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iCenter for Israel Education

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.

featured_grantee_200x300_july2015 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.

Reflections from Sandy Edwards, Jim Joseph Foundation Associate Director

Editor’s Note: Later this month, Foundation Associate Director Sandy Edwards will leave the position she has held since 2006. She will remain involved in Jewish education and philanthropy through consulting and volunteering efforts. Below are reflections from Sandy on her time at the Jim Joseph Foundation working with grantees, other funders, and stakeholders in the field.

Ten years can at once seem like a long time and go by in an instant. As I reflect back on my ten years at the Jim Joseph Foundation, I am flooded with memories about where the Foundation and the field were in 2005—and where we now are today.

When I joined the Foundation, nothing was in place. No infrastructure for disbursing grants. No methods for evaluation. No standards for follow-up and accountability. There is a certain satisfaction I derive from having helped build the Foundation from the ground up. While the strategies and tasks varied, the goal always was focused: Create compelling Jewish learning experiences for young Jews.

Pursuing this mission is really what brought me into our field of work in the first place. And working on behalf of the Jim Joseph Foundation was the opportunity to be part of something new, exciting, and special. I look back and take pride in the contributions to four primary areas of which I was fortunate to be a part:

Developing the “invisibles”

From the time I joined the Foundation, we established internal systems—the key “invisible” structures—that helped translate its grantmaking strategy to success on the ground. Throughout the last ten years, these systems were the vehicles by which the Board of Directors awarded more than $350 million in grants and the Foundation paid to date $301 million in grant amounts. We processed 1,741 of grant payments, participated in eight successful audits, and developed a grantmaking procedure manual.

We worked diligently to apply principles of operation in order to support grantees. Every day, I worked with a team at the Foundation that refined these systems and sought to make them as effective as possible. Over time, they became useful to grantees and a vital part of their work. Why? Because even the best intentions, best grantees, and most visionary philanthropists need these basic nuts-and-bolts mechanisms to move an idea from paper to realized outcomes.

Relationships with Grantees

As the Foundation’s philanthropy grew, I came to realize the importance of relationships—both within an office environment and, in our work, with grantees. In fact, developing relationships with grantees really has become a best practice over the last two decades. Philanthropy at its best is so much more than a transaction. Rather, when a funder and grantee have a strong relationship, premised on openness and honesty, success is more likely and better learning and sharing occur. Developing these relationships takes time, a lot of conversations, and trust—but the payoff and the outcomes are well worth this time.

In my role as Associate Director, I was privileged to engage with all of the Foundation’s major grantees. I developed strong relationships with many. Unfortunately, I don’t have the space here to mention them all. But I do want to highlight a few of the individuals who I grew to know well who spurred tremendous outcomes.

Arlene Agress and Miriam Prum Hess of BJE Los Angeles led the complex, multi-faceted LA High School Affordability Initiative, which supported five Jewish high schools as they raised $21.25 million in endowment funding, benefitting hundreds of students and their families. Foundation for Jewish Camp’s CEO Jeremy Fingerman and Michele Friedman and her team recruited nine talented camp directors and worked with them to launch nine successful Jewish specialty camps through the Specialty Camps Incubator— one of the most innovative initiatives of which I was a part. FJC and the camp directors are remarkably creative and committed to this exciting initiative.

In ten years, I saw talented leaders lead and build entire fields. In teen engagement and education, BBYO’s Matt Grossman and his team forged a deep relationship with the Foundation during my time here. Our work together resulted in enriched Jewish learning for the tens of thousands of teens in BBYO’s network. In young adult engagement, David Cygielman took Moishe House from one local house to a scalable, international vehicle for young Jewish adults to build communities and make space for Jewish learning. And Anne Lanski helped to develop the iCenter and, through that organization, greatly advance what was a nascent field of Israel education.

In the examples above, a strong relationship between funder and grantee is essential to the success that has been demonstrably achieved.

Model Documentation

A founding principle of the Foundation was the great responsibility we have to share models of Jewish education that strengthen the field. I am deeply proud of our contribution to model documentation, and I worked closely with talented individuals in this important area of work. David Waksberg of Jewish LearningWorks led the Bay Area Day School Israel Education Project (BASIS)—a major development for the field of Israel education—which we then documented online for communities across the country. Already, BASIS has informed the development of iNfuse, through which the Center disseminated an adaptation of the BASIS model to other day schools nationally.

Near Boston, Adam Smith has led the North Shore Teen Initiative (NSTI) and truly changed the landscape of teen Jewish engagement in 23 cities and towns north of the city. As NSTI’s success crystalized, we worked to document this model to be adapted in other communities. This was especially useful as the Foundation launched its ambitious Community-Based Jewish Teen Education and Engagement Initiative, designed to help ten communities implement best practices in this space. Alan Oliff, the Project Director of B’Yadenu, worked with six day schools also in the Boston area to implement school-wide change so that educators build their skills and capacity to meet the needs of diverse learners. I was privileged late last year to attend an institute at which Alan and his team welcomed other communities to Boston to share this important model first-hand.

