As 5771 approaches, some thoughts from Dan Brown, eJewish Philanthropy's founder: The face of Jewish philanthropy is continually changing and only time will tell if we are in the midst of evolution or a revolution. Philanthropy, which has always been a powerful force in the Jewish community, is - once again - witnessing a significant shift in both perception and management. Today’s philanthropists are more proactive, draw on a wide range of resources and seek greater efficiency and effectiveness. They also appear to be taking a longer-range view of their individual, or institutional, giving. Our Jewish organizational world is changing. Storied organizations as diverse as the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), the Jewish Theological Seminary and the World Jewish Congress are just three of the … Continue Reading
New Staff Reductions Hit JTS
from The Forward: JTS Undergoes Another Round of Layoffs The Jewish Theological Seminary of America underwent broad layoffs in late June, despite the chancellor’s earlier indication that no further layoffs would be forthcoming. Just weeks after announcing a new strategic plan that emphasized reducing costs and creating new revenue streams, JTS, Conservative Judaism’s flagship seminary, has terminated 15 administrative employees in an effort to balance its 2010-2011 budget. ... This is the second consecutive fiscal year in which the seminary has cut jobs for budgetary reasons. In 2009, the seminary laid off 27 people and levied pay cuts on others. At the time, Eisen took a 10% pay cut. … Continue Reading
New Rabbis Face Employment Challenges
Newly Ordained Find the 2010 Spiritual Job Market a Tough Place To Sell Their Wares by Larry Yudelson Last fall, Rabbi Lennard Thal gave an uncharacteristic warning to senior rabbinical students at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, the seminary that trains Reform rabbis: Consider options other than the pulpit for your rabbinic career. Thal heads the Reform movement’s Joint Commission on Rabbinic Placement. His advice reflected the failure of an unprecedented number of graduates of the rabbinic class of 2009 to find pulpits. In the wake of the financial crisis of 2008 and the resulting decline in synagogue dues and donations, senior rabbis postponed retirement, junior positions were eliminated, and cutbacks at the umbrella group Union for Reform Judaism sent many older … Continue Reading
Jewish Identity Among My Generation (of Ladies) in the U.S.
by Vicki Boykis Here’s a study Peter Beinart can use in his next article. Pete, call me! I was recently asked by a friend to participate in a study conducted by Ariella Goldfein of JTS on Jewish identity among Jewish women of North America. She writes in the results, Over 400 women participated in the study, which yielded more data than my initial analysis was able to incorporate. My focus for this first analysis was childhood and adolescent synagogue experiences and perceptions as a factor in self-defined Jewish identity among Conservative, Conservadox and Modern Orthodox emerging adult Jewish women. As there is much more that can be gleaned from the high number of responses, I hope to utilize this data for future study. As a little bit of preface, almost three quarters of the women … Continue Reading
The Limits of Cross-Denominational Partnership
from Tablet Magazine: Teachable Moment Last week, each of the three universities associated with the major American Jewish denominations received an $11 million grant from the Jim Joseph Foundation, a San Francisco-based Jewish philanthropy. ... But the relative ease with which this arrangement was made may less reflect a burst of newfound harmony among disparate monoliths as much as a loss of power experienced by each. During the period in which relations have improved, major Jewish community donors have eschewed giving to the denominations at all, often contributing instead to robust nondenominational organizations like Birthright and Hillel that target often-unaffiliated youth - and where such “megadonors” also have more control. What the Jim Joseph Foundation may have done is found … Continue Reading
JTS: Now and Then
Goodbye Wissenschaft, Hello Relevance Now and Then by Jonathan D. Sarna The Jewish Theological Seminary’s chancellor, Arnold Eisen, recently unveiled a bold new strategic plan aimed at transforming the school’s curriculum, redefining its purpose and setting forth its future direction. The plan called to mind a story that my late father used to tell about a modest change that he proposed to the JTS curriculum as a young professor there in the 1950s. Dad had been asked to teach the school’s traditional course on the Book of Psalms. Looking through past syllabi, he came up with a new idea that he proposed to his senior colleagues at a faculty meeting. “How about revamping the class so that we teach those Psalms that appear in the Siddur,” he suggested. “That will make the class … Continue Reading
What Jewish Educators Should Teach
from The Jerusalem Post: Rosner's Domain: Al Levitt on what Jewish educators should teach You've probably heard about the "big news coming out of The Jim Joseph Foundation": $33 million is being given to The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC), and Yeshiva University (YU) to increase the number of future Jewish educators and to improve the quality of professional preparation they receive. ... And - Al Levitt, president of Jim Joseph Foundation, had agreed to answer my nugging questions. Here we go: 1. Wow, that's a lot of money? Why so much for this cause? The grants are part of a $45 million grant commitment that JJF has made to these 3 institutions. The initial $12 million dollars (divided almost equally among the three … Continue Reading
Jim Joseph Announces $33m. to Train Educators
As part of a continued concentrated effort to increase the number of credentialed future Jewish educators and to improve the quality of professional preparation and Jewish education they receive, the Jim Joseph Foundation (JJF) has announced that $33 million in grants have been awarded to the three leading training institutions for Jewish educators. With these grants, JJF has now gifted a total of nearly a quarter of a billion dollars to Jewish education and Jewish youth causes since it was established in 2006 as a private foundation. The $33 million in grants JJF awarded will support The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC), and Yeshiva University (YU). JJF gave the three institutions an initial $12 million of this funding in September 2009, … Continue Reading
A New Vision for JTS
a letter from Arnold M. Eisen, Chancellor, JTS: Dear JTS Students, Faculty, and Staff, We at The Jewish Theological Seminary have spent much of the past eighteen months thinking about the future and reassessing our goals. It is clear that the present moment offers many challenges to both their planning and achievement. We are convinced, however, that it also offers unprecedented opportunities. I write to you today to share highlights of the exciting vision that we will be pursuing in the coming years. We begin with the conviction that now, as at previous turning points in the life of North American Jewry over the past century, the keys to success in meeting challenge and seizing hold of opportunity are learning, leadership, and vision. An in-depth, clear, and nuanced understanding of the … Continue Reading
JTS Chancellor to Publicly Embrace Independent Minyanim Movement
How will the independent minyan movement affect the traditional American Jewish community? What does this new movement imply for the future of synagogues and Jewish education? Rabbi Elie Kaunfer, Rabbi Ayelet S. Cohen, and Professor Steven M. Cohen will discuss these issues and Rabbi Kaunfer’s new book Empowered Judaism: What Independent Minyanim Can Teach Us about Building Vibrant Jewish Communities on Tuesday, April 27, 7:30 p.m., at The Jewish Theological Seminary, 3080 Broadway, New York City. JTS Chancellor Arnold M. Eisen will moderate the discussion. The program is cosponsored by JTS and the Berman Jewish Policy Archive @NYU Wagner. Admission is free but reservations are required. For more information and to register, please email publicevents@jtsa.edu or call the JTS Department of … Continue Reading
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