Related Blog Posts on COVID-19, High Holidays, Marketing & Communications, Strengthening Congregations, and Worship

Hands on a keyboard with a seder plate on the computer screen
Passover

Digital Content to Enliven Your Passover Seder

URJ staff and Reform Movement partners

You already know how to host a beautiful, profound, and Jewishly meaningful seder. What you may not yet know, though, is how to re-imagine your usual traditions to incorporate digital content that will enliven this year’s virtual rendition of your seder.  

Photo of 6 arms/hands in the middle of a team huddle
Emerging Leaders

Setting Your Leaders Up For Success

Gila Hadani
It's board nomination season again! Time to compile lists, get recommendations, and start calling the future leaders of your congregation. The URJ has resources, advice, and initiatives to set you and your board up for success.
an image of a woman wearing a tallit talking to a mother and her daughter at services
Rosh HaShanah

Digital Resources for a Sweet 5784

Crystal Hill
Before we know it, Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot will be upon us in rapid succession, signaling the beginning of the new year and the start of planning for upcoming programs. Here are a few resources to help you reflect and create meaningful experiences for your congregation as you celebrate the High Holidays and move into 5784.
an image of a glode with a bandaid over the United States
High Holidays

Repent, Repair, Renew

Lana Weinstein
Perhaps the act of gluing is a metaphor for tikkun olam, the act of repairing the world, which is central to our beliefs as Reform Jews. There are so many issues to ponder.
an image of a woman holding a Torah during the High holiday service while people touch the Torah with their prayer book
Rosh HaShanah

High Holy Day Tickets – Money and Information

Rabbi Fred Guttman
As congregational leaders, we do our best to make our High Holy Day services some of the most memorable (and beautiful) of the year. Of course, Bloomingdale’s displays are meant to entice customers inside so that they purchase something. However, we offer something of much greater value that should not come with a price tag: community.
person taking a survey on a laptop
Congregational Benefits & Services

The URJ Pulse+ Survey Can Elevate Your Story

Barak Malkin
The URJ Pulse Survey and the newly expanded URJ Pulse+ Survey showed that participating congregations were experiencing similar trends. Having the ability to compare your data with that of other URJ congregations will paint a picture that will help you assess where you are and share a more detailed story with your congregants and donors.
group of teenagers posing for a picture
COVID-19

Building a Meaningful Jewish World: A Lesson in Expanding Temple Youth Group Programs

Aaron Wiener
During the COVID pandemic in southern California, we saw our Jewish communities weaken. From our camp spaces disappearing to our teen youth groups (TYG) struggling, many of us stopped programming and decreased in membership, while a few of us thrived the best way we knew how - by joining forces. For us, as youth directors, advisors, and educators, we knew this was the way to keep teens inspired and engaged with one another.