Bronfman Big Idea Series: Jewish Community Incubator (Shai Litt)

The Jewish Community Incubator

Shai Litt’s entry in the Charles Bronfman Brandeis Contest for the next big idea in Jewish communal innovation is the formation of a Jewish Community Incubator that will be based in Israel with satellite locations throughout the world.

This is the second post in the Bronfman Big Idea series.

About the Author

Jeremy (Shai) Litt is a landscape architect whose work focuses on large scale environmental rehabilitation projects for public and private clients in Israel. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Landscape Architecture and a Masters of Science in Real Estate Development and Investment.

Born and raised in the United States, Shai moved to Israel in 1996. He is married with four children, ages 10– 22.

What You Can Expect From This Post

This post is divided into four primary sections:

1. Executive Summary
2. The Jewish Community Incubator: Core Ideas– Jewish Activism Museum, Maggid Performance Troupe, Traveling Exhibition, Jewish Values Institute
3. The Larger Vision
4. Community Issues and Debates

We can’t wait to hear your thoughts and reactions on reading about this project idea.

1. Executive Summary

The Jewish Community Incubator’s (JCI) goal is that every Jew who visits gains a better understanding of their place in the Jewish community, a clearer perception of the obligations that are associated with belonging, and a heightened sense of mission and purpose.

Today, many Jews do not understand the significance of Jewishness and their part in the Jewish community. In general, Hebrew schools, museums, and academic curricula stress Jewish history, ethnicity, religious law, and culture. The JCI proposes a different institution– one that would stress Jewish values, their origin, and their relevance to living as Jews and Jewish communities in our modern societies, with the intent of demonstrating that there is a continuing value to being Jewish and to being part of the Jewish community.

Within a generation or two, the Jewish Community Incubator’s goal is to transform our community into one that sees our “Jewishness” in the quality of our commitments to shared Jewish values, enabling us to make our communities and the world a better place, while enriching our lives as individuals.

The Jewish Community Incubator: Core Ideas

The core components of the Jewish Community Incubator based in Israel are the:

• Jewish Activism Museum
• Maggid Performance Troupe
• Traveling Exhibition
• Jewish Values Institute

Keep reading for graphic representations of each of these below.

Global Voices Online: Israeli Journalists Face Jail Time for Visits to Enemy States

This week I blogged at Global Voices Online about Israel’s Infiltration Prevention Law, which prohibits Israelis from traveling to hostile countries, and why it should be reassessed. If Israelis can’t visit enemy states and it is illegal for Arab journalists in Israel to interview Israelis, then how can we learn about and from each other?

Here’s how the article starts:

“Three Israeli journalists who visited Lebanon and Syria are facing possible jail time for visiting nations that the government terms “enemy states.” Lisa Goldman, Ron Ben-Yishai, and Tsur Shezaf have been investigated and will spend a maximum of four years in jail if found guilty.

The Infiltration Prevention Law requires that all Israelis traveling to enemy states must garner permission from the government to do so. It is widely acknowledged that permission is rarely granted.

While the law was created in the 1950s to help protect Israeli citizens, it is applied inconsistently as many Israelis travel to hostile countries each year without being prosecuted. In the case of these journalists, it is important to note that all three traveled abroad on foreign passports, as many Israelis are dual citizens and find it safer to travel using the documents of their countries of origin.”

Please click on the link above to continue reading.

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Predicting the Future of Jewish Philanthropy: Let’s Hear Your Thoughts

Photo by Jerry Reynolds Photography

Next week this blog will proudly host an interview with Mark Charendoff, President of the Jewish Funders Network.

In the meantime, I want to present you with the questions I asked (plus one more) and see what you think. What is the future of Jewish philanthropy? How can we get more people involved and why should it matter?

Six Questions on the Future of Jewish Philanthropy

1. Giving Jewishly–

We know that on average, Jewish philanthropies give a small percentage of their money to Jewish causes. How should we be defining who is a Jewish philanthropist?

Are there key values that every philanthropist, as a Jew, should hold dear? What are the implications of the growing trend away from Jewish communal giving? How can Jewish organizations adapt and evolve to combat this trend?

