Ideas for future posts…

A. B., eCRMs, looking for a job

What Is Shavuot Good For?

My synagogue is is having an internal process devoted to acronyms and time management. My favorite (so far) is KRA's = Key Result Areas. An example of a bad KRA be 'holiday programming,' because it describes the work – not the result. What is the result of holiday programming?

How about 'implement Jewish programs that reach a wide audience and deepen Jewish practice'? It's better, but doesn't quite go deep enough into what a synagogue is delivering through its programming. The key to a good KRA is that you can evalute the result, instead of just counting the effort.

Our Tikkun Leil Shavuot brought more than 200 people together for a short service, followed by teachings, and some testimonials from converts. (Shavuot is a great holiday for affirming Jews by choice, as we read the Book of Ruth, which is about a convert.) Cheesecake and blintzes were enjoyed by all. But…. how do we evaluate the success of this event?

Almost all of the attendees were from the core group who attend nearly all of our religious observances. Not so many young people. I wondered: are there ways this event could have been used to foster a greater sense of community with converts? What aren't we doing to get better attendence – and what would we do with more people? In other words – how can we take what we do and kick it up to the next level?

Here are some ideas for next year:

• Extend a personal invitation for all converts in our community, asking them to please attend, in honor of the reading of the Book of Ruth.Ask converts (who are not supposed to be singled out!) if they would like to contribute a sentence or paragraph relevant to their story and relationship with our community. These could be collected for display at the Tikkun, or on our web page promoting it.
• Invest more in the booklet of study materials – perhaps a card stock cover, a nicer graphic, page numbers, teacher bios and photos.Create a pre-Shavuot publication – maybe two pages – explaining what the rabbis want from each congregant. Not everyone knows what Shavuot is about…
• An evaluation card. You can fold the edges to show your enthusiasm for different parts of the evening.
• Inform the guest teachers that part of each teaching should include some face to face conversation between audience members. Time for sharing personal stories and sharing our own torah.
• Do something with the seating so that there are fewer empty chairs, and less of a lectern vs. audience feel to the evening.
• Get to people and groups where they are. If there are teens, invite them to interact in some way. If there are first timers, let's make sure someone is on hand to greet them properly. In fact, why not reach out to some of the committees and communities, and offer them a reserved table at the event? Our young adults group might appreciate that, leading to more of them showing up.

Of course, I'm not the rabbi; so these remain options for someone else to decide. But I'm clear on the goals that make sense to me, as someone involved in programming:

• Use the event as an opportunity to build community; honor and recognize individuals and groups that would appreciate recognition.
• Ask the question: what changes for the participant as a result of showing up? Reach for explicit answers beyond 'they benefit from the teaching.' Link the teachings to everyday action, to that sense of resolve and purpose we feel when something hits home, to the feeling of yearning which says 'I can do better and I will' that true teachers inspire.

Maybe I'm reaching here. Any other ideas?