With the opening last night in Jerusalem of the 3rd ROI Summit, and the kick-off to eJP's Summer of Innovation, here is just a brief introduction to ROI, the history and mission. History: Originally funded by the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and the Bernie Marcus Foundation, ROI was developed as a partnership between Taglit-Birthright Israel and the Israel Democracy Institute in 2005. With the establishment of the Center for Leadership Initiatives (CLI) in 2006, ROI became a unique partnership between Taglit-Birthright Israel and CLI, a US-based operating foundation with funding from Lynn Schusterman. After two successful ROI Global Summits, ROI expanded its efforts to include regional gatherings for participants as well as grant awards for exceptionally innovative projects. The … Continue Reading
Rethinking the Business Model of Jewish Community
Most people treat Jewish community work like a casual non-profit. But perhaps there’s a more effective, more business-like way to encourage innovation within a responsible, results-oriented framework? PresenTense Editor and Publisher Ariel Beery and his frequent business partner Aharon Horwitz think so, and tell you all about it in their new article in Ha’aretz, “Investing in Value." To save our community from the boom-and-bust dynamic, we need to prioritize value over image, and encourage young entrepreneurs to seek out value-enhancing opportunities that will allow them to generate returns on investment. To do so, the model of today’s Internet start-ups might be instructive: Start-ups now begin with a prototype and seek small seed investment. When a prototype is deemed to work, the … Continue Reading
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