With the Senior Staff team, summer, 2016.

Holy Blossom Temple is Toronto’s first synagogue, and a leading Canadian Reform Jewish congregation witha rich history of responding to both tradition and modernity in our religious and spiritual expression. 

As Director of Community Engagement, I was responsible for:

Inclusive Spirit

Holy Blossom Temple is guided by our values. As a community, we are always learning and growing together, as we aspire to fulfill our promise to be an inclusive spiritual home to all who seek Jewish community. 

Our Inclusive Spirit includes initiatives to welcome:

  • interfaith families
  • LGBTQ+ individuals, couples and families
  • Jews of Colour
  • people with intellectual disabilities and special needs
  • people with physical disabilities

Learn more about our Inclusive Spirit.

HBTogether

HBTogether is a new way for congregants to come together to form their own communities within the larger Holy Blossom congregational family. 

Small Groups, also sometimes called Chavurot, provide micro-communities — groups of Temple members who you will get to know through small gatherings organized in one of four ways: by like-interests (affnities); by life-stage (demographics); by profession; or by neighbourhood (geography) — sometimes groups might be brought together based on all four! Each group may want a different structure, a different leadership model, different programming opportunities. 

I have been working to develop this initiative as a signature membership engagement opportunity, creating new groups and supporting group leaders.

Learn more about HBTogether.

Holy Grounds Cafe

Holy Blossom Temple’s renewed Atrium space will include a new cafe, Holy Grounds. I am working to develop the cafe, including planning to use it as a venue for community building through people-centric events to strengthen the ties between Temple members.

Volunteer Engagement

Holy Blossom Temple is a community that only runs because of the dedication of its volunteers. Meaningful volunteer opportunities build ties between Temple and its members, and allow members to contribute to creating the Temple community they would like to see.

Membership

As the head of the Department of Membership, I am responsible for all aspects of membership, including introducing prospective members to our community, orienting new members, and ensuring member satisfaction and engagement. In addition, I oversee the administration of all matters related to membership.

…and many other things

Learn more about Holy Blossom Temple on our website.