Envisioning Our Future: A More Flexible and Inclusive Temple Emanuel 

Overview of Temple Emanuel’s Strategic Plan

The shared, immersive process to envision Temple Emanuel’s future has been ongoing since 2022. During this exciting time, we’ve spent (and continue to spend) a great deal of time researching national trends and local demographics, discussing our community’s needs and Temple’s areas for growth, and analyzing the many opportunities — and challenges! — facing synagogues in general and Temple Emanuel specifically. 

Hundreds of individuals and families find value in Temple Emanuel as their Jewish home in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. These wonderful people – representing the diversity of American Jewish life with respect to interfaith family status, race, gender identity, sexuality, ideological diversity, and more – are growing in their diversity of needs and interests and are inviting us to expand our definition of success as a synagogue to match.  We believe that Temple has an opportunity to increase engagement in our programs and services by expanding access, both real and perceived, while maintaining the centrality of our Mission and Vision. At the same time, we must also address declining interest in traditional definitions of membership while balancing our budget to ensure our success for generations to come. 

The twin pillars of Temple’s Strategic Plan are 1) increasing Temple’s vibrancy and 2) transforming our revenue model to maintain financial solvency. The path forward we see inspires a more flexible and inclusive organizational structure, requiring three fundamental shifts in how Membership, Governance, and Individual Giving function at Temple Emanuel: 

• Make it easier to feel a deep connection with Temple by changing traditional definitions of membership to make involvement in the community more accessible; 

• Position Temple to operate more nimbly and responsively, centered on its mission by shifting its structure to one that is staff-led and continues to be guided by the community; 

• Call on individuals to help us achieve continued financial solvency by contributing in accordance with the alignment between their individual values, the mission of Temple, and the actual costs to serve the community. 

Centering Our Community

At the core of these shifts is a transition toward centering the evolving, diverse needs of the Temple community and away from the traditional approach of expecting those connected to Temple to fit within the structure of the institution. 

The future of Temple Emanuel requires a shift toward centering the community and its diverse, evolving needs. 

Noble aspirations, all, and we have some work to do to operationalize this plan. You’re probably wondering: what does it all mean for me? 

For those who have long called Temple home and for those who feel well served by Temple, the short answer is that your experience of programs and services probably won’t change much. We heard you during our listening sessions and throughout this multi-year process and have endeavored to keep everything you love about Temple. Your “Dues” statement might now say “Annual Financial Commitment” and we will ask you to consider participating more actively in regular townhall conversations instead of an “Annual Meeting,” but Temple remains the community you know and love. 

For those who are exploring Temple, are new to the community, or aren’t currently feeling well-served, we hope this will eliminate perceived barriers and invite you to experience Temple in new ways. Come to a service, check out a volunteer project or adult education opportunity, and speak with a member of our clergy or staff team. We will ask you for financial support that aligns with your values down the road; for right now we just want you to find your fit in the Jewish community and here at Temple. Whether you are looking for a more casual relationship with a synagogue, making sure there are people or families like you counted among our community, or you are ready to jump in with both feet: we’re here for it. 

We hope these changes will also help Temple solidify our place in the broader South Hills community and perhaps more directly welcome to Temple many who have not considered engaging with a synagogue before. 

Next Steps

To facilitate these shifts and help us prepare for the future, Temple’s Board has considered a number of changes from our status quo, including 1) a move to an individualized giving approach instead of a one-size-fits-few dues model; 2) changing the structure of Temple’s governance model; and 3) thinking more inclusively about how Temple’s leadership can reflect the congregation. You will be hearing more about these shifts in the days ahead, and we understand that you may have questions about these changes. To help our community better understand where we think Temple is headed, we have scheduled multiple town hall meetings and information sessions to answer questions and address concerns.  

We hope you are able to attend the meetings that fit into your schedule, and we also encourage you to reach out to the members of our Strategic Planning Steering Committee listed below: 

President Beth Schwartz

Immediate Past President Michelle Markowitz  

Vice President Tony Pardo

Treasurer Steve Del 

Trustee Rob Edelson 

Senior Rabbi Aaron Meyer 

Senior Director Kate Louik  

Please return to this page throughout the fall, as we will be adding more documents that may further help you envision Temple Emanuel’s future. To view all of the town halls and information sessions this fall and subscribe to that calendar, please click here.