Welcome to the website of resources developed during Synagogue 2000/3000’s twenty-year run as a catalyst for excellence in synagogue life.
How do congregations effect the American landscape? Get the FACTS based on the largest study of congregations ever, the 2020 Faith Communities Today project.
faithcommunitiestoday.org
In the fall of 2021, a special issue of Theology Today featured 12 instructive articles based on the largest study of congregations… more
"The survey also showed that since the pandemic began, 45% of congregations have made permanent changes to their community outreach, and more than half (54%) started a new ministry or expanded and increased an existing one."
This is the second report from Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to secure funding to include synagogues in the project, yet we need to pay close attention to the research. These social justice outreach trends are dramatic.
www.covidreligionresearch.org
First survey report of the Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations study, based on responses collected between June and August 2021.It's not a revelation that there were synagogues during the Temple period. The recent discovery of two synagogues in Migdal is fascinating, but I can't help but think of the old joke about the Jew who built two synagogues while deserted on an island - one he goes to and the other he'd never step foot in!
Even When the Temple Stood, Jews Needed Synagogues—and in Some Communities, Two of Them » Mosaic
mosaicmagazine.com
Another ancient synagogue unearthed in Migdal.
David Gottlieb aptly points out that Jewish education needs a top to bottom redo. By lifting up several organizations who have adapted new ways of teaching, Gottlieb points out three "fundamental commitments" that can be guideposts for future models.
1) inclusiveness
2) a commitment to accommodating the increasing complexity of individual and collective identity
3) adult Jewish education must commit to creatively incorporating sources, mediums and materials that reflect the rich variety of Jewish life and recognize that Jewish experiences come in many forms
Jewish learning for today’s Jewish adults: New approaches for new times
ejewishphilanthropy.com
How can we bring Judaism’s richness to those who are alienated from it? Such individuals may feel misunderstood, or even unwelcome, in environments that assume more traditional approaches to Jewish ...
“What we’ve found,” said joint co-ordinator of the NSNS council, Howard Robinson,” is that some people have significantly increased the amount they contribute because they are able to.”
This synagogue may be in England, but I've heard this sentiment more than a few times from American synagogues who've moved to a different membership model.
'Pay what you can' synagogue continues to grow
www.thejc.com
New Stoke Newington has dispensed with a fixed fee membership system