by David Cygielman
Over the past couple of weeks, I have had the good fortune of spending time with two of our board members thinking about the direction of Moishe House as well as meeting with several of our major funding partners.
I noticed after the first day that a lot of the conversation revolved around how Moishe House is solving “problems” in the Jewish community, which is not the first time I have engaged in this type of conversation. For example, what are we doing to solve the “problems” of Synagogue membership, Federation involvement, Jewish families and lack of Jewish knowledge and/or leadership for young adults in their 20’s? I have to admit that, through these conversations, I get caught thinking in these terms … what are we doing to solve the problems that the Jewish community and funders see as critical?
This line of problem solving-based thinking is unhealthy because it limits creativity and places young adults as unknowing subjects in an experiment they never signed up for. My firm belief is that when young adults feel a deep connection to their Jewish peers and are given opportunities to create meaningful Jewish experiences, these perceived “problems” actually solve themselves.
From my perspective, the root issue around a perceived lack of engagement from young adults is the small number of substantive and welcoming opportunities that are created by and run by their own peers. If we are able to look at an open canvas and paint what is possible, so much more can happen without the limitations of a misleading framework.
My hope is that together we can imagine a blank canvas, to embrace what is possible, and to push the envelope in a way that allows for connections to Jewish life that no one has even fathomed. In order to accomplish this, funders must be willing to look at ideas and programs without the lens of whether “problems” will be solved, and instead ask if their investments will lead to greater number of young Jewish adults feeling connected and committed to their own personal and community-based Judaism.
David Cygielman is CEO of Moishe House.
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I agree with the direction of what you say, I just have one comment – the fact that young Jews do not identify with the old institutions is not a PROBLEM, per se, unless one defines it as such.
Rather, it provides an opportunity to discover WHERE and HOW they identify themselves, and to try and connect through that, to forge something with them.
I agree with this article and what Joe Brown writes, but I’d like us, as a community, to start being explicit about what is the outcome we want to achieve.
If the outcome we want is “more Jews connected to Jewish life, having meaningful Jewish experiences” then, not identifying with old institutions is not necessarily a problem. (although, surely, meaningful connection can be had with these institutions — just not for everyone, as evidenced by the decline in affiliation.)
However, if the outcome we want is “more synagogue members” or “more Federation donors” then, yes, the decline in affiliation is a problem. Some synagogues are seeking just that: more Jews joining synagogues. They believe strongly in the synagogue model and want to keep theirs in tact. The Federation system, especially, talks of the “narrowing pipeline of leadership” which usually is a euphemism for “fewer donors to Federation”.
My call is to all of us — every time you read one of these articles on e-Jewishphilanthropy think: what is the outcome this person is trying to achieve?
I believe we are a community split on priorities. Let’s understand and be explicit about this, so we don’t keep talking past each other. It just may be there are two camps. Can we, as a community, face that fact?
Great ideas, David! North San Diego is a clean canvas. We will hand you a pallette with rich color choices where you can paint an important masterpiece that will be valued for generations. Come often and stay long!
I believe that by supporting environments and opportunities for young Jewish adults to create their sense of Jewish self and home, it will actually lead to higher affiliation when we enter the next phase of life and settle down. Emerging adulthood, 22-32, is a new phase of transitional life that simply didn’t exist a few decades ago. I no longer thing 20-something’s is the right “training ground” for future leadership but rather, a time to engage, discover and learn about their own Jewish identity.