Relational Judaism
Description
"What really matters is that we care about the people we seek to engage. When we genuinely care about people, we will not only welcome them; we will listen to their stories, we will share ours, and we will join together to build a Jewish community that enriches our lives."
from the Introduction
Membership in Jewish organizations is down. Day school enrollment has peaked. Federation campaigns are flat. The fastest growing and second largest category of Jews is "Just Jewish." Young Jewish adults are unengaged and aging baby boomers are disengaging. Yet, in the era of Facebook, people crave face-to-face community.
"It's all about relationships." With this simple, but profound idea, noted educator and community revitalization pioneer Dr. Ron Wolfson presents practical strategies and case studies to transform the old model of Jewish institutions into relational communities. He sets out twelve principles of relational engagement to guide Jewish lay leaders, professionals and community members in transforming institutions into inspiring communities whose value-proposition is to engage people and connect them to Judaism and community in meaningful and lasting ways.
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Dr. Ron Wolfson, visionary educator and inspirational speaker, is Fingerhut Professor of Education at American Jewish University in Los Angeles and a cofounder of Synagogue 3000. He is author of Relational Judaism: Using the Power of Relationships to Transform the Jewish Community; The Seven Questions You're Asked in Heaven: Reviewing and Renewing Your Life on Earth; Be Like God: God's To-Do List for Kids; God's To-Do List: 103 Ways to Be an Angel and Do God's Work on Earth; Hanukkah, Passover and Shabbat, all Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs Art of Jewish Living family guides to spiritual celebrations; The Spirituality of Welcoming: How to Transform Your Congregation into a Sacred Community; A Time to Mourn, a Time to Comfort: A Guide to Jewish Bereavement and Comfort and, with Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, What You Will See Inside a Synagogue (all Jewish Lights), a book for children ages 6 and up. He contributed to May God Remember: Memory and Memorializing in Judaism¿Yizkor, Who by Fire, Who by Water¿Un'taneh Tokef, All These Vows¿Kol Nidre and We Have Sinned: Sin and Confession in Judaism¿Ashamnu and Al Chet (all Jewish Lights).
Content
A Note to the Reader xiii
Introduction 1
A Cautionary Tale 1
The Beating Heart of My Jewish Soul 3
Beyond Welcoming 4
Telling Stories, Asking Questions 6
Two Questions 6
A Different Worry 12
Now, What? 15
1 Shifting the Shape of Jewish Engagement 19
A New Goal 22
Relationships as Drivers for Engagement 23
A Relational Jew 27
Who Needs Institutions? 30
2 Toward a Relational Judaism 33
Terms of Engagement 33
The Challenge of Individualism 38
Three Levels of Community 39
Listening, Sharing, Doing, Trusting 41
3 The Nine Levels of Relationship 45
The Sacred Fountain of Relationships 46
The "Bayns" of Our Existence 48
The First Level: Bayn Adam l'AtzmöSelf 49
The Second Level: Bayn Adam l'Mishpachah¿Family 56
The Third Level: Bayn Adam l'HaveiröFriends 59
The Fourth Level: Bayn Adam l¿Yahadut¿Jewish Living 61
The Fifth Level: Bayn Adam l¿Kehillah¿Community 64
The Sixth Level: Bayn Adam l¿Am¿Peoplehood 68
The Seventh Level: Bayn Adam l¿Yisrael¿Israel 70
The Eighth Level: Bayn Adam l¿Olam¿World 73
The Ninth Level: Bayn Adam l¿Makom¿God 75
Re-viewing the Nine Levels of Relationship 82
4 Transforming Programmatic Institutions into Relational Communities: Six Case Studies 85
Chabad 86
Hillel 96
Congregation-Based Community Organizing 107
Next-Generation Engagement Initiatives 113
Social Media 129
Passing the Baton 136
Fundraisers¿ Wisdom 141
5 The Twelve Principles of Relational Engagement 149
1) Personal Encounters 152
2) Telling Stories 160
3) Learning Together / Doing Together 170
4) Connecting 173
5) Experiences 188
6) Volunteerism 195
7) Follow-Up 199
8) Transition Points 202
9) Reengagement 205
10) Relational Space 207
11) Relational Membership Models 209
12) Relational Leadership 218
A Word of Caution 229
6 The Challenges Ahead 231
Options for a Shrinking Community 231
The Challenge Facing National Organizations and Movements 233
Jewish Professionals: Fewer Jobs, Great Opportunity 235
Epilogue: A Relational People 239
An Invitation to Action 241
In Gratitude 242
Notes 246
Selected Bibliography 251
Index 257