AJOP Update: Americans: Undecided About G-d

December 15, 2011 - 19 Kislev 5772

AJOP Convention Program Highlights

Register Here for AJOP Convention January 15-17, 2012

Social Media & Outreach: The Next Frontier? Digital Media Training 1/17/12

Market or Die: A 2 Part Marketing Workshop at the 2012 AJOP Convention

Full Day Counseling Training Seminar at the AJOP Convention

Tough Times Fundraising? Rabbi Yitz Greenman Says Maybe You're Doing This Wrong

Eye-Opening AJOP Study by Dr. David Pelcovitz Debunks Major Misconceptions About Baalei Teshuva

OUTREACH

Americans: Undecided About G-d

PHILANTHROPY/FUNDRAISING

ADL and AJC Suffer Big Drop in Jewish Donations

Philanthropist Jay Ruderman Leads New Push to Help Disabled

NORTH AMERICA

The Koshering of the White House

Colorado City Band Menorah, Keeps Xmas Tree

What's Antisemitic?

ISRAEL

Chief Rabbi Metzger Offered Britain's Top Rabbinical Post

Guests Asked to' Dress Modestly' for IDF Ceremony

43.2% of Israelis Believe Rabbis Influence IDF Too Much

INTERNATIONAL

Dutch Withdraw Bill Banning Ritual Slaughter

Germany to Pay Budapest Ghetto Survivors

ARTICLES OF INTEREST

A Jewish Birth Boom?

Matisyahu Shaves Beard

Founder of Gene Screening Project Wins Jewish Communal Heroes Award

Second Last Chance Operation to Catch Nazi War Criminals Launched

To View Our Archives of Past Newsletters

AJOP Board

RABBINIC AUTHORITIES

HaRav Shmuel Kamenetsky

HaRav Yaakov Perlow

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Rabbi Ilan Feldman

Atlanta, GA

Rabbi Yaacov Haber

Jerusalem, Israel

Mr. Richard Horowitz

Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Yehoshua Karsh

Northbrook, IL

Dr. David Lieberman

Lakewood, NJ

Rabbi Yitzchok Lowenbraun

National Director

Rabbi Shlomo Porter

Baltimore, MD

Mr. Jeff Schachter Esq.

Passaic, NJ

Mr. Frank Storch

Baltimore, MD

HaRav Michel Twerski

Milwaukee, WI

Mr. Jerry Wolasky

Baltimore, MD

ADVISORY BOARD

Mr. Mark Bane

Lawrence, NY

Mr. Jonathan Beren

Denver, CO

Dr. Robert Edelman

Baltimore, MD

Rabbi Avraham Edelstein

Jerusalem, Israel

Dr. Michael J Elman

Baltimore, MD
Rabbi David Felsenthal
New York, NY

Mr. Howard Tzvi Friedman

Baltimore, MD

Mr. Joseph Friedman

Olney, MD
Mr. Harvey Hecker

Toronto, ONT

Mr. Stephen Rosedale

Cincinnatti, OH

Rabbi Simcha Scholar

Brooklyn, NY

Rabbi Dovid Refson

Jerusalem, Israel

Mr Gary Torgow

Detroit, MI

Rabbi Abraham Twerski, MD

Teaneck, NJ

Social Media & Outreach: The Next Frontier?

With every online avenue easily accessible, how can you best promote your organization, event or campaign and get people through the door and coming back for more? Can you be successful just by sticking to places like Facebook and Twitter? If so, how? Does it pay to have a strategy in place? When do you need to "pound the pavement" in the real world and when can you turn to your social media strategy?

Successful digital strategist Dave Weinberg discusses successes and failures from his own playbook as well as other models of campaigns and events from around the world. Learn to better identify opportunities and capitalize on them in order to achieve your goals. Successful recruitment is the key to success in the outreach world. In this half day seminar, learn from the best how to use digital media to maximize your potential and achieve your goals.

Tuesday January 17, 2012 at the AJOP Convention

Click Here to Register for the Social Media Seminar

Market or Die: A 2 Part Marketing Workshop at the 2012 AJOP Convention

In today's outreach world, there's no room for weak, ineffective marketing. Join this two-part workshop and discover the 3M's of Marketing: the right Market, the right Medium, and the right Message. This 2-part program will focus on both time-tested marketing fundamentals and innovative marketing strategies.

