For years, Beth Jacob of Beverly Hills had but one caterer. Then a new rabbi came in and he decided that competition would be a good thing. So now the shul has several caterers who rotate and the quality of the food and of the service (for the same price) has improved dramatically.

Competition does that every time.

Joe emails: "Your post on caterers has many mistakes. If you want to have an event at Beth Jacob, you must use on of four caterers. The regular weekly kiddush is almost always catered by Edmond of Elegant Event. When there is a simcha or a big kiddush, the baal simcha may use one of the other caterers. A fancy event will be catered by Pats. Brenda also puts on some nice events."

Here's an email from Beth Jacob to its membership:

November 15, 2011

Dear Friends,

Beth Jacob has a long tradition of wonderful chazzanim who have led the davening in the Shapell Sanctuary. We have been particularly privileged over the past 3 years to have one of the rising stars in the Jewish community, Chazzan Nati Baram. Since arriving in Los Angeles from his home in Jerusalem, he has developed a devoted following, not only at Beth Jacob, but in the larger Los Angeles Jewish community
as well. In addition to his responsibilities at Beth Jacob, he has continued to perform as a soloist at concerts in the United States, as well as in Europe and Israel.

Last year Nati informed the Executive Committee of his decision not to seek renewal of his contract at Beth Jacob. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Chazzan for his devotion to Beth Jacob Congregation, and for his many contributions to the shul. He will be missed by so many here in the community, and we wish him
hatzlacha raba in his future endeavors. We are convinced that we will be hearing more from him in the coming years.

As we reach the final months of his tenure at Beth Jacob, a Chazzan Search Committee has been formed to begin the difficult search for our next Chazzan. The committee will be co-chaired by Larry Stern and Zalman Harari, and will be comprised of members who represent a cross section of the congregation. We are committed to interviewing
the best possible candidates in the coming months. We would like to have the entire congregation involved in the search process, not only when it comes to the formal probe, but even at an earlier stage. If you have specific suggestions regarding a particular candidate, please feel free to forward them to us.

Sincerely,

Hugo Rose

President

Steven Tabak

Chairman of the Board

Joe* faxes me: This is not the first hazzan (cantor) scandal to hit this community. Ask around about what happened when Bnai David-Judea terminated chazzan Erblich.

This survey is an attempt to better meet the needs of the members.

A few weeks ago, Beth Jacob's senior rabbi Kalman Topp gave a special drasha (lecture) against this type of shul divisiveness as exemplified by the signing of public petitions and the like.

Here's more info on Cantor Baram.

Dear Friends and Fellow Beth Jacob Congregants:

As the Yamim Noraim are approaching, a period of prayer, tshuvah, and renewal for our people, the time has finally come for us to move forward with the next phase in the process to re-engage our Chazan, Nati Baram.

Please be assured we are working totally within the system and following all the rules. The information we are gathering from our friends and fellow members will be presented to Executive Board as evidence of the breadth of the support for our cause. We have every reason to believe that the new Executive Board is composed of fair and open-minded individuals who will be more receptive to the voice of the congregation, providing, of course, we can prove there is significant support from the membership for what we are trying to achieve. Leadership is already talking about conducting a new membership survey covering all the issues and challenges currently facing our beloved shul, and we welcome that as long as it will be conducted in a fair and impartial manner.

The first phase of our process is complete. We now have 136 signatories to the attached letter we are sending out today, including Past-Presidents and significant donors. Please take the time to carefully review all three attached documents. We have been waiting a long time for this opportunity to have our voice heard, so please don't hesitate with your response so we can move ahead quickly.

Bath Jacob's current cantor, Netanel Baram, is looking for a new position. I thought he was headed for Germany but that is not final and it may not work out.

Apparently, it was related to improper access to shul email accounts. Somehow this was likely related to shul politics.

*Update!*

LimmudLA reports:

Clive Lawton, one of the founders of the Limmud movement and senior consultant to Limmud (in the UK), is coming to Los Angeles! Don't miss the opportunity to learn with Clive, a fascinating, entertaining and inspiring educator.

Clive will be the Scholar in Residence at Beth Jacob Congregation this coming weekend. On Saturday, Clive will be giving the sermon during services and will be speaking at a luncheon. His topic for his luncheon lecture will be 'Counting Strangely – the Jewish Way of Marking Time'. For more information and to reserve your place at the luncheon, please call Beth Jacob Congregation at 310-278-1911.

This weekend is sponsored by Glynis & Selwyn Gerber and Lynn & Marc Rohatiner.

Immigration laws have recently changed and there are now long delays.

I am told he and his family should be here in 6 to 8 weeks max.