News & Blogs Category: Featured Partner

The Fellowship for Rabbinic Entrepreneurs has given me the space and tools to turn my ideas into action. It has provided concrete action steps and given me a community of thought partners who have given me faith in the Jewish future.
—Miriam Liebman, Jewish Theological Seminary

Developed in partnership with M2: The Institute for Experiential Jewish Education, Hillel’s Office of Innovation (OOI) Fellowship for Rabbinic Entrepreneurs is a one-year internship for rabbinical students of all denominations who seek to build the communities they wish to serve. Working at local Hillels and with other partners, OOI rabbinic entrepreneurs participate in a series of retreats, biweekly seminars, and practica to learn the critical skills to design, develop, and scale new Jewish communities.

OOI was founded on the premise that new communities of Jewish life—especially those formed by young adults—crave dynamic, charismatic leaders. And while charisma, many maintain, is an innate gift, OOI believes there are discrete, transmittable, entrepreneurial skills that can be used to foster new forms of Jewish community.

This knowledge is essential for anyone following the path of professional community building.
– Rebecca Blady, Yeshivat Maharat

So what are OOF Fellows are learning? They’re learning to identify potential networks of young Jews based on interest, demographics, and social trends. They’re learning to build relationships—at the heart of rabbinic work—in a systematic, data-supported manner.  They’re learning how to rapidly develop projects to respond quickly to what young adults want. And they’re learning to thoughtfully craft the spaces and highly curated experiences young Jews seek and have come to expect.

But they’re not simply reading about these approaches and strategies. They’re experiencing them—often in new ways. As just one example, Fellows received a special tour of Equinox’s Bryant Park branch—and upscale fitness center—through every nook and recess of the cavernous complex. With clipboards in hand, Fellows observed the sounds, sights, smells, and feel around them as they learn about “User Experience.” Different Fellows note various details, and all are struck by the precision of language used to describe the various activities, elevating the mundane activity of exercise into a bona fide “experience.” This, they realize, can greatly inform how they help create Jewish experiences.

Every 21st century rabbi needs to know what the Fellowship for Rabbinic Entrepreneurs is teaching. The tools to create new, meaningful Jewish communities should be as much a part of the rabbinical lexicon as the weekly parsha. The new Jew needs a new rabbi, and the OOI is breeding them.
—Jeremy Borovitz, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah

As the first cohort of the Fellowship concludes, four Fellows already have been placed in Hillel positions. As the second cohort gets underway soon, OOI looks to continue to fill a unique role to develop new leaders and educators ready to build and shape vibrant Jewish communities.

Meet the first cohort of Fellows here. A second cohort will begin later this spring.

The Machar Fellowship for recent college graduates interested in exploring the world of Jewish professional careers is now accepting applications. APPLY HERE (open until February 28, 2017)

A two-year leadership development program, Machar will provide six talented emerging Jewish leaders with a strong foundation in the early years of their careers in Jewish education that will propel them into the future of Jewish organizational leadership.  Fellows will be paid competitive full-time salaries for the two years.

The program is comprised if three components:

• A full-time position in experiential education at one of our participating Jewish community high schools: Gann Academy in Boston, Abraham Joshua Heschel High School in Manhattan, and deToledo High School in Los Angeles;
• Ongoing professional development, including mentorship, reflective practice, training in management and education theory, and retreat intensives; and
• An intimate cohort experience so Fellows learn and grow in collaboration with a group of other talented fellows across the country through weekly video conferencing, in person retreats, and chavruta– paired learning.

Machar answers the urgent need to develop talented young leaders who possess skills and have support necessary to deliver excellent Jewish education in a variety of settings. Throughout the two years, Fellows will have an impact on the way that Jewish high school students experience and live Judaism in their schools. Through the development of and participation in Jewish life programming on campus, fellows will make an immediate contribution to the shaping of Jewish identities and community that takes place in this special Jewish environment.

In doing so, fellows will develop skills in project management and program development through working with faculty mentors and students to create and participate in Jewish life activities such as school-wide celebration of the Jewish calendar, immersive experiences such as trips and shabbatonim – overnight Shabbat programming. They will learn how to bring Jewish education to life and life to Jewish education. They will become tomorrow’s Jewish leaders.

