It is with sadness we share news of the untimely passing of Jonathan (Jon) Woocher, PhD, z”l. Jon, 70, was a long-time educator; a friend and colleague to many of us, and an early advisor to eJP.
Jon worked for 27 years at JESNA as President and then as Chief Ideas Officer, where he headed the Lippman Kanfer Institute, an action-oriented think tank for innovation in Jewish Learning and Engagement. Jon joined Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah in 2013 as its first President and became Senior Fellow in September 2016.
Among Jon’s many notable achievements was convening the first-ever Consultation on Jewish Social Entrepreneurship and New Leadership Development (New York, Sept. 2008) under the Lippman Kanfer banner.
Jon is survived by his wife, Sherry, two children and one grandchild.
Funeral arrangements can be found here.
Baruch Dayan Emet; May his memory be a blessing.
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Baruch Dayan Ha’Emet. Such a lovely human being, so caring and concerned with education and with his community. He is already missed.
Jon’s Funeral Service is at 1:15 PM on Sunday at
Bernheim-Apter-Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel
Address: 68 Old Short Hills Rd, Livingston, NJ 07039
Phone: (973) 422-0600
Such a sad day. A very special man, mentor, visionary and gentle leader. I feel honored to have had the opportunity to partner with him in these past few years, and sorry I didn’t know him for longer. Baruch Dayan Emet.
Jon had an engaging smile and personality. He was a terrific role model and memorable from the early days when he motivated young jewish communal professionals at Brandeis. He was always a friend.
Randy Spiegel
Jon was a stellar professional, thought leader and scholar. His heart was as big as his big picture ideas on Jewish life. As my beloved friend I will miss his inspiration, kindness and optimism.
I count myself as one of the legions of Jonathan Woocher fans… he was an inspirational figure for so many years– and always willing to be a resource. Kind, smart, articulate, forward-thinking; he has made a profound mark on Jewish communal work, and how I view my part in it.
BDE. The Jewish People has lost a wonderful mensch and leader
Not only was Jon a Pro’s Pro, he was a mensch. May his memory live forever.
Jonathan will be missed by many of us. His wit and wisdom helped many in the Jewish community. He was a mensch and will be remembered forever.
At every stage of my career, Jon was a mentor, friend and ally. JESNA was an early partner with PANIM, which gave us street cred as an upstart, new organization trying to interface with the larger Jewish community. Later Jon was an important thought partner for me on a variety of projects. He was always generous with his time, thoughtful in his comments and supportive in ways that made you think you had something important to contribute. I will miss Jon. The Jewish community has lost one of its giants.
Hamakom yinachem etchem b’toch sha’ar avlai zion v’yirushalayim.
I am so sorry to hear this. I attended a seminar in the 90s where Jon, Barry Shrage and John Ruskay were the faculty. Wow. Jon’s notion of “plausible communities of meaning” thereafter shaped my work in Jewish continuity and identity for the Jewish Federation of LA. Jon’s memory is truly a blessing.
At the Hornstein Program in the mid-1980s, Jon was the articulate spokesman who brought the essence of Jewish values into the training of Jewish Communal Service professionals. His voice has echoed in my brain throughout my career, and his genuine love for the Jewish community will continue to inspire me. Baruch dayan ha’emet.
In so many rooms, in so many venues. Jon was always there and his comments and ideas challenged us and the conversation sparkled. May his memory and legacy be a blessing to his family and us all.
When the history of Jewish education in America is written, Jon Woocher will be hailed as one of the g’dolim. A thought leader, a convener, and one of our most insightful change agents in the entire Jewish community, Jon, most of all, was unfailingly supportive to colleagues, young and old. We will never know a sweeter soul. May his memory be a blessing and an inspiration for us all to continue the sacred work of building our sacred communities and may God comfort his beloved Sherry and family.
Jon was a hero of mine long before I had the opportunity to work with him. His advice and viewpoint were invaluable; his gentleness and caring were his hallmarks. I will miss him so much. May his memory be for a blessing.
Baruch Dayan Haemet. I have fond memories of Jon while I was a student at Brandeis. May his memory be a blessing.
This is such hard news to read. His memory is already a blessing. Baruch Dayan Haemet.
May Jon’s memory be as a blessing for family and friends. Jon’s impact on Jewish education and on me personally, was enormous. Many of the smartest and best thinking I’m seeing today about Jewish education are echoes of what Jon was writing 10+ years ago. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to learn from him and think with him.
Jon was a most creative and inspiring educator and a cherished colleague of long standing. It is with great sadness that I learned of his sudden death.
His impact on Jewish life was incredible and will reverberate for years to come.
