News & Blogs Category: Featured Partner

UJA-Federation of New York knows that Jewish day schools play a vital role in fostering a knowledgeable and engaged Jewish community, and inspiring the next generation of leaders. At the same time, the cost of a day school education presents a challenge to many families. To alleviate this burden, while helping to ensure that schools have the ability to run academically excellent programs, UJA-Federation of New York launched the Day School Challenge Fund. This initiative aims to

jump start the development of endowments—and change communal norms around endowment giving—for day schools in the New York metropolitan area.

The Day School Challenge Fund utilizes a proven development strategy designed to make excellent Jewish learning more affordable and accessible to families. Different than a contribution to be used immediately, endowments help schools achieve financial stability, increased affordability, and educational excellence for years to come. Endowment funds raised by schools are matched by commitments from foundations and individual donors.

This is a groundbreaking initiative for families with children in Yeshivas and day schools. It will help secure the future of our children’s education for generations to come. I cannot think of anything more vital to Jewish continuity.
  –  Rabbi Yaakov Bender, Dean, Yeshiva Darchei Torah

Now, the 20 current participating schools—representing the diverse spectrum of Jewish day schools in terms of denomination, size, and location—are in the planning stage of their campaigns. The inaugural Day School Challenge Fund conference in early February, which heads of schools, development directors, and board lay leaders attended, inspired, motivated, and educated the schools’ leadership to go out and successfully raise endowment funds. At the conference, school leaders further developed relationships with each other, learned about different endowment development practices, and strengthened their ability to make the case for endowment giving. Other schools are considering joining the initiative as well.

At Schechter Westchester, we are in the midst of very exciting innovations in such areas as computer science, engineering, the arts, and experiential Jewish education. Year-to-year financial pressures and enrollment fluctuations make it difficult, however, for a tuition-driven school to invest adequately in such program development. A substantial endowment will provide the long-term stability and certainty that are required to achieve the peerless program that we seek to develop and keep it accessible to as many families as possible—and the extraordinary generosity of UJA-Federation and its funding partners, through the Day School Challenge Fund, has provided the stimulus that our school community needs to dedicate ourselves fully to this effort.
  – Michael A. Kay, Head of School, Solomon Schechter School of Westchester

From left to right: Sara Nathan, Chair of UJA-Federation’s Commission on Jewish Identity and Renewal; Alisa Doctoroff, President of UJA-Federation and Jim Joseph Foundation Board Member; and Paula Gottesman, President, Paula and Jerry Gottesman Family Supporting Foundation, and Chair, Greater MetroWest Day School Advisory Council

The Day School Challenge Fund is an unparalleled opportunity for schools to incentivize past, present, and prospective donors to make meaningful endowment gifts. Throughout the initiative, the schools will continue to receive support through UJA-Federation’s comprehensive training program that includes webinars, conferences, and individualized strategic consulting sessions for each participating school.

The Jim Joseph Foundation is one of eight funders that have contributed to UJA Federation of New York for the Day School Challenge Fund, totaling $51 million in matching funds that will be part of a total endowment of nearly $150 million.

Earlier this month, national and local leaders from across the Jewish world gathered in Baltimore to network, to learn from one another, and to hear about the latest developments in Jewish teen education and engagement. The 2016 Summit on Jewish Teens addressed areas such as teen leadership development, diversity and inclusion, “tikkun olam,” teen entrepreneurship, teens and tech, and Israel, along with other teen engagement and education areas.

Along with Maimonides Fund, The Marcus Foundation, Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff Awards

Committee, and Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, the Jim Joseph Foundation was pleased to serve as a host of the Summit.

The Summit is only one example of the Foundation’s commitment to supporting dynamic teen Jewish learning experiences and to advancing this field. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than $37 million to community-based initiatives within the framework of the Jewish Teen Education and Engagement Funder Collaborative—which includes national and local funders from ten communities working together to expand and deepen Jewish teen learning and engagement.