Along with Abraham Joshua Heschel School, and de Toledo, we are here to prepare our students for today’s world and to ensure that we are building a solid foundation for the next generation.  Teaching the teachers is a critical component of that foundation.
– Rabbi Marc Baker, Head of Gann Academy

As millions of people converged on Washington, DC for a variety of reasons and different purposes over inauguration weekend, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, Repair the World, Moishe House, REALITY, ROI Community, and the Jim Joseph Foundation hosted the Weekend of Hope, Healing and Service. Over those 48 hours, hundreds of people joined in meaningful dialogue about building a more inclusive society and took action during a day of service to help others.

Aviva Jacobs, a Schusterman Fellow and a Vice President with Teach For America, recently shared reflections on the Schusterman Family Foundation Blog on the Shabbat dinner and other activities during the weekend:

 I knew that the next day I’d attend the Women’s March on Washington, but I didn’t know that an impressive group of “nasty women” would actually start “marching” at this dinner—specifically, Rabbi Sharon Brous, Lisa Eisen, and Lynn and Stacy Schusterman. I listened to the words they shared with us—messages of hope, ideas of community, and charges of action.

On Sunday, Repair the World partnered with ten organizations including Bread for the City, Ronald MacDonald House, Catholic Charities, and others to offer authentic, impactful local D.C. service experiences for those in need.

 It was a great opportunity to meet other young professionals in the community who were passionate about giving back. I stayed after and asked for a tour of the facility and asked for other opportunities to volunteer at Ronald McDonald House.
– Participant in a service experience during the Weekend

Outside D.C., Moishe Houses around the country hosted numerous events. As just one example, in San Francisco 60 Moishe House residents and community members from five Bay Area houses came together with partners such as the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, The Peninsula, Marin, and Sonoma Counties’s YAD, the Shalom Hartman Institute and Reboot for a special “Unity Shabbat” dinner and discussion. Much like a Passover Seder, the evening interwove song, questioning, debate, ritual and food, with a focus on sharing, healing and processing where each person was individually and collectively after a politically divisive year.

 The Unity Shabbat was a special venue to connect and to turn uncertainty into discussion. The environment of the Shabbat table, gathering with the tranquility and comradery of the Day of Rest and messages on respectful disagreement, set the atmosphere for serious and engaging conversation. I was pleased to see in those around me as much self-reflection as reflection on society, keying in on how we as individuals can grow in the ways that we seek to engage with people we disagree with, to listen and truly hear perspectives, and to acknowledge humanity even in the face of irreconcilable
difference of opinion.
— Asher Kaye, Moishe House Palo Alto Resident

As we reflect on the Weekend of Hope, Healing and Service, and events such as the Unity Shabbat held around the country, the Foundation expresses sincere thanks to all of the partners involved, and especially to the individuals who continue to engage in this important work.

Learn more about B’Yadenu (“in our hands”), a project designed to shift a whole school – staff, administrators, leaders, and other stakeholders – to cohesively and collaboratively work to better serve all learners. 

B’Yadenu is a collaboration between Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP), Gateways: Access to Jewish Education, Yeshiva University’s Institute for University-School Partnership and select Boston schools (with funding from the Jim Joseph Foundation and the Ruderman Family Foundation).

Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC) has added URJ 6 Points Sci-Tech Academy West to the Specialty Camp Incubator III cohort. Building on the success of the previous two Incubators, this unique entrepreneurial opportunity will now launch six new camps in the summer of 2018. The addition of the sixth camp, as well as the entire program, is made possible by a combined grant from The AVI CHAI Foundation and Jim Joseph Foundation.

