“A community is too heavy for anyone to carry alone,” says the Midrash, or ancient Jewish commentary, found in Deuteronomy Rabbah 1:10.

Social media guru Allison Fine came to Greater Hartford on November 1 to advise Jewish communal leaders on this very topic. Fine, the author of Matterness and Momentum and a pre-eminent guide to the social media revolution, was the keynote speaker and facilitator of the “Pitfalls, Potholes and Roadblocks” leadership conference held at Congregation Beth Israel in West Hartford. 

The conference is part of the “Community Connections: Leadership and Change” program presented by the Commission on Jewish Education and Leadership, which is part of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford. The program is supported by a grant from the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford.

“Pitfalls, Potholes and Roadblocks” was specifically designed for Community Connectors, on-site leadership guides in the Greater Hartford Jewish community who serve as internal catalysts to build leadership capacity and harness innovation within their organizations. Twenty-five individuals representing 12 different synagogues, agencies, and day and community schools participated in the conference. 

Fine’s presentation focused on the concept of Matterness, which emphasizes the value of each person’s voice in a truly connected world – both on land and online. Conference attendees developed specific steps to implement new experiments in leadership and organizational change in the institutions they represent. Fine will be available for monthly follow-ups with the Community Connectors as they carry out their experiments.

“Allison challenged us to think in new ways from working at passive constituents to working with active constituents, so that we can form broader partnerships and engage people to co-create community change,” said Dr. Sandy Dashefsky, executive consultant with the Commission on Jewish Education and Leadership.

To learn more about “Community Connections: Leadership and Change,” please contact Dr. Sandy Waldman Dashefsky at 860.202.5425.