This eco-friendly poster was on view as part of the award winning graphic designs from Israeli designers this past year. The "Utzav Be-Yisrael 08" Exhibition this month featured the latest designs and designers in the fields of home accessories, jewelry, print media and technology. This original poster by Aviram Meir, "uses creative graphics to encourage people to make use of rainwater. What could be more fitting for an arid, sun-drenched country?"

Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem.

Many of our past posts, and many yet to come, focus on the Millennials; their innovative projects, their opportunities, and how (as we alluded to since day 1) they are shaking up and remaking our Jewish world. But who is this generation? Born from 1980 through 2000, they are the first generation to grow up surrounded by digital media. "They're the 'Babies on Board' of the early Reagan years, the 'Have You Hugged Your Child Today' sixth graders of the early Clinton years and the teens of Columbine" (Neil Howe and William Strauss, Millennials Rising; Vintage Books). As the radio was to their grandparents, the television to their parents, and the computer to older siblings, this generation ...

Today the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, upon the recommendation of the Bronfman Chair search committee, offered the position to Yehuda Kurtzer, Harvard PhD candidate and Wexner Graduate Fellow, who entitled his project

"The Sacred Task of Rebuilding Jewish Memory"

The committee took into consideration the proposal itself, the ability for that idea to become an accessible book, the candidate's interview, the symposium presentation, the courses candidates proposed to teach at Brandeis, outside recommendations, and responses from the symposium audience. No candidate won in all categories and every candidate impressed the committee. From Yehuda's project proposal... "The next great step for the Jewish future will be the reclamation of the Jewish past. ...

updated two hours later: The JAFI Board meetings the past few days has put me a bit behind in posting. We can now bring you breaking news about the Bronfman Prize Finalist. Here is the original post from earlier today. This past Sunday, Brandeis University's Hornstein Program played host to the five semi-finalists for the new Charles R. Bronfman Visiting Chair in Jewish Communal Innovation. The winner of the current competition, which is supported by philanthropist Charles R. Bronfman, will receive salary, benefits and research assistance for two years. The winner will be expected to teach one course each semester at Brandeis, and to deliver lectures or seminars based on the project, but the bulk of ...

Speaking yesterday afternoon at JAFI's Board of Governor's meeting in Jerusalem, Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni warned of an erosion of the Zionist idea, a trend advanced by the growing de-legitimization of Israel in the international community, and said that Israel and Jewish communities abroad must redouble their efforts to reverse this (trend). Livni pointed to the common challenge that is facing both Israel and world Jewry. "Today there is worrying erosion and a process of de-legitimization against Israel in the world -- it appears as if the Zionist idea is losing its importance. What was understood 60 years ago is no longer understood today. This trend is not just taking place within the international community ...

All to many nonprofit websites are making mistakes that discourage donors from browsing, donating, volunteering or referring others to the site. The good news is 62% of adults visit a nonprofit's site prior to making a donation (according to a recent online survey conducted by Harris Interactive). This is also the bad news. For many nonprofits, the quickest way to scare away donors is to direct them to the organizations' website. Here then, are four common blunders and how to avoid them. Click here to continue reading

Monthly giving plans are one of the best ways to reduce donor attrition and to upgrade an individual's giving level. In the next decade you will find that charities will increasingly look towards monthly donor programs to increase their income. In a report titled “Myths of Monthly Donor Programs” Canadian consultant Harvey McKinnon talks about how easy it is for a nonprofit to lose annual donors to those organizations with more aggressive monthly donor campaigns. “When a donor joins a monthly donor club it has consequences. She may even start reducing her single gift donations to other nonprofits — perhaps yours! — because she has committed a greater share of her charitable funds through monthly donor programs. Here’s an example to illustrate ...

Since launching the acclaimed Shabbat Across America Program in 1997, the National Jewish Outreach Program has brought hundreds of thousands of Jews together for an annual fun-filled Friday night event. In an unrivaled display of Jewish unity, approximately 700 synagogues across the continent simultaneously open their doors to practicing and non-practicing Jews alike, so they may join together to experience and rejoice in a traditional Shabbat service and festive meal. Designed to teach a generation of unaffiliated Jews about the beauty and significance of the Jewish Sabbath, Shabbat Across America/Canada is the first nationally orchestrated program to appeal to members of all major Jewish denominations. This year, the newest Shabbat Across American locations will be virtual, ...

There is an allegorical story about a luxury passenger ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean that hits an iceberg and begins to sink. On the lower decks, the crew and passengers make a valiant but unsuccessful effort to plug the hole in the ship's hull. On the upper deck, first-class passengers rearrange the deck chairs, sun themselves and play shuffleboard, seemingly oblivious to the disaster around them. Meanwhile, the ship's band plays on. Of course, had more passengers on the ship attempted to plug the hole, the leak would have been sealed. After the fact, two absurd stories emerge. Some of the upper-deck passengers say they didn't help because they saw no seeping water and, anyway, the water ...

Sixty-two percent of Americans believe the typical nonprofit organization spends more than what is reasonable on overhead expenses such as administration and fundraising, according to a new survey. When respondents were asked what is a reasonable level of overhead costs for nonprofits, the average figure was 22.4 cents for every dollar collected. However, when asked what they thought the typical nonprofit actually spends on overhead costs, the figure was 36.3 cents per dollar. The findings, gleaned from a survey developed and conducted by Ellison Research involving more than 1,000 American adults, found that while respondents were fairly consistent in their thinking about how much charities should spend, their thoughts on how much charities actually spend were more diverse. more from the ...