What is a community of practice?
A T’ruah community of practice will bring together 10-15 chaverim in good standing for shared learning and support as they work to advance human rights in a particular field. Each person is working on the issue independently, in their own rabbinate/cantorate — the group leaning is meant to enhance their own and the whole group’s effectiveness and reduce burnout. In 5782, we ran communities of practice focused on antisemitism, movement chaplaincy, Israel/Palestine, swing states, racial justice, and a community of practice for new rabbis. We will launch many more in 5783.
How does it work?
Your community of practice will meet for a pre-set number of monthly sessions, at a set time of week each month, via Zoom. These full-group sessions will be a combination of learning from outside teachers, learning from each other, and supporting each other through particular challenges. The group members and facilitator will co-create the curriculum. Group members will also be paired into chevruta and will be asked to check in/study together once in between each of the monthly sessions. At the end of the community’s scheduled sessions, each chevruta pair will produce some small piece of intellectual property, which emerged from their learning, to share with the larger world. This might be an article, a mini-curriculum, a text study, and so on.
What’s the ultimate goal?
We’re hoping to increase the number of T’ruah chaverim who have a nuanced understanding of any number of given issues and can speak and act publicly in a clear, powerful, nuanced way when difficult discussions arise in their community.
Who is running this community?
T’ruah’s Manager of Rabbinic Education orchestrates the overall projects. Each community of practice will have a dedicated facilitator, who may be the Manager of Rabbinic Education or a trusted and experienced colleague brought in from outside.
Can we keep going after our community of practice wraps up?
Sure! We wanted a structure with a clear end-date, so it ends with a bang not a whimper and everyone can feel good about the process. But if your group really gels and wants to keep meeting, that would be amazing.
Are the communities of practice selective, or is it first-come, first-served?
We want to keep the group size manageable, so that members can form deeper relationships and everyone feels committed to showing up. This is more than just a webinar series. If demand far exceeds the available space, we will have to select who can participate in the first round — and then we will work to open up more communities of practice on antisemitism later this year. As a result of limited spacing and of the commitment to the programs, we ask that chaverim be in good standing when they sign up.
Is there a cost for participating?
No. This is a program we are offering to our chaverim in good standing, in exchange for your whole-hearted participation. Donations are welcome, however, and we encourage chaverim to pay their annual membership dues, which help fund this kind of programming.
Ready to sign up?
Or do you have questions before signing up? Email us at: “office at truah dot org”
