Shul rabbis and lay leaders meet with OU Israel staff and Policewoman
Hodaya Harush in the aftermath of the October 7th attacks
KARASICK DEPARTMENT OF
SYNAGOGUE INITIATIVES:
Helping Shuls Thrive
Informed by the belief that flourishing shuls make for vibrant communities, the Karasick Department of Synagogue Initiatives is focused on building up shuls as core institutions of Orthodox life.
Writ large, our mission is to empower rabbinic and lay leadership by giving them access to experts, best practices and one another as well as programming to help them set a proper spiritual tone for congregants.
We achieve this through efforts in three domains:
We recognize that shuls are governed through multiple layers of leadership: professional (executive directors, office managers), lay (presidents, boards) and rabbinic. The Department of Synagogue Initiatives gives attention to each. For instance, we oversee a network of hundreds of lay leaders, providing them with a place to share ideas and experiences. For executive directors, we offer in-person and virtual programming and a curated listserv.
Our flagship project is our work with rabbis, specifically our rabbinic chaburahs. Fueled by the idea that the most useful tool for rabbis is other rabbis, we give them the opportunity to meet and learn. In addition to a yearly retreat, we bring rabbis together each month to network and seek support from the OU. We often assemble groups geared to specific demographic subsets (e.g., new rabbis) or niche issues (e.g., supporting single mothers), presenting expert speakers and other resources.
Recently, we gathered law enforcement professionals, rabbis and shul executives to create a security resource available nationwide to shuls seeking help in addressing the anti-Israel protests that continue to take place outside their buildings.
Shuls are a unique kind of nonprofit with unique challenges. Our expertise allows us to serve as a resource hub for them, supplying operational insights through individual consultations and seminars.
In a typical year, we perform about 250 consultations. Effectively, we’re a 311 number for shuls with operational issues, advising on questions as disparate as: How do we think through strategic planning? How can we most effectively run a building campaign? What architectural features are important in shul design? How should we craft job descriptions?
Similarly, we’ve constructed a seminar, “The 10 Commandments of Shul Boards,” that offers training and facilitates discussion around how lay leaders can best support shuls. The curriculum is presented in-person at 15-20 shuls each year.
The Department of Synagogue Initiatives also understands its role to include helping shuls give congregants the highest level of spiritual value. To that end, we publish a monthly newsletter that features programmatic ideas to implement and spotlights shuls that have introduced their own noteworthy innovations.
Following October 7th, we have grown our daily Tehillim and chizuk call, through which hundreds of people the world over connect to pray and receive inspiration from American and Israeli rabbis. We’ve also run multiple missions to Israel — including one for shul leadership and another for fathers and sons — and formed an adopt-a-shiva program, through which shuls connect directly with bereaved families to provide nichum aveilim. These initiatives allow us to achieve our aim of acting as a conduit for American shuls interested in connecting with Jews in Israel.