2. Jewish Youth Philanthropy–

What can the Jewish community as a whole and Jewish organizations in particular do to spark the interest and investment of young Jewish philanthropists?

Are there ways in which philanthropies can or should be changing their thinking to become more appealing to young donors? How can the Jewish community help younger Jews become stakeholders in the Jewish community, and through that, Jewish philanthropy?

Photo by Griraffes

3. Social Innovation: Jewish Philanthropy’s Power to Transform–

Mr. Charendoff wrote: “Some of the most innovative projects in today’s Jewish communities came about because an independent funder or group of funders took a risk on a longshot.”

What are the transformative ideas in the Jewish community right now that would benefit from high risk investment? What trends in the Jewish community should leaders and Jewish philanthropists be paying attention to?

What roles do social innovation contests (like Charles Bronfman’s and Ronny Maiman’s) play in the current philanthropy arena as a way to advance Jewish communal innovation?

Israeli Philanthropy: Gaydamak Donates $23 Million to Secure Sderot Homes

Photo by Pajamas Media

If Arcadi Gaydamak’s strategy is to become the hero of Israeli philanthropy, he sure has my support. I fear that I am in danger of becoming the Gaydamak channel (should I rename my blog Gaydamania now?)

Gaydamak’s recent pledge of 90 million shekels ($23 million) to secure 600 Sderot homes is a great choice for someone with a lot of money wanting to make a difference and completely in keeping with Gaydamak’s philanthropic patterns.

The IDF Southern command reports that 1,200 Sderot homes are not yet secured, meaning that if the Red Alert were to sound that qassams were being fired, there would be no safe place within the home for people to run to.

When the plan of reinforcing homes and social structures was discussed over 20 years ago, it was considered too expensive, and an alternative investment was made in rocket systems to prevent the attacks.

Given Sderot’s low income status, which has fallen precipitously in recent months as the rockets continue to fall, it has been impossible for people to fortify their own homes. With the government turning a blind eye, Gaydamak’s executive decision to help Sderot residents plays a crucial role in maintaining the sanity and safety of this battered town.

Israel Philanthropy Update: 40 Iranian Jews Arrive in Israel with Help of Jewish Agency

Welcome Home!
Photo by Temple Beth El (San Antonio, TX)

Forty new immigrants from Iran arrived in Israel yesterday, marking this year’s emigration from Iran at 200 (up from 65 last year). The newcomers will settle in the South where they will begin Hebrew language classes and begin making the transition to an Israeli way of life.

Donations from the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews will help them start their life here, as each new immigrant will receive $10,000 on top of their aliyah benefits.

It reminds me of an excerpt from a Yehuda Amichai poem, “All the Generations Before Me,”

All the generations before me
donated me, bit by bit, so that I’d be
erected all at once
here in Jerusalem, like a house of prayer…

This post updates: “Iranian Jews Offered $10,000 Each to Come to Israel.“

Political Donation will Help Israeli Arabs Volunteer for National Service

Photo by Zainub

Don’t you wish sometimes that politicians would just set aside the their differences and join hands to work on making the world a better place? Isn’t that why they wanted to work in public service to begin with?

Avigdor Lieberman, the heavy hitting leader of Israel’s Yisrael Beiteinu Party, is laying aside his political guns and partnering with Arcadi Gaydamak’s Social Justice Party to promote Israeli Arab volunteering.

Promoting National Service for Israeli Arabs

Yisrael Beiteinu has just donated $128,600 to promote Israeli Arabs’ participation in Israel’s National Service. Reports from the Arab community assert that 76% of Arab youth would like to volunteer, but don’t know how to go about it. There is very little precedent and what with Israel’s often hostile perception of Arabs, it’s hard to get started.

Lieberman states: “These people need to feel wanted here in Israel and not the other way around… the volunteering issue is a crucial one, this kind of volunteer work can bridge gaps between Jews and Arabs and carries a positive message.”

Growing Number of Israeli Arabs in National Service

The number of Israeli Arabs in the National Service (Sherut Leumi) is growing: 2007 has the highest numbers of participation yet. Israeli Arab enlistment has grown almost 100% from 2006 to 2007 with 600 Arabs now serving in Israel’s 12,000 person force. Volunteers typically serve the community directly, working in schools, community centers, hospitals, nursing homes, and other social institutions.

