Letter from Amy L. Sales
February 18, 2020
Dear Friends,
I arrived at CMJS as the first findings from the 1990 National Jewish Population Study were being released. I was a social psychologist in a land of demographers. My interest was not in counting people but in understanding how the environment—institutions, organizations, relationships—affects the Jewish life of individuals and their communities.
Advancing Jewish Retreating (January 2020), which we are delighted to be sharing with you, is my last publication. Along with Innovating JCCs (May 2019), these are the capstone of my career, both accomplished with my longstanding colleague, Nicole Samuel. In these and indeed all of our studies—Jewish overnight camps, Jewish life on college campuses, synagogues, Jewish women’s organizations, and youth groups—we have tried to describe the richness of the institutions and their capacity to affect Jewish life and community. We have also looked critically at the forces that propel them forward and those that challenge them or impede their impact.
Advancing Jewish Retreating and Innovating JCCs are instructive. The latter presents the habits of thought and behavior of creative leaders who are able to make change in their organizations. The former lays out the essential value of Jewish retreats which, in today’s world, seem more important than ever. Retreats provide the time, space, and environment conducive to individual and group development. They are laboratories in community building, Jewish education, Shabbat and holiday celebrations, and Jewish spirituality. They serve the diverse populations in the Jewish community and help Jewish organizations of all types to full their mission.
Advancing Jewish Retreating and Innovating JCCs are the most optimistic studies of my career. They are forward looking and filled with creativity and potential. The retreating report ends with a section called ONWARD, an analysis of steps that might be taken to support the proliferation of Jewish retreats and help raise the quality of these experiences.
As applied social scientists, we do not intend for these reports to “sit on a shelf” (as we used to say), but to be used to spark conversation and inform action. We will be setting up various forums for discussing the future of Jewish retreating and hope you will join in the conversation.
Best,
Amy L. Sales
Associate Director
Senior Research Scientist
Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies
Browse Amy L. Sales Publications