Congratulations to S3K team members Larry Hoffman and Steven Cohen, and S3K colleagues Isa Aron and Ari Kelman for their book Sacred Strategies: Transforming Synagogues from Functional to Visionary, chosen 2010 Jewish Book Council winner for best book in the Education and Jewish Identity category.

The book, largely a study of the synagogue transformation movement over the last 15 years, is about eight synagogues that reached out and helped people connect to Jewish life in a new way – congregations that had gone from commonplace to extraordinary. Over a period of two years, researchers Aron, Cohen, Hoffman, and Kelman interviewed 175 synagogue leaders and a selection of congregants (ranging from intensely committed to largely inactive). They found these congregations shared six traits: sacred purpose, holistic ethos, participatory culture, meaningful engagement, innovation disposition, and reflective leadership and governance.

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