Gayle Effron

Gayle Effron is the Director of Public Programs and Community Engagement at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco.123 She is a professional focused on community engagement and has been instrumental in implementing the "Culture of Belonging" framework within Jewish community programming.

Professional Highlights:

• Currently serves as Director of Public Programs and Community Engagement at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco12
• Has demonstrated innovative approaches to community engagement, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Successfully organized large-scale virtual events, such as a virtual Seder that attracted 238 computers and over 400 participants1

Community Engagement Approach: Effron is a proponent of the "Culture of Belonging" principles, which aim to create meaningful, inclusive Jewish experiences. Her approach focuses on:

• Creating small, interactive community groups
• Ensuring participants feel connected and valued
• Designing programs that foster personal relationships and meaningful interactions1

One notable example of her work was a virtual Seder where she implemented strategies to make a large online gathering feel warm and personal by creating smaller discussion subgroups, which participants found particularly impactful.1