News & Blogs Category: Featured Partner

How should I care for the people I love?

What’s a good life?

How do we disagree?

How do I face uncertainty?

These are the types of big questions that IYUN helps young Jewish adults explore through Torah study in a cohort setting. The organization trains educators around the country in its distinct approach that combines this study with Jewish community engagement facilitation. After training, educators lead cohort groups of 10-15 people, cultivating communities of depth and substance.

We wanted to share that we have had the most wonderful experience with this IYUN class. From the beginning, it was lively, with active participation and a lot of great ruach! But every week it gets better as people deepen their sense of friendship, understanding, and engagement…Through connecting in this deep and active way with Jewish wisdom, we are strengthening ourselves and our team, but also our families, friends, and community. —Molly Curren Rowles, Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine

In just its first few years, IYUN has trained 256 educators who have engaged 3,327 adults throughout North America. These learners are situated in over 100 communities — from Federation Young Adult Divisions to congregations, from JCCs to Moishe Houses, from Bases to Honeymoon Israel alumni groups, Repair the World Service Corps, and far beyond. IYUN’s distinct approach focuses on:

• Building community and a love of Jewish learning. IYUN carefully curates the members of each cohort with an eye toward deepening social relationships among participants and building long term community, not just “covering material.”  With this approach, participants leave with knowledge, a group of friends, a relationship to a local educator, and a strong feeling of community.
  
• Focusing on Jewish texts because they inform liminal life moments. IYUN groups are often organized around significant life events – birth, death, marriage, building a home, embracing adulthood, conveying values and legacy – and cohort leaders seek out Jewish texts that speak directly to these most human phenomena.  IYUN wants the cohort members to feel that their most profound human questions have been touched by the wisdom of Torah.
• Training local teachers to bring Jewish learning alive for our audience. IYUN offer both outstanding curricular delivery and also training — using the experience of forming and operating a learning circle as real-world practice for learning a set of teaching skills and a holistic community-building approach.

In the midst of raising a community of little kids, it can be really hard to find the time to have these types of conversations. I feel really grateful that I can bring these questions and make space for discussion for the folks in my community. —Dalia Shapiro (runs a Circle for fellow young parents in her living room)

Returning Honeymoon Israel couples gather for an IYUN Circle on “The Home We Build Together” in Cincinnati.

Ninety-four percent of cohort members say that because of their IYUN circle, they want to continue learning Torah and Jewish texts. Many of these people are learners who previously were not reached by adult Jewish education programs. IYUN also partners with Jewish organizations and groups to offer Torah study as part of their regular “staff learning,” dialing up the Jewish confidence and fluency of their professionals. This includes new, unexpected networks like Jewish Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), who look to IYUN to create new curricular resources as they build community in the workplace.

Our vision is to make every community builder an educator, and every educator a community builder. We do this through partnerships where we train Jewish communal leaders in both the art of teaching and—simultaneously—the art of building community, as we have done with PJ Library, the Nachshon Project Graduate Fellowship, Hebrew College, Pardes, Atra: Center for Rabbinic Innovation, and many others. — Erica Frankel, Founder of IYUN

IYUN is excited about a number of emergent projects on the horizon, including the launch of the “Shabbat Hospitality Studio” curriculum this Fall, which will equip local leaders to build a culture of Shabbat home hospitality throughout their communities. And, on November 14th & 21st, the IYUN team will offer a two-part, virtual Masterclass in Relational Recruitment: How to Get the People in the Room — open to Jewish community builders of all experience levels and roles. Learn more and register before spots fill.

Learn about IYUN at iyun.community and reach out to them at [email protected] to explore building a community of meaning—whatever your setting. The Jim Joseph Foundation is a supporter of IYUN.

The Shalom Hartman Institute’s Beit Midrash for New North American Rabbis (Rabbanut North America) is training visionary leaders in the Jewish texts, ideas, and skills they need to lead the North American Jewish community as cutting-edge rabbis. The inaugural cohorts of Rabbanut North America will be ordained as rabbinic thought leaders fully equipped to lead communities and institutions grounded in pluralism, moral aspiration, commitment to Jewish peoplehood, and courageous leadership.

Rabbanut North America is a pathway to the rabbinate for candidates who have already proven themselves in a first career and are prepared to move quickly and efficiently through a course of study designed to build on their existing strengths and fill in whatever gaps they may have in their knowledge and skills. Our Institute, because it is not modeled on the university, is a nimble and creative organization with extensive experience in designing and implementing this kind of program. – Yehuda Kurtzer, President, Shalom Hartman Institute

In this challenging moment of Jewish history, Jews are turning to their rabbis in unprecedented numbers for pastoral support, moral clarity, guidance, understanding, and tools for activism. Jews are also flocking to community for a sense of belonging. This reengagement with Jewish community presents a renewed opportunity for rabbis to shape the future of Jewish identity, meaning, and purpose for the next generation.

Rabbanut North America, this new network of North American rabbis, will join their counterparts from Hartman’s Rabbanut Yisraelit: The Hartman Beit Midrash for Israeli Rabbis, which has ordained four cohorts of rabbis since 2015. Together, these innovative rabbis will form a pluralistic rabbinate for the Jewish people and forge new paths of leadership for the future of Judaism and Zionism.