Specialty camping has proven to be a huge success for Jewish camp. Research from the first two Incubators shows that the specialty model attracts new campers – 66% said that they only went to Jewish camp because they were attracted to one of the specialties. Expanding our STEM offerings gives more Jewish teens the opportunity to be a part of the magical experience of Jewish summers.
– Jeremy J. Fingerman, CEO, FJC

URJ 6 Points Sci-Tech Academy West is an expansion of URJ 6 Points Sci-Tech Academy outside Boston, Massachusetts, which was part of the Specialty Camp Incubator II. In its fourth summer, URJ 6 Points Sci-Tech Academy is expected to welcome 600 campers in 2017. Since 2010, the nine Specialty Camps incubated have served over 6,000 campers – with nearly half reporting that they had never attended a Jewish camp before. The camps continue to surpass enrollment and retention goals, proving the demand for Jewish specialty options in the summer camp marketplace.

Incubator III will provide expertise and support to the new cohort of six individuals or organizations as they plan and implement their vision for expanded models of nonprofit, Jewish specialty camps. FJC expects that each of these new specialty camps will serve approximately 300 campers and 40 college-aged counselors per summer with a cumulative potential of serving 1,500 campers and 200 college-aged counselors by the summer of 2021.

The camps also part of Specialty Camp Incubator III are:

• JRF Arts will focus on the film arts with other supporting modalities in Southern California.
• Moshav Eden will be a West Coast camp focusing on a diverse Jewishly-rooted community of children, teens, and young adults who learn to steward the earth and strengthen our food systems.
• Ramah Sports Academy will be a high-level sports specialty overnight camp in the Northeast.
• Sababa Beach Away will capitalize on the setting of one of the East Coast’s top surfing locations to showcase surfing/beach activities, and the growing popularity of Jewish mindfulness.
• URJ 6 Points Creative Arts Academy will be dedicated to the pursuit of visual, performance and media art in the Mid-Atlantic.

In public and private schools across the country, millions of students each year learn about Judaism, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and other related areas. For these learning experiences to be both positive and grounded in fact, educators leading them need relevant professional development opportunities and support. With this guiding principle, the Institute for Curriculum Services works with social studies textbook publishers, develops curricular resources, and trains middle and high school social studies teachers around the country to improve the quality of education on Jewish subjects.

As an experienced educator, I can attest to the invaluable roles that accuracy and objectiveness play in the classroom, especially in discussion of sensitive, complex issues. In my personal experience, ICS’s detailed lesson plans, workshops, and conferences augmented my ability to provide a diverse community of students with a more impartial, open-minded, and global perspective on Jews, Judaism, and Israel.

– Michael Waxman, Social Studies Teacher, Stuyvesant High School, New York

Now, with its new National Professional Development Scale-up Initiative, ICS is poised to offer even more professional development to pre-service and in-service teachers. In particular, ICS will dramatically increase its offerings to educators and will begin hosting four regional Summer Institutes each year to provide in-depth education on the Arab-Israeli conflict and peace process. With three new regional trainers, ICS also will have a stronger presence at educator conferences, schools of education, and school districts

Honestly, this was one of the most comprehensive (Jewish history) and human (stories, psds, videos) presentations of content I have attended. Every lesson we had an opportunity to “try out” was an investment in my future practice and my familiarity with the content. The willingness of the presenters to be accessible via post session conversations or email was remarkable.

– Laura Keldorf, Language Arts/Social Studies Teacher, Riverdale High School

A national nonprofit initiative of the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Relations Council and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, ICS builds deep and lasting relationships with teachers in American classrooms and, ultimately, improves the accuracy and balance of their instruction about Jews, Judaism, and Israel. At scale, this initiative will engage over 2,000 teachers and potentially hundreds of thousands of high school students, Jewish and non-Jewish, each year.

More information about ICS is available at www.icsresources.org.

The Jim Joseph Foundation has awarded more than $660,000 to ICS.

As the only international Jewish fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) is uniquely positioned to engage young Jewish men during their formative college years. Its local chapters offer day-to-day opportunities for these individuals to connect with Jewish peers and to positively influence their communities. At the same time, AEPi’s international operations increasingly offer more substantial learning and development experiences to help support these future Jewish leaders.

