Announcing the Inaugural Israel Impact Grants Initiative Grantees

Two years ago, the Jewish Community Federation (JCF) launched an ambitious pilot to revolutionize its grant making efforts. Known as the Impact Grants Initiative (IGI), this new model adopted a venture philanthropy approach that offered high engagement opportunities for previously unaffiliated local donors and lay leaders while identifying high performing nonprofits that can make significant impact on local Jewish communities.

The concept of venture philanthropy, which combines theories and techniques used in venture capital strategies and business with philanthropic practice, provides a platform to highly engage donors and make strategic and tactical community investments. Typically, venture philanthropies focus on capacity building grants, instead of providing support for direct service delivery or general operations. They also provide funding as multi-year grants.

In January of this year, the IGI approach was adopted for an innovative partnership with the Israel Venture Network (IVN) to engage people in our local community in a unique collaboration with Israeli colleagues to identify and co-fund high performing social ventures in Israel.  The team is made up of a diverse group of talented and thoughtful individuals including business owners, non-profit leaders, and  high-tech entrepreneurs who spent months learning about Israel’s social issues and trends as well as the emerging field of social impact investment. This IGI culminated in a week-long trip to Israel to visit the seven enterprises under consideration and to make the final funding decision.

IGI team in decision-making mode

The team ultimately decided to fund three high-impact enterprises with the possibility of a fourth:

Susan’s House employs youth at risk in the production and sale of unique glass, jewelry and housewares.  This venture is run by a member of the ultra-orthodox community, who mentors and guides his program participants to develop self-esteem, communal values, interpersonal relationships and job skills.

Mitam provides a variety of human resource services to non-profits in a sector in Israel that typically lacks the knowledge and financial capacity to hire full-time HR professionals.

Jobs4Moms is an online job search platform geared toward mothers seeking quality full and part-time jobs that have the flexibility necessary to combine parenting and a career that utilizes their skills and experience.

Pending: Rakea aims to revolutionize academic studies for young Ultra-Orthodox students by weaving Torah studies into math textbooks. Typically, these students forgo the core studies in math, science and English for exclusively Jewish texts, and leave behind an education that’s critical for employment outside the yeshiva.

Not only did this experience yield three exceptionally effective  new Federation grantees representing an important and emerging sector in Israel, it also built and cemented bonds among the IGI team and created new relationships between the team and Federation.

For more information on the Israel Impact Grants Initiative, contact Siggy Rubinson at 415.512.6429.

Israel’s 65th Birthday: A Time to Reflect and Feel Proud

Although established in 1948 to be the only Jewish State in the world, Israel’s population of about 7.5 million is less than 80% Jewish. It makes it to the world’s news headlines quite often because of its volatile borders, but the magnitude of positive social change that is taking place in this small state (it can fit into New Jersey with room to spare) is even more newsworthy.

Israel is indeed, a “Start-up Nation.” Science and technology is one of the country’s most developed sectors. The percentage of Israelis engaged in scientific and technological inquiry, and the amount spent on research and development in relation to gross domestic product is among the highest in the world. Israeli scientists have contributed to the advancement of agriculture, computer sciences, electronics, genetics, medicine, optics, solar energy and various fields of engineering. It is a nation of innovators, and naturally, that innovative streak is evident in the work to build a more socially just, and pluralistic society. In partnership with foundations, Israeli philanthropists, government, and our grantees, it is work that the Federation has been at the forefront of for 25 years.

The recent elections in Israel demonstrated that the desire for a more accepting society is not a minority position. During President Obama’s visit on the Eve of Pesach he observed that the story of Passover is a story about “finding freedom in your own land.” At its core, that is what so many Israelis on the ground are working for. The freedom to live in a just and welcoming society – one that provides the opportunity for everyone to earn a good living, receive a quality education, practice Judaism in a way that is meaningful for them. Our grantmaking in Israel supports organizations that are working toward these goals.

As we approach Yom HaZikaron (Israel’s Day of Remembrance) and Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel’s Independence Day), and the 65th birthday of the Jewish state, it is a time to reflect and feel proud. Proud of the significant work we are doing in Israel, and the strong connections between Bay Area Jews and our homeland. It is incredible what this small, young country has achieved in its 65 short years of existence, and what it can achieve in the next 65 years.

