By Leya Aronoff, Marketing Manager at J Leaders & J Leaders Academy ‘22-’23 Fellow
Canceling the retreat seemed like the only option, a first in J Leaders history.
Our 5th Academy cohort was finally set to gather in person for the first time. And to mark this milestone, we were hosting our inaugural Academy retreat at the idyllic Jewish camp — URJ Camp Newman in Northern California.
Then, the storm hit. A bomb cyclone, brewing off the coast of Seattle, was rapidly moving south. Initial reports were reassuring. But as the week progressed, anxiety began to creep in.
The intense atmospheric river storm poured as much as a foot and a half of rain across Sonoma County. The rainfall surpassed weather records and was a 1-in-1,000-year event, according to weather officials.
Finally, on November 22nd, at 1:30 PM, Peter Hoffman, J Leaders’ Founder & CEO, and I set off for Camp Newman.
Twenty minutes into our drive, our phones buzzed with alarming news: both roads into camp were flooded, cutting off access to the retreat site. Uncertainty gripped us. For a moment, canceling the retreat seemed like the only viable option.
But we took a moment to remember who this was for: Our Academy Fellows — 25 young adults from across the country, eager to invest in their leadership, were already on their way by plane and car. We couldn’t let them down.
And so, we tapped into adaptive leadership to figure out another way.
Step 1 — Brainstorm Options and Make a Plan
We formed a team of five — the Academy’s Jewish Educator & Jewish Silicon Valley’s Chief Community Officer Rabbi Hugh Seid-Valencia, the retreat’s facilitator Jill Rosenburg, URJ Camp Newman’s Matt Ghan, Peter, and me. We pulled our cars over to safe spots, and we hopped on a conference call to assess our options and develop a plan of action.
We first considered canceling the retreat altogether or hosting the sessions virtually. However, fellows would then lose out on the connections and relationships only possible when in person.
Next, we considered postponing the retreat, either to a different weekend or to start the next day. But our fellows already arranged their schedules to make this weekend happen, some even flew from out of state to be part of the retreat. We couldn’t leave them stranded for the night, let alone the whole weekend.
Then, Jill suggested looking at an alternative location for the first night. The location would need to accommodate all of us for one night, have a conference room, and be reasonable budget-wise. We’d also have the flexibility to drive to Camp Newman the next morning. Jill’s suggestion was a turning point.
To find alternative accommodations, the Academy steering committee decided to call hotels near URJ Camp Newman for 30 minutes, and then reconvene. We each picked a different major hotel brand and began calling.
Step 2 — Communicate with Fellows
While calling hotels, Peter had another equally important role — communicating with our fellows. Fellows had already been sharing their hesitation to drive to camp in the downpour and we needed to address their concerns.
Peter shared updates through both our Slack community and through email to make sure fellows knew what was happening. Even though we didn’t have an answer yet, it was important to share our plans for an alternative location.
Step 3 — Reconvene and Decision-making
After collectively calling more than a dozen hotels, the steering committee reconvened.
We narrowed our options down to three hotels that fit our initial criteria. Out of those, one hotel representative understood our urgent situation and went above and beyond.
Peter and I were closest to the hotel of choice — the Courtyard at Marriott, Santa Rosa. When we arrived, we were met with warmth and empathy from the hotel manager Teresa Tommasi and operations manager Val Cateel. Val showed us the conference room and shared options for dinner. We felt relieved to have secured a comfortable and accommodating space.
With the hotel locked in, our next priority was ensuring every fellow was informed and supported.
Step 4 — Personal Communication with Fellows
After deciding on an alternative accommodation, it was time to share the good news with Academy fellows.
It occurred to us that maybe not every fellow has seen our Slack or email updates. Given the extreme weather, we also didn’t think that our digital communications would create the confidence needed for the situation. It was key to check in with each fellow individually.
I called every fellow, staff member, and volunteer. Calls were quick, providing the essential information to get to our new location, with a focus on providing reassurance and understanding.
Overall, fellows were grateful for the call. Some were thankful for the personal touchas they’ve already been on the road for some time. Others appreciated the call to talk through their concerns. One fellow shared their anxiety about driving through the rain, and after talking through the plan, they decided to join us the next day. It was a reminder of how much clear communications and reassurance can mean in uncertain moments.
Step 5 — Program Flexibility and Adaptability
Though we had found a safe and comfortable space for the evening, we were also committed to delivering the exceptional retreat experience as promised. We brought in food from a local restaurant and shared in a delicious Shabbat dinner. The scheduled evening icebreakers and team building rolled out as planned in the Marriott’s conference room.
Between Friday evening and Saturday morning, we kept our pulse on the weather. Thankfully, the next morning, the sky had cleared and the roads had opened. We were excited to make the quick drive to Camp Newman safely!
At Camp Newman, we pivoted the program to match the new timing. Additionally, we shifted activities to ensure all fellows felt included, whether they weathered the storm or traveled the following day.
Conclusion
We heard many positive comments from our fellows. Here are just a few:
- “I’m grateful for your problem-solving! I know it’s gonna be a great retreat wherever we end up gathering for the first night.”
- “Thank YOU for the flexibility and quick turnaround!!”
- “Way to pivot! Love the resiliency, I’m sure this afternoon has been very stressful.”
Fellows’ reflections of the full retreat experience can be found at “Inspiring Connections in a Gorgeous Jewish Sanctuary: The J Leaders Academy Fall Retreat”.
While the unprecedented rain storm presented challenges, the J Leaders Academy Fall Retreat ultimately was an unforgettable and exceptionally positive experience. We learned the value of adaptability, a clear objective, a highly committed team, over-communication in times of crisis, and resilience in overcoming difficult situations.