United+Synagogue+of+Hoboken

115 Park Ave Hoboken, NJ 07030 (201) 659-4000
 * United Synagogue of Hoboken, NJ** (Conservative, 280 household units)

Rabbi Robert Scheinberg: roscheinberg@gmail.com Grace Gurman-Chan, Educational Director: gracegurmanchan@gmail.com

"My Jewish Neighborhood" will facilitate lay-led, home-based celebrations of Shabbat and holidays by connecting Jewish households with other Jewish households in their immediate neighborhoods. Hoboken's compact urban environment allows us to recreate some aspects of the tight-knit urban immigrant Jewish community that existed here a century ago, where family and Jewish celebration were an organic part of the life of a city block. We have divided the mile-square town of Hoboken and environs will be divided into six neighborhoods, so that each synagogue member is also part of a 'sub-community' of just a few blocks. Throughout the year, each neighborhood will host a series of hands-on intergenerational Shabbat and holiday events to take place in individual homes. The programs will be planned by synagogue staff and lay leadership, with most of the implementation carried out by residents of the neighborhoods, after training for these lay hosts and facilitators in advance of each program. Participants may find these home-based programs to be more accessible and more easily replicable than professional-led 'institutional' programs, and having Jewish events taking place literally "around the corner" from most Jews in Hoboken lowers the barriers to participation for marginally affiliated Jews and those who are new to the community. Additional events throughout the year will bring people from the various neighborhoods together for study, celebration and an end-of-year Shabbaton. ** Presentation – Legacy Heritage Innovation Project Seminar ** One hundred years ago, Hoboken, New Jersey was home to a large community of Eastern European Jewish immigrants, and tenement apartments and city blocks reverberated with the rhythms and rituals of Jewish life. //“My Jewish Neighborhood”// will facilitate lay-led, home-based celebrations of Shabbat and holidays by connecting Jewish households with other Jewish households in their immediate neighborhoods. Hoboken’s compact urban environment allows us to recreate some aspects of the tight-knit urban Jewish community that existed here a century ago, where family and Jewish celebration were an organic part of the life of a city block.
 * __ “My Jewish Neighborhood” __**
 * __ Project summary: __**

The mile square town of Hoboken and environs will be divided into eight neighborhoods, so that each synagogue member is also part of a ‘sub-community’ of just a few blocks. Over the course of the school year, each neighborhood will host a series of hands-on intergenerational Shabbat and holiday events to take place in individual homes. The programs will be planned by synagogue staff and lay leadership, with most of the implementation carried out by residents of the neighborhoods, after training for these lay hosts and facilitators in advance of each program. Through this training, lay leaders within the groups will be able to play an informal mentoring role for others in the group with less formal Jewish experience. Participants may find these home-based programs to be more accessible and more easily replicable than professional-led ‘institutional’ programs, and having Jewish events taking place literally “around the corner” from most Jews in Hoboken lowers the barriers to participation for marginally affiliated Jews and those who are new to the community.

- The general brochure about the program. - The poster that was displayed in the synagogue lobby during the High Holidays. - One of the five Havdalah invitations that went out (one per host) - Newsletter ad - Shabbat dinner invitation - Jewish Film Festival Flyer - Jewish Film Festival Movie Descriptions - Danny Siegel Weekend Brochure - Flyer for Danny Siegel Weekend - Flyer for Danny Siegel Weekend - Flyer for Danny Siegel Weekend - Email sent out to congregation asking for volunteers for our Shabbat Ark Project - Evite for our Shabbat Ark Project - Ad in Hudson Jewish Newsletter for our Shabbat Ark Project - Shabbat Announcement for Tashlikh & Sukkot Hop Hosts - Sukkah Building and Sukkot Hop Dinner October 2009 Flyer - Evite for the Sukkot Hop - Hudson Jewish Newsletter November 2009 - Shabbat Dinner November 2009 Flyer - Evite for the November 2009 Shabbat Dinner - Hudson Jewish Newsletter December 2009 - Havdalah & Chanukah December 2009 Flyer - Evite for the Havdalah & Chanukah Candle Lighting 2009 - Shabbat Dinner January 2010 Flyer - Evite for January 2010 Shabbat Dinner

Educational materials:
- Agenda for the Shabbat dinner facilitators training - For volunteers who attended the first Orientation session - The havdalah service distributed to all participants. - This poster (11x17) was present at all home havdalah ceremonies. [|Havdalah audio, Rabbi Robert Scheinberg] (mp3 recording) - Outline for houses and projects with corresponding educational material links - Instructions for artist facilitators for the Ark Project - Email to hosts for implementation of the event in their homes - Packet of Shabbat Rituals for the event - Ark Coloring book (included all images used in the project)



- Blessings to recite and post in your sukkah - Blessings to receite with the Lulav and Etrog - Email to Sukkot Hop Hosts - Havdalah & Chanukah Conference Call Notes - Memo to Havdalah & Chanukah Hosts - Songs for Chanukah - Lighting Chanukah Candles - Seder Scenes from Torah Portion duiring Chanukah - Easy Ice Breakers - Creative Ice Breakers

Systemic change:
- Focus Group #1 report, December 2008 - Judy Beck, synagogue consultant, report on focus group #1, December 2008 - Our presentation for LHIP seminar