Come make a difference at Adath.

Director of Young Adult and Family Life

Adath Jeshurun Congregation, a thriving Conservative congregation of 1,250 households, seeks a Director of Young Adult and Family Life. This go-getter will build on the success of and vision for Makom (young adults) and HaLev: Families Growing Together, powered inside and outside the walls of the synagogue.

Equally comfortable initiating contact on social media, in a coffee shop, and by the entrance of the preschool, the Director will be highly organized, detail oriented, and reliable in initiation, planning, and execution. We are invested in deepening relationships and not pushing people in and out the door for the next event.

This person will be a network weaver who connects dots among people and programs. Co-creating experiences with lay leaders, not simply presenting them, will be essential for multilayered and meaningful relationships to flourish. The Director will grow the visions of Makom and HaLev with supervision from our Director of Congregational Life, Anna Simon, in the Center for Learning and Spirituality and Rabbi Aaron Weininger. The support of the programming staff, Gan Shelanu staff, administrative staff, and lay leaders will also help our Director thrive.

What you’ll do:

• Learn about the existing visions for Makom and HaLev and develop a plan to build one-to-one relationships with young adults and families by meeting them where they live, work, study, and play throughout the Twin Cities. Translate those one-to-one relationships to community building activities, camp engagement, parent-child (including early childhood in Gan Katan) and young adult learning opportunities, moments of prayer, shared meals, hesed projects, and leadership cultivation that makes our community the most vibrant it can be, firing on all cylinders.
• Continue building an active Shabbat/holiday community inside and outside the walls of the synagogue including, but not limited to: planning logistics and attending monthly Makom Fridays, creating activities on Friday evenings, Shabbat mornings, and during holidays for families (adults and children).
• Take a critical look, in collaboration with lay leaders, clergy, and programming staff, at High Holy Day young adult and family offerings and be a team player in executing that vision for evening and day-time offerings on Jewish holidays, including Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah.
• Develop marketing, social media, and content for a vibrant Makom and HaLev web presence, devise ongoing communications, and maintain participant tracking database. Develop and oversee an accessible system for staff to follow up with major lifecycle and transitional moments, including engagements, weddings, baby namings, transitions in and out of preschool, and relocation to the Twin Cities of transplants and lifelong Minnesotans.

What you won’t do:

• Be at a desk from 9-5.
• Throw programming on the calendar and hope it sticks.

Strategic, intentional planning of programming will also be essential for the sake of connecting people to one another and the joy of Jewish living; not just to have another program. This full-time, 40 hour per week position comes with enormous flexibility and therefore requires great discipline. It comes with an understanding that you won’t be working the same hours each day or from the same spot. Your regular presence in this role on Shabbat and holidays is essential and at other congregation-wide gatherings. Your willingness to meet and plan programs on evenings and Sundays is vital to yours and our shared success.

You will bring:

• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in the field.
• Self-starter with strong interpersonal skills to help each person chart a path through the many doorways of Jewish life.
• An entrepreneurial spirit - things may not always go according to plan, but you understand that learning and ambiguity are part of developing great new opportunities.
• Confidence initiating, planning, running and evaluating programs.
• Effective time management skills, follow through and attention to detail.
• Stellar communication and active listening skills.
• An ability to work independently and collaboratively with a big smile.
• An inability to leave the grocery store without making a new friend.
• A willingness to admit what you don’t know, and excitement to grow in those areas.
• Creative problem-solving skills.
• Excitement in further developing your own relationship to Judaism.
• Abilities to play a musical instrument and lead a community in song are pluses.

 
You will receive:

• A competitive salary with benefits.
• Professional development, mentoring, and skill building opportunities.
• A congregational family standing behind you and supporting your Jewish journey.
• Plenty of caffeine from all your coffee dates.  

Please submit your resume and a detailed description of relevant professional experiences to Barb Fishman, President of Adath Jeshurun Congregation, at president@adath.net. Also include a statement outlining the qualities you possess that you feel make you an ideal match.

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