Marketing veteran Yaakov (Jon) Goldman will share 10 1/2 secrets to recruiting more participants and raising more money. Among the eye-opening case studies you will discover in this workshop series are:

How his company increased pre-registration 10X for a nonprofit event
How he helped The Atlanta Hawks score a 50% response rate with new season ticket holders
How one strategy boosted a referral campaign from 120 to 1,111
How he helped the Direct Marketing Association of Washington DC with new member recruitment
How one company achieved a 97% response rate and $60 million in sales
How he helped Häagen-Dazs achieve a 37% response rate

If you are in the trenches of the kiruv world, then you are in the communications business - so learn how to do it right. Mark Twain said The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. Don't miss this entertaining two-part workshop featuring real-world examples, interactive training, and bottom-line recommendations on strategies for use with program participants, donors, referral sources, partners, and volunteers.

Full Day Counseling Training Seminar Featuring Rabbi Mordecai Twerski, Dr. Abraham J. Twerski, and Dr. David Pelcovitz

This session will deal with the issues and challenges that present themselves on a regular basis in your work. You will have the opportunity to learn from and ask questions of some of the leading experts in the field.

Monday January 16, 2012 at the Annual International AJOP Convention Stamford Plaza Hotel, Stamford CT.

No Charge for Convention Attendees

$150 for Non-Convention Attendees, lunch included

Eye-Opening AJOP Study by Dr. David Pelcovitz Debunks Major Misconceptions about Baalei Teshuva

Don't let anyone tell you Baalei Teshuva parents have more kids "at risk." A new study by Dr. David Pelcovitz shows that the rate of kids "at risk" is consistent across frum families of all backgrounds. This comprehensive study of over five hundred families confirmed what many of us knew or suspected already: the children of Baalei Teshuva are as likely to succeed in Jewish life as their peers overall.

Dr. Pelcovitz's study also identified four key risk factors for youth "at risk." Not a single one is specific to Baalei Teshuva. However, all are areas that Baalei Teshuva might find especially challenging.

In short: Baalei Teshuva parents may face some special challenges...but they may not be what everybody thinks they are. (It is noteworthy that an unrelated study was conducted simultaneously in Israel and found substantially similar results.)

At the 2012 AJOP Convention on January 15-17 at the Stamford Plaza Hotel (Stamford, CT), Dr. David Pelcovitz will present his findings in detail from this study of five hundred Torah observant families, and he will offer practical suggestions for helping Baal Teshuva parents and their children. The presentation will include:

Understanding and recognizing the four key risk factors for kids at risk

A simple (but underused) tactic to help Baalei Teshuva succeed in the long term

What Baal Teshuva parents need to know about raising FFB kids

A special heads-up for campus Mekarvim

Tough Times Fundraising? Rabbi Yitz Greenman Says Maybe You're Doing This Wrong...

Fundraising is hard enough. A simple change in focus might make it five times easier.

Rabbi Yitz Greenman of Aish NY knows fundraising is no easy task. But he's also seen that successful fundraisers typically have a few traits in common. Most important, they stick to it no matter what. They're also highly motivated because they recognize the importance of the work they are doing.

Another key factor is as simple as where they focus their efforts. Rabbi Greenman refers to this as the 80/20 rule of fundraising: "Eighty percent of your donations come from 20 percent of your donors," he explains. "Focus on knowing who your critical 20 percent are. Focus on them." This trims your pool of donors down to the one-fifth where your efforts are most likely to pay off.

Rabbi Yitz Greenman shares more of his knowledge and experience about fundraising during a one-day seminar on January 15 at the 2012 AJOP Convention at the Stamford Plaza Hotel in Stamford, CT.

Heritage Retreats Winter Trips

This winter, Heritage Retreats is running both men's and women's programs. The women's program runs December 25, 2011- January 1, 2012 and the men's program runs January 1-8, 2012. We will be staying in the Elcaptain Canyon Lodge in Santa Barbara CA. The cost of the trip is $199 excluding airfare. Scholarships are available.