Evaluations

Finally, the Foundation’s program of evaluation today is a defining element of our efforts. Of course, it did not just appear out of thin air, and it has expanded and evolved over ten years. A program of evaluation on this scale benefits many—grantees, potential grantees, other funders, and many others in the field—and takes a true team to ensure its viability. The Foundation and I enjoy deep relationships with very strong evaluation consultants, among them Ellen Irie at Informing Change and Wendy Rosov at Rosov Consulting who are part of the Foundation’s new—and potentially groundbreaking—evaluators’ consortium. I am most proud of my work in the area of evaluation because I know its power and potential. I hope that the field increasingly utilizes evaluation, data, and other outcome measures to inform future efforts. A tool like JData, a database and website that collects and provides census-like information about Jewish educational organizations in North America, for example, is a game changer. I would like to see its potential fully realized as part of increased use of data-driven growth and effectiveness of Jewish education.

Moving On

A lot happens in grantmaking over ten years. Strategies are tested and analyzed; successes are achieved; a field continues to grow. I was a part of this with the Jim Joseph Foundation’s dedicated Board of Directors and talented team, led by Executive Director Chip Edelsberg, and it was exciting to see the change that we made together. I am heartened at the great progress made in these four areas. In all examples above, strong relationships and a solid team dynamic were and still are integral to success. We see this dynamic more and more throughout our field—truly a positive development. And I am especially grateful for the personal relationships I had with Foundation grantees, evaluators, and other stakeholders

It is hard to believe that it was ten years ago when the Jim Joseph Foundation began. Now, I look forward to my next phase of life—starting my consulting practice and using what I learned through these wonderful experiences to help others and continue to strengthen our field.

Thank you all who have been a part of my work at the Foundation to advance the important cause of Jewish education and in creating an effective philanthropy practice.

‘It’s a Girl Thing!’ helping to develop Jewish pride, identity

LA Jewish Journal It’s a precarious world for Jewish girls — in addition to the angst of adolescence, they are at risk for depression, eating disorders and risky behavior. And Jewish girls, post-bat mitzvah, also often drop out of Jewish life.

But, for 3,500 Jewish girls across North America, a program called “Rosh Hodesh: It’s a Girl Thing!” is helping. An experiential program developed during the past decade, it uses Jewish teachings and practices and offers 11- to 18-year-old girls a place to feel safe, articulate concerns and consider the impact of gender on their daily lives, as well as have fun and be “real” with their peers.

According to a newly released report, celebrated at a panel at The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, Rosh Hodesh is demonstrably impacting how these emerging teens see themselves, through both the lens of gender and Jewish identity.

“We knew there were problems that girls had to deal with,” said Deborah Meyer, executive director of Moving Traditions, the nonprofit that created and oversees the program. “We shouldn’t wait for girls to be in crisis and drop out; we should use Jewish teaching and values to help them develop into healthy young adults and give them a reason to stay connected.”

Currently, Rosh Hodesh groups are running in 26 states; Moving Traditions has regional directors operating in six cities (Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles). Groups meet monthly in age cohorts that can last through the end of high school; leaders explore with the girls issues such as body image, friendship, relationships, family, competition and stress.

At the L.A. Federation program, California Director Beth Tigay and Chief of Education and Program Rabbi Daniel Brenner presented the data, gathered from participants, group leaders and community partners, to determine long-term impact. “We were looking for proof of concept, but also to improve the concept, to think about how we might work more effectively,” Meyer said.

“Every group is different,” said Rabbi Yechiel Hoffman, who supervises Moving Tradition programs at Temple Beth Am. “Sometimes it’s ritual-based, sometimes it’s a processing space.” Bette Alkazian, group leader at Temple Adat Elohim, said her aim was to create an environment that was “the antithesis of school.” Shira Landau, speaking as leader of groups for Temple Beth Am and IKAR, noted that the “key component is the space and time to share, to feel like you’re not alone.”

Lyla Birnbaum, a past participant who has just finished her first year of college, credited Rosh Hodesh for developing her leadership skills. And high school junior Frankie Alchanati confessed that her mom had originally forced her to go, but the program was life changing. “I’ve made lifelong friends. It’s my own little ‘Dr. Phil’ show — whatever I need, they’re there for me.”

A group of 450 former Rosh Hodesh participants, with a median age of 18, responded to the survey administered by researchers Tobin Belzer in Los Angeles and Pearl Beck in New York City. Also surveyed were 160 group leaders and 50 professionals from partner organizations, and interviews were conducted with select alumni and professionals. The researchers learned that the program significantly strengthened girls’ self-esteem; empowered them to believe they can become agents of change for themselves, other women and other communities; and encouraged retention post-bat mitzvah.