Resistance from the Arab community is high and potential volunteers face expected challenges. Ha’aretz reports:

Still, many Israeli Arabs oppose such volunteering, calling it an attempt by the Jewish establishment to blur the Arab-Palestinian identity of the younger generation and “Israelize” them. Another claim is that the state is using the national service to indirectly recruit Arab youth for a kind of military service.

Shifting Speeds: Israel Government Invests in Cycling Programs for Sake of Environment

In a turn of wheel, the Israeli government announced last week that they were investing $12.6 million of the 2008 budget in bicycling programs. The new biking programs will emphasize cycling as an important means of transportation that will be good for the environment and for our wallets.

Its first initiative will be the construction of a 13.5 mile bike path along the Tel Aviv- Netanya highway to promote biking as recreation. The Transportation Ministry will also support municipalities in creating cycling infrastructure and in helping more of their citizens to put pedal to pavement.

I know it’s one of my goals for 2008 to get on a bike and explore more of Israel, so I was excited to hear this news.

Critical Mass: Monthly Bike Rides from Tel Aviv

With thoughts of the new cycling programs on my mind, I was pleasantly surprised to receive word that Israel will be joining Critical Mass for this first time this December, a monthly bike ride for recreational riders that is enjoyed in over 300 cities worldwide.

It is not a product of the government’s new campaign, but one that will complement it nicely.

Critical Mass describes themselves as follows:

“Everyday, all over the world, people are resisting the problem culture of the car by getting on their bikes and riding, instead of driving. Critical Mass is a celebration of the alternatives to cars, pollution, accidents and the loss of public spaces and freedoms. Not an organization or group, but an idea or tactic, Critical Mass allows people to reclaim cities with their bikes, just by getting together and out-numbering the cars on the road.”

Stating their goals, they say:

• We ride because bicycles don’t pollute, don’t make noise, and don’t kill
• We ride because we are happy…
• We ride to set the ground for changes in municipal policy
• We ride to remind people that we exist, and form an integral part of city life
• We ride to meet each other, chat about bikes and life, and strengthen our own community
• But most of all, we ride because it is super fun to ride as a group. The more people, the more fun

Israel’s first ride will leave from Rabin Square in Tel Aviv at 13:30 on Friday, December 28th. Future rides will take place on the last Friday of every month.

Go to the website (in Hebrew and English) or contact the organizer for more information: critical.mass.tel.aviv@gmail.com.

Photo by Kris Cohen

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From Page to Screen: The 15 Richest Fictional Characters (According to Forbes)

A little bit of humor to brighten you day. Who are the richest of the rich fictional characters? From Scrooge McDuck to Lucius Malfoy, the answers may surprise you.

Here they are in all their literary glory:

1. Scrooge McDuck, $28.8 billion
2. Ming the Merciless, $20.9 billion
3. Richie Rich, $16.1 billion
4. Mom, $15.7 billion
5. Jed Clampett, $11 billion
6. C. Montgomery Burns, $8.4 billion
7. Carter Pewterschmidt, $7.2 billion
8. Bruce Wayne, $7 billion
9. Thurston Howell III, $6.3 billion
10. Tony Stark, $6 billion
11. Fake Steve Jobs, $5.7 billion
12. Gomez Adams, $2. billion
13. Willy Wonka, $1.9 billion
14. Lucius Malfoy, $1.6 billion
15. Princess Peach, $1.3 billion

Pop Quiz: Can you match the correct billionaire with his/her information? Try your hand.

• “Tongues continue to wag concerning —’s longtime habit of keeping teenage boys as ‘wards,’ rumored rubber suit fetish”
• This billionaire’s hosting habits have been marked as needing improvement: “Saudi Aramco delegation reportedly offended after being served lunch of “possum-fried critter” by provocatively attired —”
• “Literally swims in gold coins for exercise”
• “Descendant of Castilian royalty and British aristocrats owes fortune to quirky–and lucky–investment style: bought a swamp for “scenic value,” subsequently discovered massive oil deposit underneath; purchased mummified hand at flea market”
• Upon having his mansion ransacked for the environmental disaster he brought upon his community, told his assistant: “I don’t believe in suicide, but if you’d like to try it, it might cheer me up to watch”
• “Majority stockholder in Cisco Systems, primary investor in Facebook…invented robot maid, solid gold cellphone, e-mail spam engine….flew iceberg from the North Pole to — so friends could go skating”
• “A convicted criminal and — prison escapee, miraculously managed to avoid being sent back to jail thanks to well-timed ‘donations’ to charities… In June, attempted to corner the global cauldron market”

(Answers below.)