Students will be able to mountain bike, swim, play basketball, ropes course, or take a nature walk on one of the local trails. There will be inspiring lectures including Hollywood personalities who will reflect on their lives as Jews in the film industry. All other information is available on our website at www.heritageretreats.com.

Americans: Undecided About G-d

An Article by The New York Times

With even highly affiliated Jewish teens - and their parents -ranking Judaism at the bottom of their priorities, communal institutions are seeking a "big idea" to reach out to this demographic. Continue Reading

Outreacharticle4

ADL and AJC Suffer Big Drop in Jewish Donations An Article from Haaretz Two of America's oldest, largest and most prominent Jewish organizations are suffering massive slides in public contributions as Jews appear to be turning away from large, multi-issue advocacy groups and toward single-issue organizations. Continue Reading
Philanthropist Jay Ruderman Leads New Push to Help Disabled An Article from JTA A parent with a child who is deaf; a sister with a learning disabled brother. The most outspoken advocates for people with special needs tend to be those who became active because of a personal connection to the issue. Continue Reading

The Koshering of the White House
An Article from The New York Times

How far would you go to assure that your dinner guests could follow their dietary needs? And when do you finally say, through gritted teeth: "Enough already! Would love you to join us, but maybe you should bring your own food. You'll be much happier. And we'll both be more relaxed."

Colorado City Bans Menorah, Keeps Xmas Tree
An Article from ABC 7 News

Jewish leaders are challenging the Evergreen Parks and Recreation officials' decision to prohibit a menorah celebrating Hanukkah from the Evergreen Lake House while keeping a towering tree swathed in Christmas lights beside the building. Continue Reading

What's Antisemitic?
An Article from Politico

Josh Block, who was quoted in my piece yesterday criticizing the Center for American Progress and Media Matters, drew fire for referring in the story to an article posted on their website as "borderline anti-Semitic," and for referring in a subsequent email to "the words of anti-Semites, not Democratic political players." Continue Reading

Chief Rabbi Metzger Offered Britain's Top Rabbinical Post
An Article from Haaretz

Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger was offered to replace Lord Jonathan Sacks as the United Kingdom's chief rabbi, Metzger's office confirmed this week.

Guests Asked to 'Dress Modestly' for IDF Ceremony
An Article from Ynet News

Parents of soldiers who recently completed an IDF medics' course were shocked to discover that in the invitation to the graduation ceremony they were instructed to arrive in "modest clothing." Continue Reading

43.2% of Israelis Believe Rabbis Influence IDF Too Much
An Article from The Jerusalem Post

A new "Kinneret" poll revealed that 43.2 percent of the Israeli public believes that rabbis have too much influence on the IDF. Continue Reading

Dutch Withdraw Bill Banning Ritual Slaughter
An Article from JTA

A bill to ban ritual slaughter was withdrawn by the Dutch Senate days before a scheduled vote. Animal Rights Party leader Marianne Thieme withdrew the bill late Tuesday after a majority of senators expressed their objection to the ban on kosher slaughter, or shechitah.

Germany to Pay Budapest Ghetto Survivors
An Article from The Jewish Week

Erzsebet Benedek was only 11, but the three months she endured under Nazi rule in the Budapest Ghetto with nothing to eat but scraps of bread and watery soup "is something you can never forget." Continue Reading


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A Jewish Birth Boom?
An Article from Ynet News

The common perception that in a few years there will be more non-Jewish Israeli newborns than Jewish ones appears to be detached from reality. Continue Reading

Matisyahu Shaves Beard
An Article from JTA

No more Chassidic reggae superstar. Sorry folks, all you get is me...no alias. When I started becoming religious 10 years ago it was a very natural and organic process. Continue Reading

Founder of Gene Screening Project Wins Jewish Communal Heroes Award
An Article from JTA

The third annual Jewish Community Heroes Award was given to Randy Gold of Atlanta for his work creating the Atlanta Jewish Gene Screen. Continue Reading

Second Last Chance Operation to Catch Nazi War Criminals Launched
An Article from JTA

A last-ditch effort to bring Nazi war criminals to justice in Germany was launched in Berlin. Continue Reading

Please note: The views expressed in the articles featured in this newsletter reflect the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the thinking of the Association for Jewish Outreach Professionals. AJOP serves to disseminate pertinent news to its subscribers.

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