Cooperation, not Competition, is the Key to Survival

by Yoram Samets, co-founder Jvillage Network

Recently, The Jewish Week ran an article on the new synagogue competition sprouting up in many different communities.  This article showcased many issues that our congregations are facing today, but the primary two that I took away were:

1. A decreasing number of Jews are becoming dues paying members of synagogues, and
2. "Competition" from start-ups was causing new friction within the traditional organized Jewish world.

Both of these concerns have been gnawing my insides since I read this piece. Gnawing, because both of these concerns are the result of the "traditional" Jewish world living in a time that has long passed the definition of "traditional."  As long as Jewish organizations continue to plan for the future by looking through the rear view mirror instead of the windshield, we will continue to see these organizations become less and less relevant to the future of Jewish life.  

It is time for us to stop thinking that one Jewish organization is in "competition" with another. The world we are in today values cooperation and shared meaning between organizations. It is our particularity that breeds the notion that we have the "right" way, when in fact we should be embracing -- not competing with -- the other and together planning for the future. When one synagogue views another as a "competitor," fearing the loss of membership and money, their negative focus is missing the opportunity. This is not a values-based organization that I would want to belong to.

Today, only 30 to 35 percent of Jews are affiliated with a synagogue -- and that does not even begin to address the issue of how few actively participate in their synagogue community. With as many as 70 percent of Jews lacking synagogue affiliation, our focus should be on institutional cooperation, and increasing the value of our organizations, not challenging each other to split the small numbers we presently have. Our strength -- and our future -- is enhanced through our linking arms as we provide the services our lives are in need of today.

We live in a values-driven environment. I am attracted to do what I value, not what i should be doing. Our Jewish world needs to decrease its provincial infighting and focus on providing more shared and cooperative value. That is what we are looking for. That is how we will get more Jews involved in a Jewish life.