Members of the Foundation professional team visit frequently with the communities to learn more about each initiative and the new offerings available to teens. Recent and upcoming visits to Los Angeles, New York, and Denver/Boulder are representative of initiatives at different stages of implementation—all of which already are changing the landscape of teen Jewish life in their communities. Other communities with community-based teen initiatives underway include Boston, Chicago, Baltimore, and San Diego.

The Foundation deeply appreciated seeing practitioners, researchers, funders, and other education and communal leaders at the Summit, and it will continue to share lessons learned about Jewish teen education with the field.

The first-ever national CEO Onboarding program designed for high-level organizational leaders in the American Jewish community is now accepting applications. Learn more at leadingedge.org/CEOonboarding or download the flier to the right.

It’s no secret that the vibrant, immersive environment of Jewish summer camp is one of the most meaningful and resonate learning experiences for youth today. For 17 years, Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC) has supported Jewish overnight camps across the country, working with camps from various backgrounds and practice to promote excellence in their management, programming, marketing and enrollment.

FJC’s newest initiative, Hiddur—which in Hebrew refers to the concept of beautifying or enhancing a Jewish ritual by appealing to the senses—is a pilot project focused on helping camps deliver even more substantive and effective Jewish educational experiences that align with each camp’s unique Jewish mission.

Over the last several years camps have significantly improved their Jewish learning offerings. Yet FJC recognizes that Jewish education at many camps is still a work in progress with great opportunity. The Hiddur Initiative is designed to capitalize on this by pairing camps with expert coaches to create new ways to change and expand Jewish culture at camp. The first Hiddur cohort of eight camps will focus on the specific Jewish experiential learning outcomes they want to see in their campers, staff, and camp community.  What do the camps want these audiences to know, value, and do differently after having spent time in their camp? What activities will foster these outcomes? Hiddur will help answer these questions—both on paper and in practice—and will focus on outcomes in a range of ritual areas:

 Klal Yisrael: Jewish Peoplehood — Shomrei Adama: Nature and Environment — Ivrit: Hebrew Language — Eretz Yisrael: Connection to Israel — Marking Sacred Time — Tikkun Olam: Social Justice — Tikkun Middot: Personal Ethics — Spirituality and Mindfulness

An ambitious list to be sure. But Hiddur will help camps establish and enhance systems so they can realize their Jewish missions. Utilizing the cohort-framework proven successful in past FJC initiatives, the inaugural Hiddur camps have committed to a three-year process of learning and growth. The coaches—all seasoned leaders in the field of Jewish camp and organizational life—will guide the camps to enhance Jewish experiential education. Each camp will form a Hiddur team, including professional and lay leadership, to ensure that their Hiddur efforts align with and impact the broader vision of the camp community. Camps will also have access to Ignition Grants to fund new Jewish initiatives.

The inaugural Hiddur cohort is comprised of B’nai B’rith Camp in Neotsu, OR; B’nai B’rith Perlman Camp in Lake Como, PA; Camp Daisy & Harry Stein in Prescott, AZ; Camp Judaea in Hendersonville, NC; Camp Sabra in Rocky Mt., MO; Camp Tel Noar in Hampstead, NH; Emma Kaufmann Camp in Morgantown, WV; and Herzl Camp in Webster, WI.

As a Community of Practice in Hiddur, these camps will share experiences and learn together to offer the best Jewish experiential learning. Both FJC and the Jim Joseph Foundation believe that learnings from Hiddur will be utilized by camps outside of the pilot program as well. And with almost 80,000 campers and 11,000 college-aged counselors annually, Jewish camp continues to grow. With the support of FJC, these youth will engage in some of the most meaningful, effective, and fun Jewish learning—shaping them for the rest of their lives.

The Jim Joseph Foundation has awarded numerous grants to the Foundation for Jewish Camp. Its grant to Hiddur is for up to $774,970 over three years. 

Great talent to lead organizations is cultivated, supported, and valued. Historically and today, the field of Jewish funders and nonprofits contains some of the finest minds, all working to advance missions that foster the best in Jewish values and ethics.

Founded in 2014, Leading Edge—formerly the Jewish Leadership Pipelines Alliance—is an unprecedented partnership between Jewish foundations and federations dedicated to cultivating the next generation of leaders for Jewish non-profits. It is a direct response to the reality that Jewish non-profits across the country have an increasing amount of senior level positions, including CEO level positions, that are vacant. Filling these positons with talented, dedicated professionals is critical to maintaining vibrant Jewish communities across the country with a range of Jewish engagement and education opportunities.

Jewish life has benefitted enormously from decades of generous support by its members. Community leaders have built durable institutions, and a thriving network of young start-ups is galvanizing a new generation. However, like the general nonprofit sector in the United States, the vast majority of Jewish nonprofits—75% to 90% by some estimates—must find new executive leadership in the next 5-7 years. Finding the right leaders to move immediately into these openings is already proving difficult.
– From “Cultivating the Next Generation of Leaders for Jewish Nonprofits,” a study by The Bridgespan Group commissioned by Leading Edge, March, 2014

Leading Edge has studied this challenge, understands the urgency to affect change, and has a concrete course of action. Its three flagship programs are a CEO Onboarding program to help new CEOs ease their transitions and set them up for long-term success; a Lay leadership Commission to engage the philanthropic community in understanding how they can best support efforts to build a vibrant and solvent Jewish nonprofit sector; and its Leading Places to Work initiative that helps organizations cultivate the attributes and assets that attract and retain the best talent.

As Barry Shrage, longtime CEO of the Combined Jewish Philanthropies, the Boston Jewish Federation, noted, “To the extent that we… position ourselves at the leading edge of Jewish history, we will attract the best and brightest people…”

Through research, advocacy, facilitating collaboration, and galvanizing investment by others, Leading Edge is answering this call. In fact, Leading Edge sees the field’s growing change as a tremendous opportunity to bring leaders together and to leverage their ingenuity and passion that has characterized the best institutions in the field. The groundwork to address this challenge now is set. Leading Edge is ready to cultivate and support the next generation of talented Jewish leaders who help create our vibrant and diverse Jewish communities across the country.

The Jim Joseph Foundation awarded a grant to The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore Inc. to launch the CEO Onboarding program, in cooperation with Leading Edge and other funders. The Foundation previously awarded a separate grant to The Associated to support Leading Edge (at the time the Jewish Leadership Pipelines Alliance)

A rich array of new Jewish education and engagement experiences are beginning to attract more Los Angeles teens to Jewish life, with opportunities to learn and to connect with peers and community. Launched earlier this year, the LA Jewish Teen Initiative (LAJTI) led by The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles has a three-pronged strategy to expand and create high quality programs; to nurture the teen ecosystem and build community commitment; and to nurture educators of Jewish teens. The Initiative’s ambitious goal is to engage 2,000 – 3,000 local Jewish teens in meaningful Jewish experiences. Los Angeles is one of seven communities in the Jim Joseph Foundation’s Funder Collaborative focusing on Jewish teen education.

The centerpiece of the Initiative is a “Teen Program Accelerator”—an opportunity for two dozen local organizations to learn
together about expanding and creating new, more varied programming for thousands of LA Jewish teens. The Accelerator kicked off in September with a full-day workshop in conjunction with collaborators from Upstart Bay Area and American Jewish University’s Etzah Program.  Participants learned about the model of Human-Centered Design and used the Business Model Canvas to guide the day-to-day implementation of their organizations’ strategic plans.

Participants in the Teen Program Accelerator

This fall, the Initiative’s vibrant community of teen educators—known as Selah—will hold its first gathering to build community and to participate in professional development experiences customized around their unique needs. In the upcoming months, Selah will bring teen educators high-quality speakers, discussing tangible, needs-reflective topics that will advance their work and careers in the Jewish Experiential Education field. Other efforts to nurture Teen Educators include one-on-one mentoring, opportunities for subsidized academic courses at diverse institutions and personalized coaching on how to maximize Jewish service learning opportunities for teens.

Already this past summer, the Initiative’s Community Internship Program offered 27 rising Los Angeles-area high school juniors and seniors a three week long introduction to the workplace. Fellows learned directly from placements in successful Jewish non-profit organizations, and benefited from mentorship at the side of communal leaders. One fellow commented:

I learned just how vast the Jewish community is. This became apparent to me during the supervisor lunch when I learned about each Jewish organization and learned how different and unique each organization was and how they worked to help the Jewish community in such varied ways.

Another new program just underway offers high school students a unique opportunity to take part in a “Teen Social Media Fellowship.” From now through May 2016, teen Fellows will work with mentors, social media experts, and coaches on personal online projects. They’ll learn about social media theory and will focus on creating digital content and using social media to connect L.A. teens to more Jewish experiences.

Together with local and national partners, these are just a few of the exciting new opportunities the Federation is leading—creating a diverse mosaic of accessible and affordable Jewish teen opportunities. Scholarships are even available for short-term immersive Jewish experiences. Behind the scenes, increased and improved marketing, enhanced collaboration among community stakeholders, and leveraging of communal resources are all part of the strategy. As a result, more teens will be involved in Jewish learning of a higher-quality, and more support will be offered to teens to lead healthy and fulfilled lives.

Learn more about the LA Jewish Teen Initiative through its Theory of Change Overview, which serves as the framework for the Initiative Evaluation Plan. This work was the result of a collaborative process that involved individuals from the Jim Joseph Foundation, LAJTI Federation staff, Los Angeles Federation Volunteer Leadership Team, LAJTI Advisory Group, Upstart Bay Area and Informing Change. This Theory of Change states that the long term, ultimate impact of the LAJTI will be that Los Angeles Jewish teens  have a rich mosaic of accessible and affordable opportunities through which to live healthy, personally meaningful and fulfilled Jewish lives.

The Jim Joseph Foundation awarded $4,217,824 to the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles for the Jewish Teen Initiative. The Foundation has awarded a total of more than $37.3 million in seven communities for Community-Based Jewish Teen Education Initiatives.

Only one organization is devoted exclusively to engaging young Jewish adults as volunteers, and to infusing their volunteer service with Jewish learning and values: Repair the World.

Last year alone, Repair the World engaged 32,645 unique individuals in service and educational programming. They performed over 50,000 hours of direct service. These efforts were connected to meaningful Jewish learning, with an understanding that everyone connects to Judaism in their own way. Repair empowers young Jews to learn how their passion for service relates to Jewish values, traditions, teachings, and personal Jewish heritage.

Repair is taking this effective approach and creating unique High Holiday opportunities for Jews across the country. With dozens of organizational partnerships in place, Repair will help individuals connect to the holidays in personally meaningful ways—through relationships with peers, through community building, and through intentional volunteer service. Its High Holiday campaign focused on Food Justice will mobilize thousands of individuals, offering opportunities to lead volunteer efforts, to host and attend Shabbat dinners centered on food justice, and to elevate the conversation through thought leadership and social media opportunities.

Mariel Schwartz of Ann Arbor is on board as a “Movement Leader,” ready to lead efforts in her community:

Being a Movement Leader with Repair the World is a great opportunity to make a difference in my local community during an important time in the Jewish calendar. The chance to set the tone for the year ahead is energizing and empowering!

I now have the tools I need to create a meaningful service opportunity for friends and peers. It’s also a chance to experience the High Holidays in a way that reflects my Jewish values and is meaningful to me.

The Jewish High Holidays are a time for reflection, community gathering, and setting the tone for the coming year. For Repair the World, it’s only the beginning of more big things to come. With year-round opportunities like Repair the World Communities—in Pittsburgh, Detroit, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and now New York—Alternative Spring Breaks, and hundreds of other public programs, Repair is the destination for meaningful Jewish service learning.

Learn more about Repair the World’s High Holidays Food Justice Program.

