Thank you for being a part of Beth El’s Prototype Boot Camp this past Sunday! We were delighted with the terrific turnout and so appreciate you showing up, engaging with Journey’s work, and rolling up sleeves to help bring Beth El’s future to life now.
In addition to connecting up with your own prototype team(s), we want to ask you to please navigate to this Google Docand make sure that your name and best email address are listed on the prototype roster for each team you are (or want to be) on. This will help us make our next communications focused and efficient, so if possible please visit that Doc now and update as needed. Thanks so much!
If you have any questions, please contact Grace at grace@insytepartners.com or Gerry at gerry@insytepartners.com or members of the Beth El Journey Planning Team: Abe Bartell, Jody Burton, Barbara E Cohen, Erica Leventhal, Rabbi David Schuck, Mark Seidenfeld, Mark Silver and Abby Wise.
I’m writing about two very important upcoming events. First, tomorrow evening is the Shloshim Memorial Service for the victims of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting. Beth El is proud to be a co-sponsor and I hope you can join us. Details below.
Next, you have heard a lot about Journey and I invite you to join me on Sunday for a meaningful step in this process at Prototype Boot Camp, this Sunday, Dec. 2nd from 9 – 1 at Beth El. This will be an exciting gathering where our community will have the opportunity to brainstorm and work on prototypes – experiments that we can implement to start realizing our vision. Be sure to read the details below that Rabbi Schuck has shared and sign up to participate in an existing prototype team by clicking here or register to bring a new prototype idea you want to lead on Sunday by clicking here. Bring your friends and most importantly bring your creativity, curiosity and energy on Sunday and help build our vibrant future together.
See you Sunday, Mark
SHLOSHIM MEMORIAL SERVICE Thursday, November 29, 2018 at 7:45 p.m. at Young Israel of New Rochelle
Please join us for a memorial service to mark the conclusion of the traditional 30 day mourning period for the 11 victims of the terror attack on Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.
CO-SPONSORS: Anshe Sholom Synagogue, Beth El Synagogue Center, Magen David Sephardic Congregation, Temple Israel of New Rochelle, Young Israel of New Rochelle, and Young Israel of Scarsdale
Please note Singing as a Spiritual Practice has been canceled. Join us Saturday for Niggun Halev (9:00am, Crystal Ballroom) and Melaveh Malkah (7:00 p.m. at the home of Rabbi David and Tali Schuck.)
Journey has landed!
You might remember Journey, our Beth El strategic planning process that has engaged over 250 of us in shaping Beth El’s future. Our board has unanimously approved our “framework for action” a set of six “pillars” that will guide our work over the next several years, along with 4 core values, a mission statement and vision statement. Click here to see Journey's Pillars for Beth El's future.
What's next?
We’ll be writing our strategic plan to provide a road map for how we move into our future together. AND we want to move to action right away by inviting you to launch experiments that move us in the directions of our dreams NOW. We will be holding a Prototype Boot Camp on Sunday Dec 2nd from 9am-1:00pm at Beth El.
What's a prototype?
An experiment that moves us in the direction of our dreams. It could be an initiative you’ve been thinking about for months or years, a spark of an idea or something in between. OR, maybe you don’t want to launch your own prototype, but you want to be part of a team to help another prototype get off the ground. Read more click here.
Here’s what will happen at Prototype Boot Camp:
9:00am-10:15am Journey’s Landing: Come hear about Journey, where it has landed and direction it’s pointing for Beth El’s future. (If you want to hear this briefing but aren’t sure about prototyping, just come for the first hour, and decide if you want to stay longer.)
10:15am-1:00pm Boot Camp: A guided, experiential, fun workshop to help you think through your prototype, build it out, get feedback from others, and plan your launch. Your idea might morph, deepen, expand or change completely, but you will have fun figuring it out.
Come and experiment with us!
Read the list of existing prototypes by clicking hereand see if you want to sign up for a team. Click here to sign up for a prototype team. (Reminder: you can sign up for more than one team, but please choose to sit with only ONE team at Boot Camp.)
