THE POWER OF & A Spiritual Renewa THE FUSION OF DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY- THE 2001 DEVILLE Trial Membership San Francisco temple tries voluntary dues to get rid of shul sticker shock. New York emple Emanu-El in San Francisco had a problem. No matter how hard it tried to promote its innovative Hebrew school, dynamic clergy or range of services, prospective members always had one question: How much does it cost% "They didn't want to know who the rabbi was or what the programs were," recalled Gary Cohn, the tem- ple's executive director. They wanted to know about dues, and we wanted to take that out of the equation." So four years ago the Reform tem- ple did something that is standard marketing in the for-profit world, but unusual for a Jewish organization: It offered one-year trial memberships. Under Temple Emanu-El's policy of "voluntary dues," newcomers are encouraged, but not required, to $549 Per month + tax* $2,000 down, $3,044 due at signing, 36 months,12k per year. Mon. & Thurs. till 9 pm Tues., Wed., Fri. till 6 pm THE POWER OF & THE FUSION OF DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY 7100 Orchard Lake Road (at 14 1/2 Mile) • West Bloomfield 248.851.7200 REMAKING from page 59 Plus all applicable taxes, title, plate with approved credit through GMAC. All rebates to dealer. Must be currently leasing a Cadillac. Photos may not represent actual vehicles. ■•■•■ .•■•■•■ ••• Wishing All of Our Customers a Healthy and Happy New Year From DAVID BLATT and Staff at FIRST ALLIANCE MORTGAGE 877-FIRST-YES (347-7893) www. fi rstal I iance.com 9/29 2000 60 ...• ■ ••••IwIP•P 1 1111 make a contribution the first year. If they stay on as members, they are asked to gradually increase the con- tribution over the next three years to the standard rate: 2 percent of the family's household income, with a suggested minimum of $1,400. Now the shul is attracting approxi- mately 200 new members each year, compared with 50 new members per year before the policy existed. About 65 percent have gone on to become paying members. In a Brandeis University study conducted of Ernanu-El's policy, 78 percent of new members said the dues policy was important in their decision to join the synagogue. About 73 percent of those surveyed had never belonged to a synagogue as adults. Many newcomers — given the choice — actually opted to pay more than they were asked, with one per- son jumping from a $400 contribu- tion to a $4,000 contribution and another going 0 0 from givingnothing to contributing $3,000. armm.. ■ •• .11111111111111.1 r..w mu l h but stands for six "spokes" of syna- gogue life: prayer, institutionalizing change, study, good deeds, ambiance and healing. Formed four years earlier than Synagogue 2000, the ECE has a simi- lar approach and has worked with 14 Reform temples. A project of the Reform movement's Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, ECE encourages congregations to make education central to all syna- gogue activities rather than be simply a function of the religious school. It is not clear whether transforma- tion efforts affect membership num- although proponents says if bers they are successful they ultimately should attract new people. Most involved in the processes say their pri- mary focus is on intensifying the expe- riences of people who are already members. Not everyone is an advocate of change on the institutional level, though. And even some champions of trans- formation efforts, like Agudath Israel's Rabbi Alan Silverstein, question whether Rabbi Hoffman's therapy metaphor is appropriate. "I'm sure Synagogue 2000 didn't hurt us, but we didn't promote it as outreach," says Rabbi Silverstein, not- ing that his synagogue's membership has tripled from approximately 300 to 900 families over the past 20 years. "It's more inreach, to intensify the involvement of those that are mem- bers." While Synagogue 2000 "can elevate the synagogue to another level," says Rabbi Silverstein, "Larry really believes the synagogue is more ill as an institu- tion than I think is the case." Rabbi Silverstein points to a recent study of Conservative congregations indicating that more synagogue mem- bers are regular participants in Shabbat services than were earlier in the last century. Other studies have found young affiliated Conservative Jews are better educated in Judaism than their elders. "The assumption that davening life in the non-Orthodox synagogue is broken, failed or does not exist, I don't accept," says Rabbi Silverstein. "Could it be better? Sure. But we're doing bet- ter than evor before."