“Ron Wolfson has been teaching how to create sacred communities for years with our students in the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies. Now we can all learn from him, his students Rabbi Brett Kopin and Rabbi Sara Himeles, and his Master Class contributors. Creating Sacred Communities is a gift for each of us, for the people we serve, and for the Jewish tradition we love!”
“‘If only I could take this class!,’ you might say if you read the syllabus. Now you have access to an important and most valuable ‘master class in the art of crafting a sacred community.’ The ingredients are all present. Ron Wolfson, predictably inspirational, draws out from the honored rabbinic and synagogue leaders invited to his class the delicious elements that create the kind of connections and relationships vital to congregational life. You have a front row seat and will feel warmly welcomed as if you are right there in these innovative and captivating sessions.”
“Creating Sacred Communities provides tremendous insights into some of the most exciting work done in Jewish communities nationwide and how North American Jews might learn from the work of others. Based on a course at American Jewish University taught during the pandemic via Zoom, thereby allowing a much greater range of speakers than would have been possible if in-person, the voices range from leaders of long-standing synagogues to those who have created new communities from scratch to insights from Pastor Rick Warren. The book should be of great value to rabbis of all denominations, lay leaders of synagogues, and all concerned with invigorating twenty-first century Jewish practice.”
This extraordinary publication effectively builds upon the insights offered in Ron’s seminal work Relational Judaism. Overflowing with the candid and creative insights of some of this nation’s leading clergy, educators, and community organizers, the reader is introduced to the principles and practices essential to strengthening and reinventing synagogue and communal life. Unlike most writings, one is exposed directly to both the thinking and the personal experiences of each of the fourteen participants who were interviewed for this volume. Their words come alive on these pages, and the authors conclude each interview with a set of thoughtful and challenging questions. This becomes a must read for our congregational and organizational leaders!”
“Ron Wolfson has been one of the pioneers in the synagogue transformation field for three decades. With Creating Sacred Communities, he and his student Brett Kopin invite us into his classroom at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies to eavesdrop on presentations from some outstanding leaders who share their secret sauce for creating compelling spiritual communities. It is well worth ‘listening in’ through this new book.”
“Here is Ron Wolfson’s master class on the art of building relational community, taught by our generation’s master artists. This book invites you into the conversation about creating and becoming engaged and connected in communities of study, worship, and action. Grab a cup of coffee and join in!”
“In Creating Sacred Communities, Ron Wolfson, the master of Relational Judaism, provides an extended conversation with some of the most inspired architects of synagogue transformation. These innovators literally teach the seminar on reinventing Jewish life by sharing their blueprints for new models of religious community. This is one class that won’t put you to sleep but rather will wake you up to what sacred communities of tomorrow could be.”
“This book captures the dynamism, fun, curiosity, and practical tools that one learns in Dr. Wolfson’s senior seminar at AJU (I would know, I took it!). Like the class, this book is full of gems not just from Ron, but also from leaders in the field. Like the class, it was over too quickly!”
“A gift: a peek into the most successful stories of Jewish communal life today. The book’s conversational style allows us to dive right in and listen to a great conversation. From Chabad to Reform temples to start-up synagogues, Wolfson opens up the world of creative Jewish leaders and their world view. If you want to get a deep sense of what is animating the Jewish world today, and a feeling of deep optimism for the future, read this book!”
“‘Decrying about the death of synagogues is going to be the death of synagogues,’ Ron Wolfson writes. Read this book to be inspired by the life of synagogues and other sacred communities, as you get to listen in on some of the most skilled practitioners in the field. The passion and best practices that can be found in these pages will help us meet new challenges with good humor and with hope.”