The Jim Joseph Foundation has awarded more than $8 million to Repair the World.

The Ruderman Family is pleased to invite the entire community to the inaugural Ruderman Inclusion Summit which will be held in Boston on November 1-2, 2015 at the Seaport World Trade Center.

This convening will bring together all stakeholders in the disability and inclusion community in order to foster strategic advocacy and awareness, peer to peer learning, best practice, networking and more. The Ruderman Inclusion Summit will feature nationally recognized leaders in the field, speaking and engaging with attendees on the critical issues of education, housing, employment, community and religious life.

Registration is now open. Summit schedule, workshops, presentations, speakers, and additional details will be posted there in the coming weeks.

CASJE, the Consortium for Applied Studies in Jewish Education, has rapidly evolved into a dynamic community of researchers, practitioners, and philanthropic leaders dedicated to improving the quality of knowledge to guide the work of Jewish Education.

CASJE’s new website—www.casje.org—is part of this exciting evolution.

Casje.org is an integral part of CASJE’s commitment to discovering, generating, and sharing useable knowledge about significant issues in Jewish education. Visit the site to learn about CASJE’s work, current areas of focus, and collaborative communities. Casje.org is now a hub for news and events about Jewish education in general — with a focus on applied research.

Over the next five years, CASJE will offer an environment for scholars—new and veteran alike—to think creatively about questions and topics that can help shape Jewish education. CASJE provides the structure to not only search for the answers, but to disseminate this critical learning to the entire field.

The purpose of CASJE is to connect Jewish education researchers, practitioners, and funders. In fields like law and medicine, research informs and improves practice. We believe that research in Jewish education can and should do the same, by better drawing on what we already know about Jewish education and being more thoughtful about what we might learn.

-Lee Shulman, Stanford University

The Jim Joseph Foundation has awarded three grants for CASJE totaling more than $1.7 million. Please see Chip Edelsberg’s guest blog about CASJE’s contributions to the field of Jewish education.

Welsome to the new CASJE website, casje.org. Featuring a re-imagined visual identity, the website will facilitate CASJE’s commitment to discovering, generating, and sharing useable knowledge about significant issues in Jewish education.

On its website, you will find easier navigation and access to information about CASJE’s work, current areas of focus, and collaborative communities. It is CASJE’s hope that the website will serve as a hub for news and events about Jewish education in general — with a focus on applied research. The new site also features short CASJE Stories that highlight CASJE’s growing impact on members of the community.

Blending superb Israel content with high quality educator development has been the iCenter’s M.O. since its founding. When the iCenter launched the Aleph Bet of Israel Education in 2011, it was the first attempt to introduce common language and principles into the field of Israel education. Representative of the ever-maturing field, the iCenter’s new Aleph Bet 2.0 is a refined and extended version of the original, designed to keep the guiding principles relevant and to advance the conversation about creating the best Israel education experiences.

Every community, every school, every synagogue, and every teacher now has the ability look at their programs, their classes, and their teaching to determine if they offer exceptional Israel education. Are we reaching our goals? Can we share what we’re doing in Israel education with others in a way that is understandable? Suddenly when you have a shared language it becomes much easier to collaborate.
– Michael Emerson, Educator, SAR High School, Cohort 1 member of the MA Concentration in Israel Education

Now, thousands of educators in day schools, at camps, on Birthright buses, and in so many other settings bring Israel to life for their learners. They form a cadre of talented, dynamic individuals who have gained an expertise in Israel education through iCenter initiatives, programs, and partnerships. But without the Aleph Bet—and now the Aleph Bet 2.0—the field’s evolution would have stagnated.

Israel has always been a focal point for us, but over the last few years, Israel has been infused in all the spaces in camp. From the dining hall, to the cabins, to the sports fields, to arts and culture, Israel is all around our campers. The Goodman initiative has been a driving force behind this change, giving us exciting tools and ideas to bring Israel to life at camp.
– Ellen Felcher, director of Camp Pembroke, part of the Goodman Camping Initiative and winner of the inaugural Goodman Prize for Excellence in Israel Education at Camp

Working with partners like Taglit-Birthright Israel, Foundation for Jewish Camp, and universities across the country, the iCenter uniquely taps into the personally meaningful connections to Israel. Whether focusing on Israel’s remarkable history or modern day innovations, the iCenter helps educators and their students go beyond a textbook or lecture.

