Snapshots Around the World
Jews across the globe and across the spectrum of Jewish life and affiliation turned the Hebrew month of Cheshvan into a celebration of social action and unity. During this period, they participated in hundreds of valuable and inspiring social action projects that impacted thousands of people globally. Jewish Social Action Month (JSAM) was embraced by over 100 Jewish and non-Jewish organizations, ranging from major international and national institutions to the grassroots and local groups at the heart of so much social action. For the first time, JSAM leveraged the Internet so hundreds of individuals were able to connect to this global initiative.
JSAM was launched in 2005 by KolDor, a global network of young Jewish activists, www.socialaction.com and Member Knesset Rabbi Michael Melchior in order to create a global celebration of positive action and unity. The backing of major organizations also helped JSAM 2008 reach a vast audience - they were endorsed by many, including the major streams of Judaism, as well as the United Jewish Communities, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the Jewish Coalition for Service, the World Jewish Congress, the American Jewish Committee/ACCESS, B’nai B’rith International and Hillel International.
One People. One Destiny. Jerusalem 2008
This year’s GA opened in Jerusalem on Sunday night. With a plenary that saw a mix of lay and professional leaders from North America, communal professionals and invited guests from both Israel and the WZO, hundreds of young people from various MASA programs, KolDor, Hillel and young Israeli adults currently serving in the IDF all gathered together. And, in the view of many the musical parts of the program were the highlight of the night.
Over the past two days, long attending GA participants from North America expressed a very different take to me than Israeli’s and NextGen participants attending for the very first time. There is no question that a visitor’s perspective to this GA was colored by ‘where you are from’. But, let’s hold that thought and go back to the preceding 24 hours.
The hottest ticket in town this past weekend was the invitation only event hosted Motzei Shabbat by the Samuel Bronfman Foundation at Jerusalem’s Cinematheque theater. Renting out the entire building for most of the night, movers and shakers of the international Jewish philanthropic world gathered to hear a conversation between David Horovitz (of The Jerusalem Post) and Edgar M. Bronfman titled, Setting the Agenda: A Candid Conversation on the Critical Issues Facing the North American Jewish Community. Focused around Bronfman’s recent book, Hope, Not Fear, the dialogue was engaging, and for some controversial. And once some technical difficulties with the loudspeaker system were corrected the next hour flew by.
The NextGen - R.I.P.
“The NextGen is no longer.
They are the NOWGen”. So spoke Johanna Arbib, the passionate and dedicated JAFI Board member (representing Keren Hayesod) as she introduced Friday morning’s Assembly plenary, Tomorrow Happens Now: The Assembly Hosts the Now Generation.
Emphasizing the time is now, Joanna told us this generation (defined as roughly 25-40) “will lead thru cooperation, collaboration, creativity, energy and global dialogue”.
Despite the small number of Assembly registrants in attendance it was an incredibly positive session, complete with small group dialogue, among the three generations represented in the room. A great deal of time was spent discussing the real challenge today for most organizations, the transition in leadership - that what needs to take place is evolutionary, not revolutionary.
A major take-away from the morning, the NowGen does not mobilize for the same reasons or with the same dynamics as previous generations.
Summing up the plenary, Richie Pearlstone, JAFI’s Board Chair, said he walked away with the following impressions:
- without passion there is nothing
- words are extremely powerful, as are labels; they are different for different generations
- the ‘older’ generation needs to be used to help the ‘young’
- the question, can existing organizations play a role in transition
And most important:
if all we do is talk we’ve wasted everyone’s time;
how we act is what counts.
Hats off to both KolDor and the World Union of Jewish Students who sent large and participating delegations to this plenary session.
