About this item
Highlights
- Noted educator and community revitalization pioneer Dr. Ron Wolfson presents practical strategies and case studies to guide Jewish leaders in turning institutions into engaging communities that connect members to Judaism in meaningful and lasting ways.
- About the Author: Dr. Ron Wolfson, visionary educator and inspirational speaker, is Fingerhut Professor of Education at American Jewish University in Los Angeles and a cofounder of Synagogue 3000.
- 288 Pages
- Religion + Beliefs, Judaism
Description
About the Book
Noted educator and community revitalization pioneer Dr. Ron Wolfson presents practical strategies and case studies to guide Jewish leaders in turning institutions into engaging communities that connect members to Judaism in meaningful and lasting ways.Book Synopsis
Noted educator and community revitalization pioneer Dr. Ron Wolfson presents practical strategies and case studies to guide Jewish leaders in turning institutions into engaging communities that connect members to Judaism in meaningful and lasting ways.Review Quotes
"Catalogs endless ways to revitalize Jewish life through deep, on-going human connections. Effective twenty-first-century lay and professional leaders will need this road map for the journey ahead."
-Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president, Union for Reform Judaism
"Lively ... shows us how to transform our institutions by focusing on how we connect to one another. A must read for anyone who cares about the future of American Jewish life."
-Alisa Rubin Kurshan, senior vice president, UJA-Federation of New York
"Judaism is about relationship-with others, with God, with the tradition itself. There is no more sure-footed guide to the relationships in our lives than Ron Wolfson, teacher extraordinaire. Here is his latest gift to the seeking soul."
-Rabbi David Wolpe, Sinai Temple, Los Angeles
"Skips the self-flagellation and offers a people-to-people paradigm that individuals and organizations can embrace."
-Wayne Firestone, president and CEO, Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life
"With passion of insight and humor of experience, Ron Wolfson weaves a vision for our future."
-Rabbi Elyse Frishman, editor, Mishkan T'filah: A Reform Siddur
"Had Martin Buber written a practical guide, it would be Ron Wolfson's book. It is filled with theory, practice, successful examples and, most importantly, hope for the future of the American Jewish community and its institutions."
-Dr. Kerry M. Olitzky, executive director, Jewish Outreach Institute
"Consecrate the new: rejuvenate the old. With these two imperatives, Ron Wolfson demonstrates that without belonging, believing and behaving are orphaned.... His writing confirms the insight of the philosopher of relationship, Martin Buber: 'all real living is meeting.'"
-Rabbi Harold Schulweis, Valley Beth Shalom, Encino, California
"A highly readable description and analysis of the most exciting and innovative programs and personalities in North American Judaism today.... This book should be read and studied by all concerned with the modern American Jewish condition."
-Rabbi David Ellenson, president, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
"Any book that quotes Steve Jobs and Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik in the span of a few pages knows how to apply some of the best thinking from the business and non-profit sectors, along with the wisdom of Jewish text and tradition, to address the question of how we can live lives of meaning and purpose. A must read."
-Rachel Levin, executive director, Righteous Persons Foundation
"Open[s] doors of engagement and learning that make life more profound and wondrous. Takes a theology of relationship and translates it into lives well lived, and communities more vibrant!"
-Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, dean, the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, American Jewish University; author, Passing Life's Tests: Spiritual Reflections on the Trial of Abraham, the Binding of Isaac
"A needed dose of truth from someone who has done his homework. An honest tour through today's Jewish landscape, skipping the all too familiar nostalgia in favor of concrete ideas, commitment and hope."
-Rabbi Noa Kushner, The Kitchen, San Francisco
"Challenges the Jewish community to embrace a wholly new and boldly different paradigm.... Brings much-needed fresh thinking to a Jewish community striving to reinvent itself, and seeking to engage new generations with renewed depth, vibrancy and relevance."
-Larry Moses, senior philanthropic advisor and president emeritus, The Wexner Foundation
"The definitive account of how Jewish institutions are moving from programs, turf and walls to relationships, openness and engagement. A must read for anyone serious about transforming today into a successful and significant tomorrow."
-Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, PhD
About the Author
Dr. Ron Wolfson, visionary educator and inspirational speaker, is Fingerhut Professor of Education at American Jewish University in Los Angeles and a cofounder of Synagogue 3000. He is author of Relational Judaism: Using the Power of Relationships to Transform the Jewish Community; The Seven Questions You're Asked in Heaven: Reviewing and Renewing Your Life on Earth; Be Like God: God's To-Do List for Kids; God's To-Do List: 103 Ways to Be an Angel and Do God's Work on Earth; Hanukkah, Passover and Shabbat, all Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs Art of Jewish Living family guides to spiritual celebrations; The Spirituality of Welcoming: How to Transform Your Congregation into a Sacred Community; A Time to Mourn, a Time to Comfort: A Guide to Jewish Bereavement and Comfort and, with Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, What You Will See Inside a Synagogue (all Jewish Lights), a book for children ages 6 and up. He contributed to May God Remember: Memory and Memorializing in Judaism-Yizkor, Who by Fire, Who by Water-Un'taneh Tokef, All These Vows-Kol Nidre and We Have Sinned: Sin and Confession in Judaism-Ashamnu and Al Chet (all Jewish Lights).