Ohav Shalom Current Description
Community
Congregation Ohav Shalom is a welcoming, comfortable community that provides a social and support network for all of its members. The congregation embraces its members and their families, including children, seniors, and non-Jewish partners. The congregation recognizes that there are many ways of being Jewish, and we accept and strive to learn and grow from our members’ different approaches to Judaism. Members are encouraged to get involved early on, and long-time members are encouraged to partner with new members to enhance the experience of all. The synagogue provides a forum for members to meet other Jewish families, celebrate holidays and life events, and stay connected to the Jewish community. At times, the most meaningful connections are built during unplanned moments, such as kibitzing in the hallway or walking home after services.
Atmosphere
At Ohav Shalom, we also provide a unique sense of community where congregants truly care about their personal and communal religious experience. The Rabbis are active and interested in the lives of congregants, and are open to ideas and trying new things. The congregation is friendly, sociable and welcoming, and our pre-school has a particularly haimish feeling.
Community of Learners
Ohav is a “community of learners.” We encourage all of our members to learn more about Jewish religion and culture, from early childhood and nursery school, through Hebrew School, Bar and Bat Mitzvah, teen years, and throughout adulthood. We offer family education programming to build connections within families, youth programs that provide opportunities for children and teens to interact with other Jewish kids, Shabbat morning “learners’ services,” adult B’nai Mitzvah programs, and classes on topics of interest to today’s Jewish community.
Services and Religious Experiences
Congregation Ohav Shalom provides egalitarian, traditional services in a relaxed, inclusive prayer environment. Services are participatory and include a significant degree of lay leadership. Services are available throughout the year, including High Holiday services, Shabbat and holiday services, and weekday morning minyanim, as well as alternative services on an occasional basis.
Spirituality
We provide opportunities for members to explore and discover their spirituality, providing a religious/spiritual skill development program for adults, offering opportunities for meditation and other contemplative practices, and enabling members to explore and express their own relationship with G-d.
Family Child Programs
Ohav offers family/child programs including Shabbat morning Shorashim services for preschool-age children and a family-friendly nook in the main sanctuary. Some programming includes: special holiday events including a fun and silly Purim carnival, family education programs, and strong parental involvement within our Talmud Torah Hebrew School.
Youth
Ohav Shalom offers an active youth program including Kadima for 6th -8th graders and USY for 9th-12th graders. Activities include social events, religious education, Tikun Olam and community service, programs focused on Israel, leadership training, and regional conventions. Ohav Shalom’s USY chapter is award winning for the chapter as a whole and its individual programming.
Social Action
The Congregation’s commitment to social action includes volunteer work to support the larger Jewish and general community including a special project this year to assist the Equinox community services agency, as well as ongoing support for Israel, and work on activities to promote environmental awareness and other issues of common concern.
Life Cycle
Ohav accompanies its members through all phases of the Jewish life cycle, performing rituals and providing numerous opportunities for celebrations such as marriages and Bar/Bat Mitzvot. We provide meals for new parents and support for members in times of loss and mourning, including joining together for shiva minyans in members’ homes.
Personal/Individual Growth
The congregation affords opportunities for members to fulfill varied personal needs, and reinforce their Jewish identity, through a wide range of participatory and leadership activities. Members also build personal relationships with their rabbis, who are available for individual and small-group meetings to consult on personal and religious issues.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
The challenge: how do we make our synagogue more vibrant?
Summary of Challenges:
How do we make our synagogue more vibrant?