Recommended Reading

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

• “Bugs: Asserting the Jewishness of this Funny Bunny”
• “Mel Brooks Starts New Foundation: Schmucks for Schmuck”
• “Jewish Philanthropy with a Twist: Find This Man a Bride”

And the answers to our pop quiz…. drum roll, please….

What Were They Thinking? Jewish Community Federation Publishes Pro-Christmas Article

Image by Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco

I consider it a key part of my job as a Jewish philanthropy blogger to promote the good work of Jewish organizations, but sometimes I come across decisions that I think are just plain wrong. Here is one of them that makes me ask, “What were they thinking?!?”

The Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, whose work I usually admire, released their December newsletter today. Its headlining article is titled, “How a Nice Jewish Girl Did Christmas– and Chanukah, Too!”

(Did you get that: Christmas– oh yeah, and also Chanukah.)

Okay, I thought. It’s a teaser. You used a provocative headline to get my attention, I’ll keep reading. But it got worse, much worse.

From the logo accompanying the article (see above) to the author’s questioning of Christmas’ place in her house:

But as December approached, I became more uncomfortable about having a tree in my home. It just didn’t feel right. A friend and colleague and observant Jew helped me sort it out.

“Did he go to services with you on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur?” she asked. Yes, he had – and with more interest, I might add, then my Jewish ex-husband. “Then you need to do Christmas with him,” was her advice.

The article ends: “Christmas, like Thanksgiving and Chanukah, became a day for us to gather together and simply enjoy the riches of our family and friendships.”

This is officially the worst call by a Jewish organization that I have seen all year. I have read articles of all variations struggling with intermarriage and assimilation, but to PROMOTE Christmas (that’s Christ + Mass, folks) as an American holiday that we should all be practicing…

If I were a potential or current donor, I would use my resources elsewhere. That discredits all the other work of the federation. How can I look at their annual campaigns and talk of anti-semitism and think of anything but this article as being the pillar of how the organization presents themselves on one of the most vital issues of American Jewish society.

If you ask me, an apology should be printed and somebody should be fired.

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December Giving Carnival: “”How Much Does the Leadership of an Executive Affect Fundraising?”

Who is at the top of your organization’s totem pole?

Photo by Tammy Green

In this month’s Carnival of Giving, Christopher Scott asks us “How much does the leadership of an executive affect fundraising?” My answer is short and simple: a lot.

Working with Israeli universities, I consider the number one most important thing an executive director can do is prioritize development. This can encompass many factors from the most basic level to the more sophisticated, including:

• Creating an environment among employees that sets fundraising and development as a priority
• Valuing staff by fairly compensating their time through competitive salaries, having a sufficient number of staff to accomplish development goals, restricting work days to 10 hour days/five days a week, providing benefits, and giving staff time off throughout the year
• Investing in the public relations of the organization through branding campaigns and media outreach
• Prioritizing the maintenance of good websites that can serve as development landing pages for the international headquarters, overseas offices, and news sites
• Providing professional development opportunities for employees to meet and strategize throughout the year
• Developing regional fundraising and development campaigns
• Setting development targets and rewarding those who meet and exceed them
• Diversifying types of development including individual contacts, invidual donors, foundations, and partnerships

These are the basic tenets of what is required for an Israeli university to be a successful fundraiser. For an Israeli university to be competitive nationally and in the international market, the executive must make fundraising the highest priority and take steps to put development campaigns into action.

