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jewishatl
In JumpSpark

Jewish Middle School Club Builds Community

On a Wednesday morning in October, 13 boxes line a screen with joyful middle school students talking about how awesome it is to be Jewish. They feel bonded by a shared identity and are bringing the fun to their virtual meeting.

In this unprecedented moment, virtual Jewish engagement feels both necessary and challenging. People suffer from “Zoom fatigue,” too much screen time with work, school, and activities. The news cycle feels constantly deflating, especially with the neverending rise of COVID-19 cases with no end in sight. Building a strong Jewish identity may be the last thing on people’s minds.

Building Community

However, the newly created Renfroe Jewish Middle School Club proves the importance of building the Jewish community at this moment, even in a virtual setting. In late October, Renfroe Middle School hosted its first Jewish club meeting. Karen Callen, the parent champion of this club who got the club up and running, shares,

“It is very exciting to get a Jewish student club off the ground at Renfroe MS. We have an enthusiastic staff sponsor who is also a member of The Temple, and greatly appreciate the support of JumpSpark to help get us going. There are many unaffiliated Jewish families in Decatur, so it is awesome to have an inclusive space where the kids can come together and have fun Jewish experiences that are easily accessible through their school.”

 

In the first club meeting, we brought in Hannah Zale from In the City Camps to lead fun activities around creating a club logo and name for the club. Hannah’s humor and fun demeanor brought the club to life and got the students excited to talk about Jewish identity. The activities around creating a logo and name also gave the students ownership over the club to make it the space they wanted.

Oscar Marks, a student at Renfroe Middle School and member of the club, shares,

“The virtual meeting for The RMS Jewish Kids Club was fun and exciting, everyone was full of pride that they are Jewish, and the teachers were glad that we were at the meeting. We had fun activities that would help the club like, choosing the name of the club, choosing the logo, and choosing what the logo would stand for.”

Looking to the Future

With the first meeting being such a success, the club is poised for future growth. Karen Callen feels that,

“The kids fed off the infectious energy of the meeting leader, Hannah Zale, and are excited to have Hannah and other local Jewish educators continue to create fun Jewish programming for them in future meetings. We are confident that the new Renfroe club will continue to grow as more students hear about the club and want to connect with other Jewish kids at their school and in their community.”

While virtual Jewish engagement might feel nearly impossible at this moment, it is so essential to continue building our Jewish community. People need a space to connect over shared identity and have fun together at this challenging time. Oscar Marks shares that he “recommends the club to whomever or whoever wants to be around other Jewish kids.” The new Renfroe Middle School Jewish club proves the power and possibility of building a Jewish community in this time and how important it is we support each other through our most difficult moments.

Interested in bringing Jewish clubs to your middle school? Contact Annie Fortnow, JumpSpark Engagement Manager, at annie.fortnow@jumpsparkatl.org.

jewishatl
In JumpSpark

Youth Mental Health Training

“We cannot discuss people’s lives today, and the role of Jewish education in those lives, without discussing mental health.”

EJewish Philanthropy, September 2020

During two days in October, youth professionals from a variety of teen serving organizations had the opportunity to gather for Youth Mental Health First Aid training. We covered issues such as anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and eating disorders. We learned to help identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness. Small group discussions allowed us to role-pay possible conversations and reactions when faced with these signs. Twenty-seven professionals participated and received a certificate in Youth Mental Health training. 

This training was co-sponsored by The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta Jewish Education Collaborative and JumpSpark Initiatives and facilitated by Jaime Stepansky and Rebecca Brown, both licensed social workers at Jewish Family & Career Services.

Participants had the following thoughts and reviews about the session:

My name is Michael Drucker and I am the Operations Director at Camp Barney Medintz.  I jumped at the opportunity to participate in the Youth Mental Health First Aid training program because I am around children and young adults a lot and thought that if I could learn some skills that could teach me how to approach, listen and support someone who was struggling with a mental health issue, I would simply be more helpful in my role.  As a parent, I thought I had naturally learned how to recognize when one of my children or their friends was struggling with something, but this program taught me so many things that I did not know.  One of the primary things that I learned is that children and young adults simply want and need an adult figure whom they can trust.  I have always tried to be someone who relates to children and young adults so that they feel comfortable when speaking with me, and I now recognize how important that really is.  Thank you to JumpSpark for sponsoring this program and giving me an opportunity to grow.

The Youth Mental Health First Aid course sponsored by JumpSpark brought together such a dedicated group of Jewish educators to learn more about mental health from licensed therapists and from each other. As the world continues to change, having access to extra support systems and discussing best practices (for in person interactions or zoom interactions!) is ever more important. The workshop helped me understand my role as a mental health first aider and made me more aware of the potential impact that I can have as an educator in the Atlanta Jewish community.

The Youth Mental Health First Aid training I received from JC&FS (through their partnership with JumpSpark) was truly a transformational experience. Jaime and Rebecca did a phenomenal job opening our minds to the kinds of mental health challenges that young people may have, and the best way that we can support them. After receiving this instruction, I feel so much more confident in my abilities.

As an educator and childcare provider, I was grateful for the opportunity to participate in the Youth Mental Health First Aid program. The (virtual) space was gender inclusive, as well as thoughtful in regards to how culture and environment affects how we administer mental health first aid. I deeply appreciated the small class size, open dialogue, and the emphasis on an individualized approach to each child. We were able to break down difficult scenarios compassionately and create care plans that felt realistic and attainable. I recommend this training whether you work directly with kids or not; the information is valuable and widely applicable.

Due to incredible interest, we have scheduled an additional training on Thursday, December 10th, 10am-3pm. If you would like to learn more and are interested in participating, you can register here.

jewishatl
In Federation Innovation

MEET THE COMPETITORS

We’ll find out on January 14 at Propel Pitch: A Virtual Showcase of Jewish Atlanta Innovation. Get ready for a nail-biting night of raw courage and chutzpah as 14 Propel Grantees who’ve been honing their pitches, bring their best ideas to a panel of luminary judges!  In November and December, Propel grantees will receive pitch training from national and local Jewish entrepreneurs with opportunities to practice before their peers, and a professional film crew to capture their story.

It all culminates in a virtual live “final” Propel Pitch night. The stakes are high and very real as Atlanta’s Jewish community changemakers go before a panel of savvy business pros who with the community will award funding of up to $100,000 to three innovators in Jewish Atlanta!

Federation Innovation and the event host committee will share the pitches via e-mail, social media, and other marketing channels in the first two weeks of January. Then Propel grantees will share their video with their networks. The grantees who generate the greatest amount of social media engagement will earn an automatic invite to the final competition.

Propel Grantees up for consideration will represent these four categories:

  1. Next Gen:
    Career Up Now, Moishe House (Russian Speaking Jewish- RSJ), OneTable and Trybal Gatherings
  2. Human Services:
    AgeWell Atlanta, Blue Dove Foundation, Jewish Atlanta During COVID-19 film, Jewish Fertility Foundation, and Tikkun Olam Makers
  3. Education and Spiritual Life:
    18Doors, Jewish Education Collaborative, and Your Jewish Bridge
  4. Social Justice:
    Be’chol Lashon and Repair the World

 

 

 

jewishatl
In Federation Innovation, People in Need

JFF EXPANDS ITS REACH

It is a great heartache to want a child and not being able to conceive. Whether you are a couple or an individual wanting children, it is utterly demoralizing to see others sail through pregnancy when you cannot, and it is agonizing to discover that many reproductive technologies are financially out of reach.

It took a local Atlanta innovator, Elana Frank, to bring insights from Israel, where IVF treatments are affordable, back home to Atlanta where she launched the Jewish Fertility Foundation (JFF). Over the course of five years, this Federation Innovation grantee has had outsized impact on our Jewish community. JFF provides financial assistance, emotional support, and education for those in the Jewish community facing medical infertility. JFF’s mission and ambition is exactly what we look for in an Innovation grant recipient — a remarkable idea with potential for great impact in the Jewish world, and a team with genuine dedication to its success.

“With our initial grant from Federation Innovation, we were able to create a program which is literally now being implemented across the country” says Elana Frank. “We believe in partnerships, and that community investment is so important to our process. Innovation in Atlanta has gotten us where we are today.”

