I recently participated in a discussion with a small task force that revolved around how we engage more people in the Jewish community. The Pew Research Center Survey of the Jewish community released last October revealed that "connection to community" was low on the list of ways in which individuals identify Jewishly. So, the attention being paid to increased involvement in the "organized" Jewish community makes sense to those vested in preserving those institutions. But, while I was sitting in the meeting, I began wondering whether we were approaching this with the right perspective.

  

Most of those in the meeting were focused on making individual community members aware of the "value" they could receive in the organized Jewish community. Certainly, there is much value being offered by our synagogues, schools, and Jewish communal institutions. If only about 20% of Jews, according to Pew, are viewing connection to the community as important to their Jewish identity, then is their lack of acknowledgement of this "value" the issue, or is what they consider to be "of value" different than what the institutions offer? And, if this is the case, then shouldn't we be asking those who we want to engage, "what is valuable to you?," rather than focusing on the lack of awareness of the value as the root problem?

  

As Pesach is approaching quickly (too quickly some might say), we deep into all of our many preparations - cleaning, cooking, and, for me, thinking how we can make our Seder more meaningful for all our participants. It is a good time to keep the "value" discussion in mind. Involving my family and guests in a conversation about what they find meaningful in our celebration will be more engaging than me designing a Seder that provides everything I think is "of value." An overwhelmingly large percentage of all Jews participate in a Seder. Let's all work to make sure they find value in the experience.

  

Shabbat Shalom.