Author Archives: joshuarabin

In my hardest moments as a Conservative rabbi, I remember that most of the people critiquing how we do what we do are not cynical commentators who chose to abandon that which they could transform, or who never chose this … Continue reading →

Generations upon generations have passed since the destruction of the Second Temple, and what drives our connection to this physical place is not that any of us can say that we saw it with our eyes, but that we heard … Continue reading →

Despite living in an organizational world where we preach the gospel of “metrics” and “data-driven decision making,” those trends cannot buttress the fact that, in general, foundations want to prove that their grantmaking decisions were right, professionals want to demonstrate … Continue reading →

Shavuot encourages us to remember that great things happen when we start from the premise of giving for the sake of giving.  The more we take the stance that giving is something to be done for its own sake, the … Continue reading →

As we approach Purim, leaders need to think about their vision of the Jewish future as informed by the Jewish past.  But to the extent that we can, all of us must remember the Jews of the present, who need … Continue reading →

I am an unapologetic Chabad fanboy.   In 2019, this hardly makes me unique. Ask any Jewish leader about effective tactics for engaging the under-engaged and little time will pass before the conversation turns to the ways in which Chabad is … Continue reading →

Sometimes, I question whether or not the Jewish organizations play a finite game, where organizations and foundations pick winners and losers and where professionals jockey for influence, or an infinite game, where all of us join together to ensure the … Continue reading →

Tu B’Shevat challenges each of us to see every living being as something worthy of complete attention and care.  And if we are to treat every living being with that level of attention lest we forget the majesty of God’s … Continue reading →

Hanukkah presents an opportunity to use the simple act of lighting the Hanukkiyah for eight nights as an opportunity to give attention to the power of ordinary, daily work at sustaining our congregations.    Miracles inspire us and lead to transformation, and they … Continue reading →

In 2016, I published an article in eJewishPhilanthropy about disruptive innovation, specifically citing Chabad as a paradigm of a disruptive technology affecting the business model of traditional congregations.    Last month, this article was quoted by Chabad Lubavitch in an … Continue reading →