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This is a fantastic piece on attracting the next generation of Jewish nonprofit leaders. I would caution though that when organizations decide to wake up and put a priority on the points Avi raises, that they do so with care and thoughtfulness. Often times, in my opinion, organizations are quick to jump the gun on a candidate they THINK is amazing, only to find out later, they’re really not ready to be the professional to take the next step. Don’t hire just to hire, hire with purpose! It also wouldn’t hurt Jewish organizations to invest in some of the jobs like Talent Acquisition/HR positions that other big secular organizations have.
If you look at the current young leadership in the Jewish Community, many of them came from the ranks of Hillel’s Steinhardt Jewish Campus Service Corps Fellowship. While the economics made it difficult from Hillel, the next generation of Executive Directors of major agencies will come from that group. Reinvesting in these training programs that enhance Jewish life in the community and for the professional builds and grows Jewish Life.
Thanks to Avi for an important and provocative piece. We have all heard about the lack of future Jewish communal leadership, and he provides some reassuring examples of interested and talented young individuals who fit exactly the profile of people who have entered and may very well enter the workforce as Jewish communal professionals. Often such individuals have done so because of their own personal commitments and interests, and often despite the fact that they have little idea about the opportunities and needs within the community or little support for professional development and nurturing once they begin their communal work.
I agree about the need for creative programming and networking to serve this group. Avi’s comment about mentoring strikes me as particularly important. At my own institution—Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership—we have had a mentoring program in place in our MA program in Jewish Professional Studies and more recently in our Certificate in Jewish Leadership (offered jointly with Northwestern University). We hear regularly from both students—many of whom are new or mid-career professionals—as well as from the mentors themselves—seasoned professionals—about how exciting and beneficial the mentoring relationship is for both. For younger professionals, there is a real opportunity to discuss issues with a senior colleague and to learn from the mentor’s experiences and insights. Mentoring also affords the opportunity to examine the intersection of personal and professional interests and challenges. And, it provides a remarkable chance to weave the lessons of the classroom with the day-to-day experiences in the workplace. As we have learned, mentoring also benefits the mentor—particularly as many senior professionals have not had many opportunities to engage formally in mentoring and as they themselves are forced to reflect on a range of issues and are exposed to important trends and concerns of younger professionals—who represent a diversity of community voices and perspectives.
It is unfortunately true that mentoring has often been neglected in the Jewish community—perhaps for lack of time amidst busy schedules, or perhaps simply because it has been seen as a sign of weakness and inexperience. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. Without a robust and meaningful culture of mentoring the Jewish community will have difficulty recruiting and retaining future generations of communal professionals and leaders. Investing in these individuals now, through development programs, networking, and mentoring not only makes sense professionally, it is arguably a very Jewish endeavor and a sacred obligation.
Dean Bell, PhD
Dean and Chief Academic Officer
Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership
Avi, thanks for raising this tremendously important issue. Like you, I have many of these meetings with early career professionals, and they fill me with optimism for the future of our community. Over the past several years, I have seen more and more come out of Birthright Israel and MASA, feeling inspired to make their mark on the Jewish community after returning home to jobs in the corporate world that now feel unfulfilling.
As you know, being excited and inspired is a first step, but to create top-notch leadership, these young people also need tools, resources, and training. At NEXT: A Division of Birthright Israel Foundation, we believe that one of the ways we can attract (and importantly, retain) the talented individuals in our sector is to invest in them, especially early on in their careers. Starting last year, NEXT began a concerted effort to support, train, and network professionals who are focused on young adult engagement, many of whom are themselves Birthright Israel alumni. Already, we see that this work is having an impact. After convening a number professionals in the Midwest recently for a day of skill-building and networking, one from Kentucky told us that she’s already making serious headway at her organization: “I recently made a presentation to the board about shifting our budgeting and organization focus in the coming years to more young adult engagement and outreach opportunities. I asked them to also change my title and shift job responsibilities so that I can take on this new role full force. To my surprise they were 100% in favor of the change.”
It’s clear that professional opportunities in the Jewish community are one path toward identity building. For many, the first entry point is as a camp counselor, or congregational school teacher. NEXT is excited about the conversations we’ve already begun with JCCs, youth movements, synagogues, religious movements, and others (like our friends at Spertus, above) about creating and enhancing more of these pathways. I’m personally inspired by the conversations you and I have already had about ways to make it happen through a partnership between NEXT and MASA. These conversations need to grow and continue. If anyone wants to develop more pipelines to involvement and enhance those that exist, call me, email me, tweet me (@Liz_Fisher). Let’s make it happen together.
Avi,
You describe a challenge that many of us have been discussing and have looked for more effective ways to attract and keep these committed young people for a career in Jewish Communal Service. Our challenge is to “get them while they’re hot” to reach out to them when they are most excited by their experience in Birthright and programs like MASA and engage them in opportunities throughout the Jewish world. One challenge is to keep them as employees after they join us in what is often their first position after college or graduate school. Research shows that our millennials will likely have 4 different careers during their lifetime. Starting their career in an agency within the Jewish community may develop individuals for a career path and provide professionals that remain in varying agencies within the Jewish community; or for those that choose to leave to the for profit world may develop a cadre of lay leaders, many years down the road. In either case engagement as Jewish community with this cohort of young, excited potential professionals provides us with an opportunity we cannot miss.
It is true that we need appropriate job opportunities and internships; we also need good supervision and opportunities for growth. JCC Association and our network of JCCs throughout North America have begun to bring on a number of these young professionals, but if we are all going to do this right, we will need to allocate the resources to attract, and retain the best.
One of the challenges is that the list of Birthright participants is not universally accessible to agencies within the Jewish community. If we are going to effectively engage these committed post Birthright individuals we need a coordinated approach to reach them effectively – as potential professionals. Beyond engagement.
This is a continuing discussion that requires action by all of us. JCC Association is prepared to be a part of the discussion.
Alan Goldberg
Vice President, Professional Leadership
JCC Association