from The Jewish Week: Jewish Version Of TED Talks Launched At last, the Jewish community has its very own version of TED - sort of. TED, whose slogan is “ideas worth spreading,” began as a conference in 1984 that brought together people from the three disciplines in its acronym (Technology, Entertainment, Design), offering the best 15-to-18-minute talks and performances by experts in their profession or field of interest. ... After several years of discussions and attempts in the community to launch a Jewish TED, the Avi Chai Foundation has jumped in, getting the effort started last January with six presentations presented and filmed before a group of 200 attendees at the North American Jewish Day School conference in Atlanta. The project, dubbed “ELI talks” (for Engagement, … Continue Reading
Some Hebrew Schools Decide to Go the Free Route
by Tamar Runyan Start them young, they say, underscoring the value of a solid educational foundation. But in the world of Jewish education, such a firm footing may not come cheap. With that in mind, several Chabad-Lubavitch centers around the country have begun offering free Hebrew school programs, using the incentive of a tuition-free experience to help ensure that Jewish children of all stripes have access to Jewish education. In South Florida, the Highland Lakes Jewish Center, known as Chabad Chayil, offers a five-day after-school program for children from kindergarten to eighth grade at the Aventura Waterways educational center just across the street in Miami. Every day, 200 children from seven area public schools gather after school to pray together, learn about Jewish history and … Continue Reading
Beit Avi Chai Website Will Screen Families’ Stories of Fallen Soldiers
from Haaretz: Making memories into animated films The last day that Yitzhak Nathanson dropped off his son at preschool, 3-year-old Yaron cried and cried, begging him not go on reserve duty. It's a memory Yaron Nathanson has held on to since 1980, when he last saw his father alive. Now he has a new way to remember his father, and their final morning: a short animated film based on that memory that will be posted on the website of Jerusalem's Beit Avi Chai cultural center on Israel's Memorial Day. ... The Nathanson film is one of four of the first items in an unusual memorial database that transforms the memories of bereaved family members from written stories into animated shorts. [eJP note: the films can be found on the Beit Avi Chai website.] … Continue Reading
Jewish Education Technology Conference to be Held in Houston
In order for Jewish educators to effectively connect with their students they need to understand 21st century technologies. In a world full of social media, game systems, smart phones and handheld computers, learning is a multi-sensory experience. By bringing technology into the classroom, educators will be armed with the tools to impact and engage students. To address this need, the Partnership for Effective Learning and Innovative Education (PELIE) and The AVI CHAI Foundation will host a Kadima Technology Conference in Houston, Texas on Monday, May 7th. This is the second Kadima conference, building off the success of the 2011 summer conference in Cleveland. Brian Mull, an expert in the field of educational technology, will serve as the keynote speaker. Breakout sessions will let … Continue Reading
#12NTCJews Talk Networks and Nonprofits
by Deborah Fishman I must admit that I don’t go to very many conferences that aren’t “Jewish.” But [in the days just prior to Passover] I was excited to attend the Nonprofit Technology Conference of NTEN (#12NTC). I went to speak at a session in collaboration with the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Foundation, Jim Joseph Foundation, and Darim Online, on networks, technology, and their application to non-profits – and yes, we were speaking about it particularly in a Jewish context. The truth is, with the attendance of over 70 non-profit professionals who are Jewish and/or working for Jewish nonprofits, this session and the social hour that followed had as much as or even more of the usual dose of Jewish geography, schmoozing/networking, and certainly the spirit of Jewish pride. Why … Continue Reading
The Case for National Jewish Philanthropy
by Yossi Prager Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill once said, “All politics is local.” Should philanthropy be the same? AVI CHAI’s spend-down goals include building funding partnerships with others whose values and interests align with ours. I have therefore had the privilege of meeting with and learning from impressive and dedicated Jewish philanthropists across the country. Time and again, I have learned that most funders focus their Jewish philanthropy overwhelmingly on local community-based institutions. As this theme repeated itself, I thought of the verse in Deuteronomy 15:7, “If there be among you a needy man, one of your brethren, within any of your gates, in the land which the LORD your God gives you. ...” The Talmud proves from this verse that local needs draw first … Continue Reading
Pseifas (Mosaic) Launches 2nd Round of Matching Grants
Pseifas, A Matching Grant Program Promoting Jewish Renewal in Israel, has launched a 2nd round of grants. The Pseifas initiative seeks to increase significantly the number of Israeli donors involved in Jewish renewal in Israel by offering up to NIS 1,800,000 ($500,000) in matching grants for Israeli donations in this sphere. Pseifas will match donations to organizations at a one-to-one ratio, from a minimum of NIS 40,000 to a maximum of NIS 200,000 per organization. Additional information, including a timeline, can be found on the program website. (in English, in Hebrew). Pseifas is an initiative of AVI CHAI and UJA-Federation of New York in collaboration with Tmura - The Israeli Public Service Venture Fund and the Jewish Funders Network. … Continue Reading
The Peoplehood Challenge: “Teach Your children Well”
This essay is from The Peoplehood Papers, volume 7 – Reinvigorating Jewish Peoplehood: The Philanthropic Perspective; published by the Center for Jewish Peoplehood Education. by Yossi Prager For AVI CHAI, Peoplehood reflects the notion that Jews are family, distant cousins from common ancestors, who share a stake in our ancient homeland and now modern state in Israel. This notion of peoplehood encompasses all Jews, whether or not they accept the covenantal destiny of the Jewish people, its sacred texts and modern literature, or Hebrew as a common language. Peoplehood is an inclusive concept, perhaps the most inclusive that Judaism has to offer because it includes every Jew regardless of ideology or religious participation. At the same time it is particularistic: it posits that Jews … Continue Reading
Reach Beyond the Bunk: Leaders Assembly 2012
by Deborah Fishman With a theme of “Reach Beyond the Bunk,” this year’s Foundation for Jewish Camp Leaders Assembly took place from March 11-13th in New Brunswick, NJ. In true manifestation of the strength of the growing field of Jewish camping, over 650 were in attendance; in representation of beyond-the-bunk reach, only around 40% were camping professionals - the rest were comprised of lay leaders, Jewish Federation and foundation representatives, and others who care deeply about Jewish camp and its future. The innovative conference structure took the traditional conference phenomenon of so many productive conversations taking place in the hallways outside sessions and made those hallway conversations the substance of the program. Participants crowd-sourced over 600 session ideas, … Continue Reading
Foundation for Jewish Camp Receives $8.6m. Grant
With an $8.6 million grant, The Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC) is launching Specialty Camps Incubator II. The funding is being provided by The Jim Joseph and AVI CHAI Foundations. The second cycle of this program will be used to open four new nonprofit Jewish overnight camps dedicated to a specific skill or area of interest while introducing and integrating Jewish culture. "The five camps that opened in summer 2010 as a result of the first Specialty Camps Incubator are a notable success," says Al Levitt, Board President, Jim Joseph Foundation. "They exceeded their enrollment benchmarks by 146% in the first two years. They provided a new path to Jewish camp for many children: 40% of campers who attended these specialty camps reported that they had never attended Jewish camp before and 66% said … Continue Reading
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