If you have a new prototype idea you want to bring to Prototype Boot Camp, please register here. (Reminder: the prototype should align with our strategic pillars and vision.)
A prototype reunion is planned for Spring 2019 so we can share our experiences, learn how to bring the future of Beth El to life together and keep building our community.
If you have any questions, please contact Grace at grace@insytepartners.com or Gerry at gerry@insytepartners.com or members of the Beth El Journey Planning Team: Abe Bartell, Jody Burton, Barbara E Cohen, Erica Leventhal, Rabbi David Schuck, Mark Seidenfeld, Mark Silver and Abby Wise.
At our October meeting we reviewed the extensive work that’s been done by our Journey Visioning Team and learned about the strategic framework that will guide us in our efforts going forward to build our vibrant Jewish community together. As explained at the meeting, the first communal step in that direction is Prototype Boot Camp, this Sunday, Dec. 2nd from 9 – 1 at Beth El. This will be an exciting gathering where our community will have the opportunity to brainstorm and work on prototypes – experiments that we can implement to start realizing our vision. Be sure to read the details below that Rabbi Schuck has shared and sign up to participate in an existing prototype team by clicking hereor register to bring a new prototype idea you want to lead on Sunday by clicking here. Bring your friends and most importantly bring your creativity, curiosity and energy on Sunday and help build our vibrant future together.
See you Sunday, Mark
Beth El Synagogue Center
Journey has landed!
You might remember Journey, our Beth El strategic planning process that has engaged over 250 of us in shaping Beth El’s future. Our board has unanimously approved our “framework for action” a set of six “pillars” that will guide our work over the next several years, along with 4 core values, a mission statement and vision statement. Click here to see Journey's Pillars for Beth El's future.
What's next?
We’ll be writing our strategic plan to provide a road map for how we move into our future together. AND we want to move to action right away by inviting you to launch experiments that move us in the directions of our dreams NOW. We will be holding a Prototype Boot Camp on Sunday Dec 2nd from 9am-1:00pm at Beth El.
What's a prototype?
An experiment that moves us in the direction of our dreams. It could be an initiative you’ve been thinking about for months or years, a spark of an idea or something in between. OR, maybe you don’t want to launch your own prototype, but you want to be part of a team to help another prototype get off the ground. Read more click here.
Here’s what will happen at Prototype Boot Camp:
9:00am-10:15am Journey’s Landing: Come hear about Journey, where it has landed and direction it’s pointing for Beth El’s future. (If you want to hear this briefing but aren’t sure about prototyping, just come for the first hour, and decide if you want to stay longer.)
10:15am-1:00pm Boot Camp: A guided, experiential, fun workshop to help you think through your prototype, build it out, get feedback from others, and plan your launch. Your idea might morph, deepen, expand or change completely, but you will have fun figuring it out.
Come and experiment with us!
Read the list of existing prototypes by clicking hereand see if you want to sign up for a team. Click here to sign up for a prototype team. (Reminder: you can sign up for more than one team, but please choose to sit with only ONE team at Boot Camp.)
If you have a new prototype idea you want to bring to Prototype Boot Camp, please register here. (Reminder: the prototype should align with our strategic pillars and vision.)
A prototype reunion is planned for Spring 2019 so we can share our experiences, learn how to bring the future of Beth El to life together and keep building our community.
If you have any questions, please contact Grace at grace@insytepartners.com or Gerry at gerry@insytepartners.com or members of the Beth El Journey Planning Team: Abe Bartell, Jody Burton, Barbara E Cohen, Erica Leventhal, Rabbi David Schuck, Mark Seidenfeld, Mark Silver and Abby Wise.
You might remember Journey, our Beth El strategic planning process that has engaged over 250 of us in shaping Beth El’s future. Our board has unanimously approved our “framework for action” a set of six “pillars” that will guide our work over the next several years, along with 4 core values, a mission statement and vision statement. Click here to see Journey's Pillars for Beth El's future.
