whether Sidney Cohen actually speaks for the community. Ask yourself whether all these people would say what they did if Sidney's comments are actually true.

Were things a "perfect match" between me and Riverside Temple Beth El? Far from it. Am I perfect? Far from it. Perfection is not the goal. Acknowledgement of our past failings, making amends for those if they have harmed someone, and serious continuous self-improvement is what Judaism and basic human decency expect of us. Neither I nor Judaism expect a person to be perfect. I stand solidly, though, on my record of continuous self-improvement and improvement of the world around me.

Look at CyberJudaism.org and see what it means to be committed to working in the best interests of humanity and the Jewish community.

Ask yourself: "who in this discussion is working to always be a better and better person? Who in this discussion is spending their time being a positive force in the world?"

If you're wondering whether Sidney Cohen's comments are credible, Call Riverside Temple Beth El at 951-684-4511 and ask any of the staff or clergy there what kind of person Sidney Cohen, how he has behaved over the years towards congregants, board members, and clergy. Ask them whether his messages and motives are well-intended.

Or, better yet, call or email him yourself and assess what kind of person he is.

B'shalom,

Rabbi Yitzi Miller