“This project really crystallized for me how Jewish identity happens,” said Belzer, an applied sociologist of American Jews. “It happens in the articulation of what being Jewish means, so when you provide an opportunity for girls to think together about their Jewishness in the context of their lives and in contrast with their peers, you provide a powerful space for the cultivation of Jewish identity. Rosh Hodesh does this beautifully.”

Additionally, they found that most local participants weren’t aware that they were part of a national network. “The research gives Moving Traditions the opportunity to create a more vibrant national network of Rosh Hodesh participants and alumni,” Belzer said.

Rosh Hodesh has traditionally operated through community partnerships with synagogues, schools and community centers. But, in the fall, Moving Traditions is piloting a community group model in Los Angeles and Denver, aimed at the under-affiliated.

Since Tigay was hired last year, she said, she has “met everyone I can possibly meet in the Jewish community working with teens outside of institutions” to build the community group model. “I’m finding excited parents who may not want institutionalized Judaism or connection to a synagogue, but they do care about their children’s well-being, self-esteem and self-confidence.”

Tigay, an educator, teacher and administrator for 18 years, reported that, as of this year, L.A. proper has 58 Moving Traditions groups — 39 Rosh Hodesh groups and 19 groups of Shevet Achim: The Brotherhood, the Moving Traditions program that engages Jewish boys.

“L.A. is such a rich and robust community,” Tigay said, noting that one of her roles is to see “how we could fit our mission and goals into the needs of the city.”

Moving Traditions is part of the Jewish Teen Program Accelerator, supported through Federation’s Community-Based Jewish Teen Education Initiative, funded by the Jim Joseph Foundation and meant to support dramatic scaling of the region’s most innovative teen education programs. “The accelerator will open opportunities to collaborate with other organizations that we haven’t thought of yet,” said Tigay. “It’s a blast of innovative, creative people looking forward to exploring how to collaborate.”

Sixty percent of group leaders were in active contact with participants even five years after the program had ended, the research showed. “Choosing someone to create a safe space [and] have authentic conversations with teen issues often relating to gender is a critical component,” Meyer said, indicating that future research will explore the group leader’s role as mentor.

Although group leaders often are educators and teachers, Tigay said, social workers, lawyers, chefs, doctors, artists and actors also serve in this role. “Even though they’re not ‘in the business of teens,’ they want to help reach the teens. And it’s the adult in the room who can make or break it.

“I wish I had this as a teen,” said Tigay, who has two daughters. “It’s a gift to know that I’m doing something in an organization I love that’s making a difference.”

Download of report is here.

Source: “‘It’s a Girl Thing!’ helping to develop Jewish pride, identity,” June 3, 2015, Jewish Journal of Los Angeles

A 5-Point Plan to Build Your Local Engager Network

Since 2012, we have witnessed the growth of local networks for Jewish engagement professionals – “engagers” who are responsible for Jewish millennial engagement and programming – in cities across the country, including Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, Philadelphia, and more. These networks serve as local engager hubs, complementing a national network such as the NEXTwork. They also uniquely further engagement efforts by:

Increasing trust, mutual respect, and transparency among local engagers;
Accelerating knowledge, skill-sharing, collaborations, and connectional intelligence – a term coined by business/leadership consultants Erica Dhawan and Saj-nicole Joni that emphasizes “driving innovation and breakthrough results by harnessing the power of [our] relationships and networks”;
Diving deep into the nuances and needs of Jewish millennials and engagement issues; and
Serving as local platforms for professional development and peer mentoring and support.

For engagers – most of whom are millennials – working connected “to get things done and develop creative solutions to challenges” is a natural concept that supersedes any organizational politics and related barriers to collegial partnerships and collaboration. In successful local networks, we’ve seen engagers and their organizations move past perceived differences, and into mutual respect, trust and openness, leading to the creation of new, innovative engagement strategies and programs. After some time, we’ve seen these outcomes lead engagers – and their communities as a whole – to better engage young Jews by building more integrated and cooperative landscapes.

We realize others may seek to create networks in their own communities, so, from our experiences, here are the key steps to get a local engager network off the ground:

Step 1: Determine if you are well-positioned to convene a network. A well-positioned organization and leader needs to convene the network. This means an organization with a solid grasp on the local Jewish landscape, strong collegial connections, and the bandwidth to coordinate the group. We’ve seen JCCs, Hillels, Federations, and others take on the convenor role in different communities. It’s a great opportunity to collaborate!

Step 2: Create a list of local professional engagers and meet with them individually. If you already meet and communicate regularly with fellow engagers, that is a good start. If not, now is the time to open those lines of communication, which will help you understand their specific interests and needs. Practice active listening in these conversations: find out what each person wants to achieve, what they value, and what frustrates them. In order to create a supportive network, you’ll first need to deeply understand the needs of the local landscape.

