Hotels have them to welcome newcomers to town and direct said newbies to events, restaurants, and sights. The model works toward making strangers feel welcome. Why not put the concierge concept into practice in the Boulder Jewish community?
For the last few months, Racheli Stanley has been the face of Jewish Boulder attending events, acting as the liaison between the unaffiliated and synagogues, keeping track of newcomers and newly interested Jews, and helping people navigate their Jewish lives in Boulder.
The community concierge was the brainchild of the Boulder JCC and created through a grant that lasts for one year.
The hope is that the people will turn to the concierge for all kinds of information whether its a referral for a pediatrician, information on where to take Hebrew language classes or directing people to the synagogue or program that suits them best.
What I do when I meet a new person is listen, Racheli explains.
I try to figure out what their needs are, what theyre looking for, and then its just a matter of making connections for them.
Sometimes that means helping someone find the right synagogue or a chavurah. Sometimes it involves answering basic questions. Other times it is a bit more involved.
A while back, a guy called me looking for kosher schmaltz, says Racheli of the unusual request.
I found it at a deli in Denver, then I found a woman who takes her kids from Boulder to Denver for school every day and asked if she would mind picking it up. Basically, I was the point person connecting these two people and the end result was the guy got his schmaltz. He may never call me for help again, but he might.
Two of the biggest groups Racheli hopes to reach are interfaith families and post-college singles.
Interfaith families dont always know what theyre looking for, so my job is to help them figure it out, she says.
Rather than a family auditing one synagogue, not making the connection and then deciding its not for them, Rachelis goal is that families use her as a resource.
The way I see it, she says, Im a JCC employee, but Im working for the community and for each of the individual Jewish organizations. My goal is to take the pressure off the organizations for that outreach component.
Only one synagogue in Boulder Har HaShem has a dedicated outreach coordinator.
Currently, Racheli is compiling information from all the synagogues, groups and organizations in one place to streamline the outreach process. It works easily for people who reach out to her. But for those people off the grid the 20-30-40-somethings who are not married, unaffiliated or not looking for a Jewish connection its more of a challenge.
To reach this demographic, Racheli turns to social networking sites.
Through interactive sites like Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Craigslist, I can find people in the community.
Racheli says social networking is a great way to expand her external network.
Whether the community concierge position lasts more than its one-year grant depends on its success. So far, so good.
Ive seen at least three [new] families at a second program after meeting them at the first or directing them to their first program, Racheli says.
She also has a growing list of people who are new to Boulder or newly interested in Judaism.
As more community members, synagogues and Jewish organizations become aware that Racheli is available to guide Boulderites to a Jewish experience, the more cohesive the community will become, she believes. Information: (303) 998-5626 or [email protected].