Learn more about the work Federation does in Israel. For more information, contact Sigalit Rubinson, Israel and Global Program Officer, at 415.512.6429.

Building a Pluralistic Jewish and Democratic Israel

In Hebrew, Gvanim means hues of color. The JCF founded Gvanim to promote Jewish pluralism in 2000 in response to the deep division in Israel symbolized by the assassination of Prime Minister Yizhak Rabin by a Jewish religious extremist.

The Need

In Israel, schools and communities are divided into religious and secular sectors, creating social divisions and religious tensions that can present obstacles to democracy. The framework is often seen as a struggle between the ultra-orthodox and ultra-secular, but this polarization is only a partial view of the complex socioeconomic trends within Israeli society. Our work in Israel aims to promote the full expression of Jewish identity in all its variegated forms.

The Outcomes

Gvanim redefines pluralism for modern Israel through a 1-year action-oriented fellowship program similar to the Wexner Heritage Program that:

• Engages key Israeli leaders from across the religious and social spectrum in a deep examination of personal Jewish identity-related challenges, together
• Empowers Gvanim participants to initiate, plan and implement social action programs to promote Jewish pluralism in Israeli society
• Provides thought leadership and funding for the fellows’ social action projects

All core program fellows visit San Francisco and NY for hands-on experience in Jewish pluralism and then participate in an alumni network for further their learning and collaboration.

Igniting Innovation in Jewish Pluralism

In the last decade, Gvanim has blossomed into a network of programs stemming from fellows’ social action projects that stimulate a new shared discourse – the very bulwarks of democracy.

• 150 ALUMNI Initiated 80 Social Action projects.
• 350 SECONDARY PARTICIPANTS Participated in Gvanim spin-off programs in the IDF, in local Government, in the Knesset, Business execs etc
• THOUSANDS OF ISRAELIS ARE TOUCHED BY THE PROGRAMS Members of newly created congregations, participated in conferences, celebrated high holidays in an inclusive place.

For more information, contact Megan Kennedy at MeganK@sfjcf.org or 415.6264.

A Transformational Trip to Israel

By Janet Harris, Director, Early Childhood Education Initiative

Last month, I had the pleasure of participating in a ten-day study tour of Israel with a group of Jewish resource specialists from five Bay Area preschools. The purpose of the trip was to deepen our relationship, as teachers and Jews, with Israel through getting to know early childhood educators and social entrepreneurs, as well as to explore the land and places we have learned about in the Torah.

We walked through the narrow paths of the Old City of Jerusalem, hiked in the nature preserve of Neot Kedumim, and toured preschools and kindergartens, getting to know their teachers on a first-name basis. Our PJ Library counterpart, the director of Sifriyat Pijama, also helped us see how the PJ Library comes to life in Israeli classrooms.

Janet (second from left) and fellow educators in Israel

Highlights

A highlight of the trip was the opportunity to visit JCF-funded projects in Galil and gain a real understanding of the work we do in the country.  Barak Lazoon, our intrepid leader and JCF representative in Israel, took us to the Druze Village of Kisrae-Samea where we visited Early Childhood programs along with the staff of Echad.

One of the projects that JCF has funded was the construction of a beautiful ECE center with wrap-around services (speech therapists, physical therapists, social workers, nurses, etc.) for parents with young children. The impact of this center on the community has been profound. Children are receiving services for special needs, as well as what we consider to be basic developmentally screening. There are language enhancement programs, support groups for parents, and a beautiful play area for families to enjoy.

Children playing at the ECE center

We also had a private audience with a Druze sheikh – a first for us all. We learned that the Druze hold prayer services only twice a week, unlike the Jewish halachic commandment to pray three times a day, or the Muslim commandment of praying five times a day. He assured us that the Druze were “very lucky” because of that!