What's next?
We’ll be writing our strategic plan to provide a road map for how we move into our future together. AND we want to move to action right away by inviting you to launch experiments that move us in the directions of our dreams NOW. We will be holding a Prototype Boot Camp on Sunday Dec 2nd from 9am-1:00pm at Beth El.
What's a prototype?
An experiment that moves us in the direction of our dreams. It could be an initiative you’ve been thinking about for months or years, a spark of an idea or something in between. OR, maybe you don’t want to launch your own prototype, but you want to be part of a team to help another prototype get off the ground. Read more click here.
Here’s what will happen at Prototype Boot Camp:
9:00am-10:15am Journey’s Landing: Come hear about Journey, where it has landed and direction it’s pointing for Beth El’s future. (If you want to hear this briefing but aren’t sure about prototyping, just come for the first hour, and decide if you want to stay longer.)
10:15am-1:00pm Boot Camp: A guided, experiential, fun workshop to help you think through your prototype, build it out, get feedback from others, and plan your launch. Your idea might morph, deepen, expand or change completely, but you will have fun figuring it out.
Come and experiment with us!
Read the list of existing prototypes by clicking hereand see if you want to sign up for a team. Click here to sign up for a prototype team. (Reminder: you can sign up for more than one team, but please choose to sit with only ONE team at Boot Camp.)
If you have a new prototype idea you want to bring to Prototype Boot Camp, please register here. (Reminder: the prototype should align with our strategic pillars and vision.)
A prototype reunion is planned for Spring 2019 so we can share our experiences, learn how to bring the future of Beth El to life together and keep building our community.
If you have any questions, please contact Grace at grace@insytepartners.com or Gerry at gerry@insytepartners.com or members of the Beth El Journey Planning Team: Abe Bartell, Jody Burton, Barbara E Cohen, Erica Leventhal, Rabbi David Schuck, Mark Seidenfeld, Mark Silver and Abby Wise.
Our board unanimously approved our strategic frame, a set of six “pillars” that will guide our work over the next several years, along with 4 core values, a mission statement and vision statement. Click here to see Journey's Pillars for Beth El's future.
What's next?
We’ll be writing our strategic plan to provide a road map for how we move into our future together. AND we want to move to action right away by inviting you to launch experiments that move us in the directions of our dreams NOW. We will be holding a Prototype Boot Camp on Sunday Dec 2nd from 9am-1:00pm at Beth El.
What's a prototype?
An experiment that moves us in the direction of our dreams. It could be an initiative you’ve been thinking about for months or years, a spark of an idea or something in between. OR, maybe you don’t want to launch your own prototype, but you want to be part of a team to help another prototype get off the ground. Read more click here.
Here’s what will happen at Prototype Boot Camp:
9:00am-10:00am Journey’s Landing: Come hear about Journey, where it has landed and direction it’s pointing for Beth El’s future. (If you want to hear this briefing but aren’t sure about prototyping, just come for the first hour, and decide if you want to stay longer.)
10:00am-1:00pm Boot Camp: A guided, experiential, fun workshop to help you think through your prototype, build it out, get feedback from others, and plan your launch. Your idea might morph, deepen, expand or change completely, but you will have fun figuring it out.
Come and experiment with us!
Read the list of existing prototypes by clicking hereand see if you want to sign up for a team. Click here to sign up for a prototype team. (Reminder: you can sign up for more than one team, but please choose to sit with only ONE team at Boot Camp.)
If you have a new prototype idea you want to bring to Prototype Boot Camp, please register here. (Reminder: the prototype should align with our strategic pillars and vision.)
A prototype reunion is planned for Spring 2019 so we can share our experiences, learn how to bring the future of Beth El to life together and keep building our community.
If you have any questions, please contact Grace at grace@insytepartners.com or Gerry at gerry@insytepartners.com.
