Submitted Comments RSS Feed Comments by Bridget Wynne
Posted in: It's Rosh Hashanah -- do you know where your tuchis is?
If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area and would like to be matched for tickets, or to be connected with an independent service that does not require tickets, Jewish Gateways will be glad to help you figure out what services sound best for you, and to help you get tickets if necessary. You can reach us through our website, www.jewishgateways.org, or contact me at rabbibridget@jewishgateways.org, or 510-559-8140. Shanah tovah, where ever you end up on the holidays!
Posted in: Idea #15: Return of the Matchmaker
I've come to the same conclusion, through a different route, and am thrilled to see this as one of the big ideas. Before becoming a rabbi, I worked in community organizing, so naturally brought that lens to rabbinic work. Once I was a rabbi, many people told me their Jewish stories, sometimes just to get it out, sometimes to get my advice. It's like how people tell doctors their medical stories when they meet them socially. The underlying theme of most stories I heard was "I can't be Jewish because . . ." Synagogues are boring, I don't believe in God, I only have one Jewish parent, I don't know enough and it's humiliating, I’m African-American and other Jews always ak how I became Jewish . . . You get the picture. As a congregational rabbi there was not much I could do to be helpful since my responsibilities were to my congregation, which most of these people wouldn't have tried out. All I could think of was to suggest events or classes or Chabad, depending on the person, but I knew they needed more one-on-one help getting past the barriers they had experienced and being connected with the right Jewish "matches" for themselves. Eventually I decided I HAD to respond to this need, and started an organization called Jewish Gateways. We serve people who want to explore Jewish identity and connect to Jewish life and community. We have learning and holiday and family events as ways to welcome people, but our core function is offering them a place to figure out what they want Jewishly, and then to get help personally connecting to people, information, events, and/or institutions through which they can pursue their Jewish interests. Our participants often come to us unsure how to connect, ambivalent about doing so, thinking they can't be Jewish because _______. As they meet others on similar journeys, experience personal support in exploring their situations, learn more about being Jewish in areas of interest to them, and then are able to connect in the broader community in ways that match to them, we see them leap ahead into passionate and confident Jewish lives. It is such a privilege to do this work! Finally, we now see some of our “grads” serving as lay leaders in institutions they’ve decided to join, bringing their understanding of how they felt “before” to that role, and thus helping institutions become better at serving people’s needs. Are there others doing similar work? We’d love to hear from you! rabbibridget@jewishgateways.org
Posted in: Idea #15: Return of the Matchmaker
I've come to the same conclusion through a different route, and am thrilled to see this as one of the big ideas. Before becoming a rabbi, I worked in community organizing, so naturally brought that lens to rabbinic work. Once I was a rabbi, many people told me their Jewish stories, sometimes just to get it out, sometimes to get my advice. It's like how people tell doctors their medical stories when they meet them socially. The underlying theme of most stories I heard was "I can't be Jewish because . . ." Synagogues are boring, I don't believe in God, I only have one Jewish parent, I don't know enough and it's humiliating, I’m African-American and other Jews always ak how I became Jewish . . . You get the picture. As a congregational rabbi there was not much I could do to be helpful since my responsibilities were to my congregation, which most of these people wouldn't have tried out. All I could think of was to suggest events or classes or Chabad, depending on the person, but I knew they needed more one-on-one help getting past the barriers they had experienced and being connected with the right Jewish "matches" for themselves. Eventually I decided I HAD to respond to this need, and started an organization called Jewish Gateways. We serve people who want to explore Jewish identity and connect to Jewish life and community. We have learning and holiday and family events as ways to welcome people, but our core function is offering them a place to figure out what they want Jewishly, and then to get help personally connecting to people, information, events, and/or institutions through which they can pursue their Jewish interests. Our participants often come to us unsure how to connect, ambivalent about doing so, thinking they can't be Jewish because _______. As they meet others on similar journeys, experience personal support in exploring their situations, learn more about being Jewish in areas of interest to them, and then are able to connect in the broader community in ways that match to them, we see them leap ahead into passionate and confident Jewish lives. It is such a privilege to do this work! Finally, we now see some of our “grads” serving as lay leaders in institutions they’ve decided to join, bringing their understanding of how they felt “before” to that role, and thus helping institutions become better at serving people’s needs. Are there others doing similar work? We’d love to hear from you! rabbibridget@jewishgateways.org
Posted in: Op-Ed: Don't cut support to innovative nonprofits
Thank you for this piece, Toby, Shawn, and Martin! Now more than ever our community needs creativity, collaboration, and flexibility. Start-ups and other entrepreneurial endeavors often bring these attributes, plus vision, energy, and excitement. With a small portion of the resources larger organizations need, we can offer enormous "bang for the buck." We also strengthen our community by connecting with many people who might otherwise may never find a way to explore Jewish choices. I've been amazed and touched to see Jews, their family members, and seekers who have longed to connect with Jewish life finally able to do so because of the innovative organizations that speak to their needs. Let's not leave these folks behind. We need them to enrich our Jewish future! Rabbi Bridget Wynne Jewish Gateways (start-up and member of UpStart Bay Area)
RSS Feed Breaking News
Updated 02/10/12 @ 02:32PM EST
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- French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that the solution to the Iran crisis is "never military."
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Posted in: It's Rosh Hashanah -- do you know where your tuchis is?
09/03/10 10:55 PM
Yes, here is another last-minute free High Holiday option. Jewish Gateways offers free, inclusive High Holiday services in the San Francisco Bay Area. Or, if you'd prefer something more traditional, we will help you figure out which synagogue service would be the best match for you, and, if it's not too close to the holiday to be able to reach the synagogue, we can also get free or discounted tickets for you. Learn more at www.jewishgateways.org.