Us . Yes. So this was the Largest Survey of Jewish Community life in the bay area that has ever been done. It confirmed thingsway new and it gave us a lot of new information about our population. First of all we are the fourth largest Jewish Community in the country. We have 473,000 People Living in jewish households in the bay area. That is a lot of people. And what we heard is that not all of them are jewish. There are members of jewish households who consider themselves part of a jewish family, but themselves have other identities. Many jews have multiple identities, one of the most Diverse Communities in the country in terms of the Jewish Community. Jews have color, lgbtq, people who come people whose families come from spain, from the middle east and north africa, israeli, russians so it is a large and diverse Jewish Community and a young Jewish Community so there are a lot of young people proportionally and many of them come and go. They move here from other places. They leave when they realize it is too expensive to raise children here or move to other affordable parts of the bay area so there is a lot of mobility. A lot of economic in security. And as i said massive diversity and there is a core of active and involved jewish people. We call them the vibrant core but most are not con knowinged to jewish life in any way and that is the reality of our population that we are looking at. So 473,000 individuals that are spread across the entire bay area. That is right. A range of what you call the vibrant core and folks at least in the study would identified shelves in some ways part of the Jewish Community even though they may or may not stay im jewish. That is right. And the diversity that the bay area represents altogether as well. That is a lot of information and i think everybody is glad to know what the information is, so what do we do with it . Right. Great question. So there are Many Organizations that are taking that information and looking at how do we structure our jewish organizations, our synagogues, our Jewish Community centers . New organizations nat have emerged in the jewish ecosystem engaging people in new ways. How do we reach these populations . And what the federation has landed on is really increasing the muscle of our community, of our organizations to ensure that everybody feels a sense of belonging and there is a method doing we call culture of belonging that were bringing to our community partners, organizations, synagogues, leaders of the jewish commune t to help them understand how to design and jewi life tin ela sense of belonging. So can you talk a little bit about what some of the core are . Es of that me yes. Yes. So first of all it is important to understand what we mean by the sense of belonging and what does belonging mean. We talk about that and the way to insure belonging is to design for it and to have belonging as a goal. To understand that we want people to feel seen and heard when they walk into our doors or experience jewish life and that is insuring that is strict tured into everything that we do jewishly. So part of i think the bay area itself, i think anybody on the street would say is a sense that one person that you just talked to isnt sure where they belong altogether. Right. It is a a vibrant, urban center and attractive for people to come here, but oftentimes people come here and they dont have an anchor. They dont feel connected. They dont feel that they have a place to be and there is a tremendous sense of isolation and loneliness and so that is pervasive. Yes. So what is it that might be particular about a Faith Community urine this case the Jewish Community that zeros in on what it means to say, we want you to feel that you belong . Yes. Look, this is a condition that we all it is beyond the jewish come mine ty. It is beyond the jewish world and loneliness, isolation are measured and we know they are off the charts. Ironically in an age when everybody seems so connected through social media, it is almost had the reverse impact on all of us. Jews and nonjews. So jewish life with its traditions and its rituals offers an opportunity for people to find meaning and belonging together and that is something that we need to build. It used to happen sort of naturally and by accident. Back in the old country when jews lived in small communities called sh teth els where they lived in villages together, everyone was born and raised there, they knew theyre place. We dont have that anymore. We live in a cen friv cal force that sends everybody away from each other. We move to new places all the time and dont know anybody. How d we rethink and redesign the things that we do jewishly whether it is a high holiday service, a holiday celebrion, outdoors group, how do we recreate that experience so every Single Person feels a sense of belonging and feels seen and heard and feels like they are part of something bigger, feels a sense of commitment like i want to step up and be part of this and a sense of trust . Wendy, thank you so much. Well take a quick break and come back to mosaic in a moment. c1 [ laughter ] good morning, welcome back to mosaic. Were in the middle of a wonderful conversation with when dierks the managing director of Community Impact at the Jewish Community federation and endow the fund talking about the ways in which the Jewish Community has paid attention to the information we gain from our Community Portrait from 2018. Welcome back wendy. Thanks. Were talking about belongk as a particular way to understand the information and really a particular way to implement the findings of the Community Portrait. One example of belonging . Right. We were talking about the importance of designing within tension so that everybody feels a sense of belonging that they are part of something. What might that look like . Im going to give you an example of a Swimming Lesson at a Jewish Community center. So a nice picture. Yes. Here you see a lovely swim instructor teaching a kid how to swim and we can assume the goals of this swimming class, of this whole Swimming Program is to improve the swim skills of the kids in the program but if you look