Step 3: Meet up! Convene the group to increase everyone’s understanding of the local landscape and to establish a shared purpose for the network. This meeting should be led by you or another strong facilitator in your community. Elise Peizner, Director ofJconnect in Seattle, told us that having a “third-party facilitator [NEXT] helped level the playing field – it made people feel equal which was an important goal for us.” Regardless of who facilitates, be sure to:

Communicate the meeting’s purpose in advance.
Use safe space guidelines to encourage open conversation among participants.
Start with a relationship-building activity to establish new professional relationships and strengthen existing ones.
Map out the community, identifying areas of both engagement saturation (overserved geographic and/or program areas) and opportunity (underserved areas).
Determine meeting frequency, duration, and focus through consensus, to set expectations and keep the group focused moving forward.

Step 4: Define priorities. Let the network’s shared purpose and core values, which should be discussed and agreed upon in a subsequent meeting, be your “true north.” Evaluate the network’s effectiveness in responding to engager needs periodically through individual and whole-group check-ins and surveys. Be sure to capture and track this data, as it tells the network’s growing story and can highlight successes and where additional progress is needed.

Step 5: Continue cultivating relationships. Utilize your individual check-ins as a method to monitor participants’ feelings on their involvement (is it meeting their needs?) and continue building the participant list (who else should be at the table?).

As your network continues to meet, additional needs and questions will emerge (such as, “can we create a forum for our volunteer leaders?”) and your role as network convenor will continue to evolve. But these steps build the foundation for strong networks in which new communication lines between organizations have opened, deeper collaborative relationships have blossomed, and most importantly, young Jews find it easier to navigate the Jewish life landscape and get involved!

If you run a local engager network, what advice would you give to a new network convenor? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Adam Pollack is the Senior Western Regional Director at NEXT: A Division of Birthright Israel Foundation and can be reached at [email protected]. Dan Fast is the outgoing Senior Northeast Regional Director at NEXT and can be reached at [email protected].

Camp Pembroke wins Goodman Prize for Excellence in Israel Education at Camp

In re Pembroke Mariner and Express cognition of its success infusing Israel into a greater part of camp culture and overall experience, Camp Pembroke in Pembroke, was awarded the inaugural “Goodman Prize for Excellence in Israel Education at Camp” by the iCenter for Israel Education, Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC), and the Lillian and Larry Goodman Foundations.

Along with nine other camp semi-finalists for the $1,800 cash prize award, Camp Pembroke—an all-girls pluralist Jewish summer camp—is part of the Goodman Camping Initiative for Modern Israel History. The ongoing initiative enhances and expands the commitment of Jewish overnight camps to modern Israel history and dynamic Israel education within all parts of camp, and is designed to help campers build deep and meaningful connections with Israel.

“We are honored and excited to receive the Goodman Prize for Excellence in Israel Education at Camp,” says Ellen Felcher, Director of Camp Pembroke. “Israel has always been a focal point for us, but over the last few years, Israel has 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.”

Compared to just a few years ago, Camp Pembroke today offers campers many more opportunities for Israel engagement, with twice-a-week “Jewish life and learning” classes and dynamic, fun experiences. Among numerous activities, Goodman Fellows decorate a golf cart as an “Israeli Cash Cab” at the beginning of each summer for counselors to drive around, stopping anywhere at camp to ask Israel trivia questions. Another activity involves campers dramatizing Israeli-related inventions like the pill-cam, special irrigation techniques, cell phone technology, and more, while other campers guess the invention. And campers have designed picnic tables and benches to showcase Israeli history, heroines, and culture.

“Everything we do at Camp Pembroke now builds to a 5 and a half week trip to Israel during the campers’ ‘Counselor-in-training,’ summer.” Felcher adds. “We showcase Israel as modern state, living and breathing with excitement. The girls develop their own personal and meaningful connection to the country and the people.

Now in its third year, the Goodman Camping Initiative is a partnership between the iCenter and Foundation for Jewish Camp with generous support from The Lillian and Larry Goodman Foundations, with contributions from the Marcus Foundation and the AVI CHAI Foundation. The Initiative has engaged 36 camps at workshops, at seminars for shlichim, and with online tools that offer strategies and resources to help camps infuse modern Israel history into their camp’s educational program. As an example, Goodman curriculum details how a camp can run its own program based on the TV show “Shark Tank,” that teaches campers about social justice programs started in Israel. Beyond specific programs, the Goodman Camping Initiative helps camps incorporate Israeli themes, images, or Hebrew language into their entire camp surroundings, including their gardens, their climbing walls, and their bunks.

