“We fall into a pattern of being in the business of being in business”! So began a series of challenges by Rabbi Avi Olitsky, who is the senior Rabbi at Beth El Synagogue in St. Louis in a recent webinar sponsored by FJMC. Pointing out that the pandemic has essentially taken us out of the walls of our buildings and that essentially “the world is our synagogue”, Olitsky asked attendees to identify what the true purpose of their organization is. Why do we do what we do? Before you read on, we’d be interested in your response to this challenge. Follow this link and tell us why you are involved in Men’s Club and FJMC? Here are a few “whys” that he mentioned, models that work in some places. Do they work in yours? - Social justice
- Learning
- Youth Engagement
- Lifecycle Events
- Hamish sort of “mom and pop” feel-everyone knows your name
HOW DO WE PIVOT FROM BRINGING MEN IN TO
FINDING THEM WHERE THEY ARE? Rabbi Olitsky challenged us to ask ourselves if our programming, etc is still relevant. If you are talking about something at the dinner table and your men’s club isn’t addressing it, it risks falling into irrelevance! He said that the ideal community organization like our men’s clubs should provide comfort, build community and engage the unengaged. I encourage you to watch the entire video of this important webinar.
In the meantime, while we are all having numerous virtual events, are you tracking those who attend? Are people coming back, looking for more? Is your club asking “why” you are doing what you are doing rather than just “how” to get it done? For instance, WHY do we blow the shofar is a more pertinent question than just HOW to accomplish the task?
Is your club mired in 20th century communication methods? Are you posting frequently on social media? Can you get op-eds into your local newspapers or Jewish publications? Has your club truly looked at what the men of your community need? A simple survey may not work but consider putting a question on Facebook: “What do you need from a Men’s
Club?” In fact, why not post your answer to that question right now in the FJMC Hq Facebook group! How do we reach men who aren’t involved? Rabbi Olitsky advises moving away from “joining” to simply encourage participation. Figure out how to get guys together around something that they are already doing: watching sports, streaming movies on Netflix, talking about their health, being dads. The list is only limited by your imagination. Again, watch the webinar. You’ll be glad that you did!
Dr. Bob Braitman
Past International President |