Since its inception, UpStart has committed itself not only to strengthening the professionalism and efficacy of new Jewish initiatives, but also to strengthening the Jewish knowledge of the leaders and the quality of Jewish content offered by these initiatives. It remains unique in the network of Jewish incubators aimed at bolstering the Jewish innovation ecosystem, and begs the question: why is it important to engage the leaders of new Jewish initiatives in substantive Jewish learning? And, furthermore, why does UpStart believe that it is not only important, but ultimately intricately interwoven with the potential success of these leaders and their projects? Hal Lewis, in a recent piece for eJewishPhilanthropy.com entitled Workplace Happiness and the Jewish Question, notes the disturbing trend … Continue Reading
At Home, and in the Streets
I realized that I wasn’t in the Kansas of the Jewish community anymore when there was a break at four o’clock in the afternoon and there wasn’t a morsel of food in sight. I was attending the Social Innovation Summit which brings together successful social entrepreneurs, funders, and corporations, to discuss how to translate the most innovative and effective practices from the private sector to the social sector. I trailed Nancy Lublin, CEO of dosomething.org and a self- described “loud Jew from New York” who was on the lookout for a cookie, but alas, everywhere, people stood, Perrier in hand, seemingly comfortable, talking animatedly about their work. I learned about a variety of inspiring programs, which included bringing clean water to rural villages, empowering individuals to help save … Continue Reading
Scarcity or Surplus?
There has been much discussion about the importance of connectivity and dialogue in the Jewish community, and the value of the network as a model to enable that. In The Jewish Week, Gary Rosenblatt laments the lack of conversation between Orthodox Jews and Jews of other denominations: “There are discussion groups between Jews and Christians, and Jews and Muslims; how about a few more between Orthodox Jews and the rest of the community?” In another recent piece, Chip Edelsberg of the Jim Joseph Foundation points to the profound shift “from bureaucracy and organizational hierarchy grounded in analog-based communication to a networked universe powered by digital technology” and admits that the funding and education communities still function according to the old model. And Annie Lumerman, a … Continue Reading
Aging, Gracefully, Together
I recently took a walk in the woods with two women, one twenty years older than I am, the other forty years older, to discuss the challenges of aging. We paused when we saw white-tailed deer hop-freeze beside us in the thicket. We shared stories about women in our lives, and how they navigated the aging process. We talked about our own changing bodies, changing minds, changing children, changing communities. We turned our faces towards the sunshine and stopped in our tracks when someone shared a particularly resonant insight, as we let it wash over us. The context was The Conversation, which brings together Jewish professionals from diverse geographical and experiential backgrounds, to talk about the future of American Jewish life. The format was Open Space, which allows the participants to drive … Continue Reading
Response to JDub Closing
JDub has done it right. They’ve delivered impact. Diversified their revenue base. Enacted their mission and driven toward their vision. Made a huge, positive change in Jewish cultural life. From this perspective, we can look at JDub’s short life and say: "mission accomplished." Where the mission was not accomplished, though, was in JDub's ability to create a strategic business plan and organizational structure to continue to do its inspiring work, and the community's ability to guide and support the organization according to its emerging needs. And this is a tremendous lost opportunity. It must give us pause, and challenge us to rethink the way that we support emerging organizations, what we ask of them, how we guide them, and how we sustain them. Not all organizations deserve or need … Continue Reading
Pivoting in the Sands
It is a fitting time in the Jewish calendar for Jewish start-ups to begin or renew their journey with UpStart. As a people, we are counting the days from Passover to Shavuot, from the Exodus from Egypt to the receiving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. This period of time is also an agricultural period, during which time the wheat was harvested, and the first fruits gathered, precious offerings to be brought to the Temple. It is a time of reflection and growth, which results in the gift of something new to the community. The Torah states in Leviticus 23:15-16: "And you shall count you from the morrow of the Sabbath, from the day you bring the elevation sheaf, seven whole weeks shall they be. Until the morrow of the seventh Sabbath you shall count fifty days, and you shall bring forward a new grain … Continue Reading
Partnering: A Passover Paradigm
Passover is upon us, and the custom to put ourselves in the ancient Israelites’ shoes, and perceive ourselves as if we have emerged from Egypt. It is a time of year for reflection - what are our Egypts, our narrow places, keeping us trapped in harmful patterns? What is preventing us from being free, from making the necessary changes that will enable us to transition from where we are to the place we want to be? When Moses is charged with the task of standing before Pharaoh and leading the Israelites out of Egypt, he demurs, stating “the people won’t believe me, and won’t listen to me” (Exodus 4:1) He goes on to say that he is not a man of words, that he is heavy of mouth and tongue, that he’s not the guy for the job. (Those who want to get out of a challenging situation, take notes; … Continue Reading
Of Gems and Towers, Secrets and Wine
In this week’s “Corner Office” interview in The New York Times Sunday business section, Romil Bahl, President & CEO of PRGX, a data mining firm, talks about the importance of creating a culture in which everyone feels comfortable sharing ideas. He says: The best idea can come from anyone, and let’s open up our minds to getting thinking from cross-functional areas. That’s something that comes from that notion of equality and diversity ... you have to get good people around you and then make sure they feel comfortable putting their ideas out there, because somewhere in there, there’s a gem. Easier said than done. What happens when that good idea is hard to hear, and even harder to implement? What if the gem challenges your organization’s very foundations, or your assumptions about … Continue Reading
The Adjacent Possible
We often perceive Chanukah as a celebration of the triumph of maintaining what is precious and valued in the face of potential overwhelming, annihilating change. The Macabbees fought the Greeks and the Hellenists - those Jews who were over-eager to abandon their own traditions and adopt new ones - and they triumphed, restoring the Temple to what it was, saving Jewish values and culture. Perhaps, though, we are actually celebrating the opposite of this traditional perspective. Perhaps Chanukah is a commemoration of the fact that we were flexible, malleable, and, yes, impressionable enough, to change, to grow, and, therefore, to survive. Rabbi Yitz Greenberg, in his book The Jewish Way: Living the Jewish Holidays, argues that: Even as they fought the cultural battle, the Maccabees and, later, … Continue Reading
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