“Camp fosters deep connections and creates lasting memories—and we have an incredible opportunity to make Israel a focal part of this positive experience,” says Jeremy J. Fingerman, CEO of the Foundation for Jewish Camp. “We’ve seen camp staff embrace this initiative and combine their learnings with really creative ideas that bring Israel to life for their campers. This year, as there are every year, so many camps were worthy of this prize. I am proud of the ways all of these camps have incorporated Israel into the Jewish camp experience in such effective and dynamic ways.”

As part of the prize selection, camps had to detail how they’ve utilized the resources and training provided by the Goodman Camping Initiative to offer new Israel experiences to both campers and staff, and how their participation in the initiative has an ongoing impact at camp.

“The Goodman Initiative already has created a very significant shift in culture at camps by integrating Israel into regular, everyday programming,” says Anne Lanski executive director of the iCenter. “Authentic Israel experiences can be incorporated into nearly any learning environment, and the physical, immersive space of camp presents so many great opportunities. The initiative and this prize are indicative of the continued, exciting evolution of Israel education that we see at camps, day schools, congregational schools, and other educational settings around the country.”

Source: “Camp Pembroke Wins Goodman Prize for Excellence in Israel Education at Camp,” Pembroke Mariner and Express, May 6, 2015

Taglit Fellows Now Accepting Applications For Cohort 3

Professional development program trains exceptional staff for Taglit-Birthright Israel trips

Taglit-Birthright Israel opened registration earlier this week for Cohort 3 of Taglit Fellows, the professional development program launched in 2014 in partnership with the iCenter for Israel Education as an educational intensive for exceptional Jewish leaders and aspiring Jewish educators looking to staff Taglit-Birthright Israel trips. The first two cohorts were comprised of nearly 200 Fellows who were selected from over 1,000 applicants. The program will welcome in another group of highly motivated and talented individuals to increase the quality of the Taglit-Birthright Israel experience and to play significant roles in the ongoing Jewish journeys of young adults. Registration is at www.taglitfellows.com and is open through May 15, 2015.

“We are excited to build on the successful Taglit Fellows model and the great momentum of cohorts 1 and 2,” said Anne Lanski, Executive Director of the iCenter. “Through the program, Fellows gain new skills that help them leave a lasting impact on Birthright Israel participants and on Jewish youth in their home communities. Now a new cohort will learn directly with leading Israel and Jewish educators to create meaningful Israel experiences that help young Jews develop personal connections to the country and people.”

The Taglit Fellows program includes a four-day in-person seminar of interactive trainings and in-depth conversations with master Israel educators focusing on a range of areas, including how effective storytelling is a tool for education and engagement; how to create ritual moments with personal meaning; and what experiential education might look like at a range of sites in Israel. In addition to the seminar, Fellows engage in online learning and workshops in experiential Jewish education, and over time, form a close network of peers.

Naomi Karp, Director of Student Life at UCLA Hillel and a member of Cohort 2, reflected on her training seminar from earlier this year: “Not only did the Taglit Fellows seminar give me a number of new tools and activities to use when staffing future trips, it also provided me with an incredible community of 100 other Fellows. It was inspiring to learn from the experience of the facilitators and my peers, and I feel empowered with the responsibility of creating more intentional and meaningful experiences for Taglit-Birthright Israel participants rooted in Jewish content and Israel education.”

The program, funded by the Maimonides Fund, accepts 100 participants aged 22 and above every six months, with the majority of Fellows either professionally or personally serving as leaders, educators, and connectors in their Jewish communities. The first Fellows staffed Winter 2014/2015 trips, and Cohort 2 Fellows will begin staffing this summer.

“The bottom line is that the strength of the educational staff is a key factor that influences the quality of the trip,” says Taglit-Birthright Israel CEO Gidi Mark. “So we want to continue to raise that quality with more Fellows who are trained to impact the Taglit-Birthright Israel experience.”

Taglit-Birthright Israel has sent close to 500,000 young Jewish adults to Israel from more than 66 countries and from all 50 U.S. states, including students from nearly 1,000 North American college campuses accompanied by more than 70,000 Israelis.

Taglit Fellows enhances both Taglit-Birthright Israel experiences as well as the broader field of Israel and Jewish education by cultivating emerging Jewish professionals as role models and educators. Taglit-Birthright Israel has a unique, historical and innovative partnership with the Government of Israel, thousands of individual donors and private philanthropists, and Jewish communities around the world through Jewish Federations of North America, Keren Hayesod and the Jewish Agency of Israel. Visit taglitfellows.com and follow #TaglitFellows for more information.

Source: “Taglit Fellows Now Accepting Applications for Cohort 3,” Jewish Scene Magazine, April 16, 2015

To Every Season Turn, Turn, Turn: A Time of Change at the Jim Joseph Foundation

I hope you enjoyed a meaningful Pesach with family and friends. In this month’s blog, I want to share with you several significant personnel changes at the Foundation.

