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This Is The Year We Move Forward Together

 

 

St. Paul Jewish Community Priorities - You talked. We listened.

We heard from more than 350 St. Paul Jewish community members about what they value in our community, and their concerns. Five community priorities, as well as a guiding principle and goal, were chosen based on that input.

 

We convened Research and Recommendation Panels to explore how our community can make these priorities a reality to create a vibrant future for the St. Paul Jewish community.

Each panel’s final deliverables are:

  • Recommend realistic aspirational goals for the St. Paul Jewish community re: the issue; and,

  • Recommend a realistic path to achieve the goal.

 Read meeting summaries at the links below to learn about their progress.

 

Priority 1. Build the foundation of community: Warm, welcoming connections. Panel members:

  • Chair: Wendy Baldinger

  • Rabbi Zalman Bendet

  • Maureen Davidson

  • Frances Fischer

  • Gail Gendler

  • Ellen Konstan

  • Shelley Robbins

  • Ben Savin

  • Margie Solomon

 

Panel Meeting Summaries

Oct. 20, 2014 Meeting Summary

Nov. 6, 2014 Meeting Summary

Nov. 20, 2014 Meeting Summary

Jan. 22, 2015 Meeting Summary

Feb. 17, 2015 Meeting Summary

 

Priority 1 Final Report

 

Priority 2. Engage the next generation: Reach out - l'dor vador. Launched Sunday, Dec. 7. Panel members:

  • Chair: Randi Roth

  • Re’ema Hava Absey

  • Stuart Bear

  • Jeni Snyder Alcakovic

  • Hayley Bemel

  • Efrat Eichenbaum

  • Jessica Lerman

  • Jeffrey Perlman

  • Jodi Saltzman

  • Aaron Silver

  • Eiden Spilker

 

Panel Meeting Summaries

Dec. 7, 2014 Meeting Summary

Jan. 11, 2015 Meeting Summary

Jan. 18, 2015 Meeting Summary

Feb. 1, 2015 Meeting Summary

Feb. 22, 2015 Meeting Summary

 

Priority 3. Inspire giving: Create the commitment to sustain a vibrant and caring Jewish St. Paul. Panel members:

  • Chair: Susan Minsberg

  • Steve Brand

  • Jon Brod Farber

  • ​Joshua Fineblum

  • Beth Gendler

  • ​Karen Gordon

  • Leslie Hahn

  • Dan Lepow

  • Dianne Lev

  • Michael Levitt

  • Rhoda Mains

  • Tracy Perlman

  • ​Susan Robiner

  • Marsha Schoenkin

 

Panel Meeting Summaries

March 1, 2015 Meeting Summary

 

Priority 4. Strengthen Jewish education: Find and implement effective models for today's world. Launches May 21. Panel members: 

  • Chair: Mary Ann Barrows Wark

  • Rabbi Morris Allen

  • Ben Axelrod

  • Paul Bagdade

  • Isaac Roth Blumfield

  • Rabbi Jeremy Fine

  • Stephanie Fink

  • Anna Fox

  • Bob Mast

  • Louis Newman

  • Bonnie Resnick

  • Earl Schwartz

  • Rosalyn Segal

  • Lisa Deneholz Schibel

  • Rabbi Adam Spilker

  • Becca Swiler

  • Peter Wilton

 

Priority 5: Enhance cooperation between St. Paul and Minneapolis Jewish communities. This panel consists of members of both the St. Paul and Minneapolis Jewish communities and is examining the history and current state of cooperation between our communities, both what has been and is currently working successfully, as well as areas which are or have been problematic.  This panel is an outgrowth of efforts in both communities to enhance cooperation between the communities. The panel is now engaged in targeted interviews of community professionals and lay leaders which are being conducted by pairs of panel members, one from each community.  The panel will also conduct a series of focus groups. The panel plans to compile its information into a report and hope that the report will then lead to specific recommendations. Panel members:

  • Chair: Jon Parritz

  • Mark Adelman

  • Holly Brod Farber

  • Todd Lifson

  • Kris MacDonald

 

Panel Meeting Summaries

Oct. 20, 2014 Meeting Summary

Nov. 16, 2014 Meeting Summary

Dec. 15, 2014 Meeting Summary

Jan. 13, 2015 Meeting Summary

Outline for Panel 5a Interviews

 

Priority 5 Phase One Final Report

 

Additional information about the Research and Recommendation Panels can be found by clicking on the link below:


Additional Information about the Research and Recommendation Panels

 

Want to get involved? Get regular updates? Contact Julie Swiler.

Guiding Principle and Goal

 

To engage all St. Paul Jewish agencies, institutions and synagogues to build a vibrant, cohesive and inclusive Jewish community in Greater St.Paul. To be successful, lay and professional leaders will intentionally work together in ever increasing collaboration and with common purpose.

 

The Five Priorities

 

  • Build the foundation of community:  Warm, welcoming connections
  • Engage the next generation:  Reach out  l’dor vador.
  • Inspire giving: Create the commitment to sustain a vibrant and caring Jewish St. Paul
  • Strengthen Jewish education: Find and implement effective models for today’s world
  • Enhance cooperation between St. Paul and Minneapolis Jewish communities

 

Research & Recommendation Panels Approach

 

  1. Define the current state of affairs regarding the issue.
  2. Specify scope of work.
  3. Learn from evidence.
    • Examine how other Jewish communities have approached this issue. (Do the research to learn. What did they try? How did it work out?)
    • Examine how non-Jewish communities have approached this issue. (Do the research to learn. What did they try? How did it work out?)
    • Listen to views of those with deep experience in our community. (What have we tried already? What’s worked, what hasn’t, why? New ideas?)
  4. Examine through lens of overarching goal of interconnectedness. (Make sure we’re staying true to the principle in our work, in our approaches.)
  5. Develop recommendations. (Recommend: (a) realistic aspirational goal for our community; and, (b) realistic path to achieve goal.)
  6. Communicate back to community. (Make recommendations; write report on what was considered, what was chosen, why.)
  7. Evaluate efforts.

Read the Executive Summary to learn about how the 5 priorities were chosen.