Putting Jewish Women on the Map

From Emma Lazarus’ poem engraved on the Statue of Liberty, to the site of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, to Barbra Streisand’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame – Jewish women’s history is written on the streets of North America. Just in time for Women’s History Month, the Jewish Women’s Archive (JWA) has created On the Map, a new way to collect and explore Jewish women’s history using the powerful combination of crowdsourcing and Google Maps. There is a human impulse to connect with history in a physical way, one that compels us to build monuments that mark the place of historically significant stories. Traditionally, these have been the stories of “great men.” Many important stories – women’s stories – go unheralded. The Jewish Women’s Archive... Continue Reading

Expanded Survey of New Jewish Initiatives Launched

2010 Survey of New Jewish Initiatives Focuses on Startup Leaders, Expands to Europe Jumpstart, The Natan Fund, and The Samuel Bronfman Foundation announced the launch of the 2010 Survey of New Jewish Initiatives. The survey builds on the successes of the ground-breaking partnership that produced the 2008 Survey of New Jewish Organizations and The Innovation Ecosystem: Emergence of a New Jewish Landscape. This year, it will include a special focus on the leaders of Jewish startups. Also, for the first time, the survey will be conducted in Canada and Europe as well as the United States. “New initiatives, whether they are independent startups or intrepreneurial ventures at established institutions, are the building blocks for 21st-century Judaism,” said Shawn Landres, co-founder and CEO... Continue Reading

Misha Galperin Takes on Senior Global Jewish Agency Role

The Jewish Agency is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Misha Galperin to a newly established senior position for Global Public Affairs and Financial Resource Development. The position consolidates into one the existing functions of directing The Agency’s External Affairs, Financial Resource Development and Marketing and Communications worldwide, and its operations in North America. Dr. Galperin will be based in New York and will coordinate The Agency’s relationships with North American Jewish Federations, JFNA, JDC and other North American Jewish organizations and communities as well as with Keren Hayesod and other Jewish organizations and communities in Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America and Australia. A Subcommittee of the JAFI Executive appointed by Chairman Natan Sharansky and Chairman... Continue Reading

The JDC in Haiti

On-the-Ground Partners Carry Out Critical Emergency Medical, Nutritional and Material Relief One week after the catastrophic earthquake and aftershocks struck Haiti, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), the world’s largest Jewish humanitarian assistance organization, and its partners on the ground are ensuring that critical medical, nutritional and material relief are reaching victims everyday. “We have been touched by the outpouring of support for the victims of the Haiti earthquake and will continue to provide the timeliest and appropriate assistance through our invaluable partners, especially in wake of the latest aftershock this morning,” said JDC CEO Steven Schwager. “As we did after the 2004 Tsunami in South Asia, JDC will reserve a large portion of funds for sustainable... Continue Reading

Michael Steinhardt: Non-Orthodox Jewish Education is a Shandah

In a rare personal television interview, Michael Steinhardt, one of world Jewry’s most philanthropic benefactors and a co-founder of Birthright Israel, expresses scathing criticism of non-Orthodox Jewish life in the Diaspora (though Steinhardt sees himself as anything but an Orthodox Jew). In conversation with Mark S. Golub, president and executive producer of Shalom TV, Steinhardt expresses his deep disappointment with the traditional Hebrew School system (“can there be a worse term in the American Jewish lexicon than ‘Hebrew School’ – there were six kids in the 20th Century who liked it!”) and characterizes many of the young people he has met through Birthright Israel as “Jewish barbarians” who have never experienced a Shabbat dinner. Steinhardt expresses... Continue Reading

Covenant Foundation Announces New Grants

From a technology-based curriculum to teach students about Jewish moral and social issues, to a mentorship program for young girls to encourage Jewish community engagement, 13 innovative and trailblazing initiatives are recipients of new Covenant Foundation grants. As part of approximately $2 million to be distributed this year, the Foundation announced today $798,100 in new grants as part of its mission to support, advance and recognize excellence and impact in Jewish educational settings. The 2009 round of grants highlights a commitment to initiatives across the landscape of Jewish educational experiences, settings and audiences. Grants include organizations and projects dedicated to Jewish learning through technology, empowerment of students and teachers in environmental and other pressing social... Continue Reading

The Worst (and Best) Way to Pick A Charity This Year

This giving season needs are greater and donations are falling – it’s more important than ever for donors and charities alike to make sure that every dollar goes farther. For years, people have turned to the overhead ratio – a measure of how much of each donation is spent on “programs” versus administrative and fundraising costs – to guide their choice of charity. But overhead ratios and executive salaries are useless for evaluating a nonprofit’s impact. Now there is an alternative. In the last few years several organizations have emerged to provide donors useful – and free – information to help them choose charities that are actually good at what they do. While the idea of sending money “straight to the beneficiaries” is tempting, nonprofit experts agree that... Continue Reading

IsraelGives.org collects over $400,000 for Israeli Nonprofits in Pre-Public Launch

Israeli donation website IsraelGives.org announced its public launch (Nov 11), after successfully collecting over $400,000 in donations for Israeli non-profits since it began operation. In enabling internet donations to any of Israel’s 26,000 registered non-profits, IsraelGives has become Israel’s largest online fundraising portal, the first to connect all of Israel’s third sector with supporters and funders around the world. Along with its identical Hebrew counterpart IsraelToremet.org, IsraelGives allows users both in Israel and around the world to learn about and donate to any of Israel’s 26,000 registered non-profit organizations. IsraelGives enables organizations to gain financial independence from large donors by opening access to online micro-donations from regular Israelis and supporters... Continue Reading

Joshua Venture Group Re-Launches

Seeks Best and Brightest to Realize Their Visions to Reinvigorate the American Jewish Community Pioneer of Jewish Social Entrepreneurship Offers Early-stage Funding and Resources to Young Visionaries After a four-year hiatus, Joshua Venture Group (formerly known as Joshua Venture), a not-for-profit organization that identifies and cultivates emerging Jewish leaders and champions their visions for social change in the Jewish community, has re-launched its fellowship program. JVGroup will recruit eight exceptional social entrepreneurs from across the U.S. to participate in its Dual Investment Program, a two-year fellowship that provides $40,000 each year in early-stage funding, training, and resources to help a select group of young Jewish social entrepreneurs to build sustainable initiatives that support... Continue Reading

The Bronfman Youth Fellowships in Israel Announces 24th Application Season

The Bronfman Youth Fellowships in Israel (BYFI) is pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for its 24th summer program. The Bronfman Youth Fellowships sends 26 outstanding North American teenagers to Israel, for five weeks of intellectually engaging summer study during which they experience a shared sense of Jewish community. The program educates and inspires exceptional young Jews from diverse backgrounds to become active participants and leaders in Jewish culture throughout their lives, and to contribute their talents and vision to the Jewish community and to the world at large. The program was founded by Edgar M. Bronfman and is funded by The Samuel Bronfman Foundation (TSBF), which focuses on projects dedicated to fostering a Jewish renaissance. Additionally, TSBF is a major... Continue Reading

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