There are key lessons in the success of new programs aimed at building community, fostering engagement, and deepening a sense of peoplehood: Lower Barriers , says Pippi Kessler of the Mothers Circle. “We always offer our programs for free, and let them know they don’t have to be a member of anything.” Personalize, says PJ Library’s Marcie Greenfield-Simons. “Each family is unique. Organizations that adopt the concierge model, where outreach to families happens almost one-on-one, will have the biggest impact.” Welcome, advises Arielle Morrison of San Diego’s YAD. "If you don’t help someone new feel welcome, they won’t come back. We have 12 volunteers solely dedicated to newcomers at events." Wait, cautions Jewish Gateway’s Bridget Wynne. “If the mentality is, … Continue Reading
The Sweetness of Giving
by Ruth Andrew Ellenson When I was little, my father would begin every Shabbat by having each person in my family donate money to the bright blue and white tzedakah box we kept in our dining room. We would collect coins and deposit them into the little metal slot one by one, listening to each one drop with a satisfying metal clink. I wish I could say that I was pious enough as a child to have truly enjoyed this act of charity - this small bit of tikkun olam foisted upon me in a valiant attempt to form my good character. But I did not. Instead, with each dropping coin, I lamented in my heart the money that was going to strangers instead of my candy supply. With each quarter that vanished into the void, visions of chocolate, sugar and other tasty treats filled my head with longing and … Continue Reading
A Call to Action: Irina Nevzlin Kogan Urges Her Generation to Pull Up A Chair
For most of my professional life, I have worked in the field of strategic communications and lobbying. I started in a small office in Moscow, moved to a bigger office in London working for corporate clients and political parties, and then spent a year as a freelancer. Though I had studied in a Jewish school in Moscow and my best friends were Jewish, I never thought of getting involved in the organized Jewish world. Being part of the Jewish people was something I always took for granted and I never considered making my Jewish identity a larger part of my life. I certainly never planned to build my career around it. In 2006 I made aliyah to Israel to be closer to family; I did not think my Jewish identity played a big role in that decision. It was only later I realized I was wrong. One … Continue Reading
The Emerging Israeli Philanthropist
by Professor Hillel Schmid and Avishag Rudich Where are the Israeli philanthropists? Jewish donors from around the world have asked that question over the years. Although the Israeli economy has grown impressively in the past two decades, Israeli philanthropies are often perceived as lagging behind. It is also true that until the past decade, most philanthropic revenues of Israeli nonprofits came from Jewish communities outside of Israel. Yet, according to new data, this trend may be changing as independent Israeli philanthropy leaps into the 21st century. According to the John Hopkins Comparative Nonprofit Sector Project, philanthropy accounted for 1.34 percent of GDP in Israel in 2003, second only to the United States (with 1.85 percent of the GDP). While in 1998, philantropic … Continue Reading
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