East Brunswick Jewish Center

1. East Brunswick Jewish Center A survey for our future Presentation to the Congregation

2. Long Range Planning Committee Steven Schonfeld, Chair Gene Brody Rhoda Cohen Barbara Pollack Eric Rabinowitz Bruce Sommers Howard Sorkin

3. Who answered the survey • Almost 500 Responders, 299 Families • Just Short of 50% Family Response Rate • #Male = #Female • 80% are over age 45 • 59% are between 45 and 64 • 56% have been members over 17 years • 65% attend services at least once a month • 33% attend services at least once a week • 13% have not participated in EBJC activities • 35% attend more than 5 activities per year

5. Response Counts Broken Down By Years a Member

6. Attendance at Services

7. Potential Analysis by Key Subgroups • Age • Gender • Attendance at Services • Years of Membership

8. Remember • The survey is not a vote, one of many tools to help us discover who we are and how we can plan for our future • Diversity of opinion doesn’t mean we can’t all have a common goal • Any change will be a process that will take time, thought and education • We will need to educate ourselves with rabbinic guidance as to the choices available to us within a Conservative halachic framework • We need to develop a mission statement to define who we are and what we want to be

9. Rabbi Top Qualities • Consensus across all subgroups • Overwhelmingly – People Skills • Compassionate • Good Speaker • Enthusiastic/Energetic/Vibrant • Inspirational • Lesser support for promoting spirituality and fostering increased participation • Little support for scholar or managerial skills • although that’s not to say these aren’t important skills for the Rabbi to have – scholar is basically a given based on consensus groups and comments

10. New Rabbi Top Qualities -- All Responses

11. “It would be nice to have all of these qualities!. But first and foremost, a mensch…” • “I think if he has the three checked items....the others follow. Strong managerial skills actually means the person must have people skills, be articulate and well-written and a good listener, and have a good understanding of his subject matter (a scholar) and have a creative streak. Really good managers have all these qualities”

12. Top Rabbi Duties • Same top 5 across all subgroups • Preaching • Pastoral Work • Counseling Congregants • Teaching Youth • Teaching Adults • Minor support for Jewish community work and scholarship • Administration and fundraising were lowest but again are important in running a temple and certainly excellent skills to have

13. New Rabbi Top Duties -- All Responses

14. What do members want to see in a service? • 90% want traditional prayers in Hebrew • 61% want the service to be predominantly Hebrew • 38% would like to have more English readings whereas 40% don’t • 79% would like the Rabbi to provide explanations during the service • 69% would like the sermon to deal with religious content and a similar percentage the weekly Torah portion • 35% would like informal discussions, 42% would not • 61% would like to see the service shortened, 19% felt that was not important

15. An ideal service? • A shorter service • Predominantly in Hebrew, with all traditional prayers in Hebrew but with an increase in English readings • The Rabbi provides explanations during the service • A sermon dealing with religious content that touches on the parasha • Occasional informal discussions as part of the sermon

16. Other Service Preferences • Keep traditional melodies for traditional prayers • Musical instruments – not a priority • However 25% of responders would like it • Family-oriented services available • Separate teen services

17. How important is it to have an alternative service that includes musical instruments?

18. Keep in mind as we evaluate the survey • “I feel an overwhelming sense that things will be changing. Please be sensitive to the fact that change is not always easy to handle and that it must come in a gentle way. Not everyone is prepared to wear the sunglasses. Keep in mind the initial enthusiasm will not last forever and the plan has to be for the long term.”

19. The spirituality and participation in services has to do with the openness and warmth from the Bimah. Recently I've felt that the congregants are interacting more and wanting to be more connected with each other.Happiness is contagious - everyone on the Bimah should be happy to be there - the smiles show.When everyone participates and there is singing the prayers together it creates a moving atmosphere.

20. What’s really important “I want to come back from Israel to find that EBJC is a more welcoming place on all fronts--where new members want to join and veteran members want to remain, those who are less religious will be drawn in and those who are more religious will find it satisfying.”

21. The next questions ask how important is it to you for there to be an egalitarian service, a non-egalitarian service, or both at EBJC?

22. Egalitarian Versus Traditional Services • 50% feel egalitarian services should be available • 34% don’t • 44% would like to see both egalitarian and non-egalitarian services offered • 32% don’t • 59% feel non-egalitarian services should be available • 21% don’t • The remainder, between 17% and 25% would be happy under any scenario

23. What does that say? • Half the respondents wants egalitarian services to be available • A minority wants only non-egalitarian or only egalitarian services available • Many respondents who prefer that egalitarian services be available or who say they would be happy with either also want non-egalitarian services available for those who have that preference • Up to 25% of congregants would be happy with either egalitarian or non-egalitarian services

24. How important is it for egalitarian services to be available?

25. Don’t be afraid to change • “Decision makers need to take the lead and understand that any decision that is made to alter anything at the shul is going to cause some people to be unhappy, but that is to be expected and it should not deter the leadership from making decisions to make changes that will encourage various members of the community to come to EBJC because of its INCLUSIVENESS.”

