The town hall meeting is a concept we created to help us make sure that every member of the community can come in and give their opinion.

They say 50 to 52 percent of the adult population is not affiliated with a synagogue, but, at the same time, 75 to 80 percent of children receive a Jewish education. The challenge to synagogues and the community is how to engage these families when they are participating; give them something other than their kid's Bar/Bat Mitzvah; so they will continue participating in synagogue activities after the Bar/Bat Mitzvah is over.

We need to listen to our kids and provide something that will engage them.

The Federation is beginning to work closer with our congregations to help strengthen their programs.

It is our hope that, during the workshops, people will make suggestions for new programs or articulate an unmet need. A designated recorder will be taking notes and presenting any suggestions and/or recommendations at the closing session. An evaluation form will also be available, in case someone is too shy to speak up.

People came and there was a lot of shouting, anger and frustration. Based on the input that came out of the town hall meeting, we created a task force and totally transformed the (singles) program. It's now called the Young Professional Initiative.