Thanks! Journey's Planning Team: Abe Bartell, Jody Burton, Barbara E Cohen, Erica Leventhal, Rabbi David Schuck, Mark Seidenfeld, Mark Silver and Abby Wise
Since we embarked on Journey together last December to build our vibrant, shared future, Journey has explored the difficult, exciting and challenging questions facing suburban Conservative congregations like ours today. We’ve listened closely and together, we’re hearing the whispers of the stronger, more dynamic Beth El emerge...
Over this past year, more than 350 of you brought your open minds and hearts to this work — candidly expressing your hopes and dreams, fears and concerns about Beth El’s future direction.
This year of exploration and introspection has given us important clues about what it means to be a creative Conservative congregation in the 21st Century, and the confidence to choose a direction for our future. What excites us most about our vision is that we think it will be inspiring for those who are looking for pathways to transformation for Beth El AND very reassuring for the traditionalists among us who love the Beth El that has grounded their Jewish lives. Both priorities have guided the Vision Team and our strategy honors both.
Thanks to the voices who have informed our collective understanding of who we are and who we want to become, we are excited to share the strategic framework for our shared future.
This new direction will be presented to the board for approval on November 14th, after which we will have a lot more to share. Here is a preview:
A COMMUNITY OF CONNECTED COMMUNITIES Activating and resourcing the many interconnected communities of Beth El by curating pathways to meaningful Jewish life for each community through: designed experiences of welcome and inclusion, tikkun olam, prayer and spirituality, learning, connection with Israel, and intergenerational experiences
HALACHIC PLURALISM Blending tradition and innovation in our Jewish expression within a Conservative Egalitarian Jewish framework.
OUR BUILDING AS HOME Creating, funding and implementing a master plan to make our physical space home to our vision.
CULTURE OF CO-OWNERSHIP Sharing community leadership and accountability between our professionals and our members.
FINANCIAL AFFORDABILITY & SUSTAINABILITY Assuring financial sustainability and risk mitigation for Beth El and affordability for our community.
JEWISH WESTCHESTER PARTNERS & PRESENCE Positioning Beth El to contribute to a vibrant Jewish Westchester through partnership, collaborations, community visibility and experimental programming.
Come to Prototype Bootcamp! On December 2 from 9am to 2pm we’ll be hosting our Prototype Bootcamp. The purpose of this event is to allow you to bring an idea that moves us closer to our vision and work it through with others. (Or you can come and help advance someone else’s idea.)
Is there some idea you’ve always thought would be a great addition to the Shul? Whether it is a new way to activate a community you are part of, a way to connect the teens of Westchester, a prayer experience, a tikkun olam project, a building project, a program, an experiment, a new staff role…anything that advances our vision--gather a team and come brainstorm.
What new ideas will help us move us towards our vision? · A Community of Connected Communities · Halachic Pluralism · Our Building as Home · Culture of Co-Ownership · Financial Affordability & Sustainability · Jewish Westchester Partners & Presence
Some current proposed prototypes include: · How to make our Kiddush lunch more welcoming and inclusive · Creating a Jewish Mindfulness Center · Friday Night Shabbat Hang · Operations Think Tank · High Holiday Innovation · Downtown Friday Night Loft Service · Koolulam Community Night of Singing · Hebrew Language Immersion for the Nursery School
After the board meeting, more details and a sign-up form will be sent so you can submit your idea and see the ideas that have already been proposed.
This is an exciting moment in the life of Beth El. We are excited to engage so many more of our Beth El family on the next leg of our Journey.
Kol Tuv,
Journey's Planning Team: Abe Bartell, Jody Burton, Barbara E Cohen, Erica Leventhal, Rabbi David Schuck, Mark Seidenfeld, Mark Silver and Abby Wise
The Presencing Retreat Marked a Pivotal Moment in our Journey
It started this past December with the question “what should we be?/where are we going?” And as a community, it’s a question that could only be answered together. So we asked for your help to explore what our future should look like.