The Jim Joseph Foundation is a supporter of Rabbanut North America. Learn more about the program, including its model and curriculum, at hartman.org.il/program/rabbanut-north-america/.

New study shows that becoming smarter about arguments helps people become closer to those with whom they argue.

When educators Robbie Gringras and Abi Dauber Sterne launched For the Sake of Argument in 2022, they wanted to help people in Jewish communities engage in healthy arguments, particularly those centered around Israel. They do this work through stories designed to provoke disagreements about issues central to the State of Israel and the Jewish world, and a new “pedagogy of argument” to help people gain the confidence and know-how to have healthy arguments. What undoubtedly seemed important in 2022 took on an unprecedented level of urgency after October 7th, 2023 as communities grappled with newfound tensions and sensitivities. A new study shows the impact and continued potential of For the Sake of Argument’s efforts.

“More and more communities are reaching out looking for support and guidance,” said Dauber Sterne. “Conversations around Israel right now can either tear communities apart or strengthen connections and build mutual understanding. Educational leaders know they must engage in these conversations, and they want to—but doing it constructively and in a healthy manner takes an intentional approach and training.” 

On the eve of their publication of a new collection of argument-stories about issues arising from October 7th, key findings from the new study conducted by Rosov Consulting about For the Sake of Argument show its influence on participants and communities: 

1. FSA provides participants with a cognitive map, confidence and emotional resilience needed to engage in an argument healthfully.
2. Even a short workshop of 90-minutes is associated with positive gains in participants’ understanding of different types of arguments. 
3. Becoming smarter about arguments seems to help people become closer to those with whom they argue. Both survey and interview data suggest that enhanced cognitive outcomes contribute to enhanced emotional outcomes. 
4. Program participants increase their knowledge about issues in contemporary Israel and have a desire to learn more. The more they learn, the more they want to learn. 

FSA participants share how the program influenced them:

The information they gave us about when you’re in a conversation with someone, to try to make sure that you’re listening to them, and that you’re using certain key phrases—I found that really actually worked. I have problems with talking over people. And so, it did actually help to recognize, okay, if I’ve been talking for a long time, you might want to end off with, ‘But I want to hear what you have to say’.… Now I get to actually hear other opinions.  – Toronto teen

 

The main thing I took away was it doesn’t hurt to listen without interrupting. You can get your turn in, but you can wait. … I use what I’ve learned in the sessions mainly regarding listening. … In the past I would probably have just gone for the jugular, and now I might just nod and go, ‘Aha, maybe we should talk about that sometime.’ – Limmud, older adult

About the study:
The study was conducted over the course of two blocks of time as part of collaborations with Limmud UK and UJA Federation of Greater Toronto. At Limmud, participants took part either in a 45-minute, one-off session or a series of four 45-minute sessions over the course of four days. In Toronto, they participated in either a one-time 90-minute session or two 90-minute sessions. 190 participants completed a survey at the start of their first FSA sessions and also at the end of their last one; 15 session participants were also interviewed about three months after their sessions. 

The Jim Joseph Foundation is a supporter of For the Sake of Argument. Access FSA’s full resources here and the newest evaluation from Rosov Consulting here. 

When the groundbreaking, collaborative ElevatEd initiative launched in the summer of 2023, it immediately began to develop a far-reaching strategy to attract, train, and support more early childhood Jewish educators (ECJE) in the field. Over the last year, the initiative, led by JCC Association of North America, Jewish Federations of North America, and the Union for Reform Judaism, has collaborated with funders, practitioners, educators, and community leaders to address the critical educator shortage and work to expand the field of early childhood Jewish education in North America.

The three-year ElevatEd pilot focuses on 11-12 pioneer communities, with a goal of recruiting, training, and credentialing up to 30 educators in each community, amounting to more than 300 emerging early childhood educators in total. The five initial communities—Boston, Denver-Boulder, East Bay (California), Houston, and Long Island—will be joined by a second cohort beginning this school year, including Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, Pittsburgh, Seattle, St. Louis. Educators from these communities work in JCCs, synagogues across all denominations, and a diverse collection of other Jewish educational settings that reflect the unique demographic makeup of their area.

ElevatEd’s multi-pronged approach to recruitment and retention is designed to address the field-wide educator crisis in a strategic, scalable way. By drawing on best practices, techniques, and new technologies from the for-profit world, ElevatEd supports these directors through numerous resources and offerings, in an area in which most of them have little if any training.

The realization that we are always learning and the connection between director and staff is one of the most important components of a healthy working environment. Supporting staff at all stages of their journey is a crucial part of keeping teachers motivated and committed to the field. – Debbie Neuschatz, Director, Long Island

Launched last year, ElevatEd’s Director’s Year-Long Course in Recruitment offers curriculum in talent acquisition and a stipend for participants. The course covers topics such as using AI/ChatGPT, creating personas for targeted recruitment, constructing engaging job descriptions, creating and using a SWOT analysis to understand one’s local job market, and creating an employment value proposition to attract top talent.

This past spring, to provide immediate support to directors, ElevatEd contracted with a recruitment process outsourcer (RPO). A recruiter from the RPO drives traffic to open positions in ElevatEd communities, supporting the “top of the hiring funnel” through ads on Indeed and posts on social media and job boards. The aim is to have more people looking at ElevatEd job ads than would otherwise occur. In some cases, the recruiter connects with schools that have several open positions, then handles all the sourcing and screening of candidates before the director conducts a final interview and hire. It is streamlining the interviewing and hiring process, saving time and energy for local center directors.

ElevatEd has given a voice and brought attention to the fact that my role as a Director of ECE includes many hats. In particular, even though I had no desire to be in recruiting…whether we like it or not, we are doing recruiting work. They said, ‘so here are some ways to be more effective’ since almost no one in a role like this has training in this area. They noticed an area of the job that we were trying and failing to do and gave tangible steps and training to help us improve. – Courtney Ludlow, Director, East Bay

Another key offering is an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), which increases the efficiency of the talent search process. A single post links to 12 free job boards, including LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter, Indeed, Glassdoor, Talent.com, and more. Each school can customize their workflow and create personalized automated emails to streamline the hiring process. Schools can also create “knock-out” questions to ensure they only spend time screening candidates who understand the job post and are eager and excited about the job prospect.  

Along with these offerings, ElevatEd offers “Recruitment Labs,” which are drop-in coaching hours, an employee referral program, a digital marketing campaign toolkit launching this fall, and a dedicated careers website that is designed to act as a centralized location for early childhood positions across the country.

The educator pipeline crisis is significant, so our response to it must reflect that. By drawing on best practices from outside of the Jewish world, leveraging technologies, and building professional competencies among directors in this critical area, we can help ECJE communities attract new talent in new ways, in a manner that’s sustainable for the long-term. Throughout the recruitment season, we are assessing which strategies are most effective and cost-efficient. We seek to share these learnings with ECJE centers across the country and with the field of Jewish communal service at large. – Orna Siegel, Executive Director, and Sasha Kopp Hass, Senior Director of Education, ElevatEd

ElevatEd is a pilot initiative funded by the Jim Joseph Foundation, Crown Family Philanthropies, and the Samuels Family Foundation, as well as from local Federations, foundations, and local philanthropists in each pioneer community. Visit elevatedtogether.org for more information.

Since October 7th, Jewish communities are experiencing vast challenges, including navigating internal political differences as well as facing tensions and animosity in coalitions, on campuses, and beyond. Resetting the Table, which builds societal capacity for communication and collaboration across charged political divides, has been flooded with unprecedented need and demand from Hillels, camps, young adult organizations, and Federations, as well as from higher education administrations, workplaces, and institutions outside the Jewish community. To support leaders in these settings, Resetting the Table has multiplied its trainings, resources, and facilitated forums to help people de-escalate tensions, talk to rather than past each other, and strengthen lines of relationship, learning, and collaboration across their differences.

I feel so much more equipped not only to facilitate dialogue sessions, but also to generally be better at dealing with disagreements that come up in a professional (and even personal) setting. At first glance, it would be easy for a skeptic to write off Resetting the Table as wishy-washy, trite, or ‘both-sidesy.’ But that couldn’t be further from the truth—our fellowship was rigorous, deeply thoughtful, and rooted in a clear understanding of both psychological and social realities.
— Aaron, rabbinical student, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah and Rabbinic Intern, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale

Among RTT’s offerings, its intensive training programs for Jewish professionals have expanded significantly since October 7th, equipping Jewish leaders and professionals across the country with skills to respond to flashpoint moments, build proactive relationships across lines of difference, strengthen Israel engagement, counter antisemitism, and build healthier and more resilient communities. RTT’s methodology is one of the most robust and effective approaches for facilitating challenging conversations in the country, recognized as best-in-class both within and beyond the Jewish world. By working closely with strategic partners such as Hillel International, Jews of Color Initiative, Foundation for Jewish Camp, rabbinical schools, Federations, BBYO, OneTable, Repair the World, Honeymoon Israel, and others, RTT is building a national field of trained facilitators and coaches to support productive discussion and inquiry on Israel and other important issues across Jewish life.

The training with Resetting the Table has been transformational for me. We were taught practical and impactful skills and given the space and tools to practice them. When we were first told to engage with people across difference, I realized that I had already anticipated another leader’s stance. But once we actually started, it turns out their opinion was as nuanced as mine and we grew not only in our understanding of the issue, but in our relationship to one another.
— Rori, Maharat, Senior Vice President for Community Relations, JCPA and former Executive Director, JCRC of St. Louis

More than 4,100 participants from the Jewish community have engaged with RTT this year, including more than 1,900 unique Jewish educators, rabbis, Hillel professionals, and lay leaders positioned to reach tens of thousands more. Post-program evaluation shows that Jewish leaders become more confident and capable of leading tough conversations within their own communities and beyond, applying their learnings internally to build communal cohesion and healing, and also externally to strengthen relationships with other communities in this challenging time. In longitudinal interviews and surveys, 95 percent of alumni reported continuing to use RTT tools and skills one to ten years after participating in a program, with majorities reporting they used RTT tools to navigate differences on Israel; to address tensions post-Oct 7^th; to combat antisemitism; to support their constituents to speak and listen to each other better; to engage new, skeptical, and resistant audiences; and to foster an environment of communal cohesion and resilience.

Given the tensions on college campuses, RTT’s partnership with Hillel has been especially important. Special training programs for Hillel staff—including facilitation training for mid-to-senior career Hillel professionals as well as early-career Hillel professionals—helped them facilitate student experiences to strengthen relationships and understanding across differences in this difficult year. Hillel International reports that next to increased security, Hillel professionals describe the tools RTT provides as their greatest need. Participating professionals were equipped with communication tools that helped them support Jewish students to feel less anxiety and trepidation when talking about Israel, antisemitism, and other charged topics; offer programs where Jewish students can feel safe to express what they’re experiencing and feel more strongly connected to Jewish life and to each other even across strongly differing perspectives; build trust with students who have felt alienated from Hillel in the past or during this time due to political differences; and navigate inter-group relationship-building with administrators, DEI departments, and non-Jewish student groups. As a result, on campuses where RTT has trained Hillel professionals over the past several years, students report relief and gratitude for the space to share their experiences and views on Israel and other tough issues, and to listen to their peers in turn. Hillel professionals report new and different students participating in Hillel programs, and improved relationships between Jewish and non-Jewish students even during moments of escalation

“There [are] an abundance of resources out there to [address] challenges that are focused outward, but there are very few focused inward [on Jewish students]… How can we ever expect students to have respectful, authentic conversations with folks they disagree with outside of the Jewish community, if we can’t do so within the Jewish community? That’s really our focus, our north star, and I believe it’s one of the reasons our Israel campus climate is a positive one.”
– Jenna, Executive Director, Queens College Hillel

Resetting the Table’s framework and tools were specifically designed to overcome the toxic discourse unfolding around us today—splintering coalitions, campuses, workplaces, and communities alike. This framework—crucial long before October 7th—will be ever more important to engage the next generation, combat polarization and hate, and ensure the resiliency of the Jewish community for years to come. RTT gives leaders the tools to address their deepest challenges while holding the difficulty and pain, building communal solidarity and care, and learning from people’s differences. With this approach, political differences evolve from a source of tension, anxiety, and alienation into an engine of communal health and cohesion.

The Jim Joseph Foundation is a supporter of Resetting the Table. Visit resettingthetable.org URL for more information. 

The Jewish leaders of today are facing an unprecedented Jewish tomorrow. Atra is deeply invested in training, equipping, and empowering us as rabbis to rise to the occasion and serve the Jewish future.
– Rabbi Sivan Rotholz, Atra’s Fellowship for Rabbinic Entrepreneurs 2022-’23

Being an effective rabbi today demands a more diverse set of skills and knowledge than ever. People, especially young adults, want spiritual guidance from rabbis with whom they have personal relationships and can help them address needs and challenges in their lives. On top of this, since October 7th, rabbis are working tirelessly to support communities, engage people in spiritual leadership, and create moments filled with meaning and inspiration. Through rigorous research, vibrant communities of practice, innovative fellowships supporting rabbinic entrepreneurs, and ongoing professional training and support, Atra helps rabbis lead with vision and meet the ever-evolving needs of the Jewish people. 

We need to prepare rabbis to serve our people in every place they are, in every way that they need spiritual leaders. Over the last few years, we’ve seen the demand rise for rabbis who combine a deep knowledge of Torah with the ability to build Jewish communities centered on personal relationships. We work with a large cadre of rabbis to ensure they can harness this skillset to meet the many needs of Jewish communities.
– Rabbi Shira Koch Epstein, Executive Director of Atra

Atra helps rabbis learn how to engage people in new ways—both inside and outside of congregational walls—and strengthens connections among fellow clergy. More than 1,000 rabbis have engaged in Atra training, resources, support, fellowships, Master Classes, coaching, networks, and workshops. Of these, 71 spiritual innovators have participated in Atra’s national rabbinic fellowship program, experiencing pluralistic, cohort-based training and individualized support. Atra is now piloting this national model in other communities to build stronger local networks among rabbis so they can learn and grow together. Another platform, Atra’s Communities of Action and Practice, is designed for rabbis and other Jewish clergy to have space for sharing, learning, and growing together in both personal and professional realms. Atra’s research shows that strong collegial and mentor relationships, and knowing how to leverage those relationships, are key to managing crises.

Responding to urgent community needs in the wake of October 7th, Atra’s new 3-part virtual workshop on Facilitating Difficult Conversation provides spiritual leaders with a framework of understanding and a set of crucial skills around group dialogue, mediation, and conflict resolution. Other ongoing Atra programs help rabbis identify new approaches to supporting communities, gain new technology skills, onboard into new jobs, and much more.

