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The Belonging Project

This cutting edge initiative merges scientific research, relational best practices, and ancient Jewish wisdom.

What if we put belonging at the heart of Jewish communal life?

Background

Humans are hard-wired to thrive when we are in mutually supportive communities. Over the last several decades in North America, though, the ties that bind neighbor to neighbor have weakened, if not snapped completely. We have lost a sense of place, a sense of home, a sense of belonging. We are lonelier than ever before, to the detriment of our physical, mental, and civic health.

Faith communities are uniquely positioned to address this loneliness epidemic. These communities value deep connection, caring, and mutual support. However, we don’t always design our events, programs, staffing, services, and structures to maximize belonging.

"A community is the place where they know your name and where they miss you when you are not there."
Rabbi Jonathan Sack

Pilot

In the spring of 2022, Clal partnered with the Springtide Research Institute to pilot a survey of belongingness in seven synagogues across the U.S. and Canada. Then, we created a custom report of their belonging scores and action recommendations. The aggregate study included 1,100 respondents, and it is the very first scientifically-based, quantitative study of belonging in the Jewish community.

Notable Findings

Since the pilot, over 25 more congregations throughout the US and Canada have undertaken the Belonging Project’s offerings, including the Belonging Index survey, training workshops for lay leaders and staff, and customized coaching and consulting.

Bring Belonging to Your Community

Jewish community institutions of all kinds can maximize belonging. Clal offers a variety of ways to bring The Belonging Project to your community, including:

  • Belonging 101 Workshop: A 1.5 hour introductory, online workshop. This is for congregations and Jewish institutions beginning to focus on building a community of belonging, as well as leaders who want to spark interest in the idea of designing for belonging.
  • Belonging Index: A survey measuring how belonging works in your synagogue community. This is for congregations that want to better understand their current belonging strengths and weaknesses and to receive customized, data-based recommendations for action steps.
  • Half-Day Leadership Retreat: This is for congregations and Jewish institutions seeking guiding principles of designing for belonging and connection among congregants, as well as opportunities for brainstorming and reflection as a leadership team.
  • Congregational Leadership Cohort: Includes workshop, survey, and coaching. This is for congregations that are ready to devote the next year to seriously impacting the experience of your congregants, the direction of your synagogue, and the culture of your community.
  • Scholar-in-Residence: Kick off your community’s belonging work by bringing in a Clal faculty member to teach about belonging in Jewish community
At a Glance
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The Belonging Project

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Testimonials

From Alumni

"Participating in Clal’s Belonging Project and learning from Rabbi Appel is helping our leadership team develop a strategy for moving from being a place where people “join” and may feel “welcome” to being a place where our congregants are “comfortable” and feel they “belong.” Based on the survey and the follow up presentations, we recognize that there are places and programs already in place where we can deepen our relationships and connections organically and intentionally and that we can create more such opportunities. We are grateful to the insights and the tools Clal provided us."
Judy Zeprun KalmanPresident, Congregation B’nai Shalom, Westborough, MA
“When you are a large synagogue, it is easy to either assume that everyone feels connected, or to assume that nobody does. We can experiment with all sorts of programming, relationship building, and other tactics, but without data, those things are akin to throwing spaghetti at the wall, however well intentioned. "
Belonging Project Participant
“Working with Clal and Springtide Research has provided us with actual feedback and, even better, the targeted areas where we can focus on building our sense of belonging among our 2700 families. This opportunity has taken us from guessing to knowing, an invaluable gift indeed.”
Jodi BermanAssociate Executive Director, Wilshire Boulevard Temple, Los Angeles, CA
“It was eye-opening that not everybody felt welcomed at synagogue the way we do, and we got to hear why. We realize we have to shift if we want to continue being the synagogue we are.”
Belonging Project Participant
“The Belonging Project found a really great way to provide information that most people are thinking about, but don’t have the language for or the resources to guide them in the right direction.”
Belonging Project Participant
“It is vital people feel like they have places where they belong and that’s really what we’re here to provide. [We’re not just] a place for somebody to pray sometimes or to donate their old books. We’re really trying to build community, where people feel like they are authentically a part of it. I think that [The Belonging Project] helps give the toolkit for that.”
Belonging Project Participant

Is this for me?

To learn more about The Belonging Project or to bring Clal to your institution, fill out this form. We look forward to being in touch!