Recommended Reading

If you liked this post, you may also enjoy:

• November’s Giving Carnival: “What Best Practices in Business Should Nonprofits Adopt to Maximize Their Resources?”
• “The Nonprofit Employee’s Top 5 Must-Haves for the Work Place”
• “Top 5 Must Haves for International Fundraising: Shamoon College Provides Best Practice Model”
• “Getting the Message Across with YouTube: Taking Your Nonprofit to the Next Level”
• “A Blueprint for Board Governance: A Back to Basics Guide for the Frustrated Nonprofit”

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Trend Alert: Christian Philanthropy to Israel– Jewish Agency Invites Christian Members to Board

In an unprecedented and exciting move in Israeli philanthropy, the Jewish Agency for Israel has just announced a new partnership with the International Fellowship for Christians and Jews.

In exchange for positions on the Jewish Agency’s board of governors and the ability to have a deeper impact in Israeli society, the IFCJ will donate $45 million over the next 3 years to aid immigrant absorption in Israel.

This donation will bring the IFCJ to a total of almost $400 million donated to Israel over the past 10 years, an amount that cannot be overlooked for either the extent of its generosity or its commitment to the Jewish state.

What Christian Philanthropy Means to Israel

Let’s look at why this move is important for understanding the landscape of Jewish and Israeli philanthropy.

According to the Jewish Agency, this new agreement would “[legitimize a] strategic partnership with the Christian community and the core of the Zionist enterprise of the Jewish Agency.”

Jewish Agency Director Zeev Bielski adds, “This partnership will improve our ability to face today’s challenges and improve our services to those who need our support. The long-standing contribution of [IFCJ head] Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein and the Fellowship to the state of Israel… is a badge of honor for the non-Jewish communities around the world who support Israel and who believe that strengthening Israel is a top priority.”

This leads us to the age old question, “Is it good for Jews?” More specifically, “What are the pros and cons of Christian philanthropy to Israel?”

The pros are obvious: Christian generosity channeled through Jewish and Israeli organizations strengthens the organizations, gives them worldwide cachet, and strengthens their abilities to be service providers to Israeli citizens.

The cons are tricker because we don’t yet know their long term consequences. Some of the more apparent answers are those that donors and recipients always need to discuss, regarding the expected results of the donation.

Will the sheer number of dollars donated from an organization with very Christian interests change the nature of the Jewish Agency? It is highly doubtful. Will the donations influence the Jewish Agency to consider Christians or Christian ideals in a way that may not have been possible before? Those $400 million donors certainly hope that the new partnership will give them a greater stake.

This is certainly a trend in Israeli philanthropy that I have my eye on. I plan on presenting you with new developments as we hear of them. In the meantime, ask yourself this key question: WWMD (that’s What Would Moses Do)?

Recommended Reading

• “Iranian Jews Offered $10,000 Each to Come to Israel” (to be donated by the IFCJ)
  

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Israeli Philanthropy: Planned Galilee Medical School May Change the Way We Think About Giving to Israel

It’s Israel’s academic version of “Survivor” and there can only be one winner.

In Israel, the stakes are high for the establishment of a new medical school in the Galilee with Bar Ilan University and the University of Haifa competing for sponsorship.

But there’s more– the new medical school will likely be created in tandem with a university town, introducing Israeli philanthropy to an unprecedented marriage of academia, business, and entrepreneurship.

All sources place Bar Ilan as the front runner for its public relations campaign and potential donors. Neither Bar Ilan or the University of Haifa have medical schools, although Haifa and the Technion have a prestigious nursing partnership. Bar Ilan, the University of Haifa, and the Weizmann Institute are the only three public universities in Israel without medical schools.

Why a New Medical School?

The impetus for the new medical school sources from the estimate that by 2015, Israel will be facing a shortage of doctors. In recent years, Israel’s medical profession has been buoyed by Russian immigration, with a high percentage of new immigrants arriving as licensed doctors in their own countries.

While the existing university medical schools claim that there is no need for another one– which they say would create unnecessary competition and tax medical resources– this argument appears laughable when you look at the loud evidence to the contrary.

The Ministry of Health recommends doubling the number of new medical professionals entering the field each year, increasing the number to 600 doctors and 800 nurses. Gabi Ben Nun, Director General of the Ministry of Health states, “It takes seven years to fully train a physician and four to train a nurse, that is why we must take action now.”