In addition to programming, Atra is a thought leader for the field, committed to sharing best practices. Its research helps to understand communities’ needs and clearly define what excellent rabbinic leadership looks like. Key findings from Atra’s 2023 study showed that young American Jews want more experiences with rabbis because those interactions help them feel more spiritually connected and more connected to a Jewish community. Atra shared insights from the research about what factors make for positive interactions between young adults and rabbis, how these interactions help young adults feel more comfortable and confident being Jewish, and where rabbis can look to engage even more young people.

Young people want leaders in their lives who relate to them, accept them, and who signal to them that it’s ok to be vulnerable, to be unsure of things in life. With the right training and support, rabbis are those leaders! Now we need to figure out how to match as many rabbis as possible with as many young adults as possible to develop these meaningful relationships.
– Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, Executive Director of NYU’s Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life and Co-director of the NYU dual MA in Jewish nonprofit management

For centuries being a rabbi meant presiding over a town or a synagogue. Today, rabbis are also working on campuses and in prisons, online and in person, in hospitals and in recovery programs, in homes and in cafes, in Yeshivot and on street corners–everywhere that communities are found and built.

American Jews need rabbis, and Atra uniquely provides the ongoing professional learning that rabbis need—training and supporting rabbinic leaders from all backgrounds to adapt their practice for the real world and to drive their visionary leadership so that they can help people and communities thrive. Moving forward, Atra is poised to expand its programs and reach, to provide even more rabbis of all denominations and roles with ongoing professional support and training over the entire arc of their careers, and to strengthen the field of spiritual leadership. 

Visit atrarabbis.org for more information. The Jim Joseph Foundation is a supporter of Atra.

In a couple of weeks, Jewish communities around the world will mark Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut—Israel’s Day of Remembrance for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror, and Israel’s Independence Day, respectively. This will be the first time marking these holidays, which are so central to the contemporary Jewish narrative, since October 7th. Much of the responsibility to lead meaningful ceremonies and learning experiences about the Days will fall to Jewish educators. To help them do this at such an unprecedented moment, M² launched the Yamim Project, a professional development initiative providing new educational frameworks and support in designing and planning high-quality, meaningful, and engaging Yamim programs for students and communities.

The Yamim Project built on M²’s past success supporting Jewish educators, while also leveraging the organization’s strong partnerships with local agencies in six cities in North America. In total, more than 500 educators and education leaders participated in the Yamim Project’s in-person, day-long workshop (at no cost) and two online workshops for the Prizmah Heads of School gathering and for alumni of the Wexner Fellowship.

“I found this to be the most helpful professional development I have been to in years. The varied methods, the opportunity to take time from our busy schedules to really think about this moment and how we want to program the Yamim, and the thoughtful bank of resources were spot on. – Yamim Project Participant

In these sessions, youth group advisors, rabbis, shlichim, teachers, Hillel professionals and others learned from, and with, M² leaders and other experts in Israel and Jewish education. The participants explored some of the most complex educational questions the Jewish community is facing today, including:

• What does it mean to celebrate Israel this year, during an ongoing war, in the midst of enormous trauma and pain?
• What is developmentally appropriate and relevant for learners of all types and ages?
• Is it possible to build a commemoration that does not erase the suffering happening in Gaza, and/or includes those with multiple political views?

In each Yamim training, M² crafted a deliberate and curated experience, from the design of the space – which was set up like an art gallery – to the balance between theoretical knowledge and hands-on work. Participants were introduced to the core idea of the training: using values to guide them through crafting the messages they want to convey in their commemorative ceremonies. The afternoon was dedicated to a lab session where participants crafted Yamim lesson plans, working collaboratively to brainstorm and test their ideas with each other.  The centerpiece of the training was the Yamim Journal – a beautifully designed booklet curating about 100 different resources from both M² and other organizations, featuring lesson plans, art, media, music, conversation prompts and even step-by-step instructions for planning Yamim ceremonies. Participants said they appreciated its focus on art and poetry as points of entry for authentic discussions on difficult topics.

“I love the idea of how stories help us make sense of our experience, and the stories we tell center on values we can choose to focus on for our programs. Using this lens immediately helped me feel more comfortable in envisioning a meaningful and educational program.” – Yamim Project Participant

Around North America, Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut ceremonies will have a different look and feel this year. Hundreds of educators now have new knowledge, skills, and resources to craft these ceremonies with meaning and learning, speaking to this unique and challenging moment.

Learn more at ieje.org/events/the-yamim-project/. The Jim Joseph Foundation is a supporter of M² and the Yamim Project. Photos courtesy of M² and Jewish Teen Initiative at CJP.

While I never lost my connection to the Jewish homeland and have always felt a strong personal connection to Judaism, being back after five years rejuvenated my love for the country itself and the local people. I had felt the urge to go and help; meeting the people I was directly and indirectly helping made it that much more special.”
– Mollie Falk, Birthright Israel Onward volunteer 

Following the October 7th attacks on Israel, many young Jewish adults expressed a deep desire to help Israelis in their recovery efforts. To meet this demand, Birthright Israel Onward launched “Taking Action: Volunteer in Israel,” for 18 to 40 year-olds to volunteer in Israel, with a focus on filling major labor gaps in agriculture and food rescue operations. This is critical work given that much of Israel’s southern agricultural region was evacuated on October 7th. Without these volunteers, fields and crops would largely go untended.