Over the summer, AEPI’s 7th annual Hineni Conference for Jewish Identity Enrichment brought together 120 participants—double from the previous year—to focus on two core themes: Jewish Identity and Tikkun Olam. Elan Carr, an Iraq war veteran and AEPi alum who currently serves as the assistant District Attorney in Los Angeles, set the stage for the Jewish identity track by discussing the importance of not defining Jewish identity as being anti-BDS or anti-antisemitism. Rather, Carr implored the participants to gain a deeper understanding of why Jewish identity and Judaism is important to them.  He explained that AEPi can be a part of this journey with them, as the only fraternity to have an exclusive focus of Jewish identity and Israel, and to see philanthropy and ethics through a Jewish lens

My experience at Hineni grounded many values I hold to a set of morals and principles in Judaism, and makes me even prouder to stand up for Jewish values. I now feel a greater sense of obligation to help communities when I can. – Hineni participant

For the Tikkun Olam Track, AEPi staff led a Jewish philanthropy program that had participants run a phonathon/textathon for an hour with a goal of raising $1000 to show the ease in which fundraising can be done at a local level at each chapter).  The group exceeded the goal, and the program was immediately praised by many participants, some of whom had never before solicited a gift.

 

I now have new ideas and tools to make this world a better place for the Jewish people and for everyone else. Attending the conference left a lasting impact on my connection to the Jewish community at-large through AEPi and has reinvigorated my will to give back in a meaningful and effective way during my lifetime. – Hineni participant

In addition to the increased number of participants, AEPi also enhanced pluralist learning at the conference. This year, for the first time, Rabbi Stanley Jacobs of HUC-JIR, Rabbi Howard Tilman of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, and Rabbi Yitz Greenberg of the modern Orthodox Yeshiva Beis Yosef complemented a cadre of internal and subject area presenters. Rabbi Stanley Davids discussed the general idea of Jewish identity, as well as sexual assault and sexual harassment prevention both from an ethical and from a Jewish perspective. Rabbi Shalom Denbo (Aish trained) led a program inspired by Tisha B’av in which participants bonded through sharing their own vulnerabilities with fellow brothers. Among many other sessions, AEPi student participants discussed what new Jewish education programs they could bring back to their individual chapters.

Along with the Hineni Conference, AEPi’s other recent gatherings—the Michael A. Leven Advanced Institute for Leadership (3rd Year), and the Civics: How to Run a Campaign Conference (2nd Year)—in total engaged more than 700 participants. AEPi continues to grow and to offer even more meaningful ways for students to grow and develop as Jewish leaders of today and tomorrow.

The Jim Joseph Foundation has awarded $250,000 to support Alpha Epsilon Pi.

Since 2004, the Summer Institute for Israel Studies (SIIS)—the flagship program of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University—has prepared 269 professors from approximately 200 institutions across the U.S. and the world to teach Israel Studies in an array of disciplines, ranging from literature and the arts to politics, history, international relations, sociology, and more. Enriched by the scholarship, pedagogical insights, and experiential learning that the Institute provides, SIIS fellows have taught over 22,000 students at small liberal arts colleges, large research universities, Jewish and Christian academic institutions, historically black colleges, all four U.S. military academies, and the Ivy League, with courses developed at SIIS imbued with the nuance and sophistication that this complex area of study necessitates.

During the Summer Institute’s intensive two-week seminar at Brandeis University, world-class faculty from Israel and the U.S. share their expertise in a broad spectrum of fields and engage the fellows in discussion on a deep intellectual level. Through a multidisciplinary, rigorous examination of the complexities of Israel, fellows acquire the crucial tools they need to teach about Israel in a meaningful, balanced, and thoughtful manner. Fellows also receive valuable feedback from the group and from key Summer Institute faculty members as they develop and “workshop” syllabi for courses they will teach. Through this process, fellows are able to integrate their new knowledge with the pedagogical practices vital not only to teaching effectively, but to truly educating their students.

