Fasten your seatbelts and get on board for the ride of your life!!

I still remember when Simone and I moved to Boca Raton as the shul’s Youth Directors. Ayala had just turned two, Avigayil was a newborn and we said we would give Boca a try for two years and then move back to Baltimore. Now that I’m beginning my twelfth year, there is no looking back and I am thankful to BRS for giving me the opportunity to work in our community. I truly believe that each position that I have held has given me the ability to get to this turning point. The BRS Outreach Revolution and the Boca Raton Jewish Experience are about to begin an all new season and this year will absolutely have a major impact on the Boca Raton Jewish community. If you thought that last year was big, wait till you see what we have in store for this year. Everyone from BRS is asking how to get involved again this year. Will we be running the same programs? Which Shabbos will we be running SOS? What do I do when I get “bageled” in Publix?

Over the past year we had a chance to experiment with many different beginner programs. We worked with a number of different national and international outreach organizations and also came up with a number of our own creative programs. But just because a program works well in one community doesn’t mean that it will work in our community. There were programs that failed, and others that didn’t give us the results that we had anticipated, but that’s all part of the learning process. At the end of the day BRS was singled out by NJOP, the National Jewish Outreach Program and Aish Hatorah for our accomplishments and BRS showed the world that you could have a successful synagogue based outreach movement. Something else that also made a huge difference in our outreach initiative was the fact that we had so many “outreach ambassadors” working on behalf of the BRS Outreach Revolution. The effort that you have extended to help show someone the beauty of Judaism is remarkable. I can’t even tell you how many other communities have asked us how did I do it, and I tell them it’s not me it’s the members of Boca Raton Synagogue who are doing it.

If you feel like you are missing that spark, that bit of energy that you know you once felt, I urge you to get more involved in our outreach movement. Your day will not be the same, your week will be a different week, and the best part is you don’t have to sit down to study anything new. All you need to do is find that one piece of Jewish life that speaks to you and share that with someone else. I promise you that you won’t regret it and you will feel happier and inspired.

Last year we learned what worked and we are expanding all of the successful programs. Of course there will be another SOS, in fact two of them have already been scheduled, and so much more is on the way.
This is the year that you will make a difference in someone else’s life but more importantly in your own life! To get involved and to find out more information, please contact me anytime!!

Inspire yourself to inspire other’s…

Josh