This Page At-A-Glance

• Your Network & Engagement Directors 
• Areas of Support for Synagogue Leaders
• How We Engage Together
• USCJ Marketplace 
• Supporting The Conservative/Masorti Movement

Your Synagogue Engagement Directors 

No matter what your synagogue needs, we’re here to help you find the resources to thrive, within or beyond USCJ’s walls. Our Network & Engagement team is dedicated to fostering connections between members, Movement partner organizations, and the broader Jewish world. 

Meet your Directors of Synagogue Engagement:

Areas of Support for Synagogue Leaders

With more than 110 years of experience under our belt, USCJ has built a bank of expertise that is both deep and wide. The following list is an overview of the most popular topics we speak with congregations about. If you need support with something not listed, that’s ok, too – simply contact us and we’ll do our best to help. 

Membership & Programming

Foster a strong, connected community through membership initiatives, programming, and engagement in your congregation. 

• Providing guidance from professional staff in all areas of synagogue life
• Developing strategies for reporting and dealing with antisemitism through our partnership with ADL 
• Enabling access to Holidays Your Way tool kits, containing materials and resources to enhance your holiday celebrations
• Assisting with innovating holiday programming for modern audiences 
• Conducting webinars, synagogue cohorts, and affinity groups to bring leaders together around specific interests
• Accessing synagogue resource archives with recordings and materials

Inclusion

Reflect Jewish values of justice and equality by promoting understanding and creating truly welcoming communities.

• Guiding conversations about racial justice, equity, and diversity
• Engaging and empowering interfaith families 
• Empowering synagogue leaders to take action on egalitarian values, LGBTQIA+ affirmation, and other inclusivity themes 
• Helping synagogues transform to meet the changing  needs of 21st-century Jews

Leadership Development 

Enhance your skills, knowledge, and abilities to effectively lead and inspire others, fostering personal growth and congregational success.

• Facilitating board orientation 
• Developing a leadership pipeline
• Creating a mission and vision
• Running effective meetings
• Strengthening lay-professional relationship collaboration
• Improving team-building
• Building board effectiveness, governance, and structure
• Supporting presidents and officers
• Coaching for volunteer engagement
• Navigating mergers

Networking 

Connect with thousands of synagogue leaders across North America, Israel, and beyond.

• Peer discussion groups for brainstorming and wisdom-sharing 
• Opportunities to meet fellow synagogue leaders 
• Find resources across the network

Operational Effectiveness

Ensure a vibrant community and fulfillment of your mission through operational effectiveness. 

• Adopting and refining membership dues models
• Training for membership recruitment and retention
• Enhancing member outreach, integration, and engagement 
• Providing best practices for crisis preparedness and responding to crises 
• Developing security protocols and ongoing training through our partnership with Secure Community Network (SCN)
• Accessing quality vendors and preferred pricing through USCJ’s Marketplace

Professional & Clergy Search 

Supporting you to identify, recruit, and retain clergy and professional staff. 

• Navigating the search for clergy and professional staff 
• Supporting interview and hiring processes for professional staff
• Onboarding new synagogue personnel
• Consulting for job descriptions
• Assisting the performance review process and related templates
• Offering conflict resolution consultation  

Youth & Education 

Empowering the next generation of Jewish leaders.

• USY chapter support for grades 2nd-12th 
• Advising on religious school best practices 
• Providing resources and training on safety for children, teens, and adults 
• Supporting congregational learning for all ages

How We Engage Together

• Consultations – Work directly with specialized staff to discuss, brainstorm, and solve challenges facing your synagogue.
• Custom workshops – Schedule a workshop for your synagogue leadership team to address your unique concerns.
• Training webinars – Take advantage of our extensive calendar of professional development opportunities and information sessions.
• Cohorts – Enroll in interest-based cohorts to deeply engage on a specific topic. 
• Affinity groups – Join regular meetings and informal gatherings with synagogue leaders tackling similar issues. 
• Digital resources – Enjoy robust toolkits filled with marketing, engagement, and programming resources to enhance all Jewish holidays. 
• Cost savings – View our growing list of vendors who can support your synagogue in a myriad of ways.
• A community of leaders – Access our virtual community to get real-time advice and support on the issues facing your synagogue.

USCJ Marketplace

All the vendors your congregation needs on one convenient site! USCJ synagogues, their staff, and congregants can easily access a broad range of vendors and professional service providers in one convenient online marketplace. No hunting through lists in the office or relying on your network for information—it’s all here with a few clicks or taps.

Many of the vendors on the USCJ Marketplace have worked with our congregations for years; they speak your language and make it easy to do business with them. In many cases, USCJ synagogues will be eligible for special vendor discounts

Supporting The Conservative/Masorti Movement

Supporting synagogues to thrive isn’t the only thing USCJ does! We are the convener of the Conservative/Masorti Movement in North America, serving as a magnetic hub for all who want to “do Jewish” our way. 

We invest heavily in the future of our Movement, through youth programs, young adult engagement, and reaching new digital audiences. We also work closely with all of our Movement Partners to bring you and your congregants the best of what our Movement has to offer.

Learn More About USCJ’s Programs: