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jewishatl

jewishatl
In JumpSpark

Final Learnings From Our Engagement Manager

“I hope to gain a better understanding of what obstacles woman must deal with every day and how to become a better leader to impact my community.” 

“I hope to further my leadership experience and learn new ways to take part in society and speak up about important issues.” 

These were just a few of the sentiments shared from Strong Women Fellowship applicants for the 2019-20 cohort, a group of teens I would get to know well and have the privilege of working with to grow the Fellowship into the robust, action-oriented leadership program it is today. I remember sitting in the JumpSpark office when I first started my role as the Engagement Manager of JumpSpark, feeling so much hope for the future of our country. I found myself feeling inspired by the drive and passion I saw in these teen leaders to change the world for the better. 

Two years later, as I wrap up my final days on the JumpSpark team before leaving for graduate school at Brandeis University’s Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program, I find myself reflecting on what I have learned. I continue to look forward to the future with hope and possibility having now seen what our teen leaders and those that support them are capable of achieving. I am excited to share some of the learnings from the role that I will continue to use well into the future. 

Teens Feel Seen and Heard Through Meaningful Action 

One of JumpSpark’s goals is to amplify teen voice in our community, and last year, I had the opportunity to dig into what this meant through participating in UpStart’s Change Accelerator program. Through focus groups and interviews with our Strong Women Fellows, I discovered that these teens would feel seen and heard through taking action to create positive change in the world using their unique skills and passions. I found that it is easy for one to feel disillusioned by the weight of the world’s problems and unsure of how to use their voice for change. During the Strong Women Fellowship, teens hear from speakers and gain new passions that they strongly desire to amplify in the world. Building in new opportunities for action will allow the teens to have a positive impact in the communities we serve and help the teens feel seen and heard as stewards of our changing world. 

This year, the Strong Women Fellowship will incorporate action into every speaker event, from advocating for LGBTQ+ justice to volunteering at a women’s shelter. Taking these actions will allow for these teens to amplify their efforts as budding Jewish changemakers. 

Collaboration Makes Us Stronger 

Throughout my time at JumpSpark, I have had the opportunity to watch our Community Partner Network of teen-serving professionals grow and gain strength. I witnessed a shift in our community towards more collaboration, towards people calling on others in similar roles for support on programs and combining forces to create high-quality Jewish opportunities for teens. I myself leaned on collaboration to support so many of our initiatives, thinking strategically about who we could partner with to reach more teens and build stronger programs. Throughout the rest of my career, I will embrace collaboration in creating new initiatives, knowing that it leads to more robust opportunities. 

JumpSpark is excited to continue strengthening the network of Jewish youth professionals in Atlanta. The Community Partner Network is beginning its third year with spots for 40 partners, and JumpSpark will be hosting convenings with professional development and networking opportunities twice a month to encourage collaboration and relationship building in the field. 

Parent and Teen Engagement are Interconnected 

One of the first findings that struck me from JumpSpark’s data and evaluation efforts was the interconnectedness of parent and teen Jewish engagement – if we engage parents Jewishly, their teen is more likely to get involved in Jewish opportunities and vice versa. Throughout my time at JumpSpark, I have seen this finding play out. Just the other day, my coworker shared about a parent she engaged with through one of our parent programs who then enrolled her teens in Jewish programming as well. Because of anecdotes like these, I see the value in parent engagement as a tool to further teen engagement, too. 

This year, we are excited to continue supporting parents through a variety of initiatives, like Project Launch for parents of teens just entering their next phase after high school and PhD in Parenting sessions for parents of younger teens. These powerful tools for engagement raise the bar for the family unit as a whole, and I will be excited to see what other new and innovative initiatives crop up for parent engagement at JumpSpark. 

