Jumping on the Bandwagon

by: Rachel Feldman

Tue Apr 14, 2009 at 18:30:47 PM EDT

In the last 5-7 years the number of synagogues doing Congregation-Based Community Organizing has grown from just a handful of synagogues to more than a hundred.  

Congregation-Based Community Organizing (CBCO) is a model of community organizing that trains leaders within congregations to effectively work for systemic changes in their local communities. 

Two recent articles in Reform Judaism Magazine highlight how community organizing is changing the way synagogues do social action, getting beyond traditional volunteer activities and Mitzvah day projects.  Being involved in community organizing is changing the way synagogue leaders think about their leadership while making lasting change in their communities.

Partners in Peace by Daniel David May speaks to the personal transformation of individual congregants, their growth as synagogue and community leaders, and the strong relationships they build with one another through organizing.  

Rabbi Jonah Pesner (founder the URJ’s Just Congregations) discusses his conversation with President Obama.  President Obama used his community organizing experience in his campaign for the presidency and Rabbi Pesner notes how Rabbis, synagogue members and other Jewish leaders are being trained in the same leadership model.