The Business of the High Holidays

By Yoram Samets, co-founder Jvillage Network

Everyday I wake up, I have this internal struggle between my personal Judaism and my desire to make my synagogue a successful home for our Jewish community. In some ways, this is the conflict between heart and head.  At this time of year, it is much harder to get into my head and look at the ways the High Holidays can be used to gain greater engagement, greater relationship with our community, but this is exactly the time to be thinking about engagement opportunities -- that lead to new relationships for the coming year.

For most of our synagogues, this will be the largest audience we draw for the year. What can we be doing during this time period that invites congregants to connect with us just one more time during the year?

How about:

• Posting  an oversized calendar of upcoming events for the next quarter on bulletin boards.

• Posting the schedule for year around shabbat children's services near the area where families drop off their children. Or better yet, hand a flyer to parents and guardians when they pick up their children after services.

• Asking board members to mingle and welcome everyone; they should be the synagogue's Relationship Building Ambassadors.
  
  
• Asking the president of the congregation to acknowledge key lay leadership during her/his speech.

• Asking the Rabbi to create sermons that bring people together. To move from telling to asking to relationships.

• Asking the Rabbi to use language and ideas young people can relate to.

• Sending congregants a special post-holiday email with the Rabbi's sermon. And invite them back.

• Making sure everyone knows about our website, Facebook page, etc. -- and inviting them to connect online.

Has your congregation tried other strategies that have been effective at keeping the post-High Holiday momentum going? Tell us about them.

Welcome to Our House

By Yoram Samets, Co-founder Jvillage Network

Preparations for the High Holidays are full steam ahead. This is the time when we open all the doors and welcome our largest gathering of Jews throughout the year.  

This is the time when many first impressions will be made.  Whether it is extended family that is visiting, a new congregant’s first time participating in the High Holidays, or new guests who are invited for dinner, these days will provide lasting impressions. These all-important holy days provide the foundation for the future of our synagogues. Yes, the future is tomorrow, but it is also next year and the year after that. The impressions with which your congregation leaves after services will lead to conversation. And conversation leads to the potential of further engagement. So, what can you do to ensure a good first -- and, more importantly, lasting -- impression?

Five Keys to a Welcoming Home

• Ushers should smile and say welcome. That first interaction sets the tone for the full experience.

• Prepare a "High Holiday" customs tip sheet, enabling everyone to understand the "rules" for the day.

• Overdo your signage. Make it easy for people to find their section, the coat room, the restrooms, the appropriate childcare room, etc.

• Provide pre-printed name tags. When we only see each other once a year, names can be challenging.

• Keep your bathrooms clean. Believe it or not, your bathrooms say as much about your synagogue as your sanctuary.

As you think and plan through the High Holidays, think through the lens of a first-time experience. You will discover many details that will make this a more pleasurable experience for everyone.