26. Don’t be afraid to change • “...We must attract the young Jewish families moving into the area. Although there are not as many as in the past-- those coming should be encouraged to join OUR synagogue. We NEED to attract the youth of the area or our synagogue will diminish in membership In addition-- we cannot portray ourselves as the OLD EBJC. It's time to move forward - into the Conservative egalitarianism of the millennium.”

27. “Please have an open mind and consider the future of where EBJC fits into the rest of the conservative movement. Do not feel you have to keep everything the ‘way it has always been’".

28. “I would attend religious services more regularly if more upbeat, uplifting music was included in the service with audience participation. A cantor is very important to me who has a participatory cantorial style teaches songs to the congregation, as opposed to performing solos. I would also attend services more regularly if the service was egalitarian or if an egalitarian option was offered. Having a current conservative Siddur and Conservative Chumash would also be very important..”

29. “…. There is a more inclusive spirit over the last few months. Please keep it up. I know people who would rejoin or join for the first time if an egalitarian service was offered.”

30. A few threaten on both the egalitarian and non-egalitarian sides • “If egalitarian services (including Saturday morning Bat Mitzvahs for girls and all of the other items in question #6 below) do not become available, our family will withdraw from the membership and join an egalitarian congregation. Join the modern era or lose members!” • “No - keep it the way it used to be. I will leave EBJC if you allow women to do these”

31. How important is it to have non-egalitarian services available?

32. No changes necessary • “My personal feelings are that we remain as closely as possible to what we have been for the 30 some odd years that I have been a member. Any thing else would give me second thoughts.”

33. No changes necessary • “I don't think we should get away from tradition. If I wanted that I could go reform. Spirituality and warmth in our temple is what will attract and retain congregants.”

34. Many who favor egalitarian services are mindful of those who don’t • “I would love for the synagogue to become totally egalitarian, however I feel that we have to be inclusive. Although we can not be all things to all people, I would hope that everyone will be comfortable worshipping at EBJC.”

35. How important is it to have both egalitarian and non-egalitarian services available?

36. What does that say? • Many responders who favor egalitarian services would want both services available • Many who favor traditional services would want both services available but less so • Some who want egalitarian don’t want two services • Some who want traditional don’t want two services

37. Be inclusive • “Spirituality is very important to me. I would like to come to services and feel both spiritual and inspired after leaving. I really like the traditional aspects of Judaism, but egalitarianism is very important also. I think two services would give members the chance to choose what they like....”

38. Be inclusive • “With limited number of potential members moving into the East Brunswick area we should offer a variety of religious services (i.e., both egalitarian and non egalitarian services) to attract the widest range of members. Increasing non religious programs will also attract members from outside the East Brunswick area”

39. Be inclusive • “There is more than one way to be a Jew, as noted by the Conservative Movement in Israel. I would like to see multiple services for the varied needs and interests of EBJC membership. We are large enough to support them.”

40. Be inclusive • “I am very comfortable with Conservative Judaism, both the traditional form practiced at EBJC and egalitarian. I would like an egalitarian option in order to support the Schechter school on the same campus. We could immediately double our Torah and Megillah readers if we offered an egalitarian options.”

41. How do subgroups feel about egalitarianism? • Attend Very Often • Weekly/Daily Attendance • Attend Often • Monthly/At least twice a month attendance • Attend Occasionally • Holiday/Special occasions and High Holiday only

42. Importance of Having Egalitarian or Non-Egalitarian Service by Attendance Score: Very Unimportant to Very Important

43. What does that mean? • 1. Generally the more often you come to shul the more you want to maintain the status quo and not offer an alternative • 2. Those who come least often would like the shul to be egalitarian but some want the traditional option available for those who prefer it • 3. Those who come regularly (often, but not very often) feel similarly to those in 2 but favor both options to a greater degree

44. Some feel that we should cater to those who come very often • “Do not change the orientation of the shul. It is what makes the EBJC unique. All the other shuls in the area already have egalitarian services. Our shul gets over 150 people on Shabbat. Can the other shuls make the same claim? Probably not--we would lose more people than we would gain.”

45. “We appreciate EBJC's unique traditionalism; it is what drew us here in the first place. To go ‘egalitarian’ would: (a) take away a big part of what makes EBJC special and different from all other Conservative shuls; and (b) cater to a less-participatory segment of the congregation whose participation would not necessarily increase anyway, to the displeasure of those who do attend services and activities on a regular basis.”

46. The next slides ask: • In a traditional service should women have an expanded role and what would that role be? • In an egalitarian service how extensive should a woman’s role be ?

47. What role should women have? • Most would like to see an expanded role for women in either an “egalitarian” or a “traditional” service • When describing the characteristics of either a traditional or egalitarian service, a small group did not want any participation by women • Even among those very traditional more would allow women to read the Megillah

48. No changes necessary • “I am totally against women participating in any services except if they want to have their own separate women only service as they have had shabbat mincha in the past.”

49. Move slowly and cautiously • “Be cognizant of the diversity that exists. Sometimes patience and ‘baby steps’ are the best way to bring about change.”

50. Move slowly and cautiously • “I understand the resistance to aggressively egalitarian services, but I think women can be included to a greater extent than they are currently. Perhaps they can be slowly transitioned in so that it is not too shocking to those who are accustomed to tradition.”