In a seemingly parallel world to the political messes of recent months, a new world is being born right before our eyes: a world born out of the visions of young Jewish social entrepreneurs around the world, over a hundred of which will be launching their ventures this June. So I hereby propose: let us declare June Jewish Innovation Month. If the upcoming events in the month of June go smoothly, the reports of a disconnected, past-tense Federation and JCC system will prove to be unfounded. Starting on May 31st in Boston, six communities across North America - and five others worldwide - will host a total of eleven Launch Nights to showcase the 117 new Jewish social ventures that PresenTense partners have catalyzed over the past year. These 117 social ventures, in fields as diverse as education, … Continue Reading
Jewish Peoplehood from Abstract to Action: We Did It
by Smadar Bar-Akiva It is not an easy task to translate the abstract notion of Jewish Peoplehood into action. And even more so, to develop a positive sense of belonging that is not anchored in sorrow and grief; a connection that celebrates cross cultural differences while striving to find common ground. At the World Confederation of JCCs we have just deciphered this secret. How? Several months ago, together with our trusting partners (see below) we launched the Global Jewish Connections Fellows program. We recruited 13 lay leaders ages 25-45 from 11 JCCs in 7 countries - Argentina, Bulgaria, Israel, Mexico, Russia, Ukraine and USA - in order to train them as global Jewish leaders and social entrepreneurs. These incredibly talented fellows are as diverse as can be. What do they have in common? … 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
Natan’s Jewish Peoplehood Grants
This essay is from The Peoplehood Papers, volume 7 – Reinvigorating Jewish Peoplehood: The Philanthropic Perspective; published by the Center for Jewish Peoplehood Education. by Felicia Herman The Natan Fund is a grantmaking foundation funded by young philanthropists who pool their philanthropic resources and make grants together to emerging Israeli and Jewish nonprofits and social entrepreneurs around the world. Since a small group of young professionals founded Natan in late 2002, the foundation has granted $7.77 million to 129 organizations and individuals in Israel and around the Jewish world. Natan is a giving collaborative, and thus its grantmaking reflects the aggregate philanthropic interests of its members (primarily young professionals in New York). Natan’s particular focus … Continue Reading
PresenTense and JDC Launch New ‘Kaet’ Fellowship in Moscow
by Abigail Pickus Yohanan Kosensko, a 27-year-old rabbi, is building an iPhone App and website to showcase the history of a Jewish cemetery in Moscow as a way to preserve and transmit Moscow’s Jewish history. Kosensko is one of 13 Russian social innovators who make up the first corps of the Kaet Fellowship launched by PresenTense in partnership with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). By June, the fellows will have created 11 working projects to transform Russian Jewish life that run the gamut from a shomer Shabbat youth hostel to a first-aid training program that taps Israeli medical technology to ensure that Russian Jews can help in emergency situations. “Social entrepreneurship is really hot in Russia right now,” said Michael Podberezin, European program … Continue Reading
Out of Africa: Networking for Impact
Johannesburg - February 6, 2012 - At a time when South Africa is emerging as a regional economic powerhouse that continues to gain global visibility as a center of new ideas and energy, the first South African Young Jewish Innovators Gathering will bring together 50 trailblazing social entrepreneurs, business pacesetters, activists and thought leaders to create a strategic network that will deepen their impact on their communities, the Jewish world and beyond. The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and South Africa’s Sasfin Bank Limited are partnering to shine a spotlight on these dynamic young innovators and help them connect with each other and, where possible, create partnerships that will engage large numbers of young Jews in Jewish life. The invitation-only event will open at … Continue Reading
Around My Jewish Table
by Evelyn Goldfinger I was born into a Jewish family in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I had the privilege of attending a Jewish school through high school where much of my Jewish identity was transmitted. My parents reinforced this with a Jewish education in the home, which was enhanced by what my sisters and I learned at school. I also went to Camp Ramah Argentina and became a counselor and Rosh madricha (head counselor). But before all that, before learning the Parasha (Torah portion) for my Bat Mitzvah, before my first encounter with a Tanach and even my first activity as a camper, there were our Shabbat dinners. See, one of my greatest blessings was that my parents decided, together with another three families, to make Shabbos dinner every Friday night. We would light the candles, go to shul … 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
Apply Now for the PresenTense Summer Institute
The PresenTense 6th Global Summer Institute in Jerusalem is looking for the best and the brightest Jewish Social entrepreneurs who are passionate about one thing, changing the world. The PresenTense Summer Institute brings together 16 of the most ambitious and talented entrepreneurs from across the globe and provides them with what they need to launch their ventures. Over the six week intensive fellowship in Jerusalem our fellows are given access to leading Jewish and entrepreneurial professionals, paired up with top-notch mentors and coaches and provided with a comprehensive tool kit. Do you think you have what it takes to be a PresenTense Global Summer Fellow? Apply here. Applications close January 28, 2012. You can read more about what it means to be a PresenTense Global fellow … Continue Reading
Tapestry of Jewish Life: Jerusalem Welcomes New, Niche-Driven Yeshivot
by Abigail Pickus Ariel Levinson looked around his native Jerusalem and wondered with sadness whether there would be any secular youth left. With ultra-Orthodoxy tightening its hold over the city, and brighter, more attractive lights beckoning from cities like Tel Aviv or abroad, what could this ancient and holy city Levinson loved so much offer its non-religious youth to convince them to stay and make it their own? “We decided to create a new group to lead this change,” said Levinson, a lecturer and PhD candidate in Modern Hebrew Literature at Hebrew University. So Levinson and two other educators created the Jerusalem Secular Yeshiva, a cultural center where young Israelis can re-connect to their Jewish heritage and tradition. More than a center, Levinson sees this new endeavor as an … Continue Reading
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