More than 350 members have contributed to Journey. Everyone was invited— whether you had been here for decades or just months. As last week’s working retreat closed, the impact of the experience showed in the results, and within our members. Click here to hear what Steve had to say about being part of Journey.
It’s been a year of thinking, listening, talking and writing. We’ve examined our mission, vision and values. We’ve thought about why we exist and what we offer the Jewish community. We’ve considered what’s important today and what we need to sustain our future.
By looking deeply—with equal parts optimism and critique—we’ve identified a set of truly distinctive qualities that will become the foundation for the future. With your help, we can focus on bringing these qualities to life.
WHAT'S NEXT
November: This new strategy will be presented to the board and shared with the congregation.
December 2 | 9:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.: Bring your ideas for the future to “Prototype Bootcamp” to work out how the things you want to see happen could come to life. Prototyping is a way to work out a model for something that doesn’t exist yet. Lookout for more information and opportunities to sign up your idea or sign on to join a team for an idea you love.
Kol Tuv,
Journey's Planning Team: Salo Aizenberg, Abe Bartell, Jody Burton,
Barbara E Cohen, Erica Leventhal, Rabbi David Schuck, Mark Seidenfeld,
Listening Forums are an opportunity to speak and to listenclosely to other voices in our community to help guide us through building a vibrant future for Beth El. Members of the 60-person Journey Vision Team will help bring forward the key insights of these conversations to guide our overall strategic visioning process.
Together, at these Listening Forums, we will:
1. hear your voice and perspectives on topics that are most important to those present, in support of Beth El’s future
2. conduct conversations among a wide range of the Beth El community and listen to one another
3. build understanding of the Journey we are on
4. discover networks of connection and shared purpose.
Why: Journey: Building a Vibrant Future Together is Beth El’s commitment to become the synagogue we truly want and need to be – one everyone can call home and where we each can lead meaningful Jewish lives.
When: 1. Open discussion on Beth El’s future and our crucial questions:
9:15am-12:15pm at Beth El. 2. Specific Discussion on Multi-Faith Families: 6:45-9:45pm at Beth El. 3. Additional Listening Forums will be scheduled in the upcoming weeks.
ALL ARE WELCOME TO JOIN ONE OR MORE CONVERSATIONS.
As you know, Beth El has embarked on Journey: Building a Vibrant Future Together, which will engage all of us in a creative reimagining of what it means to be a vibrant congregation – relevant to the lives of its members, to the Jewish future, and to the wider community. (To learn more about our Journey, click here.)
The first two Listening Forums have been set for Sunday, Feb. 11. Listening Forums provide an opportunity for us to discuss our future and listen closely to the crucial questions we face as a congregation and within our community. Register here.
"People are yearning for meaning. People want to be heard." This sentiment from one of our Vision Team members summed up our experience at our Vision Teamlaunch earlier this month.
Over60 Vision Team membersengaged in rich dialogue, addressing, among other things, "who we are," and "who we could be." A wide range of topics were discussed, from what it means to be a "Conservative" synagogue by today's standards (and what will it mean in the future) to how to address the continual rise in Interfaith marriage. We focused on the needs of our youngest to oldest constituents within the context of being one diverse community.
Now we want to hear from you with your ideas of how to shape our future! One of the important accomplishments of the Vision Team launch was to articulate the core questions our Journey inquiry must explore. One form of our exploration will be "Listening Forums" -- 2-3 hour forums where you convene the conversations you think are most important to the future of Beth El.
On Sunday, February 11th (time TBD), we will hold our first "Listening Forum," which will be open to our entire congregation. This will be an opportunity for you to express your hopes and dreams for Beth El. A list of all Listening Forums and events can be found at bethelnr.org/journey/schedule, which will be updated regularly.
We look forward to seeing and hearing from you over the next few months! Please watch these two short video testimonials below to get a better sense of the VisionTeam launch from two fellow congregants. More information will follow on our Journeyweb page. Please stay connected so we may take this Journeytogether! Feel free to engage us at this email address (journey@bethelnr.org).
