Empowering synagogue leaders to build strong Sacred Communities
How many times in the next six weeks will you be asked for a contribution? Similar to retail, the time period between Thanksgiving and the end of the calendar year represents a boon for charitable giving to not-for-profits – including …
The comments from last week’s post about whether or not there should be tickets for the High Holy Days reminded me of a story. A few years back, I was having an extended telephone conversation with the Senior Rabbi of …
The conversation at the last Religious Living Committee was quite interesting. A brand new member had shared her dismay at having to pay for babysitting at High Holy Day Worship. She shared with the chairperson that her concern was that …
Happy New Year! My apologies for not writing for a while. All of a sudden, there has been a plethora of articles related to synagogue dues and engagement that highlight some themes I have been writing about. You may have …
Recently, the High Holy Day Packet from our synagogue came in the mail. The listing of High Holy Services, from Selichot through Minchah and Ne’ilah, takes up the top half of the cover letter. The bottom half of the letter …
Several years ago, a long time congregant at our synagogue passed away. His widow wanted to do something for our synagogue in honor of her late husband. The synagogue meant a great deal to them. They both loved liturgical music …
Another comprehensive report is out about the challenges of synagogue dues. Rethinking synagogue dues is something I have been writing about periodically. The new report by SYNERGY: UJA-Federation And Synagogues Working Together of the New York UJA-Federation is full with …
A few years ago, the rabbi of a 500+ family congregation in the New York metropolitan area called me. He had been at the synagogue for several years and was negotiating another contract. The board wanted to attach fundraising expectations …
Rabbi Contracts: Covenantal Partnership and Legal Agreement Read more »
18 years ago, when I attended my first Annual Congregational Meeting at Temple Ner Tamid in Bloomfield, NJ, a fight almost broke out. I remember that Jonathan, the treasurer, had presented the budget to the 80 congregants who were in …
A week before Shavuot, the students in my Confirmation Class at the Beth El Temple Center in Belmont, MA decided we did not want to participate in our Ceremony of Confirmation. Much like many of the Confirmands today, we were …