Reflections

This trip was eye-opening and transformational for me, and my fellow participants have expressed similar sentiments:

 “For me the excitement began as soon as the land of Israel came in site from the airplane window. Like so many people say, ’it’s like coming home.’ This was not a group trip where a guide toured you through the country giving you historical facts. It was an incredible experience where passionate Israeli citizens embraced us in ways that are indescribable. I am so energized to the potential and possibilities of ways I can bring Israel alive to my colleagues and the children and families that I work with. And I have the desire to return to a place where I only began on what I know is a new personal and professional journey.” – Betsy Surtshin, Teacher, Osher Marin Jewish Community Center ECE program

Educators doing some learning of their own

 “I love spending time in Israel, however, this trip was different. I have never seen Israel through the lens of a Jewish early childhood educator. I was amazed at how the children were viewed, considered, and honored. I have been struggling with this epiphany since my return, trying to figure out how I can make sure that the children in my care are guaranteed this same level of respect and dignity.  There is a collective story that is Israel; it is both historical and cultural, and this story is a unifying and identify-creating narrative. It is my responsibility to share this epiphany and find like-minded educators, leaders, and parents that want to help me fill the space our children are engaged in. I want to create a richness that is as sustaining and sweet as the milk and honey that flows in the ideal that is Israel.” – Adam Lowy, Jewish Resource Specialist and Teacher, Congregation Emanu-El of San Francisco

We would all like to express a hearty todah rabah, or thank you, to the Jim Joseph Foundation and the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund of San Francisco for funding this trip. The children will reap the benefit of this amazing journey!

The Early Childhood Education Initiative (ECEI) focuses on engaging more Bay Area Jewish families with young children in meaningful Jewish life and community. The ECEI was launched in 2007 in response to the 2006 JESNA study which highlighted the importance of Early Childhood Jewish Education as a gateway for family engagement.

For more information, contact Janet Harris, Director of ECEI, at 415.499.1223, extension 8104.

Update on the Situation in Israel – Sunday

Friends,

This report comes from the JFNA and San Francisco Israel offices. On Sunday, the fifth day of Operation Pillar of Defense, the conflict with Gaza continues, including ongoing rocket fire against Israel.

Today rockets landed next to a kindergarten in Ashkelon, hit a car, and the front of a house in Beersheva. A fireman and two residents have suffered shrapnel injuries. School remains closed within a 40 kilometer radius of Gaza for security reasons as all children remain in shelters.

In addition to the three Israeli civilians killed on Thursday, three remain in critical condition including an 8-month old baby. Over 80 Israelis have been taken to hospitals with injuries in recent days. Many more have been treated for shock and emotional trauma and the true toll of this conflict will only be seen in the months and even years to come. Hospitals are currently working with significantly reduced staff as many doctors and nurses have been called up for army service. Some 4.5 million Israeli residents, over half of Israel’s population, live in rocket range and are now on alert for attacks. Over 1300 rockets have been fired at Israel from Gaza in 2012 alone and approximately 900 in recent days.

Update on the Situation in Israel – Saturday

Friends,

This report comes to you from Israel. As of Saturday night, the rocket fire has continued as Operation Pillar of Defense ends its fourth day.

Israel has now been hit by over 850 rockets since Saturday, November 10, 740 of which have been fired since Wednesday, the first day of Operation Pillar of Defense.

Nine rockets have landed in Ashdod so far on Saturday, injuring ten people. One hit a four story apartment block, one hit a front yard, one a vehicle, causing a fire, and another the front of a home. Three IDF soldiers were wounded, two lightly, one moderately, at 11:00 am Saturday after a Kassam rocket was fired at them from Gaza. The Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon reports treating 56 injured people.

As a sure sign that the violence has been ratcheted up significantly, two rockets were fired at Tel Aviv again today, with one landing in a non-populated area and one intercepted by the IDF’s Iron Dome Missile Defense System. Tel Aviv mayor Huldai publicly thanked the operators of the newest Iron Dome to be utilized in Israel’s protection. So far, during Operation Pillar of Defense, the Iron Dome units have successfully intercepted 90% of its targets.

Jay Sanderson, president and CEO of The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles is currently in the country, leading a senior delegation from the film industry in Hollywood. On Friday evening, Sanderson and the group joined thousands of regulars as Shabbat services began at the Western Wall. Within moments, a “red alert” was declared in the capital and the sirens sounded – the first time this has happened in Jerusalem since the 1991 Gulf War. All services immediately halted and the entire Kotel plaza completely evacuated as worshipers, tourists and others ran for cover.

