Dr. Ron Wolfson, visionary educator and inspirational speaker, is Fingerhut Professor of Education at American Jewish University in Los Angeles and a cofounder of Synagogue 3000. He is author of Relational Judaism: Using the Power of Relationships to Transform the Jewish Community; The Seven Questions You're Asked in Heaven: Reviewing and Renewing Your Life on Earth; Be Like God: God's To-Do List for Kids; God's To-Do List: 103 Ways to Be an Angel and Do God's Work on Earth; Hanukkah, Passover and Shabbat, all Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs Art of Jewish Living family guides to spiritual celebrations; The Spirituality of Welcoming: How to Transform Your Congregation into a Sacred Community; A Time to Mourn, a Time to Comfort: A Guide to Jewish Bereavement and Comfort and, with Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, What You Will See Inside a Synagogue (all Jewish Lights), a book for children ages 6 and up. He contributed to May God Remember: Memory and Memorializing in Judaism¿Yizkor, Who by Fire, Who by Water¿Un'taneh Tokef, All These Vows¿Kol Nidre and We Have Sinned: Sin and Confession in Judaism¿Ashamnu and Al Chet (all Jewish Lights).

A Note to the Reader xiii

Introduction 1
A Cautionary Tale 1
The Beating Heart of My Jewish Soul 3
Beyond Welcoming 4
Telling Stories, Asking Questions 6
Two Questions 6
A Different Worry 12
Now, What? 15

1 Shifting the Shape of Jewish Engagement 19

A New Goal 22
Relationships as Drivers for Engagement 23
A Relational Jew 27
Who Needs Institutions? 30

2 Toward a Relational Judaism 33

Terms of Engagement 33
The Challenge of Individualism 38
Three Levels of Community 39
Listening, Sharing, Doing, Trusting 41

3 The Nine Levels of Relationship 45

The Sacred Fountain of Relationships 46
The "Bayns" of Our Existence 48
The First Level: Bayn Adam l'AtzmöSelf 49
The Second Level: Bayn Adam l'Mishpachah¿Family 56
The Third Level: Bayn Adam l'HaveiröFriends 59
The Fourth Level: Bayn Adam l¿Yahadut¿Jewish Living 61
The Fifth Level: Bayn Adam l¿Kehillah¿Community 64
The Sixth Level: Bayn Adam l¿Am¿Peoplehood 68
The Seventh Level: Bayn Adam l¿Yisrael¿Israel 70
The Eighth Level: Bayn Adam l¿Olam¿World 73
The Ninth Level: Bayn Adam l¿Makom¿God 75
Re-viewing the Nine Levels of Relationship 82

4 Transforming Programmatic Institutions into Relational Communities: Six Case Studies 85

Chabad 86
Hillel 96
Congregation-Based Community Organizing 107
Next-Generation Engagement Initiatives 113
Social Media 129
Passing the Baton 136
Fundraisers¿ Wisdom 141

5 The Twelve Principles of Relational Engagement 149

1) Personal Encounters 152
2) Telling Stories 160
3) Learning Together / Doing Together 170
4) Connecting 173
5) Experiences 188
6) Volunteerism 195
7) Follow-Up 199
8) Transition Points 202
9) Reengagement 205
10) Relational Space 207
11) Relational Membership Models 209
12) Relational Leadership 218
A Word of Caution 229

6 The Challenges Ahead 231

Options for a Shrinking Community 231
The Challenge Facing National Organizations and Movements 233
Jewish Professionals: Fewer Jobs, Great Opportunity 235

Epilogue: A Relational People 239
An Invitation to Action 241

In Gratitude 242
Notes 246
Selected Bibliography 251
Index 257