1. How to strengthen our financial viability.
2. How to foster a growing and engaged membership.
3. How to strengthen and build the Jewish community within the Conservative Movement.
4. How to enrich our array of activities so that they are current and relevant to the members of the Jewish Community.
a. Education
b. Spiritual
c. Social
d. Social action
e. Interaction with the larger community
f. Teen/Youth programs
5. How to find the balance of tradition and inclusiveness.
a. Intermarriage
b. Sexual orientation
c. Different pathways to spirituality – shifting paradigm
more challenges and opportunities
Finance:
capital campaign, decline of the number of small business owners, prohibitive dues, financially viable congregation, how to make Ohav a financial priority for individuals and families in the current economy
Membership:
aging community, loss of Holocaust generation, engage and welcome diverse membership, small Audience, stronger competition, loss of institutional memory, geographically dispersed, shrinking demographics, Strengthening and Building the Jewish community, how Ohav interacts with the other elements of the Jewish community and possible forced consolidation, how to attract/engage youth and young families, groom future leaders, Retain and meet the special needs of seniors, how to reach out to Jews who move to & study in the capital region
Ideology
future of conservation movement, working with other shuls , social justice vs social action, shift in Israel’s global perception, members don’t know what the conservative movement stands for these days and how our congregation fits within the larger movement, meeting needs of a different age groups, lack of people for leadership, non-religious interest groups, reduced distances of social and religious lives, Ohav activities outside of synagogue
Education:
declining Hebrew school enrollment, Hebrew Academy promotion, Talmud Torah competitive , lack of high school education, how to make Judaism, Hebrew school , services , synagogue participation a priority in the synagogue and the home
Involvement:
attract adult children of members to join
keeping Jews engaged in Jewishly, loss of Holocaust generation, Social justice vs social action, get young member involved , lack of interest in synagogue in general, how to engage the youth, How to appeal to a diverse set of interest, how to create a vibrant synagogue
Spirituality & Religion
make Judaism fun and exciting ,keeping Jews engaged Jewish-ly, keeping services relevant , new ways to approach spirituality, shifiting spiritual paradigm, lack of interest in religion
Finding the balance of tradition and inclusiveness
interfaith related issues , intermarriage, connections between convert members, children of interfaith marriage, the congregation doesn’t know what it wants its response to intermarriage and children of intermarriage to be
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
challenges to Ohav (external and internal)
Ohav Team Challenges: Meeting : March 10 2009
Fishbone
+ Demographics (i.e. age ,numbers, trends)
+ Economic trends
+ Other ways Jews affiliate in the Jewish community
+ Financial crisis
+ Who joins and why
+
External Challenges
o Response to other community issues
o Interfaith issues and relationships
o Community of faith interacting
o Other demands on time
o Economic, demographic, numbers, trends
o Local issues re Jewish population
o Greater assimilation
o Life cycle challenges
o NFP trends for efficiency, cost cutting,
o What people are looking for
o Non-active member opinions
o Focus groups for ages that are not represented
o Changes to religious life and spirituality
Internal Challenges:
Minutes of 3/24/09
Fishbone
+ Demographics (i.e. age ,numbers, trends)
+ Economic trends
+ Other ways Jews affiliate in the Jewish community
+ Financial crisis
+ Who joins and why
+
External Challenges
o Response to other community issues
o Interfaith issues and relationships
o Community of faith interacting
o Other demands on time
o Economic, demographic, numbers, trends
o Local issues re Jewish population
o Greater assimilation
o Life cycle challenges
o NFP trends for efficiency, cost cutting,
o What people are looking for
o Non-active member opinions
o Focus groups for ages that are not represented
o Changes to religious life and spirituality
Internal Challenges:
- Attract adult children of member to join
- Future of conservative movement.
- Intermarriage
- Declining Hebrew school enrollment
- Promoting Hebrew Academy
- Capital Campaign in this economic time
- Decline in number of congregants who are small business owners
- How to Make Judaism at Ohav fun and exciting
- Talmud Torah – competitive with other synagogues
- Keeping Jews engaged Jewishly
- Building connections between convert members
- Working with Temple Israel and other shuls.