against the wall in the blurred part and people are blurred when we dont have our belonging glasses on, when were not thinking about how every body feels connected. What if we looked at those presumably parents or caregivers who are probably on their phones, not talking to each other, and said, how mate we redesign the swim program so the poem against the wall can feel a sense of belonging and feel like they are part of this place . Then it opens up all sorts of ways you can redesign it. You might retrain the staff. You plate have somebody responsible for coming over and inviting those people for coffee or bring a coffee cart to them, start a conversation. Find out what their interests are and find out what their fashions are and how you might build something to do with them as a group while they are watching their kids swim. So it is that kind of possibility once you start noticing who is on the outside and how you might design for them. It is so interesting. I think that everybody who looks at what does it mean to create a structure where people are included, spend a lot of time with how do we articulate a particular value structure about what it means to say oh, we take everybody in and paying attention to all the different ways in which for example this is being very reduck shus but away for somebody who is in a wheelchair to get into a building and soway sort of label nat ability, Disability Access and that is one of the ways we concretely say we want everybody to come in. Right. So i wonder if you can talk a if we flip it. Every individual has to stay yes. Every individual has to sort of rsvp or make an arrangement to get someplace or call and say lets go together. Can you talk a little bit about how belonging functions for the individual to come into a place of belonging . What is that for us . Right. First of all, perhaps changing the language and reducing the image of people coming into something. It is very intimidating to walk into a synagogue or to walk into an institution where you dont know anywhere or for that matter, a Cocktail Reception which is we see these all over the jewish world. You walk in, everybody em each other. Im the only person who doesnt know anyone and you stand against a wall. It is those experiences that are sort of designed by habit. This is how we have always done it. This is how our lobbies have always looked. This is what our synagogue las always done and that gets in the way of reing around the experience of the individual as you pointed out. You have to go and talk to people and ask people how would you cry ate something meaningful and welcoming and open for you here . Or perhaps not hear. Prance we leave our buildings and do things and have experiences out in peoples homes, or in parks, and playgrounds and places where people naturally congregate. I think in some way youre talking about a very intentional design framework for the people who are not coming. Yes. And for everybody. Ckhave in jazz a mome in just a moment. Force portion force force [piano playing slow tune] announcer dont wait. Communicate. Make your emergency plan today. Good morning. Welcome bang to mosaic. Im rabbi Eric Weissmann in the middle of a conversation with wendy, the managek director tough Community Impact at the Jewish Community federation. Welcome back wendy. Thank you. We were talking about the ways in which the Community Portrait is being implemented with the wonderful information that we have gotten and in particular the focus on what does it mean to belong and to belong on really deep end, broad and sophisticated levels. One of the things that i think is a challenge for any community when people are thinking of designing a culture or a framework is the way the people who actually doing the designing actually understand a concept. I am wondering if you can talk in a little personal way about your own journey in that way. Right. Well, i realized when i started learning this work about four years ago and it really is based on the teachings of an israeli scholar who you have met who is connected very closely with the bay area. Comes out here all the time to lead workshops and developed this whole method doing which we built on and a danced around teaching jewish leaders how to redesign jewish life around these belonging principles. When i started working with sar la, i realized this is something that many of us have had this experience, you, too, i think. I have been doing sort of by accident or naturally my whole life is sort of designing experiences so that people have authentic and intentional xa the first time i tried this and really tried to design something was a witwo families, multigenerational. I made everyone answer a couple of really hard questions like name one thinof. One thing that you appreciate about your parent or your child. I made everyone bright those down and take a moment of quiet to think about it. Then we whence around the table and talked about what we lad written down. The sharing and the power of the emotional connection across the generations was palpable and there were tears and it was unlike any thanks giving dinner i ever had and it was because we put some thought into how do we connect more deeply so everyone at the table finds a way to be part of the this conversation and to connect with the whole group. So that is when i realizes wow, that was so simple. There was nothing to it. And if we did this over and over again, people would really feel much more connected in jewish life. How do you en this kindrelatu if we thword, will impact the community into the future . Yes. Yes. I mean this is a priority for the federation. We took the portrait data and looked at our own work and said how can we focus our work more deeply and one of those areas is to really increase jewish engagement and not just increase a little bit, but really multiply jewish engagement and that feeling of being connected to a community. Using these techniques and really partnering with all of the fabulous jewish organizations from synagogues to ail of the other jewish organizations that support the Jewish Community and really helping them build thisinto their