Synagogue 3000 Next Dor Conversation

The first time that Rabbi Susan Talve told me about a ramshackled house next door to Central Reform Congregation and suggested that I help write a proposal to transform it into a community center. . . I was intrigued. At the time, I didn’t recognize the broader implications of this proposal, both what it would mean for me and the St. Louis community, or that it fit into some larger context.

At the end of October, not two years after that initial conversation with Rabbi Talve, I found myself presenting to a group of over 150 Rabbis, Cantors, and other professional and lay leaders. To understand this scene, a bit of history is needed.

It all started at the Synagogue 3000 conference a few years ago, at which Rabbi Talve was a participant. There, she spoke with Ron Wolfson and Larry Hoffman, who were trying to figure out how to get young adults engaged with synagogues. They discussed launching pilot sites to test new ways to connect with young adults and create communities, but nothing had been decided.

When Rabbi Talve approached me, I was living in the St. Louis Moishe House, which I had helped to found, enjoying the subsidized rent and all of the free Shabbat meals that went with being a resident. I was also trying to find a way to move to Israel. Something about the idea of taking what we were doing (which was quite successful, but on a micro scale), and using a broader platform to create a larger impact on the community was really appealing. B’kitzur, as we say, Synagogue 3000 chose the proposal that me and a group of young adults put together. We were to be one of the initial five pilot sites of a project called Next Dor.

Back to the present: So there I was sitting next to three rabbis, in front of a room full of rabbis, pretending that I had some business to be a part of this conversation.

As a young adult, one of the ‘next generation’, and a part of the Next Dor St. Louis project, the conversation was a great opportunity. Often, in smaller cities, particularly those in the Midwest, there is a sense of isolation from the rest of the Jewish world. We are usually so focused on the community we are hoping to create locally that national trends, ideas, and collective struggles don’t often get mindshare. The chance to speak to and hear from so many individuals and organizations tackling the same issues was really amazing (and it didn’t hurt that I got to spend the weekend catching up with friends in Manhattan).

You see, usually, I see the entire premise of the conversation as fundamentally flawed. From my perspective, when I hear people say ‘Next Gen’, what they are implying is that they are the current torch-bearers, and that the next generation hasn’t yet showed up to play ball. As a young adult, who doesn’t necessary want to ‘tow the party line’ on anything from institutional Jewish life to Israel, I often felt marginalized or censored from the conversation by the very people who purport to want nothing more than my participation.

The Next Dor conversation allowed us to be heard in some different ways. First, we actually were able to bring participants, the people who are the very backbone of the community, instead of just staff. Because there were other young adults present, we were able to have direct discussions with them about what we have done and how we are going about doing it. Not only did I get to present directly to the entire group, but my peers from St. Louis were able to make their voices heard and to hear new ideas themselves.

As residents of St. Louis, the Next Dor Conversation put our work into a national context. Even though I sometimes feel as though our situation and approach are totally unique due to the house we operate out of and our role as facilitators instead of programmers, it was validating to hear how the other sites focused so heavily on relationship-building.

If we are focused on building communities, then this meta-community, this community of communities is an important piece. It was invigorating to meet with and see the passion of other people around the country, particularly other young adults, for whom building community is a priority. Since the conference, I’ve spoken with individuals in several cities, all of whom are looking to create local 20s/30s communities.

As we in St. Louis continue to wrestle with our organizational leadership, structure and sustainability, ideas of entitlement and cost and content of events, it was refreshing to be at a conversation in which we are acknowledged less as the next generation, but rather, as this generation, as the ones who are currently working everyday to build a Jewish community for our peers that is vibrant, that is permeable, and that is meaningful.

Cincinnati born and bred, Yoni Sarason found his way to STL by way of Washington University, where he earned a B.A. in Psychology. Mensch-wannabe, blogger, beatboxer, drummer, producer, Yid lover, hip hopper, urban enthusiast, and life explorer, Yoni just loves learning. Yoni spends his evenings trying to understand metropolitan entertainment, networking, and finance (music, people, and how to see as much of both as possible, without going broke). Yoni currently serves as the Program Director for Next Dor.

An Unbiased View (from an S3K team member)

The Next Dor Conversation was fantastic! We hoped to have 20 congregations represented with about 70 people in the room. When registration hit 170, we had to close it down because of a lack of conference room space! Fifty-three communities represented the United States and Canada. It is clear we’ve hit on something pretty important. Everyone in the Jewish community is asking, how can we get 20/30 somethings (YJAs, young Jewish adults) to participate in Jewish communal life? How do we capture this segment of the population, these folks who are disengaged but have so much to gain from - and offer to - the Jewish world?

Jews are marrying later than ever, and for the twenty years between college and marriage, they are not joining synagogues. Why is this? Well, I for one understand the issue. Synagogues cater to young families, providing many opportunities to build relationships between people with young children. So for young couples with kids, synagogues are warm, friendly places. But for people like me, single and with no kids, synagogues are cold, lonely places. As a result, though many of us are looking to have Jewish community with whom to celebrate and observe Shabbat and holidays, no place really welcomes us.

S3K’s Next Dor initiative began two years ago and emerged from our research. Over the last two years, our team has learned much about what YJAs seek in community. Last year, we awarded 5 Next Dor pilot site grants to test out our theories about relationship building. All five places, which are very different from each other in style, were wildly successful, adopting a similar in ethos – relational Judaism. In each case, a Next Dor professional, a rabbi or other engagement worker, dedicated at least 50% of his or her time to building relationships with formerly invisible YJAs in their community. By welcoming them in and getting to know them, they engaged them... and the Next Dor communities were up and running! We are delighted to be starting our second year of supporting the Next Dor pilot sites as they build their communities - in Atlanta, DC, Miami, St. Louis and San Rafael, CA. And now we've added a sixth site - a satellite community in New York City.

