by Shawn Landres People sometimes ask me how Jumpstart balances what appear to be the competing dimensions of our work: global vs. local, research vs. advocacy, startups vs. the “establishment,” and, most fraught of all, funders vs. grantees. The thing is, we just don’t see our work that way. In our effort to help make Judaism & Jewish life vibrant and relevant, we know we gain strength and purpose by working together. Changemakers with shared visions shape the world with the tools they have available, whether those tools are financial or programmatic, operational or intellectual. I was struck by Yoni Gordis’s observation to a roundtable on innovation and philanthropy moderated by Seth Cohen, just published in the October 2011 issue of Sh’ma: “...We’ve done a great deal … Continue Reading
Young Funders: To Innovate or Not to Innovate: That Is the Question
by Erica Schacter Schwartz Is funding innovation economy-sensitive? Does it flourish during good times and wane during an economic downturn? Has the relationship between young funders and innovation been a mere fling that is likely to unravel from the pressures of a new economic reality? Based on conversations with some young funders and professional staff from across the Jewish philanthropic landscape, the answer appears to be “no.” The interest of young funders in innovation seems to be stronger and more long term than a fling. Through collective philanthropic funds, family foundations, and as individual donors, young funders who have pursued innovation during periods of economic growth have continued to pursue innovative projects and organizations during today’s more challenging … Continue Reading
Sharsheret Receives CDC Grant
The Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded Sharsheret a grant to develop survivorship programming and culturally-relevant resources for young Jewish breast cancer survivors. The CDC grant is a three-year cooperative agreement to support breast cancer awareness in young women. According to the CDC, "This new program will provide resources to organizations to establish or enhance existing support services for young (<45 years of age) breast cancer survivors and their families. Organizations also will be funded to develop tools and resources to increase patient and provider knowledge of health behaviors and other strategies for reducing disease risk ..." The CDC’s work with young breast cancer survivors falls under the Affordable Care Act and the funds made … Continue Reading
Innovation at Any Age
by Justin Korda and Esther D. Kustanowitz In the field of innovation, the term “innovative” is almost always paired with the word “young.” Admittedly, at first glance, these two terms seem a natural fit. As Bill Drayton, the founder of Ashoka, the global association of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs, points out, the development of high-caliber social entrepreneurs is largely linked to taking initiative at an earlier age. He bases his assertion on both experience and research: in a study of more than 2,500 Ashoka fellows, the organization saw that a significant number of these social entrepreneurs had first experienced the power of being change-makers in their younger years. Closer to home, in a Jewish community focused on courting the “NextGen” population to ensure … Continue Reading
What Will the Jewish Community Do?
by Ruthie Warshenbrot I was surprised and disappointed to hear of the recent closing of one of the Jewish community’s darling innovative organizations, JDub. I have great respect for my colleague Aaron Bisman, and have enjoyed watching JDub’s growth and reach over the past almost-decade of its existence. This big news makes me wonder how the organized Jewish community will react. I suspect that JDub’s closing will result in a flurry of reactions via social media, articles, op-eds, and even obituaries, potentially touching on the following topics: Was arts & culture programming actually a good entry-point to Jewish life, especially for young adults? Many studies emerged just as JDub was gaining popularity that supported its mission, almost verbatim and JDub’s own numbers in its … Continue Reading
JDub Closing Up Shop
Venture is aging out of the cohort of Jewish “start-ups” JDub, an initiative touted as being at the forefront of a Jewish cultural renaissance, has announced it will be closing due to financial pressures. Founded in 2002 by two then NYU students, Ben Hesse and Aaron Bisman, JDub was one of the earliest projects incubated through both Joshua Venture and Bikkurim (2003-2008). In its start-up phase, the organization focused on developing a small group of artists, including Matisyahu, SoCalled and Balkan Beat Box. As time went on, JDub's artist roster grew to include Israeli hip hop, Biblical indie-rock, Yiddish Punk, Cantorial Afrobeat, Sephardic rock and Jewish Kids music. Among the reasons stated for closing are "aging out of the cohort of Jewish “start-ups,” a troubling thought to those … Continue Reading
Storah13 Gala: An Organization Comes of Age
by Eszter Margit Storahtelling, recognized nationally as a leader in transforming the contemporary Jewish experience, is turning 13 this summer and reinventing the B Mitzvah Celebration in honor of this milestone. This evening, hundreds will gather in Tribeca’s City Winery and raise a glass to 13 years of pioneering innovation and success. The gala, Storahtelling’s first, will honor Marina Pinto Kaufman, Storahtelling’s founding Board Chair, and salute Amichai Lau-Lavie, the organization’s visionary founder, who is stepping down this summer. The Storah13 Gala features a demonstration of Storahtelling’s unique approach to the B Mitzvah experience, starring actress and comic Jackie Hoffman, direct from Broadway’s “Addams Family”. Jackie has been trained through Storahtelling’s … Continue Reading
The Power of Narrative to Drive Change
[eJP note: The recent annual conference of the Jewish Funders Network presented a plenary, The Power of Narrative to Drive Change: How do you leverage action? Grantmakers can use the techniques of narrative, communications, and story to change the way people think about issues, inspire and draw more people to the cause they champion, and change the ground. Whether it’s done by speaking through grantees or working directly to change the narrative around an issue, this panel of communications experts and foundation and nonprofit leaders explore the possibilities. In a previous posting, Show and Tell: 4 Principles of Effective Storytelling, Lisa Eisen spoke of stories and how "These narratives have guided our work to inspire young people to connect with our community and been a vital tool in … Continue Reading
The Generation Gap
by Manny Waks In the article, Give Us the Tools to Define Our Involvement, Joshua Einstein cogently articulates the major challenges and obstacles inherent in the global predicament of Jewish continuity. The term “continuity” is ubiquitous in contemporary Jewish community discourse. Broadly, it defines the continuity of “Jewishness”, both as our collective identity and as a values framework. In his article, Mr Einstein rightly criticises the existing structures of the mainstream Jewish community. He states, “Rather than focusing on giving the younger generations the tools to define their involvement and their identity - empowerment and enfranchisement - the vast majority of the organized effort has been geared toward retention and replacement.” Mr Einstein refers to not only the … Continue Reading
Picking a Needle out of a Haystack: Selecting for Social Entrepreneurs
Transparency. One simple word, yet it is amazing how many organizations still reject the concept; still do not realize our world has changed. Fortunately, some not only 'get it' but continually demonstrate they do. Take for example the AVI CHAI Foundation, a significant funder to the Jewish world who is currently in sunset. They certainly get it. In order to help others learn from their experiences, they've hired an outside team to track their spend-down process and make the findings publicly available. AVI CHAI's North American Executive Director, Yossi Prager, recently spoke about the Foundation's plans and shortly there-after made his presentation available for publication. An example more should follow. Then we have the Jewish Agency for Israel. Love them, or hate them, their … Continue Reading
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