10 | SEPTEMBER 28 • 2023 
J
N

opinion

How Artifical Intelligence Can 
Renew Engagement at Shul
W

ith the influx 
of social and 
traditional media 
and the paradox of choice, 
it’s becoming increasingly 
hard to gain the interest of 
consumers. 
Whether it be 
a Fortune 500 
company trying 
to sell a product 
or a government 
leader aiming 
to get votes, 
keeping people 
engaged is more challenging 
than ever. 
Religion and faith-based 
communities face similar 
hurdles, with the added 
difficulty of attracting a 
younger demographic, “The 
TikTok generation.” It’s not 
enough that congregation 
attendance dwindled over the 
past years; the COVID-19 
pandemic only accelerated 
this trend as doors shut down 
temporarily. Interestingly, 
a recent survey shows that 
the pandemic did not affect 
Americans’ religious identity, 
but specifically affected 
attendance all across the 
board. 
Today, congregations must 
re-engage an audience that 
once stepped foot in the 
synagogue, as well as garner 
the interest of younger 
Gen Z worshippers. These 
young followers often rely 
on TikTok rabbis who fulfill 
their “culturally Jewish” 
congregants’ needs digitally, 
further taking people away 
from physical houses of 

worship. 
This challenge creates a 
ripple effect on religious 
communities: as attendance 
decreases, so does the giving 
and membership dues that 
keep these communities 
afloat.
Another effect of the 
pandemic on synagogues has 
been the adoption of newer 
technology. Although the 
relationship between religion 
and technology is complex, 
we saw synagogues adopt 
new software technology 
at an unprecedented rate 
during this time. As many 
communities were placed 
under lockdown, these 
organizations could not keep 
the lights on. 
Without in-person 
services, options for 
maintaining community life 
were close to none. With this 
struggle came the need to 
reinvent the rules. It became 
clear that in order to increase 
operating efficiency, improve 
communications and grow 
member retention rates, 
synagogues needed to turn to 
technology and software to 
make it happen.
However, the existing 
software only provides a 
partial solution. Existing 
software is challenging to 
use, implement and lacks 
the utilization of advanced 
technology. That’s why 
software solutions that 
will swiftly incorporate AI 
capabilities with a user-
focused perspective are 
poised to lead a much-

needed transformation in 
this domain.
Most importantly, artificial 
intelligence is changing 
the game for faith-based 
organizations by creating 
more meaningful ways to 
maintain community. 

AI HELPS CREATE 
CONTENT AND 
PROGRAMMING THAT 
RESONATES.
The main benefit of AI is 
that it provides knowledge 
and insights otherwise 
unavailable to community 
leaders. Through AI, 
congregations can 
understand which events 
attract the most members, 
which sermon topics lead 
to higher engagement, as 
well as what influences the 
attendance of prayer services. 
 In this way, congregation 
leaders can provide the 
community with more 
of what it is responding 
positively to.
When it comes to 
attracting younger 
demographics like Gen Z, 
understanding the content 
that resonates with these 
members is essential.
With AI-powered tools, 
rabbis and staff can automate 
data entry (like capturing 
attendance records) and 
extract this information 
quickly, thus shaping the 
organization’s programming, 
content and missions.

AI HELPS BUILD LONG-
TERM STRATEGY IN 
A WAY THAT WASN’T 
AVAILABLE BEFORE.
The ability of AI to analyze 
large volumes of data makes 
identifying trends, patterns 
and correlations easier. By 
analyzing member data, 
engagement patterns and 
demographics, clergy may 
even be able to predict 
engagement, participation 
and retention rates. This 
means that congregation 
leaders can develop strategies 
to increase engagement.

AI ALLOWS FOR 
HYPER-SPECIFIC 
PERSONALIZATION 
THAT LEADS TO DEEPER 
CONNECTIONS.
By creating individualized 
outreach based on hyper-
specific segmentation, 
customizing messaging, 
or even inviting members 
based on interests or past 
engagements, congregations 
are able to foster a stronger 
connection between 
the organization and its 
members.
Initiating contact during 
highly specific life events 
and providing assistance 
during individuals’ personal 
challenges, even through 
digital channels, plays a 
significant role in nurturing 
profound and meaningful 
relationships. For example, 
consistently reaching out 
to a widow after the loss 
of a spouse or maintaining 
weekly follow-ups with 

PURELY COMMENTARY

Lior Shabat

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