The Top Ten Best How-To's to Make Your Synagogue Stand Out

Did I get your attention with the title of this blog post? I meant to.

The most interesting job of my nearly 40-year career was not in the Jewish community. It was as an ad copy writer for a niche magazine in the 1990's, distributed expressly for self-published book authors to get their names in front of radio and tv talk show producers, with the hope of getting some on-air interview time.

Every week, I was sent a box of books by unknown and un-notable authors. It was my choice if I wanted to read them, but, at the least, I was required to interview each author so that I could transform the crux of their interesting, mundane or totally whacko ideas into a pithy advertisement about their books. I loved talking to people who invested extraordinary amounts of time and money so their voices could be heard on topics that ranged from aphrodisiacs to the autobiography of a Wiccan High Priestess, (my hands down favorite interviewee, who had to interrupt our conversation for a meeting with a shaman so they could speak to the dead).

The key to every ad, though, was not the copy itself. It was the headline. My editor's formula, (reflecting guiding principles still used today), was that it had to contain a "top ten (or other number)", a "best of," a "how-to", a warning or a promise.

A punchy headline had to say it quickly and concisely, but it didn't have to make one ad stand out from the other 599 in a 100-page magazine. Rather, our goal was to make each headline catch the eye of the producers who would be attracted to a particular author's content. My ad for the biography of the Wiccan High Priestess didn't need to get the attention of the producers of health and exercise radio shows, but the headlines about the books on diets, insomnia, menopause, exercise, and sex did. (Actually, any book about sex caught every producer's eye.)

With my professional focus for the last 15 years on the Jewish community, I see headlines or tag lines emerging on websites as synagogues begin to understand and implement branding strategies. This is a great idea. I hope this happens more. Thoughtful branding requires research and introspection about a synagogue's vision, aspirations and mission. The best tag lines give an instant message that inspires and invites, but is also a true reflection of the community.

I am not a communications specialist, and wouldn't expect anyone to trust my advice on crafting tag lines. Instead, I am an avid observer of language and process, and I can see similarities and differences in the tag lines I found as I looked at about a hundred synagogue websites recently. Some, but not all, clearly follow the guiding principles of tag lines, generating the language of best-of, how-to or a promise about the future.  

So, in the spirit of my former profession as a copy writer, here are my top five, (ten would tedious), things to think about as you create a tag line for your kehilla, (community):

1. Re-think denominational labeling. Although United Synagogue really, really appreciates the shout out, your tag line, "A member of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism," will probably need updating. Studies abound telling us that the generations we wish to attract into our communities are just not interested in denominational labels or organizational affiliation. The same goes for "egalitarian" and "non-egalitarian" language. Some tag lines now describe the experience of Conservative Judaism, rather than the practice, like this:

• Moving forward with tradition, Bet Shira Congregation, Miami, FL
• Where Tradition Meets Change, Temple Israel of Great Neck, Great Neck, NY 
• A warm approach to tradition where everyone counts, Hewlett East Rockaway Jewish Center, East Rockaway, NY 

2. Know Yourself, (Level One). Some tag lines seem to look from the outside in. They're a communal Google map with a zoom-in capability to give a picture of the landscape. These tag lines describe where a congregation is planted or what you'll find once you enter into the community:

• Your Jewish Home in Colorado Springs, Temple Shalom, Colorado Springs, CO 
• Western Connecticut's Oldest Synagogue, Congregation B'nai Israel, Danbury, CT
• Creating Chai: 18 Years and Growing, Midbar Kodesh, Henderson, NV
• Large enough to serve you; Small enough to know you, Peninsula Sinai Congregation, Foster City, CA
• Big enough to enrich you. Small enough to know you, Congregation Beth Ahm, West Bloomfield, MI
• Where every member counts and every voice is heard," Congregation Rodef Shalom, Denver, CO
• The Center of Our Jewish Lives, Westchester Jewish Center, Mamaroneck, NY  
• A Congregation of Friends, Temple Reyim, Newton, MA
• Welcome home, where you belong, North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, Highland Park, IL
• A community of innovation, diversity and joy. A synagogue you can call home. Temple of Aaron, St. Paul, MN
• A Family Place; A Spiritual Home, Temple Beth Ahm, Aberdeen, NJ 

3. Know yourself, (Level Two). If you know your members' aspirations and needs, your tag line can promise to help. If your tag line matches what you know about who they would like to become, it may inspire not only your own members, but others seeking the same accompaniment on that journey. Here are examples:

• Come Grow With Us, Congregation Beth Tikvah, Marlton, NJ  
• Illuminate the light from within, Congregation Or Hadash, Sandy Springs, GA 
• Your Jewish Community is Waiting for You, Highland Park Conservative Jewish Temple, Highland Park, NJ 
• Learn, Pray, Participate, Connect, Or Zarua, New York, NY 

If you want to know more about the needs of your community, United Synagogue's Sulam for Strategic Planners program has resources on surveying and focus groups. You can start learning about it this week, by joining in on the webinar, What's On The Minds of Your Members?, on Tuesday, January 14.

4. Know yourself, (Level Three). Have a vision for your community and a mission statement before crafting a tag line. That's because the work involved in creating vision and mission statements, if done well, will generate language and energy for a tag line. 

Tag lines that reflect a vision of community will elevate your perspective, have future-oriented language, or start with a verb, and might look like this:

• More than a synagogue, a sacred community," Adath Jeshurun, Minnetonka, MN
• From Generation to Generation, Together We Grow, Beth Shalom Congregation, Frederick, MD
• Be inspired; Be Connected; Belong, Beth Hillel Congregation B'nai Emunah, Wilmette, IL
• At Sinai, we connect people to Judaism, each other, Israel, and the world, Congregation Sinai, San Jose, CA 
• We practice radical hospitality!  Congregation Shirat HaYam, Swampscott, MA
• Building Community & Commitment, Town & Village Synagogue, New York, NY
• Adding Meaning to Life, Valley Beth Shalom, Encino, CA
• For all the days of your life, Anshe Emet, Chicago, IL 
• Moving our members closer to G-d, Congregation Etz Hadar, Redlands, CA

If you need help to create vision and mission statements, or want to review your current one, start here, and call your United Synagogue Kehillla Relationship Manager about using our Sulam for Current Leaders workshop on vision/mission.

5. The number one, best place to start is...anywhere. The process of creating a tag line involves reflection, taking the pulse of your members and the greater community, activating professional or volunteer energy, reviewing your current branding strategies, (especially if "branding" doesn't exist for you yet), maybe even changing your website or creating new printed materials. In the best of processes, starting with any of those objectives will incorporate all of the others. Even if you don't create a tag line, the process of reflection and review is healthy. Start somewhere. 

Does your kehilla have a tag line? Share it with others in the comments section!