Sandy Edwards, the Foundation’s Associate Director since 2006, will step down in June of this year. After I was named Executive Director, Sandy was the first person I brought on board as I built the Foundation’s professional team. If you have had the privilege to work with Sandy, you are well aware of her life-long commitment to Jewish education; her understanding of multiple ways to assess Jewish learning; and her strong desire to share best practices. Many of the Foundation’s standard operating procedures regarding its evaluation program and model documentation were conceptualized and implemented by Sandy. Thankfully, she plans to remain involved in Jewish education and philanthropy through consulting and volunteering efforts.

The Foundation also is excited to announce some new promotions and hires.

Dawne Bear Novicoff, who has been with the Foundation since 2009, is now the Foundation’s Assistant Director. Dawne is a talented, experienced, and spirited individual who is extremely well-suited for this new role. She manages an impressive portfolio of grants, including the Foundation’s six-year Education Initiative (with $45 million total funding for HUC-JIR, JTS, and YU), along with grants in critical areas such as Israel education and Jewish service learning. Dawne will assume expanded managerial and leadership responsibilities as Assistant Director—something that I believe will be a benefit to Foundation colleagues, grantees, and co-funders alike.

Just a few months ago, the Foundation welcomed Jeff Tiell as a new Program Associate. Jeff has the distinction of being the Foundation’s first-ever Program Associate. This position was created to offer a professional new to the field the opportunity to learn about Jewish education grantmaking. Jeff works closely with his direct supervisor, Senior Program Officer Josh Miller, and continues his onboarding process with colleagues and in interactions with grantees. I encourage you to read Jeff’s recent blog about his past experience and transition to the Foundation.

This week, the Foundation also welcomes Aaron Saxe to the team as Program Officer. Aaron has spent the last two and a half years as a Philanthropic Advisor at the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund of San Francisco, The Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties. Some already know Aaron from his past professional and volunteer work. He is deeply committed to Jewish education and philanthropy—his family has a long legacy of giving back—and the Foundation is fortunate to have him as a member of the professional team.

I also want to share news regarding the Foundation’s Grants Management and Administration (GMA) staff. David Agam, who has been with the Foundation nearly two years, is moving on this week to become the Executive Assistant/Development Coordinator at Congregation Sherith Israel. We wish David well. It is heartwarming to see a bright, dedicated young individual grow in his skills and knowledge at the Foundation and further pursue his commitment to Jewish education.

The Foundation also welcomed two new members of the GMA team recently: Nicole Levy and Rachel Halevi. We are grateful to have them on board.

Finally, some of you saw the announcement earlier this month that I will step down as Executive Director in 2016. As I noted then, serving in this position has been the professional opportunity of a career. Coming to work every day with talented individuals who care deeply about Jewish education is a blessing. I look forward to a rigorous schedule over the next twenty months assisting the Foundation in myriad ways to hopefully advance several major Jewish educational initiatives.

Looking ahead, in just a few months the Foundation Board of Directors and professional team will hold a special June Board meeting in Israel. This is a unique opportunity for the Foundation to mark its ten-year anniversary. We look forward to various briefings in Israel, interactions with individuals who benefit from Foundation-funded Israel experiences, and a visit to the grave of Jim Joseph, z”l, to honor Jim’s memory. As part of the ten-year anniversary, in early fall the Foundation will release an online-only retrospective timeline, showcasing many grantee accomplishments and sharing a wealth of lessons learned with the field.

This is an important time of personnel change and growth for the Foundation. Our mission remains the same: to help foster compelling and effective Jewish learning experiences for youth and young adults. It is a great responsibility—one we will continue to steadfastly pursue in close partnership with an array of passionate partners.

My First Pesach at the Jim Joseph Foundation: Reflections from a Program Associate

For all Jews worldwide, it recently was Pesach. What did it mean to you? To me, every year, it means reflection on two questions emanating from the same root: Am I free and Are we free? The “we” meaning my family, my friends, my communities (Jewish and otherwise), my city, our society, our world. These questions could be unpacked in a host of different ways, discussed, argued, and contested. After all, that’s the point right? For me, these questions held special significance this Pesach because I asked them as a recent hire of the Jim Joseph Foundation.

At the end of January I began my job as Program Associate at the Foundation. The Program Associate role is a new one for the Foundation. It was conceived as a way to provide the opportunity for a professional new to the field to learn about the art and science of grantmaking dedicated to the support of Jewish education. It is one way for the Foundation to positively influence the next generation of Jewish philanthropic leadership.

During my first few months I have engaged in important onboarding work to gain an understanding of the Foundation’s practices: shadowing colleagues in meetings, participating on calls with grantees, and spending a good amount of time with my direct supervisor, Josh Miller, a Senior Program Officer at the Foundation. This time has afforded me the opportunity to discuss the business of the foundation, to ask questions, and to be mentored. Learning from and working with Jim Joseph Foundation colleagues is humbling. So, too, is my new reality that I practice through this work—the pursuit of helping to create more philanthropically funded Jewish learning experiences and sparking individuals to lead vibrant Jewish lives.

