Playlist Judaism Quotes

“Synagogue Leaders 1. If people are attracted to Judaism and want to convert to Judaism, are we willing to make conversion more accessible? If so, how would we do so? 2. How can we allow people who are attracted to Jewish ideas to engage our community institutions even if they don’t want to convert to Judaism? 3. What program changes need to happen for our institutions to effectively share Jewish thought in the marketplace?”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“have to stand on their own merit. 10. There is no ownership of ideas in the marketplace.”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“thought outside the religious realm. 3. Jewish values, particularly because they are often manifest in concrete ways, are of particular interest to those in the marketplace of ideas. 4. For Jewish thought to speak to the masses, it has to be accessible and cannot remain hidden within the walls of Jewish communal institutions. 5. Like Jewish thought, Jewish culture has also found its place in the marketplace. 6. The influence of Jewish thought and Jewish culture is particularly apparent in popular media. 7. The culture of so-called open source, made possible by the Internet, is ideal for sharing Jewish ideas in the marketplace of ideas. As a result, they can be accessed by all. 8. The marketplace of ideas is pluralistic and knows no boundaries or limitations. 9. All ideas are subject to scrutiny and criticism in the marketplace. Thus, they”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“Ten Things about Judaism and the Marketplace of Ideas 1. Jewish thought can enrich the lives of people, whether or not the people are Jewish. 2. There are many access points to Jewish”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“1. How can synagogue leaders transform those events already planned into Public Space Judaism events? 2. How can we reallocate our human and fiscal resources to make Public Space Judaism events a priority? 3. Who among our active participants and members would be most effective planning and implementing such events? Public Space Judaism events are only one way of turning your institution inside out. But they are proven, effective entry vehicles for finding people and engaging them. They are not meant to replace more intensive programs or activities for those who already part of your community. But they are a good way to begin the process of turning your institution completely inside out.”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“will be interested in moving forward on the path of engagement during the first year of follow-up activities and events. The other two-thirds will take an additional year or two. 3. Families with young children tend to access Judaism through their children at holiday time. 4. For Public Space Judaism events to be most effective, they have to take place on numerous occasions throughout the year and be dispersed throughout the wider community. 5. Public Space Judaism events raise the profile of the sponsoring institution. As a result, soliciting funds (but not at the events themselves) from community members outside the sponsoring institution becomes easier. Reflection and Discussion Questions for Synagogue Leaders”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“Lessons Learned about Public Space Judaism Events 1. Some affiliated people—who may not be part of the target audience—will undoubtedly attend Public Space Judaism events. But the focus of recruitment efforts should be on those previously unaffiliated—that’s the target population. 2. Only about a third of the people encountered from the target audience”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“practice, the synagogue generally limits its services only to members in the area of bat or bar mitzvah. Most life-cycle events (outside of these four core events) that individuals mark, such as getting a drivers license or graduating from college, are outside the purview of the synagogue. And for life-cycle events that used to be a benefit of synagogue membership, such as bar or bat mitzvahs and weddings, families are looking outside of the synagogue for assistance. This new model allows the synagogue to reach a larger target population and expand its ability to bring Judaism together with important milestones, beyond the traditional four, in a person’s life.”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“and through secular media outlets. 7. Recruit and train a sufficient number of staff and volunteers for the event to help make personal connections with participants and learn of their needs and interests. 8. Collaborate with other institutions in the community to develop a more effective program. This also allows you to extend the geographic reach of the program and multiply the number of events you can sponsor. 9. Invite participants to follow-up events that are consistent with their needs and interests and with the event they are attending. The path to deeper engagement requires a charted course. 10. You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Make sure that the event is appealing. Moreover, every experience, even introductory ones such as Public Space Judaism events, should have value and meaning.”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“be familiar to potential participants, such as Passover or Hanukkah. Charge no entry fee to keep the barriers low for participation. 3. As an option, take an event or program already planned and move it into a public space. Or take a longer multisession program and divide it into individual stand-alone events. Also, plan events as part of the secular community-at-large calendar, such as local fairs and parades. 4. Always design events to appeal to a defined target audience. Focus on the needs of the potential participant, not the needs or interests of the sponsoring institution. 5. Make sure the event is convenient for potential participants to attend. Identify arts, music, and cultural venues that your target audience frequents, including bookstores, theaters, concert halls, and athletic centers. 