By Elana Rivel, Associate Director
Family engagement programs are nothing new in the Jewish community. Many synagogues offer a range of programs specifically targeting their families with young children; sometimes they are held in the synagogue, sometimes in public spaces where families who may not be comfortable in synagogues can still connect to the Jewish community. We have twelve congregations participating in this year’s cohort of the Berger Synagogue Network for Engaging Families with Young Children. This network focuses on creating initiatives for engaging families (whether they are currently members or not) in congregational life.
The question we pose to these congregations is, “They Showed Up. Now What?” It is not intuitive to develop a comprehensive follow-up plan for those who joined us for these events. Often we put their names on our mailing lists, start sending them our congregational emails and newsletters, and hope that since they had such a wonderful time at the event, that they will now become members. But we know that it’s much more complicated than that and that no one family will respond the same as another. On Tuesday, December 9th, five of our congregations participated in a webinar on following up. They learned about using social media as a connector and different ways to reach out to those who attended. We know that building relationships is key to any successful follow up plan, and that takes time and effort on the part of the congregation.
You are invited to watch the webinar or download the presentation to learn more.
If you would like additional information about The Berger Network, contact Lori Rubin.
