Can you imagine if your congregation had 100% participation for every Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat service? According to Rabbi Matt Dreffin of the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life, that's typically the case in some small Jewish communities he works with. Rabbi Dreffin speaks with David Bryfman about the vitality of Jewish life in the South and what can we all learn from what’s taking place in small Southern communities, how he designs an intensely detailed curriculum with the intention that anyone--even people with no Jewish knowledge--could teach Hebrew school, and what it feels like to be the first Jewish person someone meets. He even plays a bit of a famous Southern song!

This episode was produced by Dina Nusnbaum and Gabriel Weinstein. The show’s executive producers are David Bryfman, Karen Cummins, and Nessa Liben. This episode was engineered and edited by Nathan J. Vaughan of NJV Media. If you enjoyed the show, please leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts or even better, share it with a friend. Be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and be the first to know when new episodes are released.

To learn more about The Jewish Education Project visit jewishedproject.org where you can find links to our Jewish Educator Portal and learn more about our mission, history, and staff. We are a proud partner of UJA-Federation of New York.

When "Good Enough" Isn’t Good Enough, Season 2, Episode 21