You might know them as workshops, but this year we are calling our 90 minute study opportunities "learning sessions" to more accurately reflect the many learning styles addressed and formats used.

Learning Session Series A: Wednesday 2:00-3:30 PM

Learning Session Series B: Wednesday 3:45-5:15 PM

Learning Session Series C: Thursday, 10:30- Noon

Learning Session Series D: Thursday 3:45- 5:15 PM

Learning Session Series E: Friday 8:30 - 10:00 AM

Learning Session Series F: Friday 1:45-3:15 PM

New this Year: You can participate in exciting Open Space Technology to engage with peers at an affinity group sharing session based on congregation size.

B1        Addressing Extreme Poverty: Best Practices for Global Engagement

B2        Revitalizing High Holy Day Worship

B3        Tot Shabbat: New Tools for Engaging Young Families and Strengthening Your

            Congregation’s Membership

B4        Children of Abraham: Muslim-Jewish Dialogue

B5        Bringing Summer Home: Ritualizing Camp, EIE, NFTY in Israel and Mitzvah Corps

            in the Congregation (Handouts)

B6        A Taste of "A Taste of Judaism"

B7        The Longevity Revolution: Baby Boomers As the New Congregational Majority

B8        The Impact of Day Schools on the Reform Movement (Handouts)

B9        Overseeing the Financial Health of Your Congregation? Getting a Handle on 
            Financial Controls (Handouts and Powerpoints)

B10      Living Moments in Time: Creating a Meaningful Synagogue Museum

B11      Synagogue-Federation Relations: Best Practices, Great Partnerships

B12      You Do It My Way: Managing Conflict in Congregational Life

B13      Small Congregations: Dialogue and Problem Solve With Your Peers,

            Continued (Track #02)

B14      Medium Congregations: Dialogue and Problem Solve With Your Peers,

            Continued

B15      Large Congregations: Dialogue and Problem Solve With Your Peers, Continued

B16      From Film Festivals to Downloads: Why Israeli Film and Media Affect the Jewish
            Communal Conversation

C1        Shabbat Shalom!: Embracing Shabbat At Home and In Community

C2        Becoming a "Just Congregation": An Introduction to the Transformative Power

            of Congregation-Based Community Organizing

C3        From Susan (B. Anthony) to Sarah (Palin): Today's Struggle for Women's Equality

C4        When Do You Need an Interim Rabbi?

C5        Green Advocacy: Going Beyond Greening Your Actions (Handouts)

C6        How to create a youth culture in your synagogue (Handout)

C7        Entree to Judaism: A Culinary Exploration of the Jewish Diaspora

C8        A Ramp Is Not Enough: Broadening Programming and Accessibility (Handouts)

C9        The Sooner the Better: How Early Engagement Turns Young Families Into

            Temple Members

C10      The Forgotten Congregations: Singles, Divorced and the Challenge of Keeping

            Them Involved and Cared For (Handouts)

C11      Engaging Volunteers and Creating Sacred Connections in Your Synagogue

            (Track #02) (Handouts)

C12      Creating Meaningful Musical Moments at Tot Shabbat

C13      Pidyon Shevuyim: How Congregations Can Help Stop Human Trafficking and

            Sex Slavery (Handouts)

C14      When Intermarriage Touches Your Life (Handouts)

C15      Cancer and Chronic Illness: Creating Caring Community for Patients and

            Families
C16         An Extraordinary Life: Your future as a Jewish Professional

C17         Making Your Congregation a Welcoming Place for GLBT Jews

D1        Moses' Journey to Leadership:  Probing Passages from Exodus

D2        People of the Book or People of the Body? A History of Muscular Judaism

D3        Two Guys Named Bachya (Handouts)

D4        American Orthodoxy

D5        Sacred Conversations: Developing the Inner Life of the Spirit

D6        Don't Pass the Buck: Teaching Our Teens Why "Money Matters" (Handouts)

D7        Generation "S" (Service): New Models to Pursuing Justice

D8        Building Your Synagogue’s Budget the Jewish Way

D9        The Modern Synagogue: Connecting With Your Members 24-7

D10      Membership Recruitment: Finding, Welcoming and Bringing Them Through the

             Door (Handouts)

D11      Supporting Congregants During Difficult Times

D12      Securing the Next Generation: Supporting Jewish Choices for Interfaith Families

             (Handouts)

D13      Building Your Worship Team

D14      Building Confidence: Teaching To Trust What is Inherently Good In Teenagers

D15      A Lifetime of Membership: Strategies for Small Congregations (Track #02)

D16      Launching a Capital and Endowment Campaign

D17      Creating a Caring Community

D18      Long-Range Planning for Medium and Large Congregations

D19      Making Your Congregation the Place To Be for 20s/30s

D20      2009 URJ Resolutions: A Discussion

D21      Not Your Parents’ Cantorate: A New Model For the 21st Century

E1        Fundraising in Difficult Times

E2        Intro to Social Media: Facebook, and Flickr and Twitter, Oh My

E3        What Does a Reform Jewish Dietary Practice Look Like?

