Consulting Services: Building Pluralism

It is increasingly important – and challenging – for organizations to foster environments where viewpoint diversity, respect for difference, and open discourse can flourish. The Bronfman Fellowship has 36+ years of experience building strong communities among pluralistic groups, helping to combat the increasing levels of polarization within the Jewish community and the wider world. Drawing on this deep level of experience, we offer consulting services to organizations wishing to learn how to build trust among diverse groups of people and bring them closer together. We work with public and private sector clients in the Jewish community and beyond.

The Bronfman Fellowship staff uses a combination of interactive activities, workshops, facilitated discussions, and Jewish texts to build a culture that embraces pluralism. (Read more about our pluralism here.) We offer a wide range of highly customizable and personalized services, including: 

• Developing activities that allow people to meaningfully share different opinions.
• Leading a series of Jewish text study sessions as a jumping-off point for deep conversations.
• Facilitating group discussions on topics related to pluralism, thought diversity, and judging others fairly.
• Running pluralism workshops for young people, especially those aged 14 to 25 (e.g. a youth group, school or college, etc.).  
• Helping to implement a more pluralistic approach to Jewish learning.
• Providing workshops on listening and communication.
• Exploring definitions of pluralism – what is it, how can we think about it and apply it?

We offer a free initial consultation, in which we’ll get at the heart of what challenges you’re facing and what culture change you’re seeking. We are happy to work with a senior team who will apply the training (“training the trainer”) or to work directly with a wider community. 

For more information, please contact Elizabeth Ochs, Program Officer: Mentoring & Leadership Development, at elizabeth@bronfman.org.