Aryeh Rachlin was the chairman of the board at a critical juncture when the Nitzanim community was plateauing and in between spritual leadership.
Aryeh discusses the origins of Nitzanim and the challenges and successes of maintaining community engagement as the synagogue has grown, emphasizing the importance of programming, leadership, and the role of dedicated members in fostering a sense of belonging while navigating demographic changes and cultural differences.
85% of community building is the same. Regardless if the community is in person or digital, religious, sports, or hobby based, its members will encounter the same challenges trying to build the initial group and continue to grow it without losing its mission. That's the hypothesis I'm out to prove.
Welcome to the Community Blueprints podcast. I’m your host Reuven Kirshner, a founder of the Carmei Zion community in Carmei Gat, and in this podcast I’m going to dive into community building through a combination of interviews with other community founders and leaders and solo episodes on specific topics.
For example:
What are the origins of a particular community? What was the sequence of events that led to its start?
How much community building happens because of external factors like location and how much is the effort of people to build institutions?
How crucial is setting a mission statement and how much effort is redefining a vision after getting started?
Does the 80/20 rule apply to communities where 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people? How can that be changed to get more engagement from more people?
How do internal and external politics play a role in a community?
What is the ideal balance of old and new leadership and how to inculcate an environment of mutual responsibility to one another?
There is so much to unpack in the world of community and human nature thirsts for community. I hope you enjoy this ride for me and you get to appreciate what goes on behind the scenes to build and evolve communities. Maybe it will even lead you to take the ownership to start or help your community take it to the next level.
Episodes will be available on Spotify, Apple, and other platforms. Oh, and if you have a community you think should be highlighted or a topic that needs a deeper dive, reach out and let me know.
Keep building y’all!