To paraphrase from one of my favorite movies, The Field Of Dreams: “If we build it, they will come.”
Many of us have spent the past six months talking about building a kehillah kedosha, a holy community, here at Congregation Torat El. But how exactly do we do this? What are the practical steps we need to take to ensure that our synagogue continues to grow and thrive and exist as a place of meaning, purpose, and relevance in the lives of all of those we seek to reach?
On Sunday March 13, from 1:30-4:30 at our Monmouth location, we will be blessed to host Dr. Ron Wolfson to delve deeper into this topic of “holy community.” Dr Wolfson is one of the country’s top experts on building synagogue community. Co-founder of Synagogue 2000, and 3000 ( http://www.synagogue3000.org/), he is highly regarded in the field of Jewish education and is a leader in the effort to create and sustain vibrant synagogue communities in North America.
Dr. Wolfson literally wrote the book on this subject, and is coming to share his wisdom with us. In The Spirituality of Welcoming: How To Transform Your Congregation Into A Sacred Community, Wolfson writes:
The future of the Jewish community in American is directly connected to the effectiveness of synagogues in transforming the Jewish people. By “transforming” I refer to two things: (1) the spiritual transformation of Jewish individuals and families and (2) the physical transformation of the Jewish community through incentives to increase our numbers through population growth, outreach to unaffiliated Jews, and welcoming and encouraging of non-Jews in Jewish relationships and families to become Jewish and/or to raise their children as Jews…. (7)
He continues:
The synagogue must become a kehillah kedosha, a “sacred community” where relationships are paramount, where worship is engaging, where everyone is learning, where repair of the world is a moral imperative, where healing is offered, and where personal and institutional transformation are embraced (20).
Just how do synagogues do this? And most importantly, how will we do this? Come and join us as we learn some of the practical tools necessary for creating a sacred community. This event is not just meant for our leadership, it is meant for all of you. Please come and join us as we take advantage of this incredible opportunity and begin this holy work together!
For more on Dr. Wolfson’s work, check out the following link:
http://academics.ajula.edu/Content/ContentUnit.asp?CID=1735&u=6849&t=0
I look forward to seeing you on March 13th!