Don’t separate your self from the neighborhood, (Pirket-Avot 2:4). In my very own expertise with Judaism, I’ve seen that Jewish texts educate us that neighborhood will not be an choice however an obligation, so it is sensible that after I was rising up within the 1980s, Jewish households joined synagogues. It’s simply what they did. This was how households constructed neighborhood and made lifelong mates. Along with being a spot of prayer, the synagogue is the place to rejoice lifecycle occasions and simchas, celebrations. The neighborhood that fashioned throughout the synagogue cared for its members and infrequently took on the function of household, offering a way of belonging, function, connection and safety. As we speak, there’s an assumption that persons are solely keen to affix a synagogue once they have a life-cycle occasion and/or want the companies of a non secular chief, a rabbi and cantor. I imagine this assumption is just an assumption. Folks, right now greater than ever, are craving significant experiences the place they’re accepted and cared for, they wish to really feel they belong. We nonetheless need and want neighborhood, that can by no means change. What’s altering is the mindset of how we’re constructing neighborhood inside our synagogues and the way we meet members of our neighborhood the place they’re. Selecting to affix a synagogue, paying dues, prefer it was within the 1980’s after I was a baby, isn’t the reply anymore. I’d recommend that we begin the method of connection and forming relationships to construct neighborhood first by creating a way of belonging, and the monetary dedication to the synagogue neighborhood follows.
In Genesis 12:1 God speaks for the primary time to Abram. “Go forth out of your homeland and out of your father’s home to the land that I’ll present you.” Like Abram, our journey entails twists and turns, threat taking, creating change and like Abram, we have to depart our consolation zone to proceed to develop. “Judaism calls upon us to grasp that our particular person life journeys are each mirrored in and illuminated by the bigger journeys of our individuals (and vice versa), and that our success in life relies upon as a lot upon the integrity with which we progress because it does upon reaching our objectives.” (JCCs of North America Early Studying Framework, January, 2017).
Over the previous 2 years of COVID, many individuals in our neighborhood remained extremely engaged in worship, programming and schooling, even remotely, however that was not the case for all. Conversations round membership dues started to shift to discussions round charge for service, relatively than abatements that had been want primarily based. Whereas we provide a myriad of applications along with worship, the individuals outline who we’re as a neighborhood. In 2021, we shifted our mindset and tradition to encourage engagement, create a sense of belonging and promote progress and sustainability of the neighborhood. To take action, we modified our conventional dues mannequin calling it Group Dedication, utilizing intentional values-based language, placing the emphasis on help of the neighborhood. Every year, congregants of the Makom Solel Lakeside neighborhood are requested to make a values-based dedication to assist financially maintain the neighborhood, the individuals, not the group. The aim being that this may assist to strengthen and develop neighborhood, whereas making a better sense and feeling of belonging. This yearly monetary dedication to the neighborhood covers all that Makom Solel Lakeside provides, together with excessive holy days and spiritual college, Lev Studying, which serves kids from pre-k-12 grades.
Based mostly on nationwide and native tendencies, conventional dues fashions is usually a barrier to entry and affiliation to a congregation. Within the 2017 research and article, Connections, Cultivation and Dedication: New Insights on Voluntary Dues, the authors key findings included: “the optimistic cultural influence of the change is as vital because the monetary ramifications,” “congregations report a median 3.6% annual enhance in membership,” and “congregations report a median 1.8% annual enhance in pledge income.”
Extra related to Makom Solel Lakeside, the previous dues mannequin not mirrored our values of transparency and empathy or aim for simplicity. By eradicating these limitations, now we have seen an uprise in affiliation, in particular, youthful households. Through the first 12 months, the inception of Makom Solel Lakeside’s neighborhood dedication mannequin, 84 new member households joined the neighborhood in fiscal 12 months 2021-2022 (July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022), with 52 of stated households to be households with younger kids. Whereas different congregations all through North America and within the Chicago space have variations of voluntary dues mannequin, what units Makom Solel Lakeside aside is the elimination of separate college charges for Lev Studying. This was intentional as in Judaism we worth the thought that it’s the accountability of the neighborhood to coach our youngest learners.
Respecting and honoring households by asking them to make a values-based resolution that’s proper for them, has proven to achieve success in breaking limitations to entry, making affiliation reasonably priced, eradicating judgment and permitting households with younger kids to turn out to be part of the neighborhood, Within the fall of 2021, pre-k -2nd grade has doubled at school dimension, whereas third grade has tripled in dimension.
Yesterday morning, I acquired the e-mail all of us like to get. “Shabbat companies this previous Friday reconfirmed why we selected Makom to be our neighborhood. I felt the love and the peace that stuffed the room. I seemed round and noticed individuals who really cared about me and my household. It’s a spot the place I really feel I belong…and the place my household feels they belong. Max shared with me “I like going to Makom. All my mates are there.” Eli stated, “can we return each week?” Life is difficult…scary….and we’re all striving to discover a place the place we belong…Makom does that for me…and I hope for all of you. Thanks for creating this superb house the place we are able to pray, chuckle, cry, eat, love and a lot extra.” This says all of it!
Holly Krakow is government director of Makom Solel Lakeside in Highland Park, Unwell.