- Losing the Holocaust generation
- Reluctance to diverse membership and community
- Technologically reluctant
- Social justice stance vs. social action stance
- Keeping services relevant and interesting
- New ways of approach spirituality
- Get young members to be involved
- Prohibitive dues
- Stronger competition to smaller audience
- Meeting needs different age groups
- Lack of people for leadership
- Opportunity for communicating outside of religion
- Decreased interest in religion
- Reducing distance of social and religious lives
- Lack of high school education
- Loss of institutional knowledge
- More geographically dispersed
- Shift in Israel’s global perception
- Aging community
- Fun activities i.e. gardening
- Fostering strong sense of Jewish identity
- Children of interfaith marriages
- Remaining positive about challenges
- Ohav activities outside of synagogue
Minutes of 3/24/09
Meeting of Ohav Shalom Long Range Planning Group
The meeting commenced at 7:10 with a D’Var Torah by Rabbi K., an overview of the prior meeting of 2/23 by Esther K. and a review of the distributed agenda (attached).
A draft document titled “Rules of the Road” developed during the prior meeting was distributed with proposed revisions for discussion. Substantive discussion focused on a provision regarding confidentiality and a vote to adopt the Rules of the Road as revised passed unanimously.
The Group next discussed an effort commenced during to prior meeting to identify Ohav’s strengths and the Current description sub-group’s effort to synthesize the list down to select categories reflected on an untitled document (A. Michael W., 3-09) . Scott and Alan discussed the difficulties in reconciling and consolidating the list and Esther stressed the importance of participants admitting what they didn’t know. The Group identified a few of the enumerated strengths needing additional detail or discussion including the pond, preteens, openness and shul. Harris stressed the need to incorporate economic considerations into the process; Jennifer, Michael and Rabbi Dan joined the discussion.
The Group next engaged in a “fishbone” exercise identifying areas that impact Ohav to add to the fishbone. Esther charted all responses (B. Fishbone Exercise 3-24-09); Brad, Roberta, Scott, Dan, Mona and Carol volunteered to untangle the list.
Esther transitioned the discussion to a review of the overall Group plan which included a review of Ohav’s history and vision which would lead to a statement of Ohav’s mission. This in turn would lead to an identification of Ohav’s challenges and dreams. She indicated that groups (i.e. education, membership , religious ,social action) would be formed to address particular challenges and dreams as part of the planning process. Dan B. discussed the importance of focusing on youth groups as a discrete category for special attention.
Alan discussed generally the opportunity for Group members to adopt a longer term perspective about Ohav’s direction than Ohav’s current board members.The discussion next focused on developing a list of significant challenges facing Ohav. Alan and Esther charted all responses from Group members (C. Ohav Team Challenges 3-24-09).
words to describe Ohav Shalom
Description of Congregation Ohav Shalom : Meeting : Feb 23 2009
Words to Describe Congregation Ohav Shalom (see below)
Text Summary (early draft from Michael):
Community
Congregation Ohav Shalom is a welcoming, comfortable community that provides a social and support network for all of its members. The congregation embraces its members and all members of their families, including children, seniors, and interfaith couples. The congregation recognizes that there are many ways of being Jewish, and we accept and strive to learn and grow from our members’ differences in approaching Judaism. Members are encouraged to get involved early on, and long-time members are encouraged to partner with new members to enhance the experience of all of our members. The synagogue provides a forum for members to meet other Jewish families similar to their own, to celebrate holidays and life events and to enable members to stay connected to the Jewish community. At times, the most meaningful connections are built during unplanned moments, kibitzing in the hallway, or walking home after services. In sum, Ohav is inviting and welcoming to all people.
Community of Learners
Congregation Ohav Shalom is a “community of learners,” encouraging all of our members to learn more about Jewish religion and culture from early childhood and nursery school through Hebrew School, Bar and Bat Mitzvah, teen years and adulthood. We offer family education programming to build connections within families, youth programs that provide opportunities for children and teens to interact with other Jewish kids, Shabbat morning “learner’s services,” and Adult B’nai Mitzvah programs and classes on topics of interest to today’s Jewish community.
Personal Needs
Ohav Shalom affor ds opportunities to fulfill members’ personal needs, reinforcing members’ Jewish identity, and creating opportunities to develop and apply their skills in a Jewish environment by serving on committees of interest to the members. Members also build personal relationships with their rabbis, who are available for individual and small-group meetings to consult on personal and religious issues.