This was the first Onward program to be fully integrated since Onward merged with Birthright Israel in 2022. The rapid response to create the program, and its demand, exemplifies the success of the merger: More than 2,800 volunteers are expected by Passover and another 2,000 volunteers this summer. Serving as a purposeful “return to Israel” opportunity, 77 percent of volunteers are Birthright Israel alumni. Some volunteers join a cohort on their own, while others travel as a community through partnerships organized by Federations, the MIT Israel Alliance, Hillels, Hadar, Ramah, and Young Judaea. In many cases, strong, existing partnerships were utilized to build these programs.

I’ve found myself forever changed for the better due to this experience. I tapped into a part of myself that I didn’t know was dormant, waiting patiently to be activated: that philanthropic drive—the pursuit of living a life larger than myself—and my passionate belief in Zionism.
– Andrea Rice, Birthright Israel Onward volunteer

Over eight-day or two-week assignments, in addition to work on the ground, volunteers have a meaningful and full experience guided by Birthright Israel educational components. This includes an orientation to prepare volunteers for their placements; Kiddush and Shabbat experiences; sessions where they can discuss and process their experiences, thoughts, and feelings; enrichment activities that provide respite, a sense of community, and mental release for the participants (including a workshop, a city tour, a meal at a restaurant, and other activities that support local businesses and the Israeli economy); a geopolitical lecture led by an expert with an overview and Q&A period; an activity with Israeli Mifgash (encounter) participants and personal conversations with a madrich/a; and a closing session to reflect collectively and individually on their experiences.

Alison Swanbeck, an alumna of Birthright Israel Classic and Onward, and now of the volunteer program, says, “I was looking for a way to help. In the Diaspora, Jews felt helpless watching everything unfold, and when I saw the volunteer opportunity, I felt it was a tangible way to be there and do something helpful.” 

Her story, like many others, demonstrated the power of the interactions between American volunteers and Israelis in Israel today, and the deep sense of mutual responsibility that is embodied by the volunteer program. Alison returned to Israel as a volunteer after developing a deep sense of belonging to Israel and her Jewish identity on the classic 10-day trip and an Onward internship. At her Volunteer placement, Alison spoke with a family member at the farm where she learned about the impact of the war, and how the volunteers’ presence moves Israelis. While volunteering, Alison developed friendships and bonds with her peers, often discussing the responsibility of the IDF to protect Jews in Israel and around the world, and the sense of mutual responsibility to be there for each other. She was joined by Israeli peers on several farms, and for Shabbat meals, allowing them to hear impactful first-hand accounts.

Hear first-hand from Birthright Israel Onward Volunteers:

Visit birthrightisrael.com/volunteer-in-israel for more information. The Jim Joseph Foundation is a supporter of Birthright Israel Onward.

In the immediate aftermath of October 7^th and the subsequent rise in antisemitism, a plethora of new research emerged focused on the needs, feelings, and opinions of American Jews. Jewish communal professionals wanted to make sense of these often-complex data and trends for their own practical purposes. Responding to this need, CASJE (Collaborative for Applied Studies in Jewish Education) developed a Research Digest to serve as an educational tool that made research more accessible and applicable for professionals busy planning and practicing in a new, post-October 7^th world.

Over the last ten years CASJE has helped stakeholders in Jewish education develop and use high-quality, applied research to improve their work. The CASJE Research Digest built on this proven record, providing reliable, meaningful, and timely information to support communal leaders and funders benefit in their decision making.

At CASJE, we believe that Jewish communal decision-makers should be guided by the highest quality knowledge. A core aim of our work is to help Jewish communal and foundation professionals put research to good use. In the wake of the October 7 attack on Israel we saw the launch of a number of important data collection efforts here in the U.S. focused on the attitudes and experiences of American Jews. In this challenging and pivotal time we designed the Research Digest to both facilitate access to this growing body of research evidence and give insight into how to read that evidence in contextually appropriate ways.
– Arielle Levites, PhD, Managing Director of CASJE at George Washington University

A key aim of the digest was to help the field improve its collective capacity to be smart consumers and users of research. All studies have limitations, and the digest illuminated those limitations without judgment. Interpreting sophisticated research for a general audience, and unpacking where data can and cannot be applied, aligns with CASJE’s mission to see research applied effectively. Examining study limitations in the digest also enabled the reader to answer critical questions: What do these findings mean for me and what I am trying to accomplish for the people I serve, in this place where they are, at this time that we’re in, and with the resources I have. To that end, CASJE also shared a discussion guide in each digest for use with colleagues to frame discussion about the featured studies and their applicability in various Jewish communal settings.

CASJE, the Jim Joseph Foundation, and certainly many others were hearing a real need to help make sense of this immense amount of new information. Leaders and practitioners in the field had to pivot so quickly; they didn’t have time to comb through new studies and determine what information was most pertinent to them. CASJE stepped in to help these professionals quickly make sense of them and think about the contexts in which these new findings were most relevant.
– Stacie Cherner, Director of Research and Learning, Jim Joseph Foundation

The Research Digest’s 11 issues featured studies on American Jews and timely topics around the Israel-Hamas war and/or antisemitism. The studies, conducted by professional researchers, were already being discussed and circulated in the Jewish communal space and the general public. Two issues of the Research Digest also featured interviews with experts on how to interpret public opinion polls.

