The Orthodox Caucus Plenum 2007
Developing the Next Generation of Orthodox Lay Leadership
Keynote discussion by President Richard Joel and Mr. Matthew Maryles available at
http://www.yutorah.org/showShiur.cfm?shiurID=717397
Developing the Next Generation of Leaders at The Orthodox Caucus Plenum
What determines leadership? How does the older generation inspire the young generation to become leaders in the Jewish community? What specific issues does the Orthodox community face in the future of its lay leadership?
These were some of the questions addressed at this year’s Orthodox Caucus Plenum on Wednesday, Jan. 10th at the Fifth Avenue Synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Over one hundred participants gathered over dinner to hear a keynote discussion between YU President Richard Joel and Mr. Matthew Maryles on the topic of “Developing the Next Generation of Orthodox Lay Leadership.”
The CJF has hosted the Orthodox Caucus since September 2005. As Fred Ehrman, the Chairman of the organization remarked in his opening comments, the mission of the OC is to focus on “addressing issues festering in the Jewish community where little is being done about them.” Working together with the Center for the Jewish Future, the Caucus seeks to address communal important and “developing the next generation of Orthodox lay leadership is perceived as one of those unspoken issues that we would like to bring to the fore,” said Jordana Schoor, Executive Director of the OC.
Schoor introduced the keynote speakers, saying that Joel and Maryles are “ideal models of professional and lay leaders who think about this topic, mentor, and appreciate the importance of training future leaders.”
Maryles is an attorney and CPA and serves as President of the Jewish Community Relations Council, Trustee of Yeshiva University and Founding Executive Board member of the OC. Maryles said that “status is often disguised as leadership.” He defines leaders as those who “set forth a vision beyond what he or she is doing, to realize they can’t do it alone and engage people to participate.” He believes leadership requires a partnership between professional, lay and financial leaders.
“Young people feel very anonymous and faceless because of technology,” said President Richard Joel. “There’s a profound loneliness and they don’t know how they’re supposed to matter. They need to hear that life has value and that they’re part of something.” He defines leadership as taking responsibility. “It’s vision and implementation, but it’s not only applied in organizations. Leaders have to empower people to answer the question of ‘who am I?’ The older generation has to listen closely to the voices of the younger generation.”
“YU students know what their values are, but they need to be invited to take ownership,” Joel stressed. He mentioned recent trips YU students took to Guatemala and New Orleans as examples of young leadership endeavors to accept responsibility.
Attendees participated in one of four sessions following the keynote discussion during which presenters from professional and lay backgrounds shared best practices and practical steps to improving lay leadership within Jewish organizations.
Chaiki Feldman (Englewood, NJ), Ruth Rotenberg (Washington, DC) and Elaine Schreiber ( Phoenix, AZ) led the panel on Jewish Communal Organizations. They discussed the need to be part of the larger Jewish community and suggested getting young people involved in wider-reaching community projects through the school system. Schreiber, Chair of the Renaissance and Renewal Pillar of UJC, said that the young generation is cynical about organizations but have respect for their parents. She said Jewish organizations “can’t move forward until they understand the young generation.”
The group discussion on National Orthodox Organizations was led by Suzanne Doft (AMIT) and Ilana Prager (OU). They addressed the importance of getting young people involved in quick but meaningful ways, instead of having to attend board meetings. “Young people want to feel engaged, not just rubberstamped on boards,” Prager said.
Dr. Rita Shloush (Yeshivat Rambam) and Roanna Shorofsky (The Heschel School), both heads of Jewish schools, discussed Day School Leadership and Dr. Seymour Adler and Judy Beck of Bergen County led the panel on Synagogue Leadership. Adler focused on identifying what people do best and finding ways to apply it to synagogues, especially Orthodox synagogues where much of the work is done by lay people. Beck is the Director of the Synagogue Leadership Initiative, which helps synagogue development, trains lay leaders and implements strategic planning, such as a recent lay leader training program run by Lincoln Square Synagogue for people in the community to shadow lay leaders.
Rabbi Robert Hirt, Executive Board Member of the OC, gave the closing remarks of the evening. He said this event attracted the largest turnout from any other OC plenum, reflecting the “great urgency to advance this project.”
Miriam Droz, a participant who leads an all-female theater group, said she gained a new awareness from the event. “I never encountered Jews like this that are interested in resolving differences between different fractions in the community and recognizing the young generation.”
To hear the keynote discussion, go to yutorah.org
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