H EADLINES
Synagogues Go Extra Mile to Grow Membership
L OCA L
SASHA ROGELBERG | JE STAFF
RABBI ERIC YANOFF has
been busy making calls to every
congregant at Temple Adath
Israel on the Main Line these
past few weeks. He’s asking
about their High Holidays and
membership renewal plans.

Around this time of year,
when some Jews make their
annual two-time synagogue
appearances for Rosh Hashanah
and Yom Kippur, synagogues
are trying their best to keep
— and grow — membership
numbers. COVID-19 has
complicated the process.

Adath Israel is fortunate: Its
membership numbers remained
steady during the pandemic,
largely because of continued
— masked and distanced —
in-person programming.

An outdoor Purim program
brought in more than 275
people, and the shul held a
Simchat Torah program and an
end-of-Yom Kippur Havdalah
outside last year, as well.

“We may not be able to do it
exactly the way it was, but we
want to bring people together;
we want to make people feel a
part of a community,” Yanoff
said. “We really haven’t stopped
doing that at all.”
Still, Yanoff is making the
eff ort to connect with congre-
gants who may not have had
the same opportunities to
attend in-person services and
celebrations. In addition to hosting a
High Holiday packets pick-up,
Adath Israel is delivering
packets to its senior members.

Congregation Kesher Israel
in Society Hill is making calls
— house and phone — too. It
הבוט הנש
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Sam Resnick’s in-person bar mitzvah on Aug. 21 at Congregation
Kesher Israel
Courtesy of Norman Millan
is delivering prayer books as a
way to reach out to members.

Th e eff orts appear to be paying
off . Last year, initially only 64%
of congregants from two years
ago renewed their membership,
which increased to 82% aft er the
High Holiday season. Th is year,
Kesher Israel is beginning at more
than 70% membership reten-
tion. Like Yanoff , Kesher Israel’s
Executive Director Norman
Millan is trying to instill a sense
of ownership in the synagogue to
push for membership numbers
to increase.

“We really need your
membership, and you’re part
of our family,” Millan said.

Though the return of
in-person services sweetened
the pot for members’ return to
the synagogue, Millan said that
due to fi nancial reasons, Kesher
Israel’s Sisterhood was disman-
tled. A women’s study group
was established in its place.

Like so many other groups,
the study group that once
met in person is now online
and looks to remain that way,
as it’s challenging to gather
in-person for smaller, intimate
group discussions.

According to one study
group member, Beth-Ellen
Kroope, the group has been
helpful for those who may not
attend Shabbat services.

“Sometimes, other people
have gotten involved that weren’t
involved before,” she said.

Congregation Leyv Ha-Ir
in Center City is keeping its
JEWISH EXPONENT
remote programming for
similar issues.

Leyv Ha-Ir’s congregation
doesn’t have a building but
rents a space at Rittenhouse
Square. In-person services
weren’t in the picture this year,
but that wasn’t a problem.

“We just felt our members
have been so good about being
engaged on Zoom,” Leyv Ha-Ir
President Bobbi Cohen said. “We
literally don’t have one person
who was unable to get on.”
During the pandemic year,
Leyv Ha-Ir’s membership actually
increased. People from all over
the country who had heard of the
shul or its rabbis started attending
programs over Zoom.

Mishkan Shalom also saw
membership grow due to online
programming attended by
those outside of Philadelphia.

As a result, they’ll keep
much of their programming
online indefi nitely.

“During the week, we have at
least one, and up to four, off er-
ings every day that emerged
during COVID, and almost all
of them are staying online,”
Mishkan Shalom Rabbi Shawn
Zevit said.

Zevit, along with these
other synagogues, have been
fl exible with membership dues,
especially sensitive to those
who have been fi nancially
impacted by the pandemic.

Mishkan Shalom has ticket-
less High Holiday services
and self-assessed dues, which
have been in place for nine
Congregation Adath Israel on
the Main Line’s outdoors and
masked Purim in the Parking Lot,
or Mask-Car-Aid, event
Photo by Lauren Marks-Cabanas
years. Leyv Ha-Ir has sliding
membership dues ranging
from $600-$1,000 for individ-
uals and $900-$1,500 for
families. For Leyv Ha-Ir, which
has seen donations slightly
decrease even as member-
ship has grown, the fi nancial
debate of being a member of a
synagogue is apparent.

Regardless of the dues
system, synagogues don’t want
to turn anyone down. For
Adath Israel and Kesher Israel
members who can’t aff ord to
pay full price, the synagogues
will find accommodations.

And many times, members
who can aff ord to donate a
little extra will do so.

Though synagogues are
working hard to retain congre-
gants and consistent funding,
Zevit hopes to think of
synagogue engagement diff er-
ently. He said that though some
members only come for High
Holiday services or for certain
programming, the connection
is still there.

“We oft en play the numbers
game: how many house-
holds, how many people at ‘x’
programs,” Zevit said. “But
what if we thought about
how many people’s lives have
changed by virtue of being part
of our community?” ●
srogelberg@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0741
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