Beyond the digest, CASJE’s ongoing work continues. The CASJE Small Grants Program supports studies of Jewish educational processes and outcomes. These grants are intended to stimulate research that investigates Jewish education and its effects, and that is well-positioned to inform practice. Previous Small Grants projects have investigated learning across the wide variety of settings where Jewish education happens and focus on learners of any age across the lifespan. Other current CASJE projects include its Applied Research Fellowship, an advanced training program for scholars, and its Research Use Group, which empowers Jewish educational and engagement professionals to build their capacity to lead research-informed initiatives. CASJE also is a proud member of the fifth cohort of Project Accelerate, a unique program that guides and supports high-performing organizations poised to enter a new stage in their growth and development.

CASJE’s work is guided by an Advisory Board made up of highly accomplished scholars and practitioners in Jewish education and general education. Access the Research Digest issues here. Learn more about CASJE’s other current projects here.

 The Jim Joseph Foundation is a supporter of CASJE.

Since 1999, the Institute for Jewish Spirituality has helped individuals and communities experience greater awareness, purpose, and interconnection through Jewish spiritual practices. Over the last few years, amid hyper-polarization, the pandemic, the Israel-Hamas war, and other challenges, IJS’s efforts to develop and teach Jewish mindfulness and spiritual practices have taken on increased urgency as demand for these experiences increases. 

To meet this demand now—and to engage more people in the years ahead—IJS is focusing on three pillars of its work:

• Supporting Jewish spiritual leaders–clergy, educators, chaplains, and others–who do so much to support, lead, and guide individuals and communities 
• Deepening relationships among IJS’s large and growing community of participants through daily, monthly, and long-term programs 
• Expanding access to Jewish mindfulness and spiritual practices and helping even more people, particularly young adults, engage with Jewish life through them

IJS’s impact on me is inestimable. It is not an overstatement to say that my engagement with IJS changed my rabbinate and my life. The tools, insight and sense of community with participants and faculty have been an invaluable sense of mooring and meaning–not only in the challenging time of Covid, but in all the years since. – Rabbi David Stern

Of the more than 10,000 people IJS engages annually through its programs and resources, 90 percent of participants say that IJS supports their learning and growth. Eighty-eight percent express interest in further developing their Jewish spiritual practices. For many people, Jewish mindfulness serves as a vital entry point into Judaism and a pathway for meaningful Jewish connection and engagement. This is particularly true for young adults who have come of age as practices like meditation and mindfulness have been familiar for their entire lives. IJS’s offerings reflect its growing audience, with programs and resources that are vast and varied, designed to meet the needs, time constraints, and level of knowledge of different people. 

One newer offering, Flourish, is designed especially for Jewish professionals. The 12-week program, taught by well-known mindfulness teacher Yael Shy and IJS Core Faculty member Rabbi Miriam Margles, aims to renew and deepen participants’ meditation practice, reduce stress and suffering, deepen joy, and provide Jewish mindfulness tools for leadership, resilience, and wisdom in the participants’ workplaces and communities. It features digestible, clear instructional videos, journaling prompts, guided meditations and weekly live practice sessions to develop connections with other participants and support their Jewish spiritual growth and leadership. As another example, IJS’s President and CEO Rabbi Josh Feigelson hosts the weekly podcast, Soulful Jewish Living: Mindful Practices for Everyday, produced in partnership with OpenDor Media’s Unpacked podcast series. Designed to be easily accessible, Rabbi Feigelson guides listeners with ancient wisdom and modern mindfulness practices to help center their soul and ease into their week. 

I looked up from my morning coffee and saw the view from my window with fresh eyes, with gratitude and amazement. Thank you for your words, both inspiring and comforting, at a time when we are in such need of inspiration and comfort. – podcast listener Laura Gussin Zinker, Newtown, PA

In the years ahead, IJS will grow and expand its offerings, with a specific goal to reach more young people and help them develop a deeper sense of belonging in Jewish life. Rebecca Schisler, who joined the IJS faculty in 2022, is planting the seeds for reaching younger populations through Jewish spiritual and mindfulness practices. Her multi-year plan offers models for in-person, local programming in the East Bay that may be brought to scale, as well as national efforts to engage young adults in Jewish spiritual practices.

Torah study isn’t just an intellectual experience. If we come away only to say, ‘That was interesting,’ we’re not doing it right. Torah study is, first and foremost, about connection: to our heritage, to our ancestors, to our study partners, to our community, to the Holy One, to ourselves. – Rebecca Schisler, IJS faculty member focusing on engaging young adults

 

The Jim Joseph Foundation is a supporter of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Learn more at jewishspirituality.org.

Over the last five years, SRE Network has worked toward creating safer, more respectful, and equitable Jewish workplaces and communal spaces. SRE Network pursues this vision through network building, resource sharing, and community investments. Following nearly a year of listening, learning, reflecting, and dreaming together, SRE Network recently shared its 2024-2026 strategic plan.