Please Support the Israel Terror Relief Fund

We are thankful that the cease-fire is still in effect, but many Israelis continue to feel the impacts of the violence. Federation leaders witnessed the strength of Israelis in aftermath of war on a mission that offered a glimpse of life for many traumatized by the tension in the south of Israel. Participants visited programs and initiatives operated by The Jewish Agency for Israel, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), World ORT and the Israel Trauma Coalition (ITC), where Israelis are benefitting from your generosity.

The Federation’s Israel Terror Relief Fund, in collaboration with our partners, continues to address the most critical needs in Israel. Our Bay Area community contributed generously to this fund, and for that we are grateful. With support from the broader North American Jewish community, the Fund is helping children, people with disabilities and special needs, seniors and families who are victims of terror. To see images of the Israeli people’s amazing resilience, click here.

We thank you deeply for your support that is helping those effected rebuild their lives and their homes.

 

Make a tax deductible contribution for immediate emergency assistance.

The 2012 Diller Teen Fellows check in from Israel

Diller Teen Fellows cohorts from six North American partner communities have just returned  from their much anticipated three week long, Israel Summer Seminar (ISS). Here, six North American cohorts, each filled with twenty 10th and 11th graders of different backgrounds, explored Israel, participated in a four day Diller International Teen Leadership Congress, and experienced a week of home hospitality by their host families in their Israeli partnership cities. The Diller ISS is part of the continuing effort to empower participants to be active, effective leaders with a strong Jewish identity and a responsibility to their communities, Israel, and the Jewish people.

The cohorts have blogged throughout their time in Israel–so check this post to see highlights of their trip!

Baltimore Dillers at the Kotel in Jerusalem

Baltimore

Day 2!

Miriam Pomerantz and Robert Monfred, July 19, 2012

Baltimore Diller Teens floating in the Dead Sea

Let’s back track…to Friday!

Alex Green, July 22,2012

An update about our time in Jerusalem from one of the amazing JCs – Danielle Gelber!

Danielle Gelber, July 24, 2012

Beit Canada is Always a Highlight!

Morgan Plant and Sam Sugarman, August 5,2012

Los Angeles

Day One: Spread of the Sass

Rachael Cohen, July 22, 2012

The Sass Strikes Back

Chelsea Rapoport, July 30, 2012

Shalom to the Sass

Chelsea Rapoport, August 5, 2012

MetroWest New Jersey

Shabbat morning, the Old City, and Havdalah at the Kotel

San Francisco Diller Teen Fellows start their time in Israel

Marisa Parnes, July 21, 2012

Carrying on our history…As leaders.

Rachel Scheckman , July 22, 2012

Learning from each other

Nick Sarano, August 1, 2012

The “Aha” Moments

Rachel Gordon, August 3, 2012

San Francisco

Day 2: The North of Israel

Nadine Herman and Kamala Sloss, July 19,2012

Shifting Gears: From Congress to Community Week

Matt Blumenthal, August 1, 2012

Community Week: Army Day

Alex Jekowsky, August 6, 2012

Pittsburgh

Diller blog 7/26/2012

Tova Perlman and Sophie Abo, July 26, 2012

Our Shabbat at Congress

Noa Weil, Sarah Gamble, Simon Neft, and Bailey Spivak, July 29, 2012

Counting Connections: YAD’s Summer Israel Trip

The Young Adult Division’s Summer Israel trip took 160 participants from across the nation to experience Israel, climb Masada before dawn, meet Israelis working for social change, build community, and get an insider’s perspective at how the Federation unites and cares for Jews in Israel and around the world.

By Desiree Hamaoui

My reason for going to Israel was simple. I missed it. It had been ten years since I last visited and in that time my relationship with Judaism had changed. I suppose I can now admit… I had daddy issues. I had coasted through most of my life riding on the “Jewish” coat tails of my father. He was a pillar in the community and helped build many local synagogues, including the Palo Alto Orthodox Minyan (now called Emek Beracha) and the West Coast Torah Center in Los Angeles. His passion was education and he supported the Yeshiva University in New York and was one of the founders of the Jewish Study Network here in San Francisco. But just like many kids, out of pure defiance, I avoided it as much as possible.  A couple of years ago he passed away and I was left with a large void, especially when it came to Judaism.  Without my father’s strong insistence, I was losing my Jewish identity.

