Westchester Jewish Center, a growing synagogue of 460+ families in metro NYC, was one of the first congregations to run USCJ’s Sulam for Emerging Leaders (SEL) engagement program when it was first developed in 2012. Sulam for Emerging Leaders is a customizable seven-part curriculum that helps motivate prospective leaders to transition from the sidelines to the center of congregational life. What’s special about the program is it connects young leaders with the clergy and explores how ancient Jewish texts overlap with contemporary leadership principles. It creates a no-pressure way for younger members to get noticed, develop skills, and make friends. Larry Thaler, the immediate past president, was an officer at the time and facilitated the first several cohorts.
He recalls, “That first cohort of members are still very engaged. In fact, one of them will be the next president, the first trained via Sulam for Emerging Leaders, and he’ll start in just two and a half years.”
Since that first cohort, Westchester Jewish Center has run Sulam for Emerging Leaders 11 times and has over 130 program graduates. Their graduates have gone on to take up leadership roles throughout the community.
Larry notes, “We’ve had Brotherhood presidents, Sisterhood officers, trustees, committee chairs, officers and soon, a president coming out of the efforts that were part of the programs. So if you think about the synagogue pipeline, I would argue that Sulam for Emerging Leaders is a critical component of building a pipeline for leadership in your synagogue.”
The leadership principles taught in Sulam for Emerging Leaders also enable members to seek out leadership roles outside of the synagogue.
Larry recalls, “I remember one person telling me, when we had our one-on-one meetings, I’ve really enjoyed this. And because of Sulam for Emerging Leaders, I’m going out and I’m coaching my daughter’s little league softball team. That is such a great answer. It’s not all about synagogue leadership. It’s about bringing out the leadership skills inside of somebody and letting them use them how they want to use them.”
Beyond building leaders inside and outside the synagogue and strengthening the leadership pipeline, Sulam for Emerging Leaders creates close friendships. It helps build community.
Larry states, “Some of the tightest relationships in our synagogue are people who went through these classes together. I can name dozens of people who became friends through the program. So in addition to the leadership pipeline, there’s a kind of fabric that gets woven as you go through these together.”
With all these benefits, it’s no wonder that they have run it almost every year since they started. Running it repeatedly also keeps the leadership pipeline functional.
Larry notes, “You actually have to run it on a regular basis. If you picture a pipeline, it’s all about the flow, right? And you can’t actually stop putting stuff into it or it’s no longer a pipeline. As a personal benefit, I enjoyed meeting and connecting with all these dynamic young professionals, who I may have not developed a relationship with if I was not leading the program.”
How are they finding and recruiting participants enough to keep running the program? Judy Herbst, who took over facilitating the program when Larry became president, notes that each previous cohort is the key to finding the next.
She states, “I feel like we have this great group of people that are involved and they become more engaged in the activities at the center, and it becomes sort of a snowballing because they then are recommending other people.”
This pipeline of potential participants gives everyone the opportunity to become a leader and keeps synagogue leadership fresh and new.
Judy notes, “We want to invite everyone in this age group member range and give everyone the opportunity and see if they can rise to the occasion, because that’s the way you find new energy.”
Westchester Jewish Center has been feeling the impact of Sulam for Emerging Leaders for over a decade. Eight of the 16 people on their executive board graduated from Sulam for Emerging Leaders. This program is proving it is worth the time and resources to run.
If you are interested in bringing Sulam for Emerging Leaders to your community, learn more here. Feel free to reach out to Linda Sussman, at [email protected] with any leadership development questions.