Bronfman Big Idea Series: Using the Internet to Fight Anti-Semitism & Anti-Zionism in Higher Education

What is anti-semitism? What is anti-Zionism? Why have these forms of discrimination taken hold with unusual intensity on college campuses, and what are the consequences on and off campus? How can the global Jewish community unite to tackle these serious problems in a revolutionary way?

About This Post

This is the first post in the Bronfman Big Idea Series.

This post outlines a proposal submitted to Charles Bronfman’s Big Idea Contest at Brandeis University seeking the next big idea in Jewish communal innovation. It is entitled “Using the Internet to Fight Anti-Semitism and Anti-Zionism in Higher Education.”

The author, who shall remain anonymous, is an attorney living in the United States who became interested in combating anti-semitism and anti-Zionism in academia after experiencing these forms of discrimination on campus firsthand.

After working to spread awareness about serious problems locally, the author launched the Anti-Racist Blog, which has the mission of exposing anti-semitism and anti-Zionism on American college campuses.

The website now covers topics on a global scale and reveals the immense scope of the problem that confronts the Jewish world. The Anti-Racist Blog was the inspiration for the proposal submitted to the Bronfman contest.

Attention Readers of The New Jew: Blogging Jewish Philanthropy!

The author has created a website just for you to help you understand his proposal more fully. After reading this post, please continue to Stop Campus Hate, where you can read the proposal’s executive summary. I urge you to take advantage of this opportunity to get further involved in developing this idea.

Defining Anti-Semitism and Anti-Zionism

So let’s get to it. What is anti-semitism? What is anti-Zionism?

The author defers to the US Government’s Commission on Civil Rights for the four main sources of global anti-semitism in recent years.

1. Traditional anti-Jewish prejudices that pervade European and other countries, including ultra-nationalism and other movements that claim Jewish communities control the government, media, international business, and the financial world
2. Anti-Israel sentiment that crosses the line between objective criticism of Israel’s politics and anti-semitism
3. Anti-Jewish expression by Europe’s growing Muslim population, based on longstanding antipathy toward Israel and Jews, as well as Muslim opposition to developments in Israel and the “occupied territories,” and more recently Iraq
4. Criticism of the US and globalization that spills over to Israel and to Jews in general, who identify with both

Examples of anti-semitism can be seen here.

As far as anti-Zionism, the author refers to Judea Pearl, father of slain Wall Street Journal reporter, Daniel Pearl. Prof. Pearl states:

“Anti-Zionism earns its racist character from denying the Jewish people what it grants to other collectives… namely, the right to nationhood and self-determination.”

He continues, “Jewishness is more than just a religion. It is an intricate and intertwined mixture of ancestry, religion, history, country, culture, tradition, attitude, nationhood, and ethnicity, and we need not apologize for not fitting neatly into the standard mode of textbook taxonomies– we did not chose our turbulent history.”

While anti-semitism and anti-Zionism are conceptually separate, they often overlap.

The Premise

While Jews around the world have made incredible strides in acceptance and equality, the rise of anti-semitism and anti-Zionism on college campuses reveal that all is not well. Almost every day, reports of harassment, vilification, and outright prejudice against Jews and those who support Israel come from our college campuses.

“This assault on the identity of Jewish students, our future leaders, at one of the most vulnerable times in their lives is a troubling trend that has implications reaching far beyond academia,” the author writes.

Besides attacks on Jews and Israel supporters themselves, a troubling acceptance and support for anti-Jewish and anti-Israel sentiments on campus creates even more problems for the Jewish people. “In reality, these problems will not dissipate unless the Jewish community across the globe unites to reverse their momentum.”

The status quo for combating anti-semitism and anti-Zionism is not working. The author’s proposal aims to tackle these problems in a revolutionary, comprehensive, and modern way.

He states: “My proposal consists of creating a first-of-its-kind multipurpose internet site with a range of capabilities and functions, which will combine to form the most powerful tool against anti-semitism and anti-Zionism that has ever existed. The research plans, and abilities of this proposal have the capacity to be duplicated to fight these forces around the world.”

(Keep reading to learn how these ideas will be put into action.)

Israeli Teachers Strike End, High School Students Back to School

Back to School for Israeli High School Students
Photo by Fukagawa

Israeli high school students will return to school today for the first time since October, as the teachers strike concluded this Thursday.

