Assembling Community

In this episode of Assembling Community, Erica sits down with her husband, Rabbi Dimitry Ekshtut, to revisit the rainy Sukkot night when a storm pushed thirty guests into their one-bedroom Harlem apartment, and he proposed. They talk about what changes when a carefully planned gathering falls apart, why the sukkah's permeable, unfinished design offers a model for building community, and how holding structure and improvisation together lets real connection emerge.

In this episode of Assembling Community, the Assembly team, Erica, Dan, Leah, and Graham, share a behind the scenes look at Assembly's first ever Community Builders Convening. They talk about where the idea came from, introduce brand new programming, and dig into what it means to design a real user experience for the people who walk into our communities. The Assembly team also explains how they are structuring the gathering itself, bringing community builders, educators, funders, and lay leaders together in one room so they can learn from each other and leave with something they can put into practice right away.Join us October 26-28 in Chicago for the Assembling Community Convening. Learn more and sign up at assembly.community/convening.

As the High Holidays approach, how do we help our communities pause and reflect before the season begins?In this episode of Assembling Community, we introduce Elul Circles, ready-to-lead small group conversations designed to help individuals prepare for the High Holidays. We share a live example of one of these conversations so you can hear how a simple conversation can open the door to real transformation.Listen to discover how Elul Circles can bring your community together and prepare you for the High Holidays.Feel inspired to lead? Sign up to lead an Elul Circle in the link below.https://forms.gle/YxWRMYkju4JYq6ZL7

We often talk about the complexity of community work, but what does it actually take to navigate change with clarity and skill?In our latest episode of Assembling Community, we explore adaptive leadership, a framework that has shaped how leaders and organizations across the Jewish communal field approach their most difficult challenges. We sit down with a workshop participant to hear real moments when adaptive leadership made all the difference, and we unpack a metaphor that keeps us grounded: the balcony and the dance floor.Listen to learn how to recognize when your community needs adaptive leadership, and discover what one small move might look like in your own work.

We often like to talk about the importance of rituals for community building. But what does that look like in practice?In our latest episode of Assembling Community, our ED Erica dives into this with Spencer Kaseff, Senior Outreach Manager at Mazon.It could be as simple as giving people an opportunity to share a recent moment of hope or excitement as part of a regular gathering. That ritual not only connects the group but gives people something to think about as they go about their work during the week ahead.

When you push yourself to ask “who should I be talking to?” (instead of “where should I post this?”), you’re doing something that’s deeply Jewish. Our tradition has always understood that community is built person-to-person, day-to-day. It’s what we do together.In episode 2 of Assembling Community, we dive into this distinction and what it actually means for community builders.This podcast features pre-recorded excerpts from a conversation with community builders about common sticking points in Relational Engagement.*****************************Lasting, vibrant Jewish communities don’t just happen; they’re intentionally built. Assembly trains and supports Jewish leaders, educators, and entrepreneurs in the essentials of Jewish community-building: finding your people, keeping them engaged, and doing it all with Jewish depth. If this episode resonated with you or you have questions about the work, we would love to hear from you. Reach out at assembly.community.

A dancer, a union organizer and a community builder sit around a table. Sound like the beginning of a joke? It’s actually the beginning of our podcast. In our inaugural episode, the Assembly team dives into our unique backgrounds and how we bring them to our work today.We also chat about one of the questions we get asked frequently: how to build community organically. That means recruiting people proudly – without feeling salesy or desperate.