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March 14, 2008
Co-operative development
Local community leaders embark on a forward-looking retreat.
MICHELLE DODEK
The Greater Vancouver Jewish community is aspiring to be a model of interdenominational collaboration, and the Synagogue Leadership Retreat, held at Harrison Hot Springs on Feb. 17-18, is an example of how rabbis and lay leaders alike are working together to better serve their communities.
The Rabbinical Association of Vancouver (RAV) brought the idea forward to the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver to provide an opportunity for solidifying bonds between all the leaders in attendance.
Shelley Rivkin, associate executive director of community affairs at Federation and organizer of the weekend's events, said that, with boards of directors needing to develop new models of governance, it makes sense for synagogues to share services, rather than doing strategic planning in a vacuum. Governance and due diligence of boards are concepts that have come to the forefront of nonprofit concerns in recent years.
Sessions at the Harrison Hot Springs retreat were designed by facilitator Ted Farber with local input from Rivkin and a committee from RAV. Julian Lewin, the new executive director of Schara Tzedeck Synagogue, felt the sessions were well designed to facilitate both professional and community development.
One of the most valuable and interesting exercises, according to Lewin, was an one in which lay leaders, executive directors and rabbis switched roles. The scenarios were put together in advance by Rivkin, based on information participants provided prior to the event describing their "typical day." Each person then used the role-play exercise to gain an understanding of just how difficult it is to hold other roles in the synagogue. With six rabbis, three executive directors and lay leaders from seven synagogues in the Lower Mainland, there was a great deal of mixing and matching. The result was a newfound respect for each other's roles in the synagogue environment.
Sessions covered topics such as leadership styles, team-building, managing conflict and governance. Rivkin felt that the informal interactions between participants, during meals and other breaks, were productive as well. She hopes that if this program becomes a regular event, there will be more opportunity for people to network and share ideas and best practices. She said she would also focus the program to more deeply explore one topic of interest and importance to the Jewish community and its synagogue leadership.
"Calling this a retreat is an oxymoron," Lewin said, "because we moved forward."
Michelle Dodek is a freelance writer living in Vancouver whose full-time job is caring for her two small children.
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