Teens are Today’s Changemakers 

I have heard time and time again that teens are our future leaders. After my two years working with teens at JumpSpark, however, I can definitively say that teens are the leaders of NOW. Teen initiatives across the world are making waves and creating positive change. I have watched right here in Atlanta as teens themselves contributed to creating innovative Jewish programming and strengthening our Jewish community. I witnessed countless teen initiatives crop up to support those most vulnerable during the pandemic. I continue to be inspired every day by the teens in our community and throughout the world, and I am so grateful to have been able to play apart along some of these teens’ journeys. Look around – teens are making change today, leading us into a future that is more inclusive and just. 

All of these learnings and more will continue to guide my Jewish professional journey for the rest of my career – I am excited to take all of the lessons garnered from the teens, parents and professionals I have had the privilege to work with at JumpSpark to my graduate studies in Jewish Professional Leadership and beyond. I am so grateful to JumpSpark and the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta for guiding me on my Jewish journey and shaping me into the Jewish leader I am today. L’hitraot Atlanta, see you soon. 

jewishatl
In Federation Innovation

Propel Grantees – FY22

PROPEL FY22 RENEWAL GRANTS:

Agewell: AgeWell Atlanta is a collaboration between Jewish Home Life, Jewish Family & Career Services, the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta.  With one call, you will be connected to an Information & Referral Specialist who will assist you with accessing programs and services provided by our partner agencies and other community partners.

Be’chol Lashon: Atlanta’s Jewish community is diverse and becoming increasingly more so but our legacy institutions struggle to address this demographic. Also, as a Southern city, Atlanta has a complex history with regard to race. We propose bringing Be’chol Lashon’s diversity training workshops and educational resources to create greater awareness of racial and ethnic diversity in Atlanta’s Jewish Community. The goal is to provide the tools for organizations to fulfill their mission of being more inclusive. Diverse trainers will facilitate community conversations about race and identity in a Jewish context, followed up by personal consultations with each organization.

Career Up Now: At Career Up Now we believe in the power of Jewish women and are dedicated to gender equity and balance. Our Women of Wisdom programs center upon the intersection of career advancement and shared Jewish wisdom. Women of Wisdom is a local community where young women explore Jewish values and career advancement with community and industry leaders. The community focuses on women’s empowerment, with Jewish women community and industry leaders serving as role models. By encouraging the formation of organic mentorships and soulful connections, we offer access and opportunities for emerging Jewish women professionals to engage intergenerationally with women industry leaders for to advance each other and repair the world.

Jewish Education Collaborative: The Jewish Education Collaborative works to advance compelling part-time Jewish education. How can we engage more children and families in meaningful Jewish learning that will help them to thrive in the world? How can we explore new models that respond to the needs of modern families? How can we make Atlanta a thrilling model for collaboration and innovation in Jewish education?

Tikkun Olam Makers (TOM): TOM (Tikkun Olam Maker) at Georgia Tech (GT) is part of TOM Global: a movement of communities that creates and disseminates affordable solutions to neglected challenges of people living with disabilities, the elderly, and the poor. In partnership with JF&CS, TOM at GT will identify need-knowers in the Atlanta community to participate in a Spring 2021 Makeathon event. Over 75 GT students will participate in maker teams to create a prototype for their need-knower to take home. The prototypes will be inexpensive to make, and open source, so that others in the TOM Global community can benefit as well.

Trybal Gatherings: Trybal’s core program is a 4-day, 3-night camp experience that provides a socially Jewish environment for millennials to have fun, connect with new people, and plug into a dynamic Jewish community during a purposeful Shabbat retreat. This retreat is designed to serve as a grassroots entry point to Jewish communal life. Our partnership model is designed to create mutual value and lead to sustainability for local supporters/partners. With tens of thousands of Birthright and camp alumni in the region, Trybal represents a major opportunity for Jewish millennial engagement.

 

 

PROPEL FY22 NEW GRANTS:

Owned and led by Jewish women of color, Atlanta Jews of Color Council (AJOCC) is a nonprofit organization committed to fostering a more equitable community. AJOCC has set an ambitious mission to drive actionable institutional change by amplifying the local voices of historically marginalized and underrepresented Jews of Color.  Its core belief is that local JOC should have agency in the planning and operations of their local community.  AJOCC advocates for racial equity in hiring, multicultural inclusion, and local leadership. Through intentional programming, it also builds welcoming, affirming spaces where members and co-conspirators develop a deeper connection to Judaism and Jewish community.

The Esther and Herbert Taylor Oral History Collection, housed in archives at The Breman Museum, consists of more than 1,000 interviews that document Jewish life in Georgia and Alabama. This invaluable community asset is currently undergoing a 21st century update that is exponentially increasing access. Nearly 200 interviews have been cataloged in Aviary, a state-of-the-art online platform for oral history description, which displays media alongside a timestamped, annotated transcript and index. With support from the Innovation fund, The Breman will continue growing this archive with dozens of more interviews cataloged and new oral history interviews captured as well.

The Jewish community is at high risk for certain hereditary cancers. Genetic testing and counseling give people information and medical options that play a key role in cancer prevention. This JScreen initiative focuses on educating the Atlanta Jewish community about their risks and the importance of testing. The goal is to help our community reimagine a life where no one has to say, “if only I had known about my cancer risk.” JScreen will help people access the testing they need to live longer, healthier lives.

Founded by Rabbi Ariel Wolpe, Ma’alot is a relational and spiritual community open to anyone and built with those it will serve. Ma’alot brings authentic, intimate, experiential Jewish experiences inviting people to bring their whole selves and leaving nothing outside the door.

During the pandemic last year, leaders at PJ Library noticed a drop-off in virtual engagement due to “zoom fatigue.” Families expressed that they were less likely to “do Jewish” because they were overwhelmed by the effects of COVID-19. So the PJ team pivoted by launching a first-ever grant cycle to empower parents to create meaningful holiday events that fit their Jewish, social, and safety needs. It was a hit with more demand than the funding pool can supply. Fed Inno’s Propel grant will enable hundreds of families to create their own Jewish experiences with like-minded peers.

Political Leaders of Tomorrow (PLOT) seeks to inspire a new generation of Blacks and Jews to lead active, engaged, and empowered lives. PLOT participants will convene over a 6-week period to meet each other, identify issues of bigotry, and engage in courageous conversations to build future alliances to fight racism and antisemitism through public policy, advocacy, and activism.

jewishatl
In Federation News

Moving Ambitious Ideas Forward

As difficult as the past year and a half has been, Federation has not lost momentum or abandoned the ambitious ideas that define us as a Philanthropic and Community Champion. I am excited to tell you that we are going full speed ahead, and that many of the things we dreamed about which were on the shelf are being dusted off. Exciting initiatives are moving forward.

Israel Travel | Federation’s November 2021 Men’s Journey to Israel is already sold out. Hillel’s popular Onward program of Israel internships is in full swing. Federation NextGen’s 40-Under-40 Journey to Israel is planning a trip, and we’ve just announced the 2023 Community Journey to Israel — our first community trip since 2014. It will be open to anyone over age 18 and is timed to coincide with Israel’s 75th birthday.

Jewish Education Collaborative (JEC) | Our work to transform the quality of Jewish education in our synagogue schools continues through the Jewish Education Collaborative. JEC is doing bold work at Congregation Or Hadash to reimagine bar/bat mitzvah. New models for family education are launching at Temple Sinai, Temple Kol Emeth, and Temple Beth Tikvah. Busy families at five local synagogues won’t be battling traffic for midweek Hebrew next year They’ll be part of a proven new Hebrew curriculum, the Atlanta Hebrew Connection, where learning is done from home.

Gap Year Programs in Israel | With generous funding from The Zalik Foundation, JumpSpark helped Atlanta teens explore gap year options. Twenty-five students from fifteen different Atlanta high schools have accepted scholarships of $10,000 – $15,000 for the gap year program that suits them best. The experience is intended to amplify Israel education and develop a cadre of students who will enter college campuses with a strong connection to and knowledge of Israel.

