by William Foster and Toby Rubin Over the past decade, according to a recent survey report by Jumpstart, the Natan Fund, and The Samuel Bronfman Foundation, the Jewish innovation sector has created more than 600 new organizations that seek to effect change in the world through a Jewish lens. Toby Rubin interviews William Foster about the obligations of both entrepreneurs and philanthropists to increase the impact of those organizations and determine if and how to provide next-stage funding and a crack at sustainability. Toby Rubin: What are three key trends in the philanthropic sector that inform our understanding of whether philanthropy in the social sector is positioned to step up? Please name them and discuss each in turn - ideally, with a “call to action” for philanthropists, social … Continue Reading
The Curriculum Initiative Goes Local; Closes National Office
The Curriculum Initiative, an organization providing Jewish resources, student leadership opportunities and cultural programming on independent high school campuses, has closed their national offices and will now be operating out of local Jewish institutions. According to TCI's website, "The Curriculum Initiative (TCI) has operated in a unique space for the past fifteen years, straddling the Jewish community and the independent school community. TCI began as an educator-focused organization, and has transformed over the years to accommodate the changing needs of its students and educators. At this time, TCI is about to embark on a new chapter in its organizational evolution." With the beginning of the current school year, TCI’s work was officially welcomed as part of the Bureau of Jewish … Continue Reading
What Will the Jewish Community Do?
by Ruthie Warshenbrot I was surprised and disappointed to hear of the recent closing of one of the Jewish community’s darling innovative organizations, JDub. I have great respect for my colleague Aaron Bisman, and have enjoyed watching JDub’s growth and reach over the past almost-decade of its existence. This big news makes me wonder how the organized Jewish community will react. I suspect that JDub’s closing will result in a flurry of reactions via social media, articles, op-eds, and even obituaries, potentially touching on the following topics: Was arts & culture programming actually a good entry-point to Jewish life, especially for young adults? Many studies emerged just as JDub was gaining popularity that supported its mission, almost verbatim and JDub’s own numbers in its … Continue Reading
The Sanctity of Learning as an Escape from the Mundane
by Adam R. Bronfman I am Adonai, and I shall take you out from under the burdens of Egypt; I shall rescue you from their service; I shall redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgements. I shall take you to me for a people; and I shall be a God to you; and you shall know that I am Adonai your God., Exodus 6:6-7 The covenantal relationship declared above is deceptively simple. It promises a deep sense of belonging; both to a community and to an eternal relationship. But the truth is that being part of the Jewish people requires as much questioning and doubt as it requires belief and connection. The declaration, "you shall know," can seem hollow or foreign. Making space for questioning, the quest to find what we actually do know, is vital for a meaningful relationship with … Continue Reading
Social Capital Keeps Jewish Startup Sector Forging Ahead
Despite the economic downturn and its effect on Jewish philanthropies and nonprofits, the number of new Jewish non-profit organizations continues to rise dramatically, today reaching more than 600 initiatives serving 630,000 people across North America. In addition to money - nearly $200 million per year flows to this startup sector each year - a robust portfolio of education, leadership and organizational development programs is powering the innovation sector and its leaders - and in turn, broadening the reach of their startup initiatives. These are the major findings of the 2010 Survey of New Jewish Initiatives in North America, a project of Jumpstart, The Natan Fund and The Samuel Bronfman Foundation. The survey is intended to help current and potential funders and nonprofit leaders make … Continue Reading
Jewish Philanthropy in 2011: Some Thoughts
by Felicia Herman Jewish tradition warns us to stay away from prophesiers (Lev. 19:26; Dt. 18:10 and 18:14), which drove much of the collective Jewish skillset away from augury and into strategy. In that spirit, I offer not a list of predictions about what will happen in Jewish philanthropy in 2011, but rather some reflections on what I think needs to happen if the Jewish philanthropic world is going to expand and grow stronger in the coming years. Where you stand, of course, depends on where you sit. These reflections are the product of my having had the privilege to be involved with The Natan Fund for the past seven years, working together with the exceptional young philanthropists who make up Natan’s membership, with the groundbreaking emerging organizations around the Jewish world that … Continue Reading
Edgar Bronfman: Opening Our Tent
by Edgar M. Bronfman Intermarriage has taken center stage this past year. The marriage of Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvkinsky spurred a national conversation about intermarriage. The Rotem bill roiled Israel-Diaspora relations, sparking considerable debate over conversion policy and the question of how to incorporate the hundreds of thousands of Israelis from intermarried families into the Jewish people. Even “The Simpsons” weighed in when Krusty the Clown married a non-Jew. Once upon a time, intermarriage usually meant shedding one’s Jewish identity. Thus, when the 1990 National Jewish Population Survey was released and reported an intermarriage rate of more than 50%, the immediate response was panic, with the Jewish community asking, “How do we keep our children Jewish?” What this … Continue Reading
Swimming Against the Current
by Chaim Chesler It is said that only dead fish flow with the current. On the other hand, living fish can swim against the current and in so doing can overcome obstacles, break through barriers, discover new frontiers. This is the way I feel about a project that has been created thanks to the work of hundreds of volunteers and donors, called Limmud FSU. This living fish, ceaselessly swimming upstream is embodied in an enterprise which provides an intellectual feast of educational events for thousand of young Russian-speaking Jews across the globe. If this metaphor seems like hyperbole, I make no excuse for it to describe the program which is now celebrating its fifth turbulent anniversary. Five years ago, after more than 25 years of working on behalf of Jews in the Former Soviet Union, I … Continue Reading
Engaging the Sacred
The Samuel Bronfman Foundation will convene its annual Why Be Jewish Gathering today and tomorrow in New York City on the topic “Engaging the Sacred.” The program will explore Judaism’s rich tradition of examining and struggling with the concept and value of sacred experiences, and seek to understand what such conversations might mean for the many today who are asking the question Why Be Jewish? This is the fourth year the gathering will take place, and will welcome a diverse group of Jewish thought leaders and professionals including Rabbi Andy Bachman, Congregation Beth Elohoim; Daniel Septimus, MyJewishLearning.com; Rabbi Joanna Samuels, Advancing Women Professionals; Rabbi Avi Weinstein, Hyman Hebrew Academy; Avital Hochstein, Mechon Hadar; Wayne Firestone, Hillel: The Foundation for … Continue Reading
Matthew Bronfman: A New Generation Philanthropist
Filed under In Case You Missed, Jewish Philanthropy, lnside Israel, The Blog, The Limmud Experience
"Thriving Jewish communities throughout the world can do nothing but strengthen the Jewish world." Matthew Bronfman, Moscow, April 16, 2010 Slowly, changes are a-foot on the American Jewish philanthropic landscape. The federation system - like several other organizations - has experienced a decreasing donor base even though an older core demographic is often giving more. In the foundation world, two highly visible foundations, Avi Chai North America and the Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies, are in "sunset" - winding down the affairs of the respective foundations in an orderly manner. Long-time philanthropic families are seeing new faces at their own table while more and more donors are developing personal relationships with organizations and are giving direct. And most important, there … Continue Reading
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