by Deborah Fishman After in-depth conversations with around 30 network-weavers in the Jewish world as part of my Network-Weaver Series, I have seen that there are a lot of really passionate people building networks that are quite impressive - and the term “network-weaving” resonates with many of them quite deeply. It puts a descriptive word to what they do in connecting others toward a greater cause; and more importantly, it acknowledges that they are not alone in doing it. On a parallel level, more and more organizations are becoming aware of the possibilities of working with networks that can drive forward causes and campaign, build and unite communities, and provide support and resources that bolster Jewish identity. Yet there is confusion and imprecision in terminology - most notably, … Continue Reading
Network-Weaving with Becky Voorwinde
Deborah Fishman sits with Becky Voorwinde. This interview is part of the Network-Weaver Series. [Becky Voorwinde is the Co-Director, Director of Strategy & Community Engagement for the Bronfman Youth Fellowships in Israel (BYFI). She is currently on maternity leave following the recent birth of her daughter, Miriam Zahavah.] What is a network? A network is a group of people who are connected based on some level of shared experience, interest, or demographic - sometimes more than one characteristic. What’s interesting about networks is the way they can be multi-layered. BYFI is multi-generational - we’ve been around for 25 years - and we have people from various religious backgrounds, geographic locations, professional backgrounds, and life experiences. There are some shared … Continue Reading
Network-Weaving with Tomer Marshall
Deborah Fishman sits with Tomer Marshall. This interview is part of the Network-Weaver Series. [Tomer Marshall is Curator at Leadel: A Jewish Media Hub, showcasing the rich variety of contemporary Jewish voices and expressions. Following completion of a master’s thesis in comparative media exploring the evolution of formats in new media, he gained experience in web development and writing and directing for television in Israel.] Tell me about your network. The underlying principle behind Leadel is to figure out how to get people from different backgrounds, life skills, and areas of value-based work to connect with one another. How can those in the environmental movement connect with the Jewish Anglo scene in Jerusalem? How could my friends in the Dati Leumi (Religious Zionist) movement … Continue Reading
Network-Weaving with Smadar Bar-Akiva
Deborah Fishman sits with Smadar Bar-Akiva. This interview is part of the Network-Weaver Series. [Smadar Bar-Akiva is the Executive Director of the World Confederation of Jewish Community Centers (WCJCC) and an occasional contributor to eJewish Philanthropy.] Tell me about your network. I direct an umbrella organization that represents more than 1,100 Jewish Community Centers around the world - we’re a network of networks. We have a 70-member board with representation from all the JCC networks and sponsor organizations. The purpose of our organization is to enrich Jewish lives and strengthen Jewish communities by connecting JCCs as institutions that open their doors to large number of Jews on a regular basis. What role does network-weaving play in your work? Though I sit in … Continue Reading
Network-Weaving with Nicky Newfield
Deborah Fishman sits with Nicky Newfield. This interview is part of the Network-Weaver Series. [Nicky Newfield is the Director of Jewish Interactive, which provides interactive digital resources, an informative curriculum, and online collaborative learning to bring children a touch closer to engaging and innovative Jewish learning around their rich Jewish heritage. She is based in South Africa.] What is a network? What is a network-weaver? A network is a space where people who are likeminded can meet. To be able to network people is a skill similar to making a shidduch. Not everyone has that skill, to put people together, to connect, and to weave them. How have you applied network-weaving to your work? As a new, innovative technology company, networking can help us find out what … Continue Reading
Network Weaving with David Brown
Deborah Fishman sits with David Brown. This interview is part of the Network-Weaver Series. [David Brown is Social Action Coordinator at JHub in London, working on the Jewish Social Action Forum’s Big Green Jewish and Fairtrade campaigns. He is also the European coordinator of SIACH: A Global Environment and Social Justice network, and was on the core volunteer team recently for Limmud Conference in the UK.] What is a network? I think of connections between people, projects, and organizations. It can be a group of people who happen to find themselves in the same space, organizationally or physically. Either a given area of content can attract people (I think about SIACH), or it can be getting people together and letting them define the content (like the ROI Community). I come to the … Continue Reading
New Network-Weaving Paradigms
by Deborah Fishman Since I’ve begun referring to myself as a network-weaver with greater clarity and consciousness, I’ve had many fascinating conversations on the topic, both with the practicing network-weavers I’ve interviewed and also beyond. I’ve observed some common themes in how network-weaving is viewed and practiced. As I am interested in moving forward the theory and action of network-weaving toward a more effective and connected Jewish future, I’d like to share what I believe to be the key challenges and opportunities. In light of challenges currently faced, I propose Jewish network-weaving make the following paradigm shifts: 1. A widespread understanding in the Jewish community of network-weaving, the problem it is seeking to solve and its effectiveness: Even if there … Continue Reading
Network-Weaving with Peter Eckstein
Deborah Fishman sits with Peter Eckstein. This interview is part of the Network-Weaver Series. [Peter Eckstein is the Director of Congregational Learning at Temple Beth David in Palm Beach Gardens. In the past he has served in national leadership roles in CAJE (Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education) and is currently involved in other initiatives. He holds a master’s in Jewish education from Hebrew College.] What is the difference between a network and a community? A network is the connections people have with one another, whether face to face or virtual. A community is qualitatively deeper. It’s a group of people, however they’re connected, sharing information and moving with each other in the same direction. A community is a kehillah - there’s an emotional connection … Continue Reading
Network-Weaving with David Wolkin
Deborah Fishman sits with David Wolkin. This interview is part of the Network-Weaver Series. [After serving for many years as a volunteer, David Wolkin is now the Executive Director of Limmud NY. This transition has given him an interesting perspective on networks, the value they hold for participants, and their role in the Jewish world. David has also served in a variety of Jewish educational capacities and received his MA in Jewish education from the Jewish Theological Seminary.] What is a network? It’s an overlapping series of webs between people. In many cases, some subset of these webs are entirely aware of the connections that exist; others aren’t aware of how they are a part of that system that forms and shares relationships. What emerges as a result of that tends to be very … Continue Reading
Network-Weaving with Naomi Less
Deborah Fishman sits with Naomi Less. This interview is part of the Network-Weaver Series. [Naomi Less - Jewish rock singer, experiential educator, and ritual facilitator - founded Jewish Chicks Rock to empower and ignite young Jewish women and girls to express themselves through music. She is a founding company member and director of education and training for Storahtelling and recently released her new CD, “The Real Me.” Naomi is a strong proponent of “the butterfly effect,” whereby her actions as a network weaver create a ripple of effects that even she may be unaware of.] What impact will adopting a networked approach have on the Jewish world? There have been major - and I think positive - implications for the Jewish world. For existing networks, once participants in a program … Continue Reading
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