About the Book

How to transform the model of twentieth-century Jewish institutions into twenty-first-century relational communities offering meaning and purpose, belonging and blessing.

"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.

Table of Contents:
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'Atzmo—Self 49 The Second Level: Bayn Adam l'Mishpachah—Family 56 The Third Level: Bayn Adam l'Haveiro—Friends 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