After months of politicking and arguing over some very valid issues, here are the results of the strike:

• It was the longest strike in Israeli educational history, lasting 65 days, 48 of which were school days
• Teachers received a 17% wage increase overall: 8.5% of which will be given immediately, along with an additional 5% given to all public workers for “wage erosion” (additional raises are promised over the next 13 months)
• Teachers will now be teaching 2 additional classroom hours per week
• The number of students per classroom will be lowered
• The school year will be extended 10– 20 days
• Teachers will be fully reimbursed for the strike– now that’s interesting

Note that in a recent study on Israeli priorities, education was the number one concern, followed by security, corruption, and poverty.

Why Israeli Education Matters: Claim Your Stake

Our Israeli mantra is that our number one natural resource is the brainpower of our people. As much as we believe this, we aren’t acting as if it is true.

Can you imagine your children missing two months of their education? What would happen, how would they make it up? What would you tell them?

Ask yourself why Israeli education matters to you– what’s your stake? I am a stakeholder in Israeli education as:

• A Jew
• An Israeli
• The future parent of an Israeli student
• A strong believe that Israel’s technological prowess is the key to our stability in the Middle East
• A fundraiser for Israeli universities and someone who cares deeply about education
• A colleague to parents of high school and university students
• A peer and friend of university students (and possibly future graduate of an Israeli university)
• A former teacher

Photo by Tom Roy Hobbs

Recommended Reading

Refer to my original post for the background information: “Supporting Israeli Education: 100,000 Demonstrate for Teachers’ Rights”

Slingshot Fund Shows Promise for the Next Generation of Jewish Philanthropists

Envisioning the Future
Photo by Nic McPhee

The promise to the next generation has always been bigger and better. But when it comes to Jewish philanthropy, young entrepreneurs are shaking their heads– “We want our own vision,” they say. “That was yours.”

So what is the future of Jewish philanthropy and Jewish organizations? Today’s leader in cutting edge philanthropy is the Slingshot Fund. If Jewish innovation is what you want, then the Slingshot Fund is where to get it.

Why You Should Care About the Slingshot Fund

The epitome of an 21st century organization geared to take on the challenges of the upcoming decade, Slingshot is best known for its annually released “Slingshot Resource Guide to American Jewish Innovation.”

In its efforts to identify and sponsor organizations in the Jewish community based on emerging interests and priorities, Slingshot serves as a catalyst and a conduit for getting young social entrepreneurs involved in Jewish giving.

8 Grants for 5768

The Slingshot Fund’s $360,000 inaugural grants were announced this week. Here are the 8 lucky grantees:

• Goldring/Woldenberg Institute for Southern Jewish Life, providing educational and rabbinic services to isolated Jewish communities, and documenting Southern Jewish lie
• JDub Records, promoting Jewish values and community connections through reggae and hip hop (think: Matisyahu)
• Jewish Funds for Justice, promoting vibrant Jewish communities and skillful leaders
• Just Vision, using media and educational tools to raise awareness and encourage civic participation in grassroots peacebuilding
• Ikar, creating new models for spiritual Jewish communities, with novel experimentation with rituals, study, and social justice
• InterfaithFamily.com, connecting families and Jewish communities across religious and spiritual modalities
• Reboot, creating multi-media experiences in Jewish culture through literature, entertainment and social action for young adults
• Storahtelling, performing weekly Torah portions and stories in schools and synagogues

What We Can Learn From This List

Now you know the who, but what about the why? What can we learn about current trends in Jewish philanthropy from this list? What does it tell us about how we envision our future?

It is no secret that young Jews are feeling increasingly disconnected from the large scale federated system of Jewish philanthropy housed in the United Jewish Communities.

Young people want more control than the federations can offer. They want direct routes to giving, transparent processes, and fuller accountability than their parents’ generation. Gone are the days when we trust in institutions and middle men to do our giving for us. We want direct control to ensure the maximum impact of our philanthropic dollar.

In a world where the prerequisites to social inclusion are often deemed insurmountable, young social activists are looking for answers. Slingshot provides a solution.

Look to this year’s Slingshot grantees and Guide members as leaders in taking on the Jewish community challenges that are to come.

(Keep reading for recommendations on learning more.)