Shula Bahat
CEO, BEIT HATFUTSOT OF AMERICA
A huge loss to our creative collective future
In December 1981 I had lunch with Jon and Deborah Lipstadt in Cambridge, Mass. Jon and Deborah were like an intellectual comedy team, telling outrageous stories about life in academia and beyond. I was 8 months pregnant mostly interested in the food. After lunch Deborah drove me home then labor started and Deborah drove me to the hospital. Throughout labor and delivery all I could think was the humor and good will of Jon Woocher.
What a mensch.
Baruch Dayan Haemet. Johnathan was a creative and innovative educator who paved the road in so many unusual ways. We collaborated in developing a curriculum in Teaching Israel back in the 1990’s and I was previleged to enjoy a great mind unconventional and a devoted Jewish educator. The great memories that he left with us will help comforting us for his untimely passing.
Jonathan Woocher was the first professor of Jewish Studies at Carleton College in the 1970s, and I was fortunate that my four years there coincided with Jon’s tenure as a faculty member and advisor to Jewish students. He was a beloved teacher and mentor whose scholarship, leadership and sage advice shaped the careers of so many of us in the Jewish world. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sherry and the Woocher family. Yehi zikhro barukh – may Jon’s memory be a blessing.
Jonathan Woocher z’l always brought positive energy with him. He could break down the most seemingly intractable problem into comprehensible components. Jonathan always had a smile to greet me every time I saw him. I will miss him as will so many others.
concurring with what others have written before me. this news has just shocked me and don’t know what to say. Jonny was a mensch and a giant. He was bigger than life in his behavior and his ideas and his influence in the world of Jewish education will be felt for decades to come. He exuded optimism and was able to articulate his wisdom vis a vis what needed to be done to make Jewish learning excel at all levels. It is hard to me to actually believe that he has passed to the next world—he had so much to give. We met when we were both 17, new high school grads, at Ramah in the Poconos. For over the next 50 yrs whenever I saw him, he was funny, gracious, open, incredibly smart and on point and never failed to help me when I needed it. For his family and closest friends–HaMakom y’nachem etchem. For all of us, yehi zichro baruch.
Jonathan Woocher was an inspiration, a mentor, a consummate Jewish professional and a friend to so many. May his teachings and wisdom continue on as a blessing to us all. Wishing his family comfort during this time of loss.
It was my honor to work with Jon at JESNA for so many years . He was a mensch, mentor and friend – BDE
As Ron Wolfson wrote, Jon was a Gadol. He not only shared his brilliance with us, his generosity of spirit infused every person and project he touched. In reviewing my “JESNA files” I found position papers and projects far ahead of their time. That was Jon’s greatest challenge – he was so far ahead.
Personally he made me feel welcome and appreciated. We worked together on a retreat of the best minds in Jewish education and gathered together in Paradise, Texas, for a weekend of bonding and thinking that I will never forget. Sherry, thank you for sharing your husband with us all. He will never be forgotten.
Jon was a mentor, colleague, advisor and friend for me as Jewish educator and communal leader for three decades. His wisdom, creativity, leadership, thoughtfullness and kindness were a gift to all of us who knew him, His contributions to the Jewish community, to Jewish learning, and communal leadership were immeasurable. He was truly among the “gedolei hador” — the greatest of our generation. How fortunate we were to have had Jon in our world and our lives. With deep sadness I offer condolences to his family. Yehi zichro baruch.
Baruch Dayan Emet. Jonathan was one of our very best as the preceding comments note. As one whom the news reached rather late, I feel the need to share in these sentiments. Jon was the very best on so many levels; be it in struggling with concepts and ideas, with molding these thoughts into programs and policies and to inspire people to bring their plans to life. Beyond the highest professional qualifications and competency, he was also the personification of what it means to be a “mensch.”
Our communities were privileged to have had him and those of us who knew him have been blessed through that association. Let us honor him by carrying forward his aims and aspirations.
My deepest sympathy to his widow and his entire family.
An indefatigable visionary, pioneer, leader, and educator, who already inspired multiple generations of Jewish educators, and will continue to do so in the future. A man for all seasons who brought credibility and respect to our profession. Thank you Jon for all you accomplished, and for the traces you left on all of our souls.
Jon was a visionary who was able to bring people into seeing what could be done together to build a strong future. He was a brilliant educator, but most of all he was a brilliant, kind human being. I feel so fortunate to have worked with him when he was at JESNA. May his impactful legacy bring comfort to his family and continue to inspire all of us in the community.
Jon was an inspirational figure for me and the young people I had the pleasure of teaching here in Israel in the JESNA Jewish Education course for overseas students (“Lainer Interns”) at TA University for close to a decade. Jon’s interaction with the students was always a pleasure to observe. I was always intrigued in my conversations with Jon how Israel and Israel education fit into his world-view and vision for North American Jewish education – ostensibly, not a primary focus of his attention, but clearly, his personal relationship with Israel was a deep and meaningful one.