6. Market your programs in secular venues”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“more complex. All stages can serve as entry points, and the progression is not necessarily the shortest distance between two points. Some folks may participate in public space events for years, but if they had previously been doing nothing Jewish, this represents successful outreach, because the goal is increasing engagement. They will go deeper when specific programs of greater complexity are relevant for them. Increasing engagement is not a membership drive. It is sharing what we inside the synagogue find beautiful about Judaism with others who might benefit from it. How to Implement Public Space Judaism in Ten Steps 1. Go where people are. Don’t wait for them to come to you. Hold events in the public sphere so that the unaffiliated will stumble upon them. 2. Start with a program or event that may”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“Turning the synagogue inside out, into a community institution, means that it has to become a recognizable presence. The building used to be the vehicle to make its presence known. Now the building is taken for granted, even if people are able to discern what takes place inside it. This model depends on a different approach. By turning inside out, the synagogue will make its presence known in two ways: by implementing Public Space Judaism”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“hegemony of the modern synagogue. These are the events that surround birth, coming of age, marriage (including divorce), and death. Many synagogues will name babies for parents who are not members, presuming that one day they might become members. And more often than not, those who marry are not synagogue members, since they no longer live in their hometowns and, as young singles, have not been motivated to join a synagogue in their new city of residence. Following the common trajectory of synagogue membership, by the time people die (in old age), they have already discontinued their synagogue membership, although perhaps their children are still members. Thus, some synagogues do funerals for people who are technically not members. In practice, the synagogue generally limits its services only to members in the area of bat or bar mitzvah. Most life-cycle events (outside of these four core events) that individuals mark,”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“While the notion is undoubtedly controversial, I argue that when a synagogue turns itself inside out, it can provide for life-cycle events and education for everyone without making a distinction as to who is a member and who is a nonmember. This also allows the synagogue to reclaim the functions that it gave away to day schools, JCCs, and others. In reality, four life-cycle events have theoretically been under the”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“If we turn the synagogue inside out, the synagogue would serve a far broader audience, one that is not restricted by the traditional notion of synagogue membership. Synagogues can reach out and serve a population larger than their current membership if they are willing to emphasize those things that the synagogue does well and that are within its purview, while refraining from those things that are irrelevant to the synagogue and its work. In too many situations,”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“regardless of background, and is geared specifically for adult beginner learners. Also, the program is advertised in secular media.”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“what I call Destination Jewish Culture. These programs are also low barrier and held in secular spaces. However, they usually require some level of planned participation (a set start time and destination event) and may charge a nominal fee (though no more than what would be charged at a secular equivalent). Good examples of programs that might fit in this circle are Jewish film festivals held in commercial theaters or a Jewish musical event held in a concert hall. The third level of Public Space Judaism is what might be described as Open Door Community programs. These may be held within Jewish communal institutions, but they are open to the entire community. A good example of this approach is the Reform Jewish movement’s Taste of Judaism program (although the program is not limited to the Reform movement). This brief three-week introduction to Judaism is free, welcomes all participants”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“model its name and consists of events and programs that take place in public spaces. These events are designed so that potential participants “stumble over” them. They are low barrier in that they are free and require no prior knowledge or commitment to participate. Chabad pioneered this notion of outreach thirty years ago, and while my approach—championed by the Jewish Outreach Institute—in these spaces differs considerably, there is much to learn from Chabad’s successes. Chabad is focused on the Jewish calendar, for example, but people live within a framework of several calendars, including but not limited to the Jewish calendar, the secular calendar, and the local cultural calendar. Public Space Judaism takes advantage of the various calendars that guide people’s lives. It also insinuates itself into public events already taking place in the community. The second level of Public Space Judaism is”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“pushed away in the past are too hesitant to enter synagogues to see what’s changed. While the Public Space Judaism model is based on location, it also addresses several additional barriers to participation and takes into consideration the necessary best practices of outreach, which include the unobtrusive collection of contact information and a specific follow-up plan. The goal is not to water down Judaism but to remove the cultural obstacles that have developed around Judaism—obstacles that may have had a purpose at one time but now push more people away than they keep in. Public Space Judaism is a portal of entry. It is not an immersive Jewish experience. The Public Space Judaism model can be described as a series of concentric circles. The circle in the center reflects deeper institutional involvement, while the nonparticipating majority of Jewish households are in the outermost circle. The outermost ring gives this”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“Public Space Judaism is designed to address these