My gut (in the form of a friend’s persistence that I should go on the Jewish Federation’s National Young Leadership program), told me I could feel that reconnection with my roots if I went to Israel. Well, my gut was right, but it didn’t end there. Turns out by traveling some 7,000 miles away I found stronger, deeper roots here at home.

As a group we floated in the Dead Sea, walked through Tzfat, explored Jerusalem’s Old City, and mingled with the IDF soldiers. We attended lectures and were guided along so that we could gain a deeper appreciation of the country and its issues (thank you Nadav). And yes, we partied! We danced with Ethiopian dancers in the desert, in Israeli clubs, and at after parties in hotel lobbies. But it was the moments in between that stood out. As we rafted down the Jordan River, I learned that just like me others were doing their best to navigate the SF dating scene – which like the Jordan River can feel like a long, slow float, filled with prickly turns. When it came to Masada, we didn’t just climb it, but celebrated. There at the top of Masada, overlooking the most majestic view, as the colors morphed from a cool grey to a warm red, we stood together and sang as some experienced their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs and took on their new Hebrew names (hello to Elior and Avraham). I was fortunate enough to have had a Bat Mitzvah, and yes it was a lavish party with break dancers and all, but on Masada it wasn’t about the party, it was about choosing your own Jewish identity and setting your own course – exactly what I was looking for.

Desiree Hamaoui, back row, 6th from left.

While I admit if you weren’t there, it may sound a little cheesy. But, the truth is, it was that magical. Being in Israel it occurred to me that we are more alike than we know.  While each had different motivations for going, in some way or other all of us are figuring ourselves out. I went because I missed Israel, what I didn’t expect was how much I would really miss the bus count offs (# 12 is here).

Learn more about the YAD on our website, www.jewishfed.org/yad

Historic Vote Against Divestment from Israel

By Noga Zimerman, Director, Middle East Affairs, JCRC

Last week, the organized American Jewish community was part of a historic victory over proponents of the anti-Israel Boycott/Divestment/Sanctions (BDS) Movement when a resolution calling on the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) to divest its assets from three companies with sales to Israel was narrowly defeated at the church’s annual General Assembly. The Jewish Community Federation, through a grant to the Israel Action Network (IAN), and its support of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) which led the organizing effort in the Bay Area, played an important role in helping to ensure that resources were and are available to respond to these serious challenges.

The resolution had previously passed the church’s Middle East Committee and its General Assembly Mission Council, the highest authoritative body of the PCUSA, with an overwhelming majority. So odds were heavily stacked against the position of the mainstream organized Jewish Community that believes that divestment from Israel will hinder, not advance peace, and that divestment singles out Israel as solely to blame for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In preparation for the vote, the IAN (a joint initiative of the Jewish Federations of North America and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs) and the Bay Area JCRC along with other JCRCs throughout the country had launched a comprehensive joint advocacy campaign against the resolution to ensure that church members were fully aware of the negative ramifications of this resolution and of our community’s strong position against BDS ahead of what was sure to be a historic vote with deep impact on the scope and direction of the BDS Movement’s Israel divestment campaign in mainline Christian churches. The joint efforts included the wide distribution by the IAN of an anti-divestment, pro-peace “Letter in Hope” signed by over 1,500 rabbis and supported by over 22,000 members of the community, and the distribution by the JCRC as a direct letter to the voting members that described the one-sided, prejudicial nature of the BDS Movement and of the resolution, and expressed the community’s hope that the church would choose instead to impact the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a fair and productive way. All three organizations did extensive advocacy work behind the scenes, and in particular, mobilized allies within the PCUSA to reach out to their peers and openly discuss the resolution and its unjust, imbalanced nature. Following a hard-fought battle on both sides, the resolution was defeated 333-331, potentially marking a turning point in our battle against divestment in the mainline Christian churches.

See the Press Release