Rabbis’ Virtual Pulpit: Connecting With & Empowering Today’s Jews

Esther D. Kustanowitz#RMI2013 - American Jewish UniversityOctober 23, 2013

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Social Media LiteracyIt’s not about:

◦“becoming more tech-savvy” ◦“being a tech geek”

It’s about learning the tools that help you:◦manage, organize and access

information◦manage, increase and deepen

relationships◦reach people where more of them,

increasingly, are (Social Media Revolution)

Social Media Resistance“I don’t even understand how

Twitter works.”“Who cares what I think?”“I can’t come up with that much

content on a regular basis…”“Who has time for this stuff?”“Blogging isn’t real writing.”“The whole internet is just full of

complaining and negativity.”

If You’re Not Listening toSocial Media……you’re missing half the story:

◦Lifecycle (photos, announcements)◦Emotional challenges (vaguebooking)◦What social and political issues gets your

congregants fired up (positive/negative)◦Information about how your congregants

use social media◦How congregants feel about your

programs or institution◦Access to constructive criticism (without

F2F)

Should You Blog?Have you:Read blogs and seen what’s out there?Identified who will be primarily responsible

for creating and posting content?Identified how your voice strengthens and

enhances conversations?Thought about comments and if/how they

should be moderated?Readied yourself to promote your shul’s

mission, but also retract on self-promotion for the good of fostering larger conversations?

Leadership, (Almost) In the Beginning

The New Leadership Balance

YOU

YOUR CONGREGANTS

Your Congregation:Characters Welcome

Social Media CultureThe power of networks and

personal recommendations more important

Crowdsourcing challenges and offering responses:

Amazon.com modelJewish framework:

◦Kol yisrael areyvim zeh la’zeh◦Al tifrosh min hatzibur◦Lo aleikha ha’mlakhah ligmor…

From “Top-Down” to “Up and Out!”Used to be just top-down:

◦hierarchy◦undemocratic◦user impact: low

Now bottom-up:◦peer reviews◦consumer feedback◦invested “prosumer” class

Next phase: Wonkavator

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What’s in a name?Each Person Has a Name

Each person has a name, given her by God and given her by her father and mother

Each person has a name, given him by his stature and his way of smiling, and given him by his clothes

Each person has a name, given her by the mountains and given her by her walls

Each person has a name, given him by the planets (stars) and given him by his neighbors

Each person has a name, given her by her sins and given her by her longing

Each person has a name, given him by his enemies, and given him by his love

Each person has a name, given her by her feast days and given her by her craft

Each person has a name, given him by the seasons of the year and given him by his blindness

Each person has a name, given her by the sea, and given her by her death.

-Zelda (b. 1914)

Multitudes

Do I contradict myself?Very well then I contradict myself,(I am large, I contain multitudes.)

 - Walt Whitman, “Leaves of Grass”

Biblical Crowdsourcing:Ideas From the MultitudesLaw & Order: SBU (Special

Biblical Unit)Tzelophehad’s daughters shifting

inheritance laws2.5 tribes stay on the other side

of the JordanAaron’s sons bringing a strange

fireKorach’s rebellion

“The Future Cannot Be Crowdsourced”: A Crowdsourced Response

Social Media Overload

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Facebook vs. TwitterFacebook – distribution, sharing &

discussion (deeper reach) ◦ a newsroom◦ the water cooler/break room◦ Jewish geography: school/camp/uni reunion◦ evite.com

Twitter - consumption & distribution (wider reach)◦ a cocktail party in a large room◦ a convention◦ a sports arena◦ CNN news ticker

Google + & PinterestGoogle+:

◦video meeting center◦space to share articles of interest◦space for discussion?◦better way to organize friends?

Pinterest:◦An online portfolio◦A scrapbook◦A design journal or interior decorating plan

Both: Basically a mystery to me

5 Things You Can Do Now1. Aseh lekha rav – both rav and

rabim2. Learn the language 3. Think about social media as an

outreach strategy and a conversation to build engagement

4. Create a content plan5. Be open to input & inspiration

from other places

Determining Your Brand

What’s your brand identity?

What do you stand for?

What do people think of when they think of you?

What Does ROI Stand For?

What Does TBA Stand For? “The Board divided into four groups, each with a different

exercise.  One of them was to rethink TBA.  The institution and the actual letters.  Let's say that in addition to TBA standing for Temple Beth Am, it also stood for what Temple Beth Am was all about?  What would Temple Beth Am's alternate slogan be if it had to use the same initial letters?  As I watched this exercise in real time, producing both meaningful and hilarious solutions, I […] instantly saw the wisdom of the exercise. It pushed us beyond the squat boundaries that can confine us, released some creative and irreverent energy, and actually produced some good and fetching new slogans.  Torah Be Awesome.  The Best Alternative.  Ten Become All (one of my favorite plays on the concept of minyan).  You get the point.” – Rabbi Adam Kligfeld

“Tightwad But Appreciative” “Thanks, Bespectacled Aba. They Bankrolled Appearance.”

What are these slogans/jingles for?What happens here, stays here.What’s in your wallet?Nobody belongs here more than you.Helping you take one step further on

your Jewish journey.Live generously.Come stay with friends.Someone made a store just for me.Know the code.

