Home Archives for JDC/The Joint

Revisiting the Global Planning Table

Posted on June 17, 2013 Written by Leave a Comment
Pingulated-ping-pong-table

We should remind ourselves why the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds, the precursor of the JFNA, was created three generations ago, and we should recognize that the GPT may not be the answer but rather be part of the problem. by Stephen G. Donshik After two years of planning, the Global Planning Table (GPT), which was developed by the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) with the participation of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, The Jewish Agency for Israel, and World ORT, recently held a series of meetings with the JFNA board. According to the GPT Executive Summary on First Year of Work, the GPT “is designed to provide a structure for examining the challenges and opportunities of today and igniting action to address them.” After reading the full report … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Opinion / Letters Tagged: , , ,

In Krakow, A Dynamic Judaism Without Walls Festival

Posted on June 13, 2013 Written by Leave a Comment
krakow highlights

Krakow’s 7@Nite festival - an innovative, JDC-organized take on the Judaism-without-walls concept - is a smorgasbord of sights and sounds. For one night a year, the city’s seven remaining synagogues open themselves up to the public and host everything from a poetry reading to a symbolic multimedia walk through the seven gates of Jerusalem, from a photography exhibition to an Israeli-inspired hummus and grilled vegetable feast in a synagogue courtyard. For Bozena Pitorak, a civil engineer who also runs her own real estate business in Krakow, 7@Nite was the perfect way to reconnect with her Judaism. She attended last year’s program at the behest of her son and was enchanted by an Israeli dance workshop held at one of the synagogues. Soon after, she became a member of the local Jewish … [Read more...]

Filed Under: In the Media, The World Tagged:

A PresenTense Fellow Looks to Upend Retirement Living in Russia

Posted on May 27, 2013 Written by Leave a Comment

Our grandmothers and grandfathers, no matter how old they are, and despite any health problems they might have, are still young in their souls and the last thing they want is to feel old and helpless. by Maryna Gaidak Almost two years ago, the KAET Fellowship was launched in Moscow by PresenTense in partnership with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). Unlike many other Jewish initiatives this fellowship teaches something fundamentally new to the Russian community - independence. Social entrepreneurship is a relatively new concept for Russian society, however the program was greeted with great enthusiasm by the KAET fellows. [This year's cohort who will present their projects on June 6th]. I was lucky to recently meet Lyudmila Zaharova, a KAET fellow and the long time … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Life in the FSU Countries Tagged: ,

Reflections from Moscow

Posted on May 16, 2013 Written by

We need to move beyond offering just a gateway to the Jewish community and Judaism 101 experiences but also a way for young adults to continue growing Jewishly. by Yasha Moz Ten years ago I was a university student in Ekaterinburg, Russia. Studying international relations was good, but as a local Hillel activist at the time, my most memorable education came from my involvement in Jewish life. Working at Jewish camps, going on Birthright, learning about Judaism at Hillel seminars and then sharing it with my peers and the larger community made for a very busy but also incredibly rewarding time. Still to this day, the connections I made all over the FSU form the core of my social and professional networks. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Life in the FSU Countries Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Reflections: 20 Years of Hillel in the FSU

Posted on May 14, 2013 Written by

by Sanford R. Cardin In 1994, in the wake of the collapse of the former Soviet Union, Charles and Lynn Schusterman seized upon what they determined was a window of opportunity to begin rebuilding a sense of community among those whose Jewish identities had been repressed by the twin forces of the Holocaust and state-supported persecution. The Schustermans had traveled to the region several times in the 1980’s to meet refuseniks, and they knew there was a generation of young adults, embracing new identities in the post-Soviet era, who wanted to learn about their Jewish heritage and reclaim the traditions that had been too far out of reach for far too long. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Life in the FSU Countries Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Inclusive Philanthropy

Posted on April 17, 2013 Written by
inclusion

by Jay Ruderman “The day is short, the task is great and the master is urgent” (Chapters of the Fathers, 2:20) Thousands of people and hundreds of Jewish organizations are dedicated to working towards the full inclusion of people with disabilities in our communities. US government statistics show that 20% of the US population has some form of disability. This is a population we are all connected to. Our foundation and many others believe that all Jews should be fully included in Jewish communal life, whether at school, synagogue or in the workforce. No one should be excluded from participating and no barriers constructed to keep people out. As this issue probably affects someone in your family, a neighbor or a friend, full inclusion needs to have a prominent place on the Jewish … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Opinion / Letters Tagged: , ,