By Amy Ryan
Guest Columnist
Ann Ryan
I recently joined the Jewish Federation of Louisville as Strategic Initiatives and Community Engagement Director. Two of the large projects I’ll be coordinating are the Year of Civil Discourse and our ongoing 502.0 Engagement programs.
The Year of Civil Discourse is a community-wide effort aimed at bringing community members together to discuss difficult topics where beliefs may differ, such as Antisemitism, Jewish Identity, Relationship to Israel, and Community Polarization. Our goal is to engage in civil discourse and come away with a greater appreciation of each other’s point of view, while remaining united as a Jewish community.
To date, we have completed process training for around 100 people and out of those 100, 26 people have received further training to become facilitators. Now we are in the planning stages for Part Three, where we will have thought-provoking speakers and content along with facilitator-led discussions. The Year of Civil Discourse seeks to create a safe place to share ideas, engage in dialog and – even where differences exist – gain a deeper understanding of one another’s perspectives so we can remain a strong, cohesive community. There also may be an opportunity in the future to engage with constituencies beyond the Jewish community once we’re successful in our initial efforts
Our Shalom Louisville work is about taking what we learned from the 2022 Brandeis University Study of Jewish Louisville to create ways to further engage with our fellow Jews, especially those who are minimally involved in Jewish life. Through this study, which contacted more than 800 people, we learned a great deal about Louisville’s Jews and how they are participating in organized Jewish life. We also gained insight about some of the barriers to participating and what would encourage people to become more involved. The Brandeis Study offers a great opportunity to design innovative programming that can connect with new members of Louisville’s Jewish community.
Leading these initiatives draws on many of my professional experiences. I spent almost 20 years working at Humana as a leader of the Learning and Development teams. This included heading up training teams in Clinical, Pharmacy, Human Resources, and Home Health areas. I was also involved in consulting, program development, facilitating culture building, teaching facilitation, and coordinating numerous leadership development initiatives.
Prior to joining Humana, I spent 11 years with Progressive Insurance developing leadership and technical training programs. Helping teach people and facilitating learning which fosters meaningful connections has always been a key component of my work. It’s my hope that this background will serve me well in my new role.
While I am new to being a Jewish professional, I’ve been involved in the community as a volunteer for quite a while. When conversations began about forming what is now the Jewish Community of Louisville, I helped design a summit to imagine what a merged organization could look like. I also helped to facilitate discussions about the merger of the Jewish Federation and the Jewish Community Center and then later served on the board of the JCL for close to ten years.
Ironically, several of my first jobs were at the JCC in my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. In high school, I worked at the afterschool programs, J Café, and at many of the summer and school break camps. When my husband and I moved to Louisville in 2004, our twin daughters went to preschool at the JCC and later attended many years of summer camp. They truly grew up at the JCC and were involved in CenterStage, Camp, and BBYO. Our family was grateful for the home we found at the JCC and in the Jewish community.
I am excited to join the Jewish Federation working on both of these vital initiatives, and I look forward to meeting many of you.
Amy Ryan is Strategic Initiatives and Community Engagement Director at the Jewish Federation of Louisville