I found the entire program to be incredibly rich, both informationally and experientially. The fulsome slate of academic content was one of the most comprehensive that I have ever experienced. Our access to some of Israel’s leading scholars, topical authorities, and politicians is unmatched and to be commended
– Randall Rogan, Wake Forest University

Following the immersive Brandeis seminar, fellows spend ten days on a study tour of Israel—an opportunity to see, to meet, to interact with, and to hear for themselves the diverse voices and peoples that constitute modern Israel. Fellows get rare access to government officials, politicians, public intellectuals, community leaders, think tank experts and important cultural figures from Jewish, Arab, religious, secular, military, and civil, sectors of Israeli society. A vital component of the Summer Institute, the study tour transforms what they have studied in the classroom into authentic experiences that ground and illuminate their understanding of Israel, enabling these faculty to breathe life and substance into their teaching.

The Schusterman Center for Israel Studies maintains a life-long relationship with fellows, offering opportunities for continued professional development through conferences, workshops and webinars, and access to a trove of online resources—syllabi, articles, archives, podcasts—and an ever-growing network of Institute alumni that spans the globe. These scholars now are deeply invested in promoting good teaching about Israel in the classroom and responsible and serious scholarship relating to Israel in the Academy.

The Summer Institute gave me the courage and confidence to teach my first course in Modern Israeli History, which succeeded beyond my expectations. The Brandeis seminar taught me the range of major topics and debates in the field, and the unforgettable week in Israel enabled me to meet with the widest variety of experts and cultural figures. One of the most important lessons of the SIIS was that the field of Israel Studies encompasses much more than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and that contemporary Israeli society is even more vibrant, diverse, and complicated than I thought it was.
– Bruce Thompson, University of California, Santa Cruz

The Jim Joseph Foundation has awarded six grants totaling more than $2.4 million over ten years to Brandeis University’s Schusterman Center for Israel Studies for the Summer Institute for Israel Studies.

Across North America, Jewish day schools now can turn to Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools  to support their efforts to educate students and engage families in lifelong Jewish learning and living. Prizmah is an unprecedented integration of five of the leading day school organizations—PARDeS (Day Schools of Reform Judaism), PEJE (the Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education), RAVSAK (Jewish Community Day School Network, Schechter, and Yeshiva University School Partnership—designed to leverage proven models of success to meet the diverse needs of Jewish day schools today.

Prizmah will serve close to four hundred day schools across denominations—and in turn their nearly 100,000 students—through services that:

• Advance excellence in education;
• Promote greater affordability and more effective student recruitment; and
• Address the diverse needs of different denominations, geographic areas, school size, and other points-of-distinction.

A critical benefit of Prizmah is its integrated structure that will more easily allow for scaling of programs and services within the day school network. A full catalog of Prizmah’s offerings is now available, focusing on areas such as educational excellence and leadership; governance, affordability, and development; and other opportunities to help schools improve. On an ongoing basis, through donor convenings and field-building activities promoting research and innovation, Prizmah will elevate the place of day schools within the Jewish communal agenda and beyond.  And in February, the Prizmah North American Jewish Day School Conference will harness the “Power of Story”— as participants will learn about crafting, telling, listening, and responding to the powerful stories in their work and community in order to be more effective and to lead their schools forward.

Led by Founding CEO Paul Bernstein, Board Chair Kathy E. Manning, and other professionals with vast experience in the day school field, Prizmah is determined to make day school education the first choice for Jewish families. It envisions a thriving, passionate, engaged, and committed Jewish community nurtured by Jewish day schools for generations to come.

The Jim Joseph Foundation has awarded up to $2 million to Prizmah.

Celebrating its fourth year, JCC Manhattan’s Jewish Journey Project (JJP) is an innovative supplemental Jewish education program for 3rd – 7th graders based on  four visionary pillars: flexibility, innovation, collaboration and community. Together with congregational partners from around the area, JJP has engaged more than 800 children and their families by using the rich and diverse history of New York City as an experiential “classroom.” Some of its most popular courses are Architecture: DIY Jewish Building, In the Footsteps of American Jewish History: A Walking Course, JJP NYC Museum Hop, and FoodCraft: The Jewish Culinary Tradition.

In addition, JJP’s innovative Hebrew Homepage is an internet-based, one-on-one video conferencing Hebrew-language learning model with college students as tutors. Each student engages in a weekly 30 minute online session with their tutor (that they both schedule), choosing from a Learn to Read Hebrew track for beginners, a Reading Fluency for Prayerbook Hebrew, and soon a Modern Hebrew track.

