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Come on Back
OUR COMMUNITY
Members enjoy the day together outside the YIOP synagogue building.
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Come On Back
Young Israel of Oak Park receives a grant to bring members together.
SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The guideline wording was simple. Submit an entry of “any initiative, program or project which will re-engage community members in synagogue life.”
Three-hundred submission-reviews later, 35 congregations were sharing $100,000 in funding to implement their innovative ideas. Among them is one Michigan synagogue: Young Israel of Oak Park (YIOP).
With the recent easing of COVID-19 restrictions, congregations worldwide are beginning to open their doors for in-person prayer, programming and activities.
With that anticipation at the forefront, the Orthodox Union (OU), the umbrella organization for the North American Orthodox community, established the Back to Shul grant to spur these efforts for its members.
Out-of-the-box entries encouraging long-term return to the synagogue included hosting a communal Kiddush celebration as a “make-up” for missed milestones, a backto-shul fair and a communal parlor meeting project to gain an understanding of the changed needs of congregants. Categories included Education, Chesed, Dating and Marriage, Women, Seniors, Youth — and Events, Shabbatons, Tefillah and Music, which is where YIOP secured its grant.
“We are planning four themed Shabbatot,” said Sharon Cohen, the congrega-
tion’s fundraising secretary, who submitted the proposal to the OU along with synagogue president Gil Stebbins.
“Each Shabbat would include a dvar Torah delivered by Rabbi Shaya Katz to go with the theme. After davening, Kiddush — incorporating the theme — would allow for everyone to socially engage with one another. The planned themes are prayer, health and happiness, and will culminate with the theme of community. A small theme-based gift for each participant might also be included in some weeks,” Cohen said.
The hope is for the grant-winning programming to take place in August and September as a lead-in to Simchat Torah.
“The committee was most impressed with the multifaceted nature of the submission
from Young Israel of Oak Park,” said OU Synagogue Initiatives director Rabbi Adir Posy. “Their approach was to recognize the different ways that members interact with the shul and to tailor programming that addressed different aspects of return to shul experience.”
— OU PRESIDENT MOISHE BANE
STRONGER THAN EVER
In advance of the implementation of YIOP’s grant programming, the congregation hosted a June 24 outdoor “welcome back” pizza and ice cream celebration, their first in-person, social event since before the start of the pandemic. The synagogue has also begun indoor services, with clearly marked sections designated for those who wish to mask and social distance.
“Young Israel of Oak Park is a full-service family shul with
a young and dynamic rabbi, which makes us very appealing to young families,” Stebbins said. “Over the past two years the average new member has been between 25 and 35 years old, newly married with young children. With this trend, it is important not only to have events welcoming back the community but also include the younger couples who will be the future of Young Israel of Oak Park.
“The kickoff event was a perfect example, with future programs also being planned with young families in mind,”