barriers. The notion emerges from the foundational idea of outreach, as I understand it. Outreach is not about a specific target population. Rather, it is a methodology. Outreach methodology brings Jewish life to a variety of traditionally underserved populations by going where people areinstead of waiting for them to come to us. Where most Jews are not is inside the four walls of synagogues. We know that free or low-cost Jewish programs held in secular venues attract less-affiliated participants than the same programs held in synagogues or JCCs. Why not program where people spend the majority of time—outside in public spaces—rather than inside the synagogue, where most programs currently take place? The location barrier is arguably the most important, because even if all other barriers have been lowered, those folks who have felt”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“default position, synagogues need to take what they do best—if they can indeed do them better than any other institution in the Jewish landscape—and locate their “brand” in the broader community. Synagogues need to be open to those issues that are engaging people in contexts outside the synagogues. For example, there is a growing interest in food justice issues, particularly among millennials, yet few synagogues have built their programs around this issue.”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“Synagogue leaders have yet to realize that the synagogue has once again become essentially a house of prayer. Many of the alternative synagogue structures that are emerging—primarily led by young people—are built solely around prayer services. Instead of accepting this”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“to serve the majority of the Jewish community, even its entirety, rather than just those who are members of Jewish institutions.”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“local area become members of the synagogue simply by virtue of their living in the synagogue’s newly defined service area. They are then entitled to the membership benefits of the institution. (Premium membership could perhaps be available at an extra charge.) Moreover, the synagogue has to be willing to program beyond its walls, in public spaces. This is what I call Public Space Judaism. We talk about the Jewish community—the synagogue community—as if we are talking about its majority, or even the whole. However, when we use the term Jewish community, we are generally speaking about only a minority of Jews in a region—those who are members of synagogues or Jewish Community Centers or those who support the local Jewish Federation financially with a campaign gift. In reality, the majority are not affiliated with these three institutions and do not financially support them. Turning the synagogue inside out is a method”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“To emphasize what is required for this proposed change—which is quite substantial—I like to say that I believe the synagogue needs to turn itself inside out. In other words, it has to become an institution that serves the entire local Jewish community—and, in some cases, secularists too—rather than functioning solely as an institution that serves only its members. When synagogues turn themselves inside out, all Jews and all those in Jewish families in the”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“5. It is just as important to establish groups of followers who are seeking change as it is to foster leaders who will be instrumental in making change. Reflection and Discussion Questions for Synagogue Leaders 1. How do you help large numbers of people navigate their journey from one institution to another and still keep that journey intimate and personal? 2. In what ways can a synagogue strive to serve distinct target populations even if those populations are transitory? 3. To what extent is the spiritual environment of an institution shaped by the individual personalities or interests of its spiritual leaders? What are the advantages and disadvantages of building a spiritual environment according to the inclination of”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“Lessons Learned by Sixth and I 1. Establishing a partnership with local synagogues is important if these institutions are going to be prepared to welcome those who have been reached by an alternative institution. 2. Narrowing the focus to a particular target population may mean that the community is unstable, because participants will age in and out. 3. Quality control of programs is important to the branding of an institution. 4. To succeed in a climate of change in the Jewish community, institutions have to be nimble.”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“Some synagogues are simply calling themselves community institutions rather than membership institutions that require payment of dues to become a member. These synagogues suggest that all locals are members of the synagogue and therefore welcome to use its services or the services of its professional staff. Like online services that are free, these congregations would charge only for upgrades or premium services, such as personal or family counseling by the rabbi or the education of children.”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“their feet. And that vote may help them march away from the synagogue if the synagogue doesn’t find effective ways to engage them.”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future

“I argue that synagogue leaders have it backwards. Engaging individuals is what will lead them to affiliate with a synagogue as the institution that serves them, that meets their needs and those of their family. If synagogues continue to focus on the needs of the institution rather than on the needs of the individual, they will lose their dues-paying members and eventually become financially unviable. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel suggested to folks in the 1960s that they pray with their feet—and those prayers took them to places like the civil rights marches in Selma, Alabama. As a result of the actions of Rabbi Heschel and the influence of American political culture, American Jews—like most Americans—have been taught to vote with”
― Kerry M. Olitzky, Playlist Judaism: Making Choices for a Vital Future