Reimagining Engagement
FOR SYNAGOGUES AND JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS
What would your organization look like if everything that happened there reflected your highest aspirational goals?
Sacred Practice offers clergy, professionals, employees, and lay leaders working in synagogues and Jewish organizations an opportunity to reimagine their everyday responsibilities to better align with their organization’s vision and purpose, so they can more effectively fulfill their roles and responsibilities.
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For over two decades, I have:
Helped institutions articulate their aspirations, goals, and vision
Encouraged individuals and groups working within organizations to devote time and space to reflect on how their efforts relate to and advance the vision of the organization
Nurtured a culture of innovation that helps organizations keep seeking authentic ways to act on their vision, relevant to current events and what’s happening around them.
Sacred Practice is not a quick fix or silver bullet for a synagogue’s problems, such as declining membership or decreasing funds. However, when Sacred Practice is fully embedded into a culture — meaning that everyone’s work embodies shared aspirations — synagogues and other Jewish organizations can position themselves to thrive not just in membership and contributions but in community-wide engagement and longevity.
What I Offer
MY EXPERIENCE
Before starting Sacred Practice, I held a number of positions that inspired my current work and my desire to advance Jewish organizations:
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Pennsylvania Regional Director of Outreach and Synagogue Community, the Union for Reform Judaism
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Coordinator for the Center City Kehillah, Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
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Director of Membership, Programming, and Philanthropy, Congregation Rodeph Shalom, Philadelphia
Why I Started Sacred Practice
The inspiration for Sacred Practice came from Rabbi Larry Hoffman’s teaching, mentorship, and encouragement. In 2011, Rabbi Hoffman came to Congregation Rodeph Shalom in Philadelphia, where I was working, to help us create a vision statement and launch our transformation from being a “functional” to a “visionary” congregation.
This experience confirmed that, in order for a congregation to fully realize its potential, staff and lay leadership at all levels must embody the central vision and then implement it in every aspect of synagogue life. Only with this ongoing effort and collaboration can they become a truly sacred place of transformation in people’s lives.
