Mission and Vision
Mission Statement:
Bayit is building a soulful, inclusive and meaningful Jewish life for all ages and stages. Our visionary teams of clergy, liturgists, artists, educators and other thought leaders across and beyond denominational life develop, test, refine and distribute tools for a Jewish future always under construction.
Vision Statement:
From Bayit’s building vision emerge keystone principles for building Jewish life:
- Building is for everyone. A Judaism in which “all” can be builders must uplift the leadership and innovation of all ages, all genders and sexual orientations, all races and ethnicities, and visionaries with all kinds of inner wiring.
- Building is for all streams of Jewish life. A Judaism of wisdom and completeness must be passionately pluralist, flowing with all of the ever-changing streams of Jewish life, in every form that treasures diversity and wise innovation rooted in the deep soil of Jewish values, times and practices.
- Building is for lived experience. A practical Judaism puts experience first, bringing to life ancient designs (text, values, prayer, social justice, rhythms) with modern tools, structures and systems.
- Building is constantly in progress. A Judaism that “increases” wisdom and completeness is always “under construction,” with tools that wisely and playfully “remix” of tradition with innovation, what’s been and what’s next.
- Building needs both grounding and height. A Judaism of “builders,” like any physical structure, needs designs that serve its purposes, strong and stable grounding, and height to rise above foundations – all balanced to stand strong and gently move with shifting ground.
- Building needs the right tools for the right jobs. Wise building uses design tools of research and development – to courageously try, measure, tweak and try again, mindful of both subjective experience and best practices, historical trends and modern contexts.
- Building must be real. A Judaism of real “wisdom” and “completeness” must be real both inwardly and outwardly, courageously truthful and responsive about what inspires and what doesn’t.
What Makes Bayit Unique:
Bayit fulfills this principled vision at the dynamic intersection of three overlapping centers of creative vitality:
- Bayit is an Artist Collective. Bayit brings together diverse creatives of liturgy, ritual, visual art, music and thought leadership.
- Bayit is a Vibrant Collaborative Community. Bayit curates participants who are diverse in denomination, demography and perspective, whose strengths and differences prime the pump of creativity and excellence.
- Bayit is an Innovation Incubator. Bayit uses modern design thinking tools – developed in system theory, leadership development and business circles – to bring creativity to life.