Family Child Programs
Ohav offers family/child programs including Shabbat morning Shorashim services for preschool-age children in addition to a family-friendly nook in the main sanctuary, special holiday events including a fun and silly Purim carnival, and family education programs both within and outside the context of our Talmud Torah.
Social Action
The Congregation’s commitment to social action includes volunteer work to support the larger Jewish and general community including a special project this year to support the Equinox community services agency, support Israel, and work on activities to promote environmental awareness and other issues of common concern.
Atmosphere
Congregation Ohav Shalom provides a unique sense of community where congregants truly care about their religious experience. The Rabbis are active and interested in the lives of congregants, and are open to ideas and trying20new things. The congregation is friendly, sociable and welcoming, and we provide a haimish pre-school for families with young children.
Spirituality
Ohav provides opportunities for members to explore and express their spirituality, providing a “Step by Step” program for adults, offering meditation sessions, and enabling members to explore their relati onship with G-d.
Services and Religious Experiences
Congregation Ohav Shalom provides egalitarian, traditional services in a relaxed, inclusive prayer environment. Services are participatory and include a significant degree of lay leadership. Services are available throughout the year, including High Holiday services, Shabbat and holiday services, and weekday morning minyanim, as well as alternative services on an occasional basis.
Life Cycle
Ohav accompanies its members through all phases of the Jewish life cycle, performing rituals and providing support through celebrations, losses, grief and mourning. As a community, we provide a nice place to get married, provide meals for tired new parents, and come together for shiva minyans in our members’ homes.
Words to Describe Congregation Ohav Shalom
Words to Describe Congregation Ohav Shalom (see below)
Text Summary (early draft from Michael):
Community
Congregation Ohav Shalom is a welcoming, comfortable community that provides a social and support network for all of its members. The congregation embraces its members and all members of their families, including children, seniors, and interfaith couples. The congregation recognizes that there are many ways of being Jewish, and we accept and strive to learn and grow from our members’ differences in approaching Judaism. Members are encouraged to get involved early on, and long-time members are encouraged to partner with new members to enhance the experience of all of our members. The synagogue provides a forum for members to meet other Jewish families similar to their own, to celebrate holidays and life events and to enable members to stay connected to the Jewish community. At times, the most meaningful connections are built during unplanned moments, kibitzing in the hallway, or walking home after services. In sum, Ohav is inviting and welcoming to all people.
Community of Learners
Congregation Ohav Shalom is a “community of learners,” encouraging all of our members to learn more about Jewish religion and culture from early childhood and nursery school through Hebrew School, Bar and Bat Mitzvah, teen years and adulthood. We offer family education programming to build connections within families, youth programs that provide opportunities for children and teens to interact with other Jewish kids, Shabbat morning “learner’s services,” and Adult B’nai Mitzvah programs and classes on topics of interest to today’s Jewish community.
Personal Needs
Ohav Shalom affor ds opportunities to fulfill members’ personal needs, reinforcing members’ Jewish identity, and creating opportunities to develop and apply their skills in a Jewish environment by serving on committees of interest to the members. Members also build personal relationships with their rabbis, who are available for individual and small-group meetings to consult on personal and religious issues.
Family Child Programs
Ohav offers family/child programs including Shabbat morning Shorashim services for preschool-age children in addition to a family-friendly nook in the main sanctuary, special holiday events including a fun and silly Purim carnival, and family education programs both within and outside the context of our Talmud Torah.
Social Action
The Congregation’s commitment to social action includes volunteer work to support the larger Jewish and general community including a special project this year to support the Equinox community services agency, support Israel, and work on activities to promote environmental awareness and other issues of common concern.
Atmosphere
Congregation Ohav Shalom provides a unique sense of community where congregants truly care about their religious experience. The Rabbis are active and interested in the lives of congregants, and are open to ideas and trying20new things. The congregation is friendly, sociable and welcoming, and we provide a haimish pre-school for families with young children.
Spirituality
Ohav provides opportunities for members to explore and express their spirituality, providing a “Step by Step” program for adults, offering meditation sessions, and enabling members to explore their relati onship with G-d.
