Big Tent Judaism

How intimidating is your synagogue? Maintenance workers, prayer books, and transliteration…oh my!

Below is an actual conversation we recently had in our office on a Monday morning:

Steven: Hi, Jamie. How was your weekend?
Jamie: Very nice. I went to a Bat Mitzvah at Synagogue ABC on Sunday.
Steven: So, how welcoming was it?
Jamie: Well, when I entered, I was a bit confused about where to go, and a maintenance worker helpfully came up and told me to go upstairs.
Steven: Oh, so very welcoming.
Jamie: Well, when I sat down, no one said anything to me. And then the cantor started the service by saying, “Turn to page 62…” without saying which book. He moved very quickly through the service with brief references to page numbers, so I was lost a lot. There were people there who seemed to know what was happening – I could tell they were regulars.
Steven: So, not unwelcoming, but there were some things that might have left a newcomer feeling a bit intimidated or out of place.
Jamie: Exactly. Have you ever been there?
Steven: Actually, I went there several years ago on a Friday night with my wife, just to check it out. She’s Chinese-American and not Jewish, and I noticed when we sat down, someone quickly came over to us and offered us a transliterated copy of the prayer book, which was very nice. So I always had a very positive impression of the synagogue.

The above conversation could be an example of how people talk about your synagogue or Jewish institution. And it demonstrates some of the little things that can have a big impact on people’s experience and impressions. Your maintenance worker; making clear which book you’re using, as well as mentioning the page number; offering a transliterated copy of the prayer book.

We want our institutions and organizations to be judged on the substance of what we do. But as the above conversation demonstrates, whether people feel comfortable or intimidated upon their first interaction with a synagogue can determine whether there’s an opportunity for the newcomers to reach the substantive part of the experience. In other words, who is on the front line matters. Your ushers and greeters, your leaders, the person who answers the phone and responds to e-mails, your website. Each of these points of contact offers a chance for positive engagement…or for disengagement, without your ever knowing that it happened.

It is for this reason that JOI formed the Big Tent Judaism Coalition, comprised of over 500 organizations dedicated to the Big Tent Judaism principles of inclusiveness and lowering barriers to participation. It is why last year JOI offered a training webinar titled “Making the Most of the High Holidays” specifically aimed at preparing volunteers, ushers, greeters, and synagogue front-line staff for the engagement opportunity presented by the most well-attended event of nearly every synagogue’s year. It is why JOI has conducted “community scans” for the Jewish communities of Atlanta, Silicon Valley, Tuscon, and Washington, D.C., among other communities, to help these communities understand how “welcoming” their Jewish institutions appear to non-members. This in turn helps lay the foundation for developing substantive outreach and engagement strategies.

There remains a great deal of room for Jewish communities to improve. And each little step and improvement is key. So pay attention to the conversations around you. Or strike up a similar conversation yourself. Start gaining a better awareness of how newcomers view your synagogue, and what turns them off, and perhaps more importantly, what turns them on.

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