The Conversation was a great opportunity for Next Dor to showcase the work of the pilot sites and to help other communities imagine how to engage YJAs in their areas. Following our musical opening session, we heard from our Director of Research, Steven Cohen who explained the brand new data we've gathered from the Next Dor sites including who is involved, what their Jewish background is like, who are they dating, and why they show up to Next Dor events. The pilot sites continued with descriptions of their first-year work. Rabbi Larry Hoffman then shared his vision for the future.

Three extremely talented and creative young musicians who are changing Jewish music and worship in many congregations - Josh Nelson, Michelle Citrin and Shira Klein concluded our day with song. The following day, we began with Rabbis Susan Talve and Danny Zemel, two senior rabbis from Next Dor congregations explaining how their synagogues are being transformed by the Next Dor initiative. Much of Monday was Open Space time, giving participants the opportunity to talk to each other about a variety of subjects related to YJA engagement, such as YJAs and the environment, the changing nature of Jewish music for this generation, and the place of social justice in YJA groups. The buzz in the room was palpable! We ended the day with next steps and an introduction of the Next Dor Network.

With the great success of the Conversation and the clear interest around the country in continuing to learn from one another, we are starting the Next Dor Network. By becoming a part of the Next Dor Network, congregations will be able to share ideas with other creative communities who are building relationships one person at a time. We will help connect communities together and provide information through webinars and our online presence. Our Network members will be able to access the Next Dor Playbook, a handbook of what we've learned so far. And, we invite you to participate in adding to that Playbook as you continue to experiment with relationship building ideas in your own community. Together, we will build more and more communities by and for the 20/30 something Jews who have felt, as Ron Wolfson says, "spiritually homeless."

Rabbi Jessica Zimmerman is Synagogue 3000's Director of Congregational Engagement. She is passionate about helping synagogues transform into kehillot kedoshot - sacred communities - and has been involved in cutting-edge conversations about transformation throughout her time as a rabbinical student and a rabbi.

A Great October: Locally Grown Shabbat and the Next Dor Conversation!

As a result of participating in two remarkable experiences this past October, my thinking about 20s and 30s engagement is enhanced. First, I attended the Next Dor Conversation as a representative of my congregation, Kolot Chayeinu in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Second, earlier in the month I organized Kolot’s first 20s and 30s minyan called “Locally Grown Shabbat.” This year as student rabbi at Kolot, I work with the 20s/30s membership and the unaffiliated population of Park Slope and the surrounding neighborhoods. “Locally Grown Shabbat” is the major project of my work and the Next Dor conversation provided me with new ways to think about this project.

The goal of “Locally Grown Shabbat” at Kolot is to provide a space for people to pray, learn, and eat together. It begins with a shiur, Jewish learning led by local Jewish teachers. We then move into Kabbalat Shabbat led by local Jewish prayer leaders culminating with a communal potluck Shabbat dinner that features food from either local chefs or local businesses. The idea of “local” is what drives this Shabbat gathering. I am seeking to build and strengthen relationships in this age cohort who live in Brooklyn through meeting them at other Kolot events, through meeting up with them for coffee, through email and Facebook, and through relationships I already have (friends of friends is a great way to bring people together). I invite local leaders, who are a part of other networks, to come lead and celebrate Shabbat all together. Last month, we had over 50 people come together to celebrate Shabbat, which was a 20% growth from October. The energy in the room made this evening a success - people coming together to “do Jewish” with each other.

I learned from Next Dor about the relational approach to engagement. Not only were my ideas that I attempted to promote through “Locally Grown Shabbat” affirmed at Next Dor, but it also enhanced my understanding of engagement and provided me with new insight into how to engage my congregation and community. This approach is about taking people out for coffee, hearing their stories, getting to know what makes them unique, and how they relate to Judaism. Thinking in these terms made me stop thinking in terms of programming for this constituency and more in terms of building connections with people. Relationship-building is holy work, and it reminds me that when two people form a positive connection, each person’s divine spark is ignited infusing them and the world with holiness. I am driven by these concepts as I begin to think about my future rabbinate.

Additionally, Next Dor reminded me that this generation, my generation, is not interested in joining a synagogue. In fact, we might not be interested in joining much at all. Research shows we do not gravitate towards institutional Judaism. Therefore, 20s and 30s engagement work is not about getting people to become members of the synagogue. Rather, it is about making it possible for people to engage in Jewish life both in and outside the walls of the synagogue.

Next Dor and this type of engagement work is part of a frontier of change in the American Jewish community. It is a paradigm shift in thinking. For so long, Jews made friends with other Jews through their affiliations. Membership is how institutions maintained their resources. I will admit that this way of thinking is difficult to let go of. Kolot is still a growing congregation. I want people to join, but at the same time I know that membership cannot be the main goal. In fact, over the past few months, I have begun to think about what it means to be a rabbi that serves the community and the Jewish people and not just a specific congregation.

As I continue with this work and “growing” “Locally Grown Shabbat,” my goal is not to remodel Judaism to make it “cool” for my generation. For me, it’s about teaching and engaging others with Judaism in order to grow a generation of knowledgeable Jews who feel comfortable to question and explore what it means to be Jewish.

Molly Kane is a 5th year rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion and is the student Rabbi at Kolot Chayeinu in Park Slope, Brooklyn.