Your Synagogue: All things to all people?

Who is the Competition?1. As You Like It2. Available/

Accessible3. No

Membership Fees

4. No Judgment

Our “Collateral” Damage:what message are we sending?

Are you reaching everyone?BANGMen’s SocietyZahavaYABA/Jewlyweds

(20s & 30s)Ravakim (40s+)Boomer CouplesHappy SeniorsNon-Sanctuary

Minyanim

HHD ServicesShiva Task ForceBnai Mitzvah VisioningAnd Esther would add:

◦ Pressman Parents ◦ Brit Milah & Babynaming◦ TBA Daily Minyan◦ SOCIAL MEDIA – for

many, the first and most frequent interface FB groups, Twitter, Pinterest,

other tools

Examples from Temple Beth Am

Recruitment: Things to Consider What’s your “engagement story”? How can you better foster members’ creativity,

empowerment and investment in programming and synagogue offerings, and engage membership as organizational advocates?

Identify your assets (institutional strengths, and members’ skills and interests), and leverage them toward creating deeper emotional touchpoints

How can you learn from and collaborate with other synagogues and communities?

What conversations can you convene that affect the wider community, and how can you engage other community members and institutions in this conversation?

Engagement & Brand Perception You’ve been working on a mission statement. What would your

elevator pitch be (describe what makes your synagogue or minyan special in under one minute)? If you hired an ad agency to create a campaign for you, what would your messaging/slogan be?

If you were training shul members as ambassadors, what would you teach them about the institution, its members and offerings that they don’t already know? What personal skills, background or institutional information would you insist that they have?

Who are the people in your neighborhood? (Map your current assets: who can promote and advance the shul’s brand and offerings). Who are your current stars? Which stars outside are you looking to recruit? Identify appropriate asks, some of them not financial.

Which shul events are the best-attended? How do you follow up with attendees after events? Can you identify additional calendar points that might be “hot spots” for engagement?

How do you structure partnerships? Can you think of recent partnerships that have been successful? What made them successful? What about challenged partnerships? How would you have fixed them?

Presenting YourselfWho are you? Authentic selfWhich of your attributes are the

ones you want to promote?What value do you wish to add?AccessibilityApproach toward interaction

Rabbi David Wolpe – Sinai Temple

Sermon Shakeup

Old Model New ModelRabbi works on

sermon for hours/weeks

Presents to congregation

Congregation grumbles at kiddush

Esther’s Saba says: “If you dig for 20 minutes and don’t hit oil, stop boring.”

Blog about sermon topic Open to community

suggestion Solicit engagement from

stakeholders Listen to feedback Incorporate feedback Inform stakeholders of their

valued contributions People listen to the sermon

because it reflects them Feedback continues in-person

and online

Rabbi Menachem Creditor

Rabbi Sharon Brous - IKAR

Rabbi Jason Miller

Jason A. Miller

#whatrabbisdo

#PewJew

7 Pre-Social Media Strategy Actions for Your ShulDetermine your institutional voice/sConsider starting a blog, so you can host

conversationsConsider the role of the rabbi in creating

content and engaging conversation (in any location)

Identify person/people to update Twitter and Facebook (daily) and blog (regularly)

Identify newsy angles for programs, use as hook to promote org in online conversations

Find “mavens”/hubs in your community, invite their feedback & partnership

Invite personal assessment by a social media trainer

“But I Don’t Have Time!”Personal Training for Busy RabbisSocial media regimen/cultural

immersion◦ Find time (coffee breaks, lunchtime, etc)◦ Check Twitter/Facebook page at least once

a day Read the Tweetstream or Status Feed of people

and orgs you’re following – begin to participate in conversations

Share a FB group or event with friends who are “hubs”

◦ Visit blogs at TheJewishWeek.com, Forward.com or JewishJournal.com click on a few headlines monitor/join a conversation

Ask questions (professionals/civilians)

“What Do I Post About?”Trends in the Jewish world

◦Israel◦News & politics◦Peoplehood & global issues

Trends in the secular world◦Pop culture & celebrities◦News & politics

“But How Do I Find Things to Post About?”Google Alerts / Google News

Search (archives)Stay tuned to Twitter, CNN, BBC,

Facebook – what are people talking about, and how does it relate to your work?

Authentic lenses on passionate subjects

Content ExerciseIf your organization had a blog,

what would its purpose/mission statement be?

How often would you post?What would your first five posts

be about?Who would write them?How would you promote

them/get new readers?

Case Study: Jewish Humor Central

Resources“Dues and Don’ts: Shuls Try Different Membe

rship Models” – J Weekly, August 23, 2012

“Many Claim Membership But Few Pay Shul Dues” – Jewish Daily Forward, August 10, 2012

“Where Good Ideas Come From” (book trailer) – 2012

“Getting Engaged, Part 1” & “Getting Engaged, Part 2: Courting Engagement” – MyUrbanKvetch.com, August 2012

“Looking for the Perfect…Shul” – The Jewish Week, 2007 (includes link to Emergent Jewish Communities study from 2007)

How to Find Meesther.kustanowitz@gmail.com@EstherKhttp://myurbankvetch.comGoogle me