|
|
January 17, 2003/Shevat 14 5763, Vol. 55, No. 21
Expanding our reach
FLORENCE ECKSTEIN
Publisher
How do we welcome a stranger? We can take our lead from Abraham, who eagerly ran to greet three visitors, invited them into his tent and offered them food and rest. (Genesis 18)
An astonishing 93 percent of Valley Jews came here from somewhere else according to the 2002 Greater Phoenix Jewish Community Study. In the past decade, about 18,500 Jewish families have moved here.
While absorbing these new residents may appear daunting, their arrival offers a reason to greet them with open doors, minds and hearts, to expand our communal and personal horizons. So many bring with them the gift of experience, energy and perspective.
There's no foolproof formula for effective outreach. It demands a broad-spectrum approach to communications, programs and venues - both traditional and innovative.
What's happening at the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus, which opened just four months ago at a highly visible, accessible location on Scottsdale Road, speaks volumes. Dena Robins, who oversees Shalom Newcomers for the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix, says information-seekers now stop by to talk, something that rarely happened when the federation offices were in Central Phoenix, where she worked mostly by phone and mail.
The Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center at the Scottsdale community campus has grown to 1,650 members, according to Executive Vice President Mark Shore. Its preschool, state-of-the-art athletic facilities, and cultural and educational programs are attracting Jewish residents from throughout the Valley.
More than 2,000 people descended on the campus this past Sunday to visit the VOSJCC's Tradeshow 2003, where 125 Jewish businesses and organizations promoted merchandise and services. Our Jewish News staff was there in force, meeting and greeting current readers and advertisers and introducing our weekly newspaper to 40 new paid subscribers in just one day.
Throughout the year we do engage in many marketing efforts: mailing introductory copies to new Jewish residents, collaborating with groups for new subscribers, and promoting our presence through our Web site, www.jewishaz.com. We participate in chambers of commerce and networking groups.
Valley synagogues are searching for new ways to increase membership, as Staff Writer Jessica Barber writes in her Page 1 story this week. Experience suggests that publicizing a range of programs and events - from a well-regarded lecturer, to a singles' Shabbat enhanced by music and a delectable oneg spread, to a booth at a shopping mall, to a family ice-skating Sunday - is likely over time to draw in strangers who come for a visit and decide to stay.
ASU Hillel Rabbi Barton Lee voices an "ongoing commitment" to connecting with Jewish students on Valley campuses. In carrying out our shared commitment, we can model ourselves after Abraham, and reach out warmly to draw newcomers in.
Contact the writer at flo_eckstein@jewishaz.com.
|