1440 Spring Street: A Center for Jewish Life | We’re still talking about establishing 1440 Spring Street as Atlanta’s Intown Center for Jewish Life. It will be a gathering place for Jewish entrepreneurs and innovative nonprofits, with space for recreation, cultural experiences, learning and more. Imagine a multi-use theater, rooftop event facility, and conference center for lifecycle events, speakers and meetings, plus a reimagined Breman Cultural Center.

Toco Hills Housing Initiative | Exploration on the feasibility of building apartments for older adults in Toco Hills continues. This was the inspiration of Betty Minsk, z”l, who noted that many older adults in Toco Hills were not downsizing because there were no affordable, right-sized housing options in the neighborhood. Along with this, young families are also being priced out of starter homes. We will keep you updated.

Family Camp | We recently submitted a proposal seeking support for the creation of weekend and week-long family camp retreat programs. Family camp is a transformational education model at a time when people crave informal ways to connect with Jewish tradition. The immersive qualities of overnight camp give Jewish families fun new ways to do, feel, and be Jewish together. These programs could begin as soon as next summer!

Tuition Assistance for Jewish Professionals | Starting next school year, full-time Jewish professionals, clergy, and educators are eligible to receive up to a 50 percent tuition reduction if their children are currently enrolled or have been accepted to an accredited Jewish high school in Atlanta. Funding comes from a consortium of community foundations who support day school education and want to elevate our Jewish community as a destination for top professional talent.

One Happy Camper Scholarships | The pent-up demand for Jewish overnight camp has been off the charts. This summer we opened doors for more than 1,000 kids to have a Jewish camp experience!  Ongoing fundraising for camp, along with the Start a Campfire campaign, topped $750,000. Families who received grants and scholarships in 2020 were able to use them

jewishatl
In Atlanta Jewish Community, Philanthropy

The Good We Do Behind the Scenes

by Matt Bronfman, Board Chair

I am constantly amazed by the good Federation does. Last year between the Campaign, the Atlanta Jewish Foundation, and other giving programs, we helped infuse roughly $53 million into the community. Many of our efforts are high-visibility programs that people can see and participate in. But much of our work is indirect, from providing community-wide security to supporting innovation and community planning with our partner agencies. That is why to me, Federation reminds me of the BASF commercials from the ‘80s and ‘90s:  We don’t make a lot of the products you buy or use, we make them better.

I continue to be inspired by so many things that happen because of Federation, whether through funding, direct programming, or just the connections we foster. Here are just a few that impressed me recently:

  • Federation’s AgeWell Atlanta platform offers customized resources for older adults, plus an amazing calendar packed with 18-20 programs a week to engage them. Get on the AgeWell mailing list for upcoming events.
  • Through Federation’s funding of Moishe House and our Making Jewish Places initiative, programming has expanded beyond the four residential houses to impact young adults in Kennesaw, Smyrna, and Cumming “without walls.” Read about it here.
  • Federation’s education initiative, the Jewish Education Collaborative (JEC), continues to transform the face of supplementary Jewish education in our city. Read about Atlanta Hebrew Connection, a new online Hebrew language pilot program starting this fall.
  • Federation and JF&CS have become partners in KAVOD SHEF, a funding initiative to help meet the home care needs of Holocaust survivors in Georgia and the Southeast. It will supplement Claims Conference funding and the impactful work of the Holocaust Survivor Support Fund (HSSF) improving the lives of survivors who need assistance.
  • I love how we connected these two: Rabbi Micah Lapidus of The Davis Academy met Eliad Eliyahu Ben Shushan, the liaison for our partnership region in Yokneam and Megiddo, Israel. Their work to build bridges between Atlanta and Israeli students led to a deep interpersonal connection over their shared love of Jewish music. It led to the production of this beautiful song.

 

jewishatl
In Jewish Journeys

JumpSpark Partnership Amplifies Teen Israel Travel

JumpSpark is proud to partner with RootOne to promote summer teen Israel travel in Atlanta. RootOne provides major subsidies for trip participants, invests in elevating trip curricula and experiences, and works with its partners to create deeper pre- and post-trip engagement opportunities to help strengthen participants’ Jewish identities and connections to Israel before they begin college. Jewish teens in Atlanta are eligible to receive RootOne vouchers to attend Israel trips with five different youth-serving organizations. 