With SRE’s powerful support, we’ve been able to amplify our voice, and we’ve been able to engage our partners with the very difficult but needed work of accountability and repair, finding a path forward. – SRE Member

 

VIEW SRE NETWORK’S STRATEGIC PLAN

The plan captures the goals below that SRE Network knows are needed to successfully sustain this budding ecosystem of positive workplace and communal culture change over the next three years:

1. Support network growth, accountability, and impact through three engagement pathways (members, affiliates, and partners) and new membership benefits.
2. Embed safety, respect, and equity values and the SRE Standards across its sector by highlighting and expanding learning, resources, and strategic guidance across safety, respect, and equity.
3. Expand its collective impact by awarding $3 million to affiliates and members over the course of the next three years.
4. Drive greater awareness of safety, respect, and equity issues, and SRE Network’s work and services by investing in communications and thought leadership.
5. Ensure sustained growth and impact by building SRE’s organizational capacity.
   

   Panel discussion on equity at SRE Network’s 5 Year Anniversary Celebration, courtesy Shulamit photo + video

SRE Network believes that these efforts can have larger, positive ripple effects across the Jewish community that build on current successes. Already, since its launch in 2018, the organization has grown to include more than 170 Jewish organizations and has seeded more than $5.5 million in grants to support organizations’ efforts toward change. Its annual report of nearly all member organizations tracks progress they make toward building safer, more respectful, and equitable workplaces and communal spaces. Throughout the year, SRE Network’s events, programs, and resources help organizations improve and deepen efforts to that end.

[The most valuable part of being a SRE member is] is having someone and someplace to turn to when we have an incident, and knowing we are not alone going through this work, as well as the materials and tools to utilize to increase the safety, respect, and equity at our organization. – SRE Member

The Jim Joseph Foundation is a supporter of SRE Network. View the organization’s new strategic plan.

A powerful and timely initiative will enable people to mark Yom Rabin, October 26th, as the Jewish Day of Healthy Argument. For the Sake of Argument, Pedagogy of Partnership, A More Perfect Union, Pardes’ Mahloket Matters, and Resetting the Table are collaborating to provide educational resources, including a video guide to healthy arguments, event guides, and workshops for rabbis and educators to help people of all ages understand and experience that arguments can be productive.

On November 4, 1995 (12 Cheshvan), Israel’s Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by a fellow Israeli at a peace rally in Tel Aviv. The months preceding his murder were darkened by discord, incitement, and hate speech. For the Sake of Argument says that “it was disagreement in its most destructive form.” Every year since, Israelis and Jews around the world have struggled to mark Yom Rabin, the Hebrew date of Rabin’s assassination. Some teach of peace, some learn about democracy, some ignore its significance altogether.

We believe it’s time for a new tradition. Our goal is to make Yom Rabin the Jewish Day of Healthy Argument. A day on which Jews worldwide host events and programs that embrace healthy arguments. Arguments that help us talk openly about our disagreements and understand each other’s perspectives. Arguments that build bridges rather than deepening divides. Arguments that teach us that we can live together, despite our differences.
– Leaders of Yom Rabin Initiative

Yom Rabin leaders hope the initiative helps identify “evangelists” around the world for healthy arguments. In this regard, the initiative is designed to support organizations and individuals planning their own events around healthy arguments, with or without the initiative’s specific materials. A healthy argument can include a conversation in which two or more people disagree, but are able to learn something new about someone or something else; a conversation from which one learns something from a disagreement; a disagreement in which one learns something new about themselves, about someone else, or about a subject matter; or a disagreement where the goal is to learn something new, rather than to try to agree or convince.

Rabin’s assassination stands as a stark reminder of what can happen when factions of a society come to see one another as ‘other’ and enemy. Healthy argument can provide one crucial antidote to such escalation, channeling societal conflicts into greater cohesion, problem solving, and capacity to find ways forward together. We are excited to join with others organizations in marking Yom Rabin as a Day of Healthy Argument and to offer tools to help communities confront, honor, and learn even from enduring and passionate differences.
– Rabbi Melissa Weintraub, Co-CEO, Resetting the Table

In Israeli society this day takes many forms, ranging from a day in which educational leaders talk about the dangers of deep fissures in society, to a more political day that bemoans the loss of a leader who pushed an agenda for peace that wasn’t accepted across the political spectrum. Outside of Israel, in Jewish institutions, this day is marked in a variety of ways as well, ranging from commemorating the person that Rabin was to studying about the history of the attempted peace processes in Israel.

 

Our initiative is intended to emphasize a different part of Yom Rabin. Founded on the fact that, too often, when words run out, violence begins, we strive to help change the way the Jewish community in North America talks about our differences of opinion. The values that we hope to highlight and strengthen are sharing, rather than hiding, our differences of opinion, Being curious about different opinions, Gaining new perspectives and insights, even when (especially when?) we don’t agree.
– Abi Dauber Sterne and Robbie Gringras, co-directors, For the Sake of Argument

Visit forthesakeofargument.org/yom-rabin to access Yom Rabin resources.