• Sharing educators to create full-time positions with benefits and attract high-quality educators
• Joint professional development opportunities
• Joint purchasing/leasing of equipment, utilities, health insurance and services (e.g., custodial)
• Collaborative adult learning opportunities, to avoid duplication and increase offerings
• Consolidation of organizations and synagogues in one space, with opening of satellite offices….
The possibilities are significant—it’s a matter of trust, willingness and imagination.

Clearly, this is the direction we need to be heading. I was disappointed, however, in your lack of specific recommendations. I’ve been working up some ideas of my own about what collaboration can mean, and with whom and where it may not work.

A number of years ago, we did a local Federation grant-funded project with a synagogue in a neighboring community. It was, in short, a disaster. The major barrier to success was the distinct characteristics of our COMMUNITIES. (And in New England, there’s almost no getting around the perception that a twenty-minute drive is long-distance.)

Instead, we have focused more recently in collaborating with other Jewish agencies on SERVICE DELIVERY AND ACCESS. Another grant-funded program, “Kesher” placed a part time Jewish Family Service social worker in our synagogue, and we bring much needed resources to the people of this community (members and others) – instead of making them drive into Providence (which they won’t do.)

The synagogue has added a range of programs to address health and well-being needs: support groups on parenting, programs on addiction, access to mental health resources, consultation on elder care, etc. The social worker has also played a role in teaching others how to do the mitzvot of gimilut hasadim.

With this model, instead of a centralized JCC, JFS, JVS, BJE, etc, the synagogues become points of access to all the resources of the community for more people. And:

- Agencies increase their visibility throughout the Jewish community.
- Synagogues become more relevant, and meet real needs, especially during hard times.
- Economies-of-scale can be achieved through central production of materials, etc.
– We build positive partnerships between “central agencies” and synagogues or the “secular” and “religious” arms of the organized Jewish communities.
- More Jews are touched more often by a Jewish service or program. Once people are in the door for one program, it isn’t hard to imagine moving them along into something else and then to help them become the “critical mass of people who care about God, Torah and Israel, however defined,” you call for.

One specific term keeps jumping out at me: Kehila. More than ever, I think Kaplan’s vision of Jewish community is imperative to our survival.

-Elyse

Thanks Rabbi Wechterman!

Two books come to mind on this very topic. “The Spirituality of Welcoming,” by Dr. Ron Wolfson, c. 2006 Jewish Lights and “Rethinking Synagogues,” by Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman, c. 2006 Jewish Lights. Both of these books draw heavily on the authors’ experiences and explorations of the megachurch; specifically Saddleback Church whose Senior Pastor Rick Warren.

There truly is much we can learn from the mega church. For more on this, check out Rabbi Herring’s post and my response (the last one), at the link below.

Biv’racha,
Jordan

http://www.starsynagogue.org/blog/misgivings-about-megachurches-as-a-synagogue-model/83#comments

[Ed.: Due to its length, we have posted it here: http://www.starsynagogue.org/images/stories/getting_things_done_and_martin_buber.pdf  Thanks for sharing it, Rabbi Moffic.]

I am now ready to read the book (which was a gift from David). The concept which Jason explained also seems to be a way to avoid procrastination of larger projects. It’s easy to become focused on a list of To Do’s, quick actions, and avoid projects which require more time. But–I’ll read the book and find out.

Rabbi Herring

There are fabulous discussions and synthesis of the GTD system on the zenhabits and 43folders websites as well.

kol tuv,

Neal