Even I wouldn’t have expected to be in this position as little as two or three years ago. My background is in the inter- and multidisciplinary worlds of research, community planning, and secular education. I have spent time in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Baltimore, and the Bay Area as an academician and practitioner interested in questions on how place and education intersect and impact one another. As many organizations and authors have noted, where you live affects how long you live, and the opportunity afforded to you during your life.[1] Put plainly, your zip code matters.

It was through these social justice and education issues that I began to understand myself as a Jew in a renewed way. When I moved to the Bay Area in the summer of 2012, I became involved in organizations such as Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice, American Jewish World Service, and The Kitchen. I sought out places to engage Jewishly with peers who had similar hearts and minds. I also began to realize that although I had previously held Judaism and “doing Jewish” at arm’s length, I now had something to say about being a Jewish millennial with a renewed desire to “do Jewish” on my own terms. And isn’t this what education and learning is about? Knowing thyself.

Building on this concept, when I saw that the Foundation was seeking a program associate, I realized that this was an opportunity to further “have my say” and add to the conversation. I’m not only tasked with professionally growing and developing within the organization. I also contribute to the Foundation’s work of providing, through its grantees, opportunities for other Jews to learn, grow, and develop; to reach Jewish youth and young adults where they are.

Amartya Sen, the Nobel scholar and economist, wrote a notable book titled Development as Freedom. Within its pages he argues that “freedom is both the end and most efficient means of sustaining economic life and the key to securing the general welfare of the world’s population.” Freedom. The ability to choose for oneself. The ability to act on one’s own behalf. As a program associate at this Foundation, I feel wholly empowered to creatively think about Jewish learning and life. I feel free. A humbling thought, especially given the notion that so many still are not. How do we as a Foundation, and I as a part of this organization, imbue freedom of Jewish opportunity? How do we imbue freedom of Jewish expression, freedom to be Jewish in the ways that resonate with each of us, freedom to learn and live a vibrant Jewish life?

It has been a privilege to be at the Foundation and ask myself these questions most every day. During Pesach, these questions took on special meaning. From my eyes, what the Jim Joseph Foundation is doing is at the heart of what the Pesach story teaches us about what it means to be a Jew. To be free to learn and understand — something I look forward to continuing to experience on the job and to seed to others through the job.

[1] For one example of this, see Robert Wood Johnson Foundation article, http://www.rwjf.org/en/culture-of-health/2014/12/why_zip_codes_matter.html.

At Moishe House, a central address for Jews in their 20s

It hasn’t achieved Starbucks-level growth, with a franchise on every corner. Not yet.

But Moishe House, which offers subsidized housing to young adults who agree to live and work together on promoting Jewish life to their peers, has expanded at a dizzying pace. Since its establishment in Oakland in 2006, it has grown to 77 houses in 17 countries on five continents, with more than 5,200 people calling Moishe House home last year.

Passover 2014 at Moishe House East Bay in Oakland photo/eli zaturanski-elizphotography.com

The Bay Area hosts a number of houses — three in San Francisco (North Beach, the Mission and a Russian-speaking house in the Sunset District) with a fourth slated to open later this year, along with one in Oakland and one in Palo Alto.

Built on the idea that young adults are more likely to show up to events if they’re invited by their friends or peers, the nonprofit boasts a $5.2 million annual budget, with support from such donors as the Jim Joseph Foundation, the Koret Foundation, the Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Foundation.

Moishe House CEO David Cygielman and his team built the organization by applying the old capitalist maxim “Find a need and fill it.” In this case, the need was the vastly underserved segment of post-college 20-somethings in the Jewish community.

“I see Moishe House as a conduit to directly supporting young Jewish adults and building Jewish community,” says Cygielman, a Bay Area native now running the nonprofit from Charlotte, N.C.

Passover 2014 at Moishe House East Bay (left) photo/eli zaturanski-elizphotography.com

The concept of Moishe House grew out of a dearth of programming for young adults. With their BBYO and Hillel days behind them, and married life still ahead, there were few opportunities for millennials to live Jewishly, especially those from secular or marginally religious backgrounds.

Residents apply to live in a Moishe House for one to three years. The selected group of up to five residents is responsible for locating a suitable rental and signing the lease. In return for heavily subsidized rent — courtesy of the Moishe House organization — they commit to hosting Shabbat dinners and holiday celebrations and creating programs in the realms of Jewish learning and culture.

That makes the Moishe House a combination co-ed fraternity, classroom and community center. Throw in comfy chairs, a big-screen TV and a bowl of Doritos, and it becomes a magnet for young adults.

