from The Jerusalem Post: Roving ambassadors It’s common for Israelis, upon completing their army service, to backpack around the world before going on to university or vocational training. Now, an experimental, interactive, two-day program launched in August is aiming to prepare them for the experience. “Now is the moment for individual Israelis to take bold and courageous steps to build constructive communication, business connections and strong relationships with people all over the world,” says Natalie Gourvitch, founder and executive director of TrailTalks. The new enterprise - developed with the Center for Leadership Initiatives, a boutique consulting firm - is meant to help young backpackers develop meaningful international relationships while advising them on how to better … Continue Reading
Riveting (Environmental) Talks by Remarkable People
by Abigail Pickus Move over TED. Because ‘Riveting Talks by Remarkable People’ has just hit the Jewish-environmental world. Jewcology, an online resource for the Jewish environmental community supported by the ROI Community of Young Jewish Innovators, recently organized three Leadership Training sessions using the Public Narrative Methodology designed by Harvard professor Marshall Ganz. The sessions took place at the Kayam Beit Midrash (March 14), the Teva Learning Center (June 2) and the Hazon Food Conference (August 21) and were attended by 48 Jewish environmental and social justice leaders. Selected stories from participants are available on the Jewcology website. The training centered on developing personal and communal ‘stories’ which we can use as tools to inspire … Continue Reading
Moishe House Rocks Demystifies Jewish Ritual in Cartoon Videos
[This is the first in a series of follow-up posts describing the projects of the 2011-2012 Jewish New Media Innovation Fund Award Recipients.] by Abigail Pickus When David Cygielman co-founded Moishe House, he was responding to a very real and pressing need: the glaring absence of community young Jews feel once they graduate from college. So in 2006, he launched the first Moishe House - a communal place for young post-college Jews to live and create community. There are now 38 Moishe Houses in 14 countries, including in Beijing, Warsaw and Capetown - with new houses set to open in the former Soviet Union, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. “I see Moishe House more as a vehicle than an organization,” said Cygielman from its Oakland, California, headquarters. “It’s a way to … Continue Reading
Moishe House Expanding to ‘Mecca for Young Adults,’ Bolstering its International Framework
by Michele Alperin JointMedia News Service A phenomenon rapidly expanding from its California roots, Moishe House - which provides rent and programming subsidies to Jewish 20-and 30-somethings whose homes and apartments become community hubs for their peers - will soon open its first houses in New York City and a London-based support and training office for international residences. Four New York locations will bring the program, now in its sixth year, to a total of 40 houses in 14 countries. “In many ways New York is, certainly in the U.S., a center of Jewish life and also a mecca for young adults to move there after college,” says Moishe House Founder David Cygielman, who was in New York this week meeting with applicants. “They are hoping to have a Jewish life and Moishe House … Continue Reading
Jewish Journey Connector: You Are Here
[This is the last in a nine-part series describing the projects of the 2011-2012 Jewish New Media Innovation Fund Award Recipients.] Jen Schwartz just graduated from the University of Michigan. For the past few years, Jen was fairly uninvolved in Jewish life, but as a sophomore, she went on an Alternative Spring Break service program through Hillel to New Orleans. Now in Washington, DC, she has taken a temp job in International Development - and, because of various touch points through Jen’s affiliations and online social connections, the Jewish Journey Connector knows just enough to suggest 5 different service travel programs that might be interesting to Jen. She flags an AJWS trip and, after returning from it, receives a survey from the Connector. She indicates she is looking for something … Continue Reading
UrbanSefer: Remixing the Haggadah
[This is the eighth in a nine-part series describing the projects of the 2011-2012 Jewish New Media Innovation Fund Award Recipients.] It is easy to forget that the Bible was once written in the common, everyday language of the People of Israel. Moses’tongue was something like that of Eminem’s: simple and clear for the everyday Moishe in the street, yet still compelling and powerful - and subtly revealing the wisdom of the ages. But today, the language of the Bible is either a Hebrew we haven’t spoken since Hebrew High School or the language of King James. Both are far, far removed from our everyday lives, even our understanding of everyday life. But does the language of the Bible need to be so foreign to us? This is the founding insight of UrbanSefer. Well, this theoretical philosophy … Continue Reading
Haggadot.com: Putting the Personal and Pluralistic in Passover
[This is the seventh in a nine-part series describing the projects of the 2011-2012 Jewish New Media Innovation Fund Award Recipients.] by Eileen Levinson For me, and for many of my peers, Jewish identity is complicated. Connecting with rituals can, at times, be challenging and fully rooting myself within a singular community - like my parents and grandparents did - is nearly impossible. It was out of this feeling of that I created Haggadot.com - a new resource to help us “complicated” Jews find seder texts that can both speak to our unique perspectives and inspire meaningful relationships to the traditions and themes of Passover. Haggadot.com is a place for Jews of all backgrounds to upload, exchange and personalize Passover haggadot. The site works like an interactive scrapbook, with … Continue Reading
Moishe House Rocks: Jewish Holidays, Karaoke-style!
[This is the sixth in a nine-part series describing the projects of the 2011-2012 Jewish New Media Innovation Fund Award Recipients.] When I first learned that the Jewish New Media Innovation Fund was offering up to $500,000 in grant support for its first ever round of funding, there was good news and bad news. The good news was that it was a partnership between the Charles and Lynn Schusterman, Jim Joseph and Righteous Persons foundations, all of which have been incredibly generous partners of Moishe House. The bad news was when I learned the selection process would be completely separate from them. Lucky for us, we were not alone in our application. When hearing that we had the opportunity to apply for a media grant, the first idea that popped into our head was to figure out a way to engage … Continue Reading
The G-d Project: We’re Coming To Your Town!
[This is the fifth in a nine-part series describing the projects of the 2011-2012 Jewish New Media Innovation Fund Award Recipients.] Why is G-d such a difficult word for so many people? Why do we think that conversations about faith and life need to be left to Orthodox synagogues? At a time where people post their most private thoughts on Facebook and Twitter, where is spirituality in the conversation? It was these questions that drove Patrick Aleph and Michael Sabani to start The G-d Project. The G-d Project is a social network dedicated to G-d and Judaism inspired by The Ted Talks and This American Life. We’re going around the country interviewing Jewish folks young and old, of all colors, backgrounds, affiliations (or lack of affiliations), genders, sexual identities and more about … Continue Reading
Kveller.com: Parenting with a Jewish Twist
[This is the fourth in a nine-part series describing the projects of the 2011-2012 Jewish New Media Innovation Fund Award Recipients.] My first child, a (surprise!) very cute little boy named Lev, was born last July. It was the second of four births to MyJewishLearning employees in 2010. Four births meant four parental leaves, which for a staff of 10 was a lot to endure in one year, but this procreative prowess was critical in helping us with another birth: the September launch of our Jewish parenting website, Kveller.com. Indeed, babies are on our minds here, and all of sudden, Judaism and Jewishness are on our minds in completely new ways, too. Genetic diseases are scarier; the pain of circumcision is no longer theoretical; and finding a good Jewish name for your kid is almost as hard as … Continue Reading
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