Professional Development
Social/Digital Media in Jewish Life
Exeter RoomJordyne Wu Your congregants are online -- are you? Learn how to use internet marketing and social media to reach out to new members and engage existing members. Use simple tools to educate and inspire participation on- and offline. Before long, your congregants will be following you instead of Kim Kardashian!
On-Camera Media Training for Rabbis: What to Do When a Reporter Calls
Board RoomDennis Ross and Sarah Standiford This session requires pre-registration. “Should I take this interview? How do I craft my message and avoid tricky questions? What works on-camera?” Even a little media training helps clergy become more comfortable and effective on-camera, in-print and on-air. This workshop is open to all. Group size for afternoon camera training […]
Liturgical Uses of Poetry: Sometimes It Works, Sometimes It Doesn’t
Hampton RoomShelly Marder and Janet Marder with Peter Berg, Eddie Goldberg, Leon Morris, and Elaine Zecher Many of us use poetry in our services. Poetry has the power to take us to new heights. Whether it can help us ascend to heaven is not a guarantee though – not every poem is a prayer. How do […]
Divorce and Get: Current Legal and Religious Possibilities to Reduce Pain and Provide Support
Jefferson RoomRachel Goldman, Amy Scheinerman This informative workshop will combine many elements designed to be useful in your rabbinate, including both legal and religious information regarding divorce and get options. On the legal side: Collaborative Law (a constructive alternative to the Acrimonious Litigation model); mediation (facilitated dialogue instead of a court battle); and legal concerns rabbis […]
Making the Most of the “Wet Hair Moment:” Orchestrating a Meaningful Immersion Experience For Your Conversion Candidate
Berkeley RoomLisa Berman This workshop will explore a variety of questions about the conversion immersion experience. How do conversion candidates prepare for the actual immersion? Is it appropriate for family and friends to attend and what is their role? How does the clergy’s role change at the time of the immersion? This workshop illuminates the hopes […]
Pre-Marital Counseling
Clarendon RoomDr. Paula Brody Most couples will seek out a clergy connection before their marriage. For interfaith couples, this interaction is often pivotal. How can clergy turn pre-marital meetings, whether with in-marrying or intermarrying couples, into opportunities for meaningful Jewish engagement, nurturing their Jewish choices and solidifying their commitment to creating a Jewish home for their […]
The Foundations of Social Media for Rabbis
Exeter RoomLisa Colton Social media is powerfully influencing the way individuals engage and organizations operate. This democratization of access to information, support for relationships and empowerment of individuals is great news for the Jewish community, but it does require that our organizations and leadership adjust their approach for this new landscape. Join us to learn a […]
On-Camera Media Training for Rabbis (I)
Board RoomDennis Ross and Sarah Standiford This session requires pre-registration. Session is capped at 8 participants. “Should I take this interview? How do I craft my message and avoid tricky questions? What works on-camera?” Even a little media training helps clergy become more comfortable and effective on-camera, in-print and on-air. This camera training session required attending […]
Successfully Navigating the Senior-Second Rabbi Dynamic
Jefferson RoomAndrea Goldstein, Ronne Friedman, Shelly Zimmerman Many of us spend much of our careers in working relationships with other rabbis. Come learn with some of the best about how to strengthen this aspect of your professional life, from whatever place on the career-cycle you are.
I Can Ask For That? Rabbinic Contract Negotiations Deconstructed
Berkeley RoomMichael Gan, Martha Hausman, and Abby Kelman Contract negotiations can be awkward, confusing and tense but they don’t have to be. You will learn about considerations for being represented, how to prepare for negotiations, and about some important current trends that could impact your negotiations and your future. This session will be led by three […]
Enhancing Prayer with Technology
Exeter RoomPeter Levi, Dan Medwin, Ron Segal From stone tablets, to parchment, to bound and printed books, Jews have been regular adopters of new technology for the purposes of study and worship. Come learn the newest tools to more deeply engage our members in prayer and liturgy, and to enhance our capabilities as facilitators of worship. […]
On-Camera Media Training for Rabbis (II)
Board RoomDennis Ross and Sarah Standiford This session requires pre-registration. Session is capped at 8 participants. “Should I take this interview? How do I craft my message and avoid tricky questions? What works on-camera?” Even a little media training helps clergy become more comfortable and effective on-camera, in-print and on-air. This camera training session required attending […]
Leading With, and Not Alone: Community Organizing and “Relational Power”
Gardner RoomLila Foldes, Stephanie Kolin Transforming the culture of our communities, leading effectively in social justice, engaging our youth successfully, and other sacred rabbinic work are things we cannot and often do not want to do alone. In this session, we will explore some of the tools of community organizing that help us build powerful relationships […]
Opening the Gates to Bar and Bat Mitzvah
Jefferson RoomArlene Remz For the past eight years, Gateways: Access to Jewish Education, Boston’s central address for Jewish special education, has prepared dozens of youngsters with disabilities for Bar and Bat Mitzvah. Young adults have been able to enjoy the Jewish rite-of-passage that only a few short years ago would likely have been denied them. This […]
B’nai Mitzvah: The Tail That (Sometimes) Wags The Dog
Clarendon RoomLila Foldes, Jonathan Stein Join with colleagues to discuss how they are rethinking their own b'nai mitzvah work with an emphasis on shifting culture towards creating deeper relationships. Join us to think in real-time about your own congregation.
