Relational Judaism in Action: How to Create a Relational Engagement Campaign, including a Small Groups Initiative

As early as the 1960s, Abraham Joshua Heschel examined the suburban synagogue and made his diagnosis: “The modern synagogue is sick with a terrible cold.” One remedy among many is to empower our congregants with a sense of their own Jewish agency, to be co-creators in their own Jewish lives and to break wide open the opportunities for creative leadership and involvement in their Jewish community. This session will introduce you to and equip you with the best practices and tools that some synagogues have used to create deeper levels of engagement in their communities. Whether you are a solo rabbi or on a team; you’ve just begun your efforts or have been at it for years; you want to know how to conduct a listening campaign, train your leaders, get congregants into small groups, or mount a full relational engagement campaign that results in a cultural change in your community -- this session will have something for you.