36 | AUGUST 3 • 2023 

beyond. “To kind of know the 
scene, that’s a big part of it, 
and then in terms of problem 
solving, having a toolbox of 
social work methodology 
to say ‘this is how we 
understand a problem, this 
is how we might want to 
intervene, these are the kinds 
of concerns that come to 
mind,’” he says. 
Goldman also modeled 
how to work in a field that 
is one’s passion, Ehrlich 
says. Today he works as 
a spiritual leader and 
operations/engagement 
manager at Ferndale-
based Reconstructionist 
Congregation T’chiyah 
alongside Rabbi Alana Alpert.
With strong administrative 
skills and Jewish knowledge, 
he manages the office, com-
munications, social media, 
volunteers and more for the 
congregation of about 200. 
“This is really an oppor-
tunity, a space where I get 
to exercise a lot of creativity 
through the lens of Jewish 
expression, which is just so 
dear to my heart, so it’s very 
fulfilling work,” he says. 
Ehrlich’s role allows him 
to do work he’s proud of, 
including exploring the 
needs of the community 
and responding actively and 
supportively, he says. One 
such project is a curriculum 
he developed called Jewish 
Journeys for adult Jewish 
learners. 
“It’s been really impactful 
in people’s lives, so it’s 
attracted people of all ages,” 
he says. “It’s a delight to 
do the curriculum design 
and to teach the classes and 
experiment with different 
ways for people to deepen 
and express their Jewishness.”

With Jewish community 
work still a newly profes-
sionalizing field, he says 
employees are sometimes still 
navigating the boundaries 
around their work, and the 
balance between having a 
workplace with a family-feel 
and expectations on time-
bound demands. In Chicago 
and Los Angeles, he says, 
Jewish Federation workers are 
unionizing as a result. 
“I think a big part of it is 
having some clarity around 
if we’re Jewish communal 
workers, that’s a role and 
that’s a job, and it does not 
need to be the totality of 
our identity,” he says. “
And 
it’s important to have some 
degree of separation, to carve 
out some space to say ‘OK, 
this is where my job stops, 
and this is where the rest of 
me begins.’”
While any nonprofit work 
or job a person is personally 
invested in can blur the work- 
life balance boundary, JFS’s 
Gordon says she makes sure 
to build in time for herself 
throughout the day. That 
includes taking a walk during 
her lunch break, eating 
with coworkers and even 
mindfulness via breathing 
exercises. 
“It seems silly to just tell 
people to breathe or make 
time during the day to 
breathe and think about their 
breathing, but it really does 
work,” she says. 
“I know it helps to carve 
out a few minutes every day 
for myself because we can’t 
pour from an empty cup if we 
get burned out because we’re 
putting others first or are at 
work all the time, that will 
lead to not being able to focus 
on work.” 

OUR COMMUNITY

continued from page 34