E4        Bringing Camp Home: Informal Educational Techniques and Approaches for

            Congregations (Handouts)

E5        Spinning Your Web: Connect with Current and Future Members Through Your

            Website

E6        The "Art" of Care Giving (Handouts)

E7        Save Green by Going Green: Greening URJ Synagogues, Camps and Homes

E8        The Challenge of Autism in Our Congregations and Schools (Handouts)

E9        Lifelong Synagogue Membership: Making Retention a Reality

E10      Mileposts on the Journey to Maintaining Financially Healthy Congregations

            (Handouts)

E11      Shir Shabbat: New Music for Sabbath Worship (Handouts)

E12      Applying the Principles of Community Organizing to your Congregation

E13      For Congregational Presidents: Strengthening Your Board and Building an

            Effective Lay Leadership Team

E14      From Newcomer to Committed Congregant: Engaging and Involving Members

E15      The Learning Never Ends: Adult Education in Small Congregations (Track #02)

            (Handouts)

E16      Teen Transitions: What do We Know and What are We Going to Do About it

            (Handouts)

E17      The Rich Rewards of Congregational Twinning (Handouts)

E18      Temple Technology: Sight, Sound and the Sanctuary

E19      Wanted: More Adult Jewish Role Models

F1        Moses' Struggles as a Family Person: Descriptions in Numbers Revisited

            (Handouts)

F2        Paradoxes of Assimilation: Lessons from Early Twentieth Century Germany

F3        Kavvanah (Intention): The Ten-Step Plan (Handouts)

F4        Classical Reform Judaism

F5        Brit Kodesh: Strengthening the Lay Leader/Clergy/Staff Partnership

F6        How to Keep Money from Breaking the Connection? Dues Policies and Process

F7        MySpace for a Small Space:
            Connecting with Youth and Adults in Small Congregations (Track #02)

F8        Klei Zemer: Music For Your Synagogue Band

F9        Where MUM Obligations Go

F10      Maximizing First Impressions: What Does Your Membership Packet and Web

            Site Say About The Warmth of Your Welcome (Handouts)

F11      Demographic Shifts and Changing Synagogue Size: Where Do We Go From Here?

            (Handouts)

F12      The State of Inter-religious Dialogue

F13      Blurring the Lines: A Holistic Approach to Youth Education

F14      Making Time for Sacred Fellowship : Introducing MRJ's BenAbbaZeyde Programs

            in Your Congregation

F15      CHAI Curriculum: What You Should Know About What We Have Learned

            (Handouts)

F16      Congregation Communications In a Digital World

F17      Planning and Implementing an Annual Campaign

F18      Meet the Composers: The Artists Behind Our Music (Handouts)

Are you ready to try something new to you while learning from and teaching your peers? We are going to use a technique called Open Space Technology (although it is not technological at all) to create a space for sharing and generating solutions in the three learning sessions marked with this symbol .

Gather with Biennial delegates from congregations of similar size and circumstance to your own to dialogue, problem-solve, and share successes. Identify common interests and concerns and hear how others are addressing them. Take home some new tools and techniques and share your congregation’s best practices in this interactive networking session.

Open Space Technology is one way to enable all kinds of people, in any kind of organization, to create inspired meetings and events. Over the last 20+ years, it has also become clear that opening space, as an intentional leadership practice, can create inspired organizations, where ordinary people work together to create extraordinary results with regularity.

More than 120 learning sessions covering every aspect of synagogue life. There’s a lot to choose from, so coordinate with others from your delegation so that your congregation takes full advantage of all the offerings.

If you are new to synagogue leadership, or attending from a small congregation please consider participating in those learning sessions designed especially for you:

01 New Synagogue Leaders

02 Small Congregations*

Specialized learning sessions are designated as either Track 01 or Track 02 at the end of the workshop titles and you will find one learning session per track in each learning session series.

Don't forget: If you are a member of a small congregation, you might be able to benefit from financial assistance.

The Small Congregations Resource Fund (SCRF) has a limited number of grant subsidies available for small congregations (those with 250 households or fewer) who would like to send delegates to the URJ North American Biennial in Toronto, Ontario, November 4-8, 2009. A maximum of two grants, up to $250 each, will be awarded to a congregation.

The application and FAQ sheet can be downloaded at http://urj.org/cong/small/ Grants will be awarded on a first come-first served basis. 

For additional information on Biennial grants, please email Merry Lugasy or call: 212.452.6742.