Preaching
Board RoomKirk Jones
Legal Issues for Rabbis and Congregations: An Examination of An Array of Changing Legal Issues Affecting Rabbis
Fairfax RoomDavid Saperstein Among these are the implications of the recent Supreme Court “Ministerial Exception” case; recent lawsuits on parsonage; “Do’s and Don’t’s” in the 2012 Election; sexual harassment abuse issues; new church-state issues. In addition to an overview of these changes, this session will address any issues that participants face directly or have questions about […]
The Best Practice of Mentors and Mentees
Beacon D RoomSam Joseph There are mainly four types of mentors: Career Guide — promotes development through career guidance, counseling and visibility; Information Source — provides information about formal and informal expectations; Friend — interacts with the mentee socially and provides information about people; and Intellectual Guide — promotes an equal relationship, collaborates on research projects and provides constructive feedback and […]
Teaching Hebrew: Raising the Bar
Liberty A , United StatesDr. Vardit Ringvald The impact of the Hebrew language on our children's sense of self is increasingly in the spotlight. What a different picture when they approach their Bar/Bat Mitzvah training with the organic connection to ancient texts and Israeli culture that Hebrew gives them! To maximize the level of our students’ Hebrew in Synagogue […]
Holy in the Whole
Exeter RoomJosh Nelson Exploring the spirituality of secular music and its place in worship: a conversation with Josh Nelson.
Bringing Shavat Vayinafash into the Everyday
Berkeley RoomLarry Dressler One of the paradoxes of the rabbinate is that we who are most devoted to repairing the world often find ourselves in a state of disrepair. Too often we and our institutions get caught up in a larger culture that values speed, multi-tasking and results. We learn to "cope" with or suppress our […]
Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Dalton RoomRuss Sabia For all the talk about the importance of teamwork by leaders, it is largely untapped and unrealized in most organizations. Many organizations - filled with talented, committed people - struggle to fulfill their full promise and find themselves bogged down by excessive interpersonal politics and confusion about what is really important. As a […]
Prepping for Placement: What to do Before You Go into Placement
Jefferson RoomAlan Henkin In this informal session we will talk about the preparatory steps rabbis can take before they enter placement. We will take up rabbinic resume writing, as well as crafting a personal statement. We will discuss interviewing techniques, especially internet video-conferencing techniques, and we will review the kinds of questions search committees typically ask, […]
Consensus Decision-Making: Pursuing Peace in Our Leadership & Governance
Berkeley RoomLarry Dressler and Sam Joseph As leaders, tired of the meeting after the meeting in the parking lot? Frustrated by the ‘after-meeting’ in the hallway? The primary goal of the session is how to use consensus decision-making, a cooperative, non-coercive form of decision-making in the setting of Jewish institutions and organizations. This session with be […]
Rabbinic Fundraising Success: Strategies, Tactics and Practice
Beacon D RoomDavid Altshuler and Steven Fox Setting goals and timetables, understanding philanthropic pyramids, making the case for support, prospect research, choreographing engagement and teamwork--a discussion of some issues and theories, as well as hands-on, "tachlitic" exercises.
The Yom Kippur Afternoon Experience: More Than Waiting to Eat
Hampton RoomLeon Morris and Eddie Goldberg with Janet Marder, Shelly Marder, Elaine Zecher and Peter Berg Through the years, many congregations have taken the opportunity to use creative endeavors at this point in the day, such as healing services, poetry readings, and musical interludes. Other congregations have chosen to harken back to the Avodah service, which […]
Inside the Rabbis’ Study: Insights and Advice From Colleagues Serving As Solo Congregational Rabbis
Exeter RoomStephanie Alexander, Joseph Meszler This is an exciting opportunity for us to hear from three colleagues serving in solo pulpits. Come hear their stories and experiences – from the wonderful to the not so wonderful; the differences between serving in a small congregation vs. a larger one; and also hear about the exciting and special […]