We are proud to present this Strategic Plan for the Future of Temple Emanuel.
First, a word about the present. The good news is that Temple Emanuel is thriving today. The size of our congregation (1,457 families) has never been larger. Our Annual Appeal ($1.8 million) has never been higher. Our services, classes and programs are robustly attended, in person and online, every day and every week. If parking challenges are any guide, the pandemic is more and more in the rearview mirror.
So why do we need a Strategic Plan? The answer is clear. As President Kennedy famously observed, “The time to fix the roof is while the sun is shining.” While the sun is shining on us now, we need to be mindful of the headwinds in front of us: a shift in affiliation away from the Conservative Movement; a decline of religion in America; and an extraordinary increase in costs due to the need for additional security after Pittsburgh, providing for expanded digital and on-line programming in a post-COVID world, and attending to the demands of an aging building, to name just a few.
Something so precious, so meaningful, that runs so deep as Temple Emanuel must be constantly renewed and strengthened. Only by doing so will our shul continue to be for our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren what it has been for us: a warm and meaningful spiritual home. This Strategic Plan is about taking Temple Emanuel from strong to stronger, keeping it the spiritual home for our future generations.
Over the last year, we engaged the community through surveys, focus groups, town halls, and numerous conversations. We heard your voice and while we should maintain and build on our strengths, there is opportunity to increase engagement, invest in our schools, remove financial barriers to membership and increase our reach through digital offerings.
The Strategic Plan sets forth Four Priorities that build on our rich history and current foundation, while allowing us to innovate for the future and strengthen our community:
Our shared vision is that all our members, across generations, will feel that Temple Emanuel is a spiritual anchor throughout their lives. This Strategic Plan is intended to help realize that vision.
Our Mission
Our Core Mission
- Inspire our members with a love of God, Torah, and Israel
- Transmit a love of Jewish living and learning from generation to generation
- Build lasting relationships that sustain us in hard times, share joy in good times, and maintain friendships at all times
- Sanctify ordinary days through mitzvot that heal the world and provide meaning to our lives
Our Motivation to Develop a Strategic Plan: Why Now?
In developing this Plan we asked hard questions: How do we engage with Judaism today? What resonates for our families, across all ages and stages?
In the following pages, you will see how this Strategic Plan:
- Builds on what Temple Emanuel already does well
- Considers our role and responsibilities to our members and to the greater Jewish community
- Addresses gaps where we must be even stronger
- Envisions what a modern, thriving and multi-generational Jewish community will look like, and establishes a clear and achievable roadmap to get there
Our Priorities
Our four priorities connect to our core mission of strengthening our sacred community, as this graphic illustrates
Click below to view more information on our four priorities:
Strategic Planning Committee Members
David Bunis
Strategic Planning Committee Chair
Sarah Konter
Strategic Planning Committee Chair
Marcie Abramson
Michael Gardener
Liz Goldstein
Sheryl Kalis
Sara Kirsch
Bob Kann
Tim Mahoney
President
Massimo Russo
Abigail Callahan and Dayna Catropa
Consultants
Wes Gardenswartz
Senior Rabbi
Michelle Robinson
Senior Rabbi
Elias Rosemberg
Cantor
Aliza Berger
Rav Hazzan
Dan Nesson
Ritual Director/Hazzan Shenei
Erin Moseley
Executive Director
Wayne Goldstein
Director of Congregational Engagement
Ilana Snapstailer
Religious School Director
Stacey Shulman
Preschool Director
View the Full Strategic Plan