…when we see students as partners in the educational process, the ability for all of us to learn grows exponentially.  We have learned that Israel Educators must first explore their own personal relationship with Israel and be able to articulate “their Israel story.
– Michael Soberman is a Senior Educational Consultant at the iCenter for Israel Education and the Director of the iFellows Masters Concentration in Israel Education.

iCenter opportunities and initiatives continue to grow and expand. Its “Conflict Toolkit” is a sophisticated and nuanced approach to learning, discussing, and understanding Israel in conflict. The Master’s Concentration in Israel Education just launched its 5^th cohort and is on its way to certifying 120 educators. And, in December 2015, the iCenter will hosts its second iCamp Conference, bringing together dynamic educators, leaders, and thinkers from across North America and Israel to explore new ideas in Israel education.
 The Jim Joseph Foundation has awarded more than $7,360,500 in grants to the iCenter. For more information on iCenter opportunities—and to pre-register for iCamp 2015—visit www.theiCenter.org.

Just over thirteen years ago, a network of highly successful young cultural creatives began to take shape. These deeply passionate individuals, most of whom considered themselves at the outskirts of Judaism, came together to form Reboot, a nonprofit organization with the primary aspiration of opening up Jewish life. The purpose: to affirm the value of Jewish traditions and to create new ways for people to make them their own. Reboot provides a distinctive methodology, an open space for “Rebooters” to explore Jewishness and its place in their contemporary lives. Most importantly, Reboot offers a welcoming invitation to discover, question, imagine and create.

Since its founding, Rebooters, (there are now over 500 in the network) have been the minds—and hands on the ground—behind Reboot’s projects that have grown to engage hundreds of thousands of Jewish young adults around the country in projects such as Sabbath Manifesto/National Day of Unplugging; 10Q (for the Ten Days of Awe); Beyond Bubbe; Sukkah City; Unscrolled and a new project, reBar. Reboot also partners with and shares methodology, content and DIY tools with over 750 national and international community partners including East Side Jews, Lab/Shul, IKAR, Hillel, Moishe House, synagogues, museums and JCCs.

Reboot puts Judaism in play, makes it active and alive. It presents the same big question, but from dozens of angles a year: What am I going to do with my Jewishness? It asks questions that beg answers. Questions that cannot be ignored. Dozens of times a year, those questions put me in play, and those questions pull me toward interacting with Jewishness.
– Rebooter

Reboot recently reflected on its impact over the last 13 years through a network-wide study. The findings offer great insights into the value of the Reboot experience and community for network members. Through Reboot, many connect to Judaism for the first time, or re-connect after years of detachment or distance. Through Reboot’s programs, projects and DIY resources, the organization also opens powerful new perspectives on living a Jewish life, and routes for exploring Judaism on one’s own terms. Members feel a greater sense of ownership over Jewish rituals, practice, and customs—and how those traditional values and themes can be translated to a contemporary setting.

Reboot has been utterly vital in nurturing the development of my Jewish identity such that I now feel more confident interacting with those traditional bodies (our synagogue, synagogue-based preschool and religious school).
– Rebooter

A Reboot original: Tashlique at the beach in San Francisco

Learning and building from their Reboot experience, Rebooters are also passionate about their obligations to future generations. They continue to create vibrant Jewish life in their communities around the country through idea generation, incubation, and collaboration with like-minded peers from diverse backgrounds—all with the idea that Judaism’s rich traditions offer an array of engagement opportunities in today’s modern world.

The Jim Joseph Foundation has awarded three grants to Reboot totaling up to $6,547,490 beginning in 2008. The most recent grant, awarded in February, is for four years.