On my way back from my camping vacation with my family in the woods of Wisconsin, I attended a conference focused on congregational school improvement in Cleveland, Ohio. The conference was sponsored by PELIE, The Partnership for Effective Leadership in Jewish Education, and was especially for Pittsburgh and Detroit's congregational schools who are participating in a change initiative that we call CSI Squared, or the Congregational School Improvement Initiative. (The 5772 Pittsburgh congregations are Beth Shalom, Temple Emanu-el, Temple Sinai, Temple David, Rodef Shalom and Beth Samuel.) CSI, which is an adaptation of the NESS program from Philadelphia, is a holistic approach to improving congregational schools that is built on four pillars: Assessment, Integrated Synagogue Lay and Professional Planning, Curriculum Advancement and Teacher Development. The goal is to change the congregational school culture to expect and support excellence in its religious education program. It is a minimum two year process and one that involves the entire congregation in some way or another. Here is Pittsburgh, we have been working with three schools in this process for the past year and three more will be starting it this year.
The conference had its high and low points as any conference does, but there was one moment that summed up the process we are undertaking for improving our congregational schools. Dr. Amy Sales of Brandeis University, a noted researcher in Jewish education, was discussing some evaluation work of a congregational change initiative she was involved with for another improvement program called Synagogue 3000. Dr. Sales said she was discussing her findings with Dr. Larry Hoffman who asked what she had learned from her evaluation of the congregational members participating in the Synagogue 3000 program in their congregations. Dr. Sales told Dr. Hoffman that the first lesson she learned was that change is hard. Dr. Hoffman replied "But we knew that!", to which Dr. Sales pointed out "Yes, but the congregational leaders who undertook the program didn't." Her point was that everyone wants to fix problems in congregations, especially the religious schools, and many think the answers are relatively simple. Indeed, even in very thorough processes, the plans for change may look quite logical and achievable. However, changing institutions involves changing people and people are complicated and illogical and, by and large, resistant to change. It takes time, patience and commitment to lead any change process and congregational education is no different. There are no quick fixes and to be truly effective, the change will have to be systemic and not just superficial. This is counterintuitive to congregations which run on predictable patterns and traditions that can be quite ingrained. As we here in Pittsburgh prepare for another school year and renew our efforts in improve our congregational schools, here's looking forward to the hard work of lasting change for the better.
Second, while I appreciate your challenge for me to pressure Beth Shalom's leadership in my professional role for change in the areas that trouble you, you assume we agree on the scope of those issues. We might not see things the same way, and how I advocate for change might be different that your methodology too.
I draw a bright line with Beth Shalom in terms of my private and professional roles, a line I have explicitly discussed with the rabbi and board president. When I have needed to comment or critique on an issue in my professional capacity that is not in line with them, I have indicated that distinction in doing so but never hesitated to do it nonetheless. That has led to a few tense moments, but nothing too dramatic. In turn, they have welcomed my involvement and opinion as a congregant, a volunteer and as a parent which is very important to me as a family man. This is a more effective method of "tikkun olam" as you put it in my opinion. I can do more in partnership than in opposition, and I believe that both professionally and personally. Taking them to task on an issue I am troubled by as a congregant or a communal professional on my professional Jewish education blog would not only blur those lines, but simply wouldn't be how I would handle my complaints regardless of the blog. It would also impede my professional ability to assist the congregation's religious school in its improvement initative. If I had an issue to raise I would, and do, pick up the phone or grab them at the oneg and discuss it directly.
So please feel free to keep writing here, critiquing here, advocating here. Just please understand that it isn't my practice to single out any congregation or person by name for criticism in this forum. Praise yes, constructive feedback yes, dissection no. That would be unprofessional, personally unethical and violative of halacha in my opinion unless the offense was so egregious that it warranted an exception. I hope you can respect that position and welcome your further comments. Shabbat shalom!
I think you are confused. I am not the rabbi of Beth Shalom, just a member. If you have a complaint with anything there in their programs - and you seem to have a few based on your previous comments - then feel free to contact Rabbi Werbow or Stefi Kirschner the President via bethshalompgh.org to share your views directly with those who lead the congregation. That will be more effective than anonymous sniping here. Shabbat shalom, Scott Aaron