Jewish Student Union (JSU) GO is a RootOne partner offering an action-packed summer adventure trip in Israel for high school teens from the greater Atlanta area. This summer, JSU GO brought 40 local teens together for an incredible immersive experience. Rabbi Chaim Neiditch, the Executive Director of JSU, shared that, “One of the big features of our program is that everyone becomes a family. We facilitate a culture that’s designed to bring everyone together. We’re looking to help people make lifelong friends that go far beyond the trip.”  

One participant added that the trip allowed her to experience Judaism in a new way. “There’s a feeling that comes with being in Israel on Shabbat that you can’t have anywhere else.” Rabbi Neiditch affirms that, “The trip is life-changing for the kids. An immersive experience is a very different type of Jewish experience. We have kids who felt disconnected to their Jewish identity before the trip, and this trip changes the way they think about Judaism, makes it tangible and accessible to them. When you get a chance to spend time in Israel and explore a place that’s infused with Judaism, it changes lives.”

Interested in learning more about JSU GO? Visit JSUisrael.com. Pre-registration for next summer is open now! Pre-register today for the summer of a lifetime and save $200. 

jewishatl
In Atlanta Jewish Community

Meet Our New Deputy Community Security Director

Federation is excited to announce that Jimi Horne is our new Deputy Community Security Director. Jimi will work alongside Community Security Director Neil Rabinovitz, rounding out an exceptionally strong team working every day to protect our community of more than 125,000 people.  He joins us from the Charleston Jewish Federation where he served as the community’s Security and Emergency Management Consultant. Jimi is a Charleston native, with 25 years of paramedic experience, 28 years reserve military experience, and eight years combined law enforcement and security experience.  

As a paramedic, Jimi worked in various areas of the EMS industry including working in a high-volume county 911 system, supporting law enforcement special operations, as a critical care paramedic on ground and air ambulances, and as a safety coordinator/paramedic in the steel industry. Jimi left clinical practice to go into education, working in medical simulation, and health IT education. He was the program coordinator and clinical coordinator for a paramedic associate program.  

Jimi is also a Senior Master Sargent in the Air Force, currently serving as a Military Clinical Specialist assigned to Headquarters, Air Force Reserve Command.  His previous assignment was as Superintendent of Aerospace Medicine overseeing the physical exam process for over 1,800 airmen.  

Jimi’s law enforcement and security background includes serving as a reserve deputy for the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office where he engaged in general patrol and drug interdiction operations, and with the U.S. Air Force working in base security and law enforcement. 

He has also found the time to be an active volunteer in the Charleston Jewish community serving as security chair for both a local day school and his synagogue, and he was one of the founding members of the Charleston Jewish community’s security taskforce. Jimi holds a MEd in adult education from Strayer University and is currently writing his dissertation to complete a PhD in criminal justice from Walden University. 

You can contact Jimi at jhorne@jewishatlanta.org and Neil at nrabinovitz@jewishatlanta.org with any security questions or concerns. 

jewishatl
In Atlanta Jewish Community, Global News

Yokneam’s “Shark Tank” Projects are Up and Running

Inspired and influenced by years of financial support from the Atlanta and St. Louis Federations, Yokneam and Megiddo are taking bold steps to create their own fundraising infrastructure. The communities plan to launch the first–ever Yokneam Community Fund, providing a charitable giving platform for companies and individuals to financially support innovative local initiatives. The goal is to empower individuals and local businesses to take an active role as philanthropists, and to empower local groups to create their own programming. 

Here’s a rundown of community-driven projects that were recently green-lighted following a “Shark Tank” style competition. All are adding to the quality of life in our Partnership region.