work. So that has become a priority for the federation through our grant making, through the teaching and the convening of communities of practice that were doing. It is r pinning of our jewish engagement approach. So belongii think in a certain level really presumes a lot of vulnerability. And so part of what i think happens is, and i am wondering sort of how the method doing functions this way, if you have somebody who is ready sent to move in, because they dont feel invited into being vulnerable, how then do you invite vulnerability into someones life, into a framework where vulnerability is not the practice . Yes. Such a good question actually. Thats why there is an art to this work. It is not a blueprint like if you do this, this and this, this is youre going to end up wibelonging. As to signor e a for the stage their participation. So in my family, my family thanksgiving, we could ask those vulnerable questions because were family, but you would never ask a question like that of strangers sitting together at a Chanukah Party for instance. You would probably come up with a sharing prompt or question that was much less deep and vulnerable like youre saying. Thank you so mitch. Were going to take a quick break and come back in a moment on mosaic. Good morning, welcome back to mosaic. Were in the middle of a wonderful conversation with wendy who is the managing director of the Community Impact at the Jewish Community federation and endowment fund. Welcome back wendy. We have had a lot of conversation about what does it mean to craft a culture of belonging, both individual relationship home events, family events and broadly in the community. So for somebody out there who is basically saying yes to this, and wants to do it, and realizes oh, i have done it already in x, y, and z fashion ks can you offer particular ways to think about culture belonging to entice folks listening to think it through maybe in a different way or a little more deeply for what ever event they might be thinking of . Sure. There is it is about bringing a different mindset to planning an event or any on going activity or an organizational structure. The most important thing is to start with a goal, an intentional goal and to say to yourself what do i want people to think, feel, no, or do as a result of this event . And some of those goals should relate to i want them to feel a sense of belonging, i want them to feel like they were seen and heard. It could be as simple as lets say youre planning a meeting, a business meeting. It might be a way of structuring it so everyone has a chance to speak. As simple as that. Because you would be surprised if you but on your belonging glasses and notice, youll notice sometimes people float through as ghosts and never heard from. Some never speak. Sort of structuring it so everyone has a chance to speak in pairs if it feels more comfortable or in small groups and asking people to share something about themselves even if it is something simple and light is also another way of anchoring people into a sense of being part of a group and not being invisible. Those are some easy, easy ys. S really important a all ou it is hard to feel connected in an institution where you dont know people. Think of ways to structure around small groups even if it is at an event. If there is a way to have Small Group Conversations or in a workplace with a team, are there ways of setting up intergroup teams or doing something regularly. Small bonded groups are really critical. That is so interesting. So if someone is listening and they are a part of an annual event flat always happens in their church, their synagogue, their institution, can you talk a little about make one idea or two about how to infuse belonging into an event that is reliable, always happenings, everybody anticipates its like an annual gala, a meeting, whatever that is . Yes. The hard thing about events is that they are one time. They may repeat annually but they are not a good way to connect people before and after. What we recommend is involve as many people as you can in planning and organizing that event and invite them to participate based on their specific skills, their talents, their assets so they feel like wow, i was asked to do this, because im really good at baking or whatever they are good at. The more you can create a bonded group of people who are planning the event, the better sense of belonging youll have at the event. That is so interesting. So believe it or not we have just a moment left. If we rewind a little bit. Your sense for the future what would you like the community to think or feel or do as a result of a culture of belonging . Yes. In my dream, i would love for every person in that 473,000 number to feel a sense of connection that they are seen and heard in the jewish world, that they are not ignored and that they are all part of it, equally a part of our community. Thank you stow much wendy. It has been wonderful spending time together. We hope this has been informtive for you and your community and we encourage you to talk more what does it mean to have a culture of belonging in our faith come mount tis. Thank you for being with us hire on mosaic. As soon as i started talking about putting term limits on congress, washington insiders went crazy. They said term limits are bad, that theyll break government. What a joke congress is working fine for politicians and corporations, but its not doing anything for real people on climate, health care or gun safety. The only way we get new ideas is electing new people, including a president willing to shakeup washington. Im tom steyer and i approve this message. Live from the cbs bay area studios, this is kpix5 news. Police opened fire at a train station. They say a suspect now wounded was carrying a gun as he ventured onto the tracks. Hundreds of americans stuck on cruise ship in japan because of reporter are going to be quarantined after they arrive later today. A break in a rape case. Just about 6 a. M. On this saturday, february 16th, 2020. Good morning. Im devin fehely. And i am emily turner. Lets get to darren. We need the rain. 0 that is us whole point