The Board approved lifelong learning vision:
A task force of Shir Tikvah members worked on a vision statement specific to lifelong learning and at the February meeting of the board the following statement was approved. "Shir Tikvah will be a welcoming, sacred Jewish community of learners of every age, ability, perspective and background. Learners will engage in holy conversations about Torah, concepts of God, Judaism, Israel and relevant issues of today’s world in all their exhilarating, challenging and profound forms. We will encounter innovative and flexible learning models in rhythm with Jewish holidays, life cycle events and Shabbat. Our learning will cultivate Jewish identity, build community and inspire us to live in harmony with our Jewish ethics."
What process have we used? We reflected on our own experiences, we learned about Shir Tikvah’s history, we read articles and studied the work being done in other congregations, we had conversations with members, and we imagined the voices of many different member profiles in our community. Then we used those ideas during a retreat to draft a statement, asked the congregation and various stakeholders for feedback, and strengthened the statement to arrive at the guiding vision above.
What are the next steps? This vision will provide direction to lifelong learning at Shir Tikvah and inform the larger visioning work being done in our congregation over the next 6 months. Phase Two of the Lifelong Learning planning project will start now, which will involve identifying how to make the vision a reality.
What is this all about? Lifelong learning is thriving at Shir Tikvah – in religious school, Hebrew school, and adult education classes. But, where do we want it to go? What is the best it can be? As Shir Tikvah embarks on an overall visioning exercise over the next six months, the Lifelong Learning Task Force vision statement helps to define the values and goals for lifelong learning at Shir Tikvah. It now will serve as the theme for developing specific programs to implement the vision, and as a guidepost by which to measure the success of each program.
Who worked on this? In spring 2011, then-President Jane Newman called for the creation of a Lifelong Learning Taskforce under the direction of Rabbi Simon, the Director of Lifelong Learning, to draft a vision for lifelong learning at our synagogue. A diverse group of synagogue members, people who are committed to Shir Tikvah, deeply passionate about Judaism and lifelong learning, open to innovation and attentive to the needs of our community, the members of the Taskforce were: Jen Lewin, Billie Wahlstrom, Larry Fox, Melissa Machovsky, Beckie Skelton, Jim Rubenstein, Susan Geller, Andrea Breen, Rachel Breen, Laura Silver, Cookie Montgomery, Caroline Schultz, Rabbi Simon, Wayne Kuklinski, Jackie Casey.
In the event of a life cycle emergency, please call our emergency number at 612-787-7
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