2009

Media: Facebook, Twitter and the Revolution of Social Media

Gari Weilbacher — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 12:38:13 -0400

Start: May 12 2009 - 12:00pm

End: May 12 2009 - 1:15pm

Communication tools are evolving very quickly. As a community-based organization, a synagogue has a great stake in communicating with its members and having its members communicate with each other. While most synagogues now have a list serve or two, should they be using Social Media tools to meet people's new habits and communication desires? On one foot, the answer is "Yes, but..." There are many mine fields and learning curves to be negotiated – come to the call and learn more.

Links for session:

Background links:

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You can listen to a recording of this call by clicking here: http://jrf.org/node/2604

Leadership: Seven Strategies for Successful Organizational Change

Gari Weilbacher — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:32:39 -0400

Start: May 5 2009 - 12:00pm

End: May 5 2009 - 1:15pm

Watch the PowerPoint that Rabbi Herring used.

Listen to the audio from the session.

Synagogue leaders invest many resources in introducing new programs and processes. Learn how to ensure that your synagogue's efforts are long-lasting. In these times of great change, this webinar will help you navigate some of the difficult choices facing synagogues.

Leadership: Cultivating New Leaders for Your Congregation

Gari Weilbacher — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 14:57:36 -0400

Start: May 19 2009 - 12:00pm

It is not uncommon to find that a congregation lacks new leaders under development to succeed current leaders when their terms of service end. Cultivation and training of new leaders requires advance planning, training and experience. This session will address how to create a well-functioning congregational leadership development committee that will support current leaders and cultivate leaders for the future. It will also generally address the kinds of training that can support a congregational governance system and its leaders to function most successfully.

You can listen to the audio recording of this call by clicking here: http://jrf.org/node/2603

Dynamics of Growth: The Soul of Your Community

Rabbi Shai Gluskin — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 09:35:01 -0400

Start: Jun 11 2009 - 12:00pm

End: Jun 11 2009 - 1:15pm

While we understandably focus on the technical aspects of running and growing our communities (especially in difficult times), there are core spiritual, cultural, ethical and identity issues that bring us together as religious communities. This call will explore some of the key elements that are crucial to keeping our selves grounded in core religious values, spiritual values, and social justice principles as we grow our faith communities. Topics will include ritual life, prayer, Jewish values-based decision making as spiritual practice, spiritual direction, tikkun olam and more.

Please prepare for the class by reading Exploring Reconstructionism: A Leadership Workshop and listen to GOD - Through A Reconstructionist Lens; Social Action (Tikkun Olam)

The audio recording of this session can be found here: http://jrf.org/node/2607

Tikkun Olam: CBCO-Congregation Based Community Organizing

Hattie Dunbar — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:17:01 -0500

Start: Jun 4 2009 - 12:00pm

End: Jun 4 2009 - 1:15pm

Since 2006, JRF has partnered with the Jewish Funds for Justice, the Interfaith Organizing Initiative and other social justice networks in the field of congregation-based community organizing to help promote and develop spiritually activist communities. Many of our clergy and lay leaders have led the way in their communities to start and grow "CBCO" networks, transforming their own congregations in the process. This call is for anyone who is interested or has embarked on this powerful method of social justice organizing in faith community.

Please review JRF CBCO and CBCO Omer Project resources.

To listen to the audio recording of this call, please click here: http://jrf.org/node/2598

Sustainable Synagogues 3.0

Hattie Dunbar — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:14:19 -0500

Start: May 14 2009 - 12:00pm

End: May 14 2009 - 1:15pm

As part of JRF's ongoing Sustainable Synagogue Initiative, this call is a follow up to previous successful synagogue greening calls of last June, featuring some of JRF's leading communities and their work in creating sustainable Jewish communities. Special focus on sustainable practices in ritual, programming and policy aspects of Jewish communal life.

Preparation:
Review resources : Sustainable Synagogue Resources (especially JRC, RSNS and congregational examples)

2008 Tikkun Olam Omer Initiative Sustainability call

2007 Omer Sustainability Teaching- Introduction

Sustainable Synagogue Honorees

Finances: Fundraising in Difficult Times

Hattie Dunbar — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:10:29 -0500

Start: Apr 27 2009 - 12:00pm

End: Apr 27 2009 - 1:15pm

This is a repeat session of our Fundraising workshop at JRF's 2008 Convention.We will discuss how to integrate your community's mission and values with fundraising intiatives.

The audio recording of this call is available at http://jrf.org/node/2605

Finances: Values-Based Budgeting

Hattie Dunbar — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:01:03 -0500

Start: May 21 2009 - 8:00pm

End: May 21 2009 - 9:15pm

In these challenging economic times, how do we make good financial decisions? We will talk about budgets as key documents that should reflect the congregation’s mission, and about how to create budgeting processes that effectively utilize the congregation’s mission, objectives and values.

The audio recording of this session can be accessed here: http://jrf.org/node/2608

Dynamics of Growth: A Regional Case Study of Reaching Out to Unaffiliated and Intermarried Jews

Hattie Dunbar — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:51:16 -0500

Start: Apr 20 2009 - 12:00pm

End: Apr 20 2009 - 1:15pm

The NY/NJ Region of JRF was fortunate to receive a UJA-Federation grant focusing on Reconstructionist Synagogue Outreach. Hannah Greenstein and lay congregation leader Susan Leon, will share the information learned from project consultants, training sessions and from the strategic formation and implementation of the synagogue outreach plans.

Listen to an audio recording of the session:

Finances: Money & Jewish Spiritual Values

Hattie Dunbar — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:49:29 -0500

Start: Apr 14 2009 - 12:00pm

End: Apr 14 2009 - 1:15pm

Rabbis Shawn Zevit and Mordechai Liebling discuss the uses and variety of values-based approaches to money and other resources in congregational life. They will engage in a lively discussion about the way money has historically been and can be a spiritual tool for communal and societal transformation. Special focus is given to the meaning ascribed to money, issues of class and social justice in Jewish life.

Prior to class please read Jewish Values, Money, and Your Community and listen to two audio files (1/2 hour each) Money and Jewish Community