A large majority of the Jewish public in Israel believes that there is a sense of mutual responsibility between Jews abroad and the Jews of Israel. The findings come as part of a poll commissioned by the Jewish Agency to mark the establishment of the Jewish World Caucus, launched Monday, Mar. 20th, at the Knesset. The launch event was attended by government ministers, members of Knesset, and representatives of Jewish communities abroad, opening with a moment of silence to mark the murderous attack in Toulouse, in which a schoolteacher and three children were killed. The Jewish Agency poll was meant to examine the importance ascribed by the Jewish public in Israel to ties with world Jewry on a number of different planes, as well as the significance of that connection to strengthening Israel and … Continue Reading
Israel Conference for Young Adults Brings 400 Emerging Leaders Together
This week, 400 Jewish young adults from countries throughout the world will participate in Building Future Leadership (BFL), Masa Israel’s annual leadership conference in Israel. Following an intensive application process in which they exhibited their passion for Israel and their Jewish communities, these individuals will gain the tools they need to become positive and inspiring change agents back home. Masa Israel has created BFL to motivate and prepare exceptional participants to become the leaders in their campus Hillels and in their local Masa alumni communities. JFNA's Mandel Center and Hillel are both playing central roles in the conference, focusing on training Masa Israel participants for involvement once they return to the USA and Canada. Over the course of the week, participants … Continue Reading
Jewish Federations – Jewish Peoplehood in Action
This essay is from The Peoplehood Papers, volume 7 – Reinvigorating Jewish Peoplehood: The Philanthropic Perspective; published by the Center for Jewish Peoplehood Education. by Rebecca Caspi and Lisa Friedman Throughout the generations, the great strength of the Jewish community has been its distinct ability to organize itself. In North America this found expression through securing the rights of minorities; gaining a significant political foothold; setting up a comprehensive system of Jewish charitable, defense and educational institutions; and, providing substantial support to the State of Israel and to Jews around the world. As we witness the current shifting social, demographic and economic trends that impact our long standing communal efforts, we note that the fundamentals of … Continue Reading
Jewish Agency, Ministry of Education Launch Israeli Teach for America
Seeking to address the widespread under-performance of youth in low-income communities, while offering a unique Israel experience to participants, Israel Teaching Fellows launched this week. A new, joint, initiative of the Ministry of Education and Masa Israel Journey, the program brings 75 university graduates from North America to Israel to volunteer as English teachers in schools across the country. In doing so, Israel is joining a handful of countries who “import” English teachers from abroad, including Japan, South Korea and France. Immediately following the high holidays, the volunteers will be placed in elementary schools in Petah Tikva, Rishon Lezion, Rehovot, Netanya, Ramle and Lod. Following an initial training period, the volunteers will live in small groups in these communities … Continue Reading
New Initiatives Channel Masa Alumni into Activism and Leadership Roles
With 11,000 participants this year - up from 3,000 in its inception year in 2004 - Masa Israel Journey has opened a new alumni division, and has placed regional representatives in cities throughout the United States in partnership with local Federations. The alumni division's goals, which include a special focus on Birthright alumni, who make up 56% of post-college participants, are to pipeline these Jewish young adults into leadership positions in their communities and empower them to become lifelong advocates and activists for Israel. These goals were created following a June 2011 survey of Masa Israel alumni in which 86% of those surveyed expressed interest in attending Jewish and Israel-related events, 82% in advocating for Israel, 81% in volunteering in a Jewish organization, and 59% in … Continue Reading
Young Progressives to Make Group Aliyah
Defying the image of American aliyah as reserved for the politically conservative, a group of 12 liberal young Jews from the Habonim Dror North America movement will move to Israel this September to form an urban kibbutz. “This is one of the most exciting developments in Labor-Zionist aliyah in the past two decades,” says Talia Spear, the national director of Habonim Dror. “While individuals from Habonim Dror have been immigrating to Israel for many years, this is the first time in decades that activists are making aliyah together as a group. Their decision is stirring up a lot of energy across the movement. We’re hoping that this group will be the first in a new wave of young, progressive, North Americans moving to Israel.” The group is made up of recent college graduates who are … Continue Reading
Continuing a Peoplehood Debate
by Dr. Misha Galperin I am delighted that my op-ed has spurred a conversation about an issue that is critical to modern Jewish life. What is the nature of Jewish peoplehood? If it is about connection among Jews, but has no additional substance, then we have failed our history and our values. If peoplehood is only a way to raise money, then we haven’t gone deep enough. If it is to serve “the stranger ” without caring for our own first, then we have missed the mark. Peoplehood is such a new word that it comes up every time you spell check it. The newness of it has collapsed into vague discussions and definitions. I offer mine again: Jewish peoplehood is the bond that exists among Jews that transcends time and geography and involves mutual care and responsibility; it’s about meaningful … Continue Reading
Fortune 500 Multinationals Recruit American Interns in Israel
American companies are now taking notice of the thousands of young adults working as interns in Israel. As a result, senior leaders from global companies, including Ernst & Young, Citigroup, Deloitte and Wells Fargo are currently here to visit Israeli businesses and meet with these individuals. In the continuing economic recession, 7,200 college graduates are participating in professional internships in Israel, an increase of almost 50% since 2007. The trip was arranged by MASA Israel Journey who collaborated with New York University's Career Center and Rochester Institute of Technology's Office of Career Services to develop the Employer Thought Leadership Summit in Israel. The Summit enables international business leaders to visit Israeli companies with American interns, share best practices … Continue Reading
Israel’s Complicated Relationship With World Aid
In the face of international crises, nonprofit veteran says Israel needs to increase its involvement in worldwide aid. by Sharon Udasin One of the most gaping holes in the Israeli nonprofit sector is a strong presence in international aide arena, contributions toward causes and communities completely unrelated to Israel and world Jewry, according to Dr. Mike Naftali, who is trying to repair this dearth through his nonprofit organization Brit Olam. “Nobody in Israel really cares about international affairs because we are so self-absorbed in our own dilemmas,” said Naftali, suggesting that government policy is perhaps most responsible for the lack of charitable investments abroad. Naftali, a social worker by profession with three decades of experience in the Israeli nonprofit sector, … Continue Reading
Making Israel ‘the Best and Brightest’
by Sharon Udasin In the US, the post-graduated program Teach for America has become as difficult to get into as an Ivy League law school, as college seniors all over the country vie for coveted spots to teach in underserved urban and rural schools - now, in Israel, a similar yet still budding nonprofit organization is attempting to bring teaching the same sort of prestige and popularity here. Hotam: Teach First Israel, part of the Teach for All global network, actively recruits talented university grads to teach in periphery schools that desperately need more instructors, and is currently in its second year of recruitment for next year’s 110 new positions. The teaching commitment is two years long, and program directors have already received 1,100 applications and are hoping to reach 1,200 … Continue Reading
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