By: Amanda Abrams, Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning and Impact

Growing up, I spent eleven summers at the Union for Reform Judaism’s Henry S. Jacobs Camp in Utica, MS.  Every summer, our director would begin by sharing with all the campers and counselors, “Change is neither good nor bad. Change is simply change.”  Perhaps it is because of this constant reminder throughout my summers at camp that I am not just comfortable with change, but I embrace it and am excited by the prospect of change.  I recognize that not everyone has the same attitude toward change as I, which is why this phrase was continuously repeated summer after summer after summer. 

You see, in many situations, Jewish and otherwise, when something is done once – it’s considered a pilot, a trial or even an experiment. When something is done twice, it’s considered a repeat of a successful experience or perhaps even a tweaking of an experience that wasn’t quite as successful as it had been envisioned.  And when something happens three times, well, it’s considered a tradition.  And changing tradition is no easy feat.  But that’s exactly what is currently taking place at the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta.

Over the summer, the Federation began its first strategic planning process in thirteen years.  This process is focusing on improving several operational elements of the organization such as stakeholder customer service, volunteer and lay leader training, and aligning allocations with community needs; and our Federation was also selected to participate in the fifth and final Atlanta based cohort of the Bridgespan Group’s prestigious program, Leading for Impact.  Through our involvement in this program, our Federation is grappling with the critical questions “Why does Federation exist?”, “What unique value does Federation provide?” and “How can Federation achieve the greatest impact?”.  All of these questions are complex and will inevitably result in differing opinions, and yet we can’t afford not to address them.

In addition, this year our Federation launched the Joyce and Ramie Tritt Family Federation Leadership Institute.  Ten fellows were selected for the program for their ability to be change agents at Federation. These ten fellows are willing to challenge long standing assumptions about Federation, tackle some tough issues that need to be addressed and ultimately work to strengthen Federation so that Atlanta’s Jewish community is stronger, more united and more actively engaged than any other Jewish community in the United States.

Some might ask why an organization would even consider embarking on not just one, but three tremendous change efforts during a CEO transition.  It’s a fair and understandable question.  I would argue that now is the perfect opportunity to tackle these questions.  Times of change present tremendous opportunity.  Our Federation is seizing this opportunity, and I am hopeful that great things will emerge from the combination of a change in leadership with the recognition that we must challenge historical assumptions about the value Federation provides and why Federation exists. 

And while I learned from my camp Director over the course of those eleven summers that change is neither good nor bad - Change is simply change; I believe that the change our Federation is currently going through is indeed good.  These changes present tremendous opportunities and I look forward to seeing what will come of the change, not just in the next several months, but in the years to come.