Timely Program Ideas
Now online!
From Jewish Living Now Congregational Programming
The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, Department of Congregational Programming, has published and continues to publish periodic Timely Program Ideas. These congregational pamphlets are meant to provide congregations with specific programming suggestions and to spark new and original program ideas. What follows is a list of available Timely Program Ideas (TPIs), any of which can be ordered from USCJ. You can now link directly to these publications online.
- TPI #1: Shabbat at Home - Programming for Friday night at home.
- TPI #2: Putting “Mitzvah” Back into the Bar/Bat Mitzvah - Programs for Bar/Bat Mitzvah students focusing on continued learning and fulfillment of the mitzvot.
- TPI #3: The Family Bar/Bat Mitzvah - Programs that stress the importance of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah for both the students and their families.
- TPI #4: Autumn: The High Holidays and Beyond - Selichot through Sukkot.
- TPI #5: Making Each Day Count - Programs focusing on the counting of the Omer and Tikun Leyl Shavuot, the traditional study session, on the first evening of Shavuot.
- TPI #6: Keeping Shabbat - Programs focusing on the Shabbat day, both in the synagogue and at home.
- TPI #7: Sukkot in July - Includes how to prepare both physically and spiritually for the holiday of Sukkot as well as some Sukkot programming ideas.
- TPI #8: Building a Morning Minyan - How to encourage congregants to attend a weekday minyan and how to make new/potential members feel comfortable in the synagogue.
- TPI #9: “Let All Who Are Hungry Come and Eat” - How to incorporate tzedakah and hospitality with the Passover holiday.
- TPI #10: Shalach Manot - This TPI explains how to set up a congregational Shalach Manot program on Purim.
- TPI #11: Fundraising in the Congregation - A step by step guide to successful fundraising, including some creative fundraising ideas.
- TPI #12: Setting Up a Jewish Home Guide for Jewish Soon-To-Be-Weds - A description of important items that are vital to own and use in any Jewish home.
- TPI #13: Mitzvot - How Much Do You Know? Two Exercises Intended to Spark New Programming Ideas - Two matching games that test knowledge of vital mitzvot, the Jewish Wedding and Kashrut. These are exercises that the ritual/religious committee should try and discuss.
- TPI #14: Instant Siyum: SIMHATORATHON - A Program for Sukkot or Shavuot Includes details of a Torah learning program that involves the entire congregation as both students and teachers.
- TPI #15: Fixing the World: Tikun Olam Holding a Social Service Fair - A program that allows the congregation to creatively allocate tzedakah that has been collected from congregants' individual tzedakah boxes.
- TPI #16: Tzedakah: Caring About Our Community - Holding a Charity Fair - A program that allows the congregation to creatively allocate tzedakah that has been collected from congregants' individual tzedakah boxes.
- TPI #17: Involving Post Bar/Bat Mitzvah Students in Synagogue Life - Programs that encourage and reward post Bar/Bat Mitzvah students for their continued involvement.
- TPI #18: Dressing Up Jewish - The mitzvot of tzitzit, talit,and tefillin are the clothing of the Jews. Men and women can fulfill these commandments. Many programmatic ideas.
- TPI #19: Virtual Visit to Synagogue/No Strings Attached - Two membership outreach ideas. Set up a website tour of your synagogue; and a series of kindness gestures to connect potential members to your community.
We are always looking for new successful program ideas. If your congregation has a successful program and is willing to share its success with other USCJ synagogues, please send a description of the program and any relevant material to USCJ, 155 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010-6802 or contact Rabbi Moshe Edelman by phone at (212) 533-7800 x2205 or edelman@uscj.org.