Hebrew Homepage was a wonderful experience for our family. While I was initially unsure about “virtual” teaching, the kids were actually more engaged than they ever seemed to be in the classroom setting. The secret ingredients in this approach are the wonderful tutors who are knowledgeable and great with kids. This was especially true for my son with special needs. Not only did he get 1:1 support that matched his pace but his tutor was highly sensitized to his unique learning style and flexible with lesson plans.

—Lisa Fleisher, parent of JJP student

Synagogues and families tell JJP they are interested in the benefits that the Hebrew Homepage can offer all students, whether or not they are enrolled in JJP. Responding to this demand, JJP will roll out the Hebrew Homepage as a stand-alone service that any congregation or student can subscribe to, to strengthen their Hebrew acquisition. As a way of becoming a sustainable venture beyond the pilot funding phase, Hebrew Homepage will become a fee-for-service program that will help offset the philanthropic contributions that launched JJP.

Along with Hebrew Homepage, JJP, in partnership with Behrman House, continues to offer Shalom Hebrew, a free app that teaches the alef-bet and basic Hebrew decoding skills through a variety of modalities, including animation, images, slideshows, texts, sound cues, customized flash cards, interactive readings, activities and games, and recordings. And, since JJP engages many families with little or no previous involvement in Jewish institutional and synagogue life, it developed an alternative B’nai Mitzvah ceremony—a Brit Atid. Over the course of a year, 7th grade students and parents meet six times for family learning, and students meet weekly in their own class, Judaism On One Foot: Bring It Home and Making It Your Own. Students also study individually with a teacher to read and discuss their Torah portion, and develop a response to this portion that might be a video, musical performance, or an interactive experience for guests. The actual Brit Atid is a communal celebration where families and friends gather to share their presentations on their Torah portions.

In just four years, JJP has demonstrated how innovative educational experiences—with New York as its “classroom”—engage all kinds of families in Jewish life. Now, with JJP’s new sustainable Hebrew language instruction model, even more families will be able to access meaningful Jewish learning.

The Jim Joseph Foundation has awarded two grants to the Jewish Journey Project totaling $500,000.

This fall, Repair the World will make the case that a Jewish community united in service will strengthen itself as well as the world.

Service Matters: A Summit on Jewish Service

When: Thursday, September 15, 2016 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM (Eastern Time)
Where: 237 Park Avenue; Entrance on Lexington Avenue ,New York, New York 10017

The Summit will bring together a diverse group of professionals, social entrepreneurs, current and prospective funders, Jewish educators, and others working to engage people—especially Jewish millennials—in meaningful service through a Jewish lens.

Join Service Matters if you are looking for solutions to build meaningful Jewish connections with young Jews who care about social justice; leading, innovating or thinking about Jewish engagement effectiveness as a professional, social entrepreneur, philanthropist, educator; or eager to learn (or share!) where and why service through a Jewish lens is engaging tens of thousands and keeping them engaged, building new forms of Jewish community.

Learn more about the confirmed speakers and breakout sessions, and register here

The Wexner Field Fellowship is a leadership learning opportunity for high potential full-time Jewish communal professionals to deepen their leadership skills and develop a rich network of colleagues.  Up to 15 exceptional professionals will be selected for a three-year program with a cohort of lifelong professional learners that is focused on enriching their ability to exercise leadership as Jewish professionals.

Wexner Field Fellows are matched one-on-one with an executive coach, as well as a Jewish educator to expand their leadership skills and Jewish knowledge respectively based on their individual needs. Additionally, Wexner Field Fellows can also receive financial reimbursement towards individualized professional development.  Fellows join a diverse professional community that encourages learning about one’s self as a leader though interactions with people of varying backgrounds and viewpoints. Wexner Field Fellows benefit from the mentorship of staff and faculty at The Wexner Foundation, as well as the connections to our extensive alumni network which serve as a professional community throughout fellows’ careers. To learn more about the eligibility requirements and awards, and to submit a pre-application for the Field Fellowship, please click here.  This program is initiated in partnership with the Jim Joseph Foundation.