Dear Webmasters:
Mark your calendars. A live webinar training session will be February 25, 2019 from 3-4
PM EST. Back to the Basics will review the system and how to use it, including how to edit HTML,
manage calendar settings, add PDFs and organize files. URJ's developer, Jared Shih, will be leading this webinar, and I will also be available to answer any questions you may have. Please register in advance for this webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. If you can’t make it, the recording will be posted on the help site.
We are continuing to make changes to the Events Calendar plugin in hopes to make it more functional for your members. Most recently we updated the way event times are displayed, both on the home page upcoming events module and on the specialized calendar page. On the calendar page, event times now appear next to each event, no more need for a mouseover. Both the home page module and the calendar page will now display both start and end times correctly. (If you do not include an end time, no end time will appear and if the event is 24 hours, no times will appear at all.)
Looking for advice (or have some to give) about RJ Web Builder best practices? The Tent is full of interesting discussions about congregational websites. Take advantage of the RJ Web Builder group in the Tent. Post questions, read comments and interact with other webmasters. If you would like to join us in The Tent, you can request access at urj.org/thetent. If you have any issues, please email tenthelp@urj.org.
Please help me congratulate the congregations who have gone live recently on RJ Web Builder 3.0 (a full list is always available on the help site):
Congregation Beth David, San Luis Obispo, CA
Congregation B’nai Jeshurun, Lincoln, NE
Temple Bat Yam, Berlin, MD
Temple Beth-El, Rockford, IL
Temple Beth Sholom, Topeka, KS
Joel Emerman
Congregational Websites Manager
212.452.6579 (Central Time)
Quick Tips
How to Use Builder Revisions to Retrieve Old Layouts
Themify Builder makes it easy to save and recover specific parts or entire layouts of a page.
Did You Know?
Monthly Bulletin Tip
Does your congregation use an editorial calendar to plan your communications with your members? It's much easier to deliver consistent messaging if you have a roadmap to follow. You should create an editorial calendar. This article is specifically about a social media calendar; the concept can be expanded to cover all your channels of communication with your members, including email and print.
Spring Holiday Print and Digital Bulletin Ads are Available
Use these Purim and Passover camera-ready ads for your congregation's newsletter or bulletin (print or email) and on your website or Facebook page. You can find these files, and more, in The Tent.
Summer Opportunities for Your Teen Members
The URJ’s Youth Department is already excited about this summer and the new opportunities available for Reform Jewish teens. Here are 11 opportunities for your congregation’s teens this summer – and four things you can do right now to ensure every young person can participate. Read more.
CLASP Fellowship Applications Open Friday
CLASP Fellows (Camp Leader And Synagogue Professional) are full-time year-round staff that spend the summer at a URJ camp and the academic year in a synagogue. They work with children, teens, and families to engage them in vibrant and dynamic Jewish living 12 months a year. Encourage your congregation's Youth Professionals to apply when the application process opens on Friday, February 15.
The Reform Movement’s Top Stories of 2018
Oh, what a year it’s been. With 2019 upon us, we’ve rounded up the top Reform Movement stories of 2018. Read more.
Staying in Touch
We are challenged in reaching current webmasters due to high turnover and changes in email addresses. If you are receiving this email, you are the person who was reported to the URJ to be handling your congregation's website. If there are additional people who need to be on this list or if you need to get off this list, please send corrected information to datamgmt@urj.org.