What gets in the way of us hosting boldly? What techniques do we need to embody to truly create a memorable experience for guests? What do we need to be confident hosts and facilitators so we can hold intentional space for participants? In this session, we will learn how to design a clear purpose and begin with the end in mind.

• Jewish Inspiration: Hospitality as Lovingkindness
• Finding a Disputable Purpose
• The Problem with Being Chill
• Exploring Generous Authority
• The Bold Hosting Worksheet
• Introducing UX

Participants will try on what others have called an “eye-opening” Mini Mission between Part 1 and Part 2, enabling them to put these ideas to work in their setting immediately.

In this session we’ll consider the user experience (UX) of individuals as they encounter engagement touch-points and experiences—both big and small—in your community. We’ll learn how intentionality in curating an experience impacts the experience itself, how the structure of an experience creates stronger social connections among the participants, and how to curate aesthetic elements that support and enhance the experience of people in your community.

• Debriefing Our Mini Mission
• The 3 Ingredients of an Experience
• Jewish Inspiration: Social by Design
• Reflecting on our Implicit Message
• Case Study: Redesigning a Program to Weave Social Connections
• The Relational UX Checklist

Erica Frankel (Joyful Coach, Toastmaster, Expert Thrifter) is the Executive Director of Assembly.

Over the past 16 years, Erica has founded and grown five new Jewish organizations and initiatives into existence, has touched the lives of over 20,000 Jewish college students, has trained and supported more than 500 rabbis and Jewish educators, and has seeded a thriving Jewish ecosystem in Harlem. She holds an MA in Dance and Sacred Texts from NYU and was a Wexner Field Fellow.

Erica and her husband Rabbi Dimitry Ekshtut (and their two toddlers) annually welcome ~600 unique young adults into their home for Shabbat and holidays, Jewish learning, and service.

Leah Kahn (Maestra Educator, Artist of Gathering, Shabbat Queen) is Assembly’s Vice President of Education.

She previously served as the Senior Director of the Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Experience at Hillel International, where she oversaw the Jewish Learning Fellowship (JLF). Over the last decade, Leah has developed a unique pedagogical approach that has been used to train more than 400 rabbis and educators. She is the recipient of the Covenant Foundation’s Pomegranate Prize, an inaugural member of the M2 Pedagogies Research Fellowship, and a Wexner Field Fellow.

Leah is also a certified yoga teacher, lifelong modern dancer, Shabbat enthusiast, and a mean vegan cook. She lives in Berkeley with her husband and two children.

Melissa Werbow (List Maker, Hosting Ninja, Educational Gadfly) is a Community Builder for Assembly’s project IYUN.

When she isn’t with IYUN, Melissa serves as the Education Director at the Hill Havurah in Washington, DC. She is passionate about creating authentic communities and empowering learners to take ownership of their Jewish tradition. She has spent her career straddling the worlds of congregational, adult, and day school education – three arenas that don’t talk to each other nearly enough.

Melissa and Rabbi Mike Werbow are the parents of three mostly delightful children and one very spoiled dog. She is currently obsessing about gluten-free vegetarian cooking, parenting teenagers, and what novel she should read next.