Services and Religious Experiences
Congregation Ohav Shalom provides egalitarian, traditional services in a relaxed, inclusive prayer environment. Services are participatory and include a significant degree of lay leadership. Services are available throughout the year, including High Holiday services, Shabbat and holiday services, and weekday morning minyanim, as well as alternative services on an occasional basis.
Life Cycle
Ohav accompanies its members through all phases of the Jewish life cycle, performing rituals and providing support through celebrations, losses, grief and mourning. As a community, we provide a nice place to get married, provide meals for tired new parents, and come together for shiva minyans in our members’ homes.
Words to Describe Congregation Ohav Shalom
Community
Network for families and individuals, Community support, Outreach partnering with new and long term members, Welcoming interfaith couples,Welcome all kinds of people and accept individuals with different ways of becoming Jewish, Welcome all family members, Inviting welcoming and open to all people, Comfortable, Create Community:, Meet other families with and without kids in the area. , Meet other young Jewish families, ??Shul emphasis, Stay connected to people in the Jewish community, Support families in time of need, Celebrate life events., Invited to get involved early on, Not exclusive try to involve everyone, Kibbitz, projects., Equinox, Maintain an Ohav presence in the community, Megillah reading, Meeting people on Shabbat during services, Meeting members, being with friends, Shabbat services in a welcoming environment, Walking to shul, Community support
Social Progressiveness
Welcoming intra-faith couples/families, Ritual Lay Leadership, Inclusive participatory equalitarian, Environmental Awareness, Has a long range planning committee
Community of Learners
Mitzvahs and classes, Shorashim Shabbat, Shul emphasizes learning with adult and child, spiritual or intellectual, Study: learn more about Judaism. Think, Jewish religious, cultural education., Preschool to educate children, Continuing classes: interesting to today’s Jewish population, B’nai Mitzvah tutoring, Evening Adult classes, Learn, educate, and participate in communities of learners program, Schlepping: taking my child to school/carpooling, Run a preschool to educate children, Find ways to get teens, pre-teens, and younger children interacting with other Jewish kids, Opportunities to attend a variety of programs
Personal Needs:
Serve on educational or search committee, Consult with Rabbi’s on personal religious issues, Personal meeting with my Rabbi, Reinforce Jewish Identity
Family Child Programs
Services on Shabbat for preschool(Shorashim), Family programs – Saturday evening –Holidays ( Special events and holiday programs for children, Purim Carnival silliness costumes, Family ed. Program with Rabbi’s, Hamish preschool, Family Talmud Torah programs, Family friendly shul play areas (2), Take my (daughter0 child to Hebrew School
Social Actions
Support the larger Jewish and general community, Support Israel, Has a long range planning committee,Volunteer work on outside community, Environmental awareness, Equinox, Volunteers work on outside community projects
Atmosphere
Rabbis are open to ideas and trying new things, Rabbi’s active and interested in the lives of congregants, Friendly and social congregants and services, Friendly to families with young children, Unique sense of community where congregants truly care about their religious experience, Hamish pre-school, Pray, Participatory Jewish services
Spirituality
Meditations, Explore our relationship with God, Adult step by step program
Services and Religious Experiences
Relaxed atmosphere to pray, Religious service traditional but egalitarian, Daven, Relaxed atmosphere to pray, Attending high holidays, Attending traditional and alternative services, With my kid and rabbi in the Bat Mitzvah class, Pray (daven), Participate in Jewish services, Ritual lay leadership, Hold religious services, Life cycle event rituals, High Holy Days
Life Cycles
Meals for newparents, Mourning together, Celebrating together, A nice place to get married, Life cycle events, Celebrate rituals
Demographics of members
Age, Family Status, Gender, Income/giving level, Spiritual/Religious Attitude
Facilities Personnel
People,Age,Strengths/weaknesses,Workload
Building
Age, Condition, Function
Activities
Sabbath Attend, 3x year, Daily Minyan, School, Adult Ed., Other Programs, Haverah
Interests/Needs
Community
Perceived Role in the community
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