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JUST CONGREGATIONS
SUMMARY FINDINGS AFTER SIX MONTHS
 

  • Findings are based on over 80 interviews with B.E. congregants.

  • Limitations of the findings:

    • This was not a scientific survey. Interviewers did not use standard questions. Results were free-form text; not standardized scoring sheets.

    • Interviewers only had basic interviewing training. They were not professional interviewers.

    • The results should be considered directional and should not be over analyzed.

    • The majority of congregants interviewed were in the 50’s, 60’s and above age groups. As a result, the findings do not adequately represent the under 50 age groups.

  • Each interview was written up by the interviewer and submitted electronically.

  • All interview sheets were evaluated for key concerns and demographics by a core team of 3-5 volunteers.
     

  • Key concerns were separated into:

    • External Social Justice concerns

    • Internal concerns

    • Interviewee Demographics

    • Suggestions
       

  • External Social justices were broken down into:

    • Societal Needs

    • Israel

    • Political Concerns

    • People Issues/Needs

    • Judaism Issues/Needs
       

  • Internal Concerns were broken down into:

    • Family

    • Religious Beliefs

    • Clergy Issues/Relationships

    • Jewish Education

    • Participation in Beth Emet activities/services/community

    • Age Group/Stage of Life Issues

    • Getting support from Beth Emet
       

  • Interviewee Demographics were broken down into:

    • Family Status (starting family, older kids, etc.)

    • Marital Status (single, married, divorced, have life partner, etc.)\

Forty-three specific suggestions were made during the interviews. They can be found at the end of this document.

The Key Concerns of the approximately 80 congregants interviewed were:
Legend: (# total comments) [# positive comments, # negative comments, # general comments]
 

  • External Social justices were broken down into:

    • Societal Needs (61) [0,0,61)

      • Economics/Poverty/Hunger (10) [0,0,10]

      • Education (23) [0,0,23]

      • Environment (13) [0,0,24]

    • Israel (13) [1,1,11]

      • Relationships with Israel / Zionism (6) [1,1,4]

    • Political Concerns (6) [0,1,5]

      • Iraq/Iran/WW III (5) [0,1,4]

    • People Issues/Needs (38) [5,0,33]

      • Children's Issues (7) [1,0,6]

      • Health Care Concerns (13) [1,0,12]

    • Judaism Issues/Needs (10) [0,0,10]

      • Religious Interfaith Issues (5) [0,0,5]
         

  • Internal Concerns were broken down into:

    • Family (4) [2,1,1]

      • Supporting/Raising Teens (2) [1,1,0]

    • Religious Beliefs (51) [22,20,9]

      • Interfaith marriage ceremonies (6) [1,3,2]

      • Needs for music in services (10) [8,2,0]

      • Beth Emet Services (18) [7,11,0]

    • Clergy Issues/Relationships (25) [17,8,0]

      • Gaining more personal relationships with clergy (25) [17,8,0]

    • Jewish Education (16) [10,4,2]

      • Elementary school years (5) [3,2,0]

      • Adult education (5) [4,0,1]

    • Participation in Beth Emet activities/services/community (75) [53,22,0]

      • Sense of community (10) [6,4,0]

      • View of Social justice at BE (21) [19,2,0]

      • Feelings about Kahal (12) [10,2,0]

    • Age Group/Stage of Life Issues (8) [6,2,0]

      • Outreach to 20-35 yr olds (4) [3,1,0]

    • Getting support from Beth Emet (6) [2,3,1]

      • Social Service support (5) [2,2,1]
         

  • Interviewee Demographics were broken down into:

    • Family Status (older/adult kids=48, empty nesters=5)

    • Marital Status (single=9, married=38, divorced=5)

SUGGESTIONS FROM JUST CONGREGATIONS ONE-ON-ONES

  • Would like BE to proactively support civil liberties and gay rights.

  • Our Education Director needs more support. We need to determine who sets priorities and vision.

  • Clergy needs to reach out to pre-school parents.

  • Congregation needs to use pre-school to build the congregation, perhaps lower dues.

  • Need more opportunities for members to do 1 or 2 small things to get connected.

  • Appreciates that seats are assigned at dinners.

  • Need opportunity or group for middle age singles to meet one another. This was a frequently mentioned request. Ideas as a movie group, discover Chicago, group for single parents were mentioned.

  • Several request for a sisterhood as BE Network is not the same.

  • Political banners on religious property are a negative.

  • Need social service support from the synagogue-social worker.

  • Educate groups to help others understand the Arab mindset.

  • Produce a paper on the results of Just Congregations.

  • BE needs measurable standards for congregational effectiveness.

  • More programming for adults.

  • Look at minority concerns as well as majority concerns.

  • Need for more activities like dinner for empty nesters.

  • Pay attention to local issues.

  • Outreach need for 20-35 and over 60 groups.

  • Beth Emet needs to establish a day care facility.

  • We need a clearer process for the Mi Shebeirach list.

  • Board members and those in charge do desire to reach out but in spite of on going efforts they cannot reach out to everyone.

  • Need to work in the subject of bullying and preventing and reporting sexual harassment in religious school as part of Jewish values.

  • One congregant is interested in a congregational fund for the needy.

  • An issue is the loss of families after bar and bat mitzvah.

  • There is a concern that the BE network is run by the elderly and not younger members to carry it on.

  • Desire for more conservative services.

  • There is a need for a more efficient outreach to the needy and the sick.

  • Congregant would like a discussion group on the Old Testament, scripture in depth, or literature and the bible.

  • A negative incident with a staff member resulted in a family leaving the synagogue.

  • The meeting notes of the board need to be public.

  • Clergy and board need to mix with the congregation more.

  • Congregant doesn’t think BE should take political stands; another thinks we need more political action

  • Once a year ask members to pick one activity to explore through email blast.

  • Revive Phun committee to involve new and younger members and singles.

  • Synagogue has bad air conditioning, bad sound sound system and poor chairs.

  • Beth Emet has no morning minyan for those who mourn.

  • Need outreach to singles, seniors and young members.

  • At BE we have lots of initiatives and surveys but nothing happens.

  • Concern with interfaith- that there will be no reform Jewish community for children.

  • Concern that the synagogue does not marry interfaith couples and thus our children can’t be married in their synagogue and don’t feel welcome.

  • Have educational forums on issues of the day and opportunities to grapple with them.

  • There is no physical room for growth at Beth Emet.