Tomorrow's Synagogue Today: Creating Vibrant Centers of Jewish Life [Paperback]

In the past decade many intelligent people who care deeply about synagogues have written about them. So how is this book different from all other books? Many books take the overall mission of the synagogue as a given, and the recommendations around structure are really about incremental change. Tomorrow's Synagogue Today stimulates the reader to unleash the power of synagogues to exponentially influence people's Jewish lives. Herring offers creative scenarios to stretch the imagination about how more synagogues could become vibrant centers of Jewish life and how congregational leaders can begin to chart a new course toward achieving that goal.

Key to his vision are the ways synagogues can collaborate with other synagogues and other Jewish institutions in the local Jewish community and around the globe, as well as with organizations outside of the Jewish community. Herring also explores structural change that is occurring in the rabbinate, as well as future roles rabbis may play and how rabbis might begin preparing for that future now. He shares insights from twelve rabbis from across the country about new models of synagogue mission, governance, and organization. He concludes with recommendations about the kinds of investments those who care about synagogues and the Jewish future need to make so that synagogues will remain a significant force in the Jewish community.

Rabbi Hayim Herring is CEO of the Herring Consulting Network, whose mission is to prepare today's leaders for tomorrow's organizations. Hayim was executive director of STAR (Synagogues: Transformation and Renewal), a national foundation for congregational innovation and executive leadership development, where he created the Synaplex Initiative. Hayim has served as a senior rabbi of a congregation, assistant director of a federation, and has published dozens of scholarly articles on the American Jewish community.

The synagogue members of today and tomorrow are Gen Xers, Millennials and Ge