The housing subsidies are a big incentive to attracting residents. Instead of paying market value, they get up to a 75 percent discount. In San Francisco, residents pay between $300 and $650 a month — quite a deal when the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment is well above $2,500.

“It’s pretty much a work exchange,” said Analucia Lopezrevoredo, a San Francisco resident. The 28-year-old, who works full time at the nonprofit JIMENA (Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa), said she and her housemates spend around 20 hours a week planning, shopping, cooking and promoting the seven events their house must host every month. They use social media to promote their events — anything from a Kabbalat Shabbat to a co-ed soccer team — put out newsletters and write reports for the national office.

Welcome Home Shabbat” event on Jan. 30 at the Mission District Moishe House in San Francisco photo/courtesy moishe house

“There’s a constant rhythm to planning,” Lopezrevoredo added. “Creating community by community is the key for millennial Jews. In the traditional model, you either go to shul or you’re not involved in Judaism. Moishe House is a great alternative.”

Cygielman noted that almost all programming ideas originate with residents. Two favorites he cites are a “pink” Shabbat for breast cancer awareness and a garment giveaway, in which houseguests throw their unwanted clothes on the floor. What isn’t snatched up by others is donated to local charities.

And then there was the Matzah Ball Stars, a Moishe House softball team that was started in 2010 by an S.F. resident who wanted to do outreach to prisoners.

“He contacted San Quentin,” Cygielman said. “He found out the only way to get in was to put together a softball team, go in on Sundays and play the inmates. They started the team and played the inmates once a month.”

These kinds of innovations attracted funders such as the Jim Joseph Foundation. Senior program officer Josh Miller has helped administer the foundation’s grants to Moishe House, so far totaling nearly $5 million.

“From the beginning, Moishe House has had a model that seemed compelling to the foundation,” Miller said. “They’ve been an entrepreneurial and savvy organization from day one, thanks to the nature of their founding, the leadership and the culture of the organization. It’s nonprofit management done well.”

Miller notes that Moishe House is not the only Jewish nonprofit serving millennials. But he is impressed with Moishe House’s adaptability, noting that the model works as well in Budapest as it does in Boston.

Cygielman and his staff have now turned their attention to life after Moishe House. For example, a new pilot project, Moishe House Without Walls, will help former residents build on the experience and leadership skills gained while living in a house.

Meanwhile, the ticker at the top of the nonprofit’s website, tracking the number of Moishe Houses around the world, continues to grow.

“We did a little internal study to see how many houses we think we can have,” Cygielman said. “We think we could be at 150 without oversaturating.”

Source: “At Moishe House, A Central Address for Jews in their 20’s,” Dan Pine, J Weekly, February 26, 2015

Day School Endowments In L.A.

George Rohr’s op-ed provides us with a salient and powerful message: Day schools help ensure a vibrant Jewish future (“Tackling The Day School Affordability Crisis,” Education Supplement, Jan. 30). And in order for day schools to  survive and thrive, they need long-term viable income streams. Investing in  and building endowments for day schools addresses that critical need. Over the past several years, Los Angeles has also been investing in day school endowments.

A lead gift commitment by the Lainer family in 2007  initiated development of the Simha and Sara Lainer Day School Endowment Fund, a 1:4 match to incentivize schools to build endowments. In 2009, in partnership with BJE-Los Angeles and the Jewish Federation, the Jim Joseph Foundation provided a generous grant (The Los Angeles High School  Affordability Initiative) that provided resources for coaching and training,  built schools’ development infrastructure, created a culture of giving, and provided middle-income tuition assistance while the high schools raised  endowments to sustain these tuition grants.

Over the past six years, at the participating high schools, fundraising culture  changed dramatically, as existing donors were educated and new donors were brought on board.  To date, the five participating high schools have collectively raised nearly $17 million for endowment, matched by an additional $4.25 million from the  Lainer fund. More importantly, each school now has a growing endowment that  will generate distributions for tuition assistance beyond the grant period.

And endowment has caught on in a big way in Los Angeles. To date, 12 elementary/middle schools have participated in the Generations project, sponsored by PEJE and The AVI CHAI Foundation, and have collectively raised  over $10.5 million, with a new cohort of schools scheduled to begin later this  year. Are the schools done? Of course not. As Mr. Rohr points out, it is critical that endowments continue to expand and grow to meet the needs of  future families and students.

The two programs in L.A. are models for other communities and BJE, with the  support of the Jim Joseph Foundation, has created a website, www.LAHighSchoolAffordability.org, where donors, schools, and communities  interested in undertaking endowment development can obtain detailed  information on what we have learned and how to implement similar initiatives in their own school or community.

-Arlene Agress, Director
LA High School Affordability Initiative , BJE  (Builders of Jewish Education) Los Angeles

Source: “Day School Endowments in L.A.,” by Arlene Agress, The New York Jewish Week, February 11, 2015