  • Gaia Club for Upcycling — Gaia Club for Upcycling is a community club operated by volunteers that will create a “store” for second-hand clothes and accessories for children and babies, as well as subsidized social rental of large equipment, such as construction equipment, gardening, and camping. It will be run by volunteers and will also operate a social club to empower retired women.  
  • Shed Sherut — The Shed Serut will be a unique logistic basis for equipment such as paints and painting tools, gardening tools, work tools (for small repairs) and more. The Shed Sherut will be used and operated by Rikma’s Shnat Sherut (gap year) volunteers.  
  • Social Kitchen — Social Kitchen provides home-cooked meals and groceries for needy families. Families within the community cook and provide food to needy families whose condition has worsened with the pandemic and who are not currently receiving welfare support. 
  • Kibbutz Megiddo — During their Bar Mitzvah year, 12- and 13 year-olds are volunteering for a community social project in Kibbutz Megiddo. Taking an unused corner of the settlement, they will create a green corner to be used for both young and elderly members of the community. These age groups suffered from COVID-19 more than most of the others. For the elders, the isolation and loneliness took a toll on their mental and physical health, and this year four of the community members passed away. This corner will be a meeting place for the elderly members of the community, and at the same time this will be a place of interaction with youngsters who will volunteer there. In addition, a community vegetable garden will be added, where both age groups will work together, and the vegetables will be given to those in need in the community.  

Shomrei Hanachal (Guards of the Stream) — The COVID-19 crisis struck many people around the world, and especially young retirees who stopped almost all their activities and became socially disconnected. This project will help young retirees to see the possibilities in the crisis, to think outside the box, and to engage in groups that can enhance feeling of belonging, being meaningfully active and influential through inter-generation activity.

jewishatl
In Atlanta Jewish Community, Jewish Camp Initiative

One Happy Family: The Einhorns Go to Camp

With assistance from One Happy Camper incentive grants and Federation’s Jewish Camp Initiative scholarships, four out of five members of the Einhorn family, including Dad Ronnie, went to Ramah Darom this summer and had a blast. Cela was the family’s returning camper. The other Einhorn kids, Sam and Goldie, didn’t really know what to expect, but all had a sense that it would be a unique, shared family experience. It was!  

Ronnie Einhorn, who is a teacher at The Epstein School, had the pleasure of seeing each of his kids blossom at camp every day and also experienced personal and professional growth coming to Ramah Darom as a seasoned teacher and learning to be a camp educator from his colleagues. “Each week seeing the community coming together for Kabbalat Shabbat and ending Shabbat in an explosion at Havdalah, was a thrill,” he said.  

Meanwhile, back in Atlanta, working mom Heidi Einhorn held down the fort at home and delighted in the happy reports she got from Ronnie and the kids. “Their favorite parts of camp were all over the place,” Heidi said. “The lake! The pool! Rikkudiah (an all-camp dance performance)! For me, having all of them come home so independent and grateful to be together again, was a joy.” 

For Cela, the Einhorn’s oldest child and a returning camper, being back at camp felt both like meeting new people and also like they hadn’t been apart at all. Meanwhile, her younger brother Sam was planning to only go to camp for two weeks, but stayed for four because, in addition to the activities he loved, he knew he would, “be so happy with all [his] friends and grow up with them.” Camp helped them connect not only to their friends but also to Judaism. Cela shared that she will be using many of the camp tunes from tefillot (prayers) in her Bat Mitzvah this coming year. 

Neither Heidi nor Ronnie Einhorn attended overnight camp as kids, but they made a commitment early in their relationship to build their family on a foundation of Judaism and Jewish community. “We’re so grateful to have rich relationships with Congregation Shearith Israel, Jewish Kids Groups, Intown Hebrew School, Federation, and so many other organizations in Atlanta. The fact that each of them recognizes the impact of camp on Jewish identity tells it all. Seeing the lifelong relationships coming out of camp would be enough, but our kids come home choosing our Camp Ramah playlist on Spotify, choosing after-dinner rikkud (dance shows) over screens, ‘accidentally’ referring to things by their Hebrew names, confirming that we are seeing the theory in practice!” 

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