Elana and her team have more than delivered, and we won’t apologize for the pun! We’ve watched the Jewish Fertility Foundation enable the birth of 49 babies (so far!) and blossom into a network of support that is scaling beyond Atlanta. We continue to be inspired by their tenacity. With our support JFF was initially able to create a community support program specifically for the Atlanta orthodox community, as well as establish Fertility Buddies, an emotional support program which has been replicated nationally and continues to grow.

Since their first round of funding, JFF has been able to substantially expand their reach throughout the Jewish community, offering emotional support and resources for single mothers, multi-faith couples, and all those facing fertility challenges. “The Jewish Fertility Foundation embodies what we hope for in a grantee relationship at Innovation” says Jori Mendel, VP of Innovation. “We share the same belief in the power of community as JFF. Their contributions and participation in offerings like Path by Plywood and Propel grantee mentor cohorts show that working together makes us all stronger in our endeavors. JFF’s continual growth and success is a testament to that.”

jewishatl
In Federation Innovation

OUR IMPACT BY THE NUMBERS

Even before The Front Porch process concluded several years ago, Federation was already making meaningful investments in community innovation. As early as 2013, Federation helped incubate and bring Atlanta Jewish Music Festival, Jewish Student Union, and Jewish Kids Groups to life. That creative energy has now formally coalesced into Federation Innovation – a powerful community idea accelerator created to offer guidance, connections, and resources for our city’s Jewish changemakers.

We’re very proud to note that:

  • 75 percent of our earliest entrepreneurs continue to provide a return on investments that were made over three years ago.
  • We have successfully helped bring these national Jewish nonprofits to Atlanta: Repair the World, Honeymoon Israel, 18 Doors (formerly Interfaith Family), OneTable, Moishe House, Trybal, B’chol Lashon, and CareerUpNow
  • We have supported the creation of new programs within existing organizations, such as AgeWell Atlanta, JCC Intown, JumSpark, Jewish Education Collaborative, and Your Jewish Bridge

jewishatl
In Federation Innovation

Innovation is Deep in Atlanta’s DNA

Did you know 75 percent of our earliest Federation Innovation entrepreneurs are still serving Jewish Atlanta? Their successes continue to put Atlanta on the map for leadership in Jewish innovation. The roots of Federation Innovation began in 2013 with the inaugural class of ProtéJ, an early grantmaking incubator for Jewish social entrepreneurs in service of new ideas. (Read about the ProtéJ innovators here). Today Federation Innovation keeps that energy going, providing guidance, connection, and resources for Atlanta’s Jewish changemakers and propelling their ideas into impactful realities.

ProtéJ gave birth to several organizations that are now well-established parts of our Jewish ecosystem: Jewish Kids Groups (Ana Robbins), Jewish Student Union (Chaim Neiditch), Creating Connected Communities (Amy Zeide), and In the City Camp (Eileen Price). Other familiar entrepreneurs include Adam Griff, founder of Adamah Adventures, now with NFTY, and Russell Gottschalk, founder of Atlanta Jewish Music Festival, now with Federation Innovation. Their stories prove that innovation is deep in Atlanta’s DNA and that even when an organization closes its doors, the lessons learned are a profound element of innovation. It’s undeniable — Jewish Atlanta’s high success rate for innovation, and the continued engagement of local leaders is remarkable.

jewishatl
In Atlanta Jewish Community, Caring, Jewish Abilities Atlanta

Melton for All! New Class for Adults with Diverse Learning Needs

The MJCCA’s Lisa F. Brill Institute for Jewish Learning is extremely proud to have one of the largest Melton adult learning programs in the world! The Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning is the largest pluralistic adult Jewish education network in the world, and now it is pioneering an inclusive class for Atlanta adults who have diverse learning needs.

“My passion for adult Jewish education extends to include all adults, so I was thrilled when Lisa Houben, Federation’s Community Training and Inclusion Coordinator at the Jewish Abilities Alliance, approached me to engage in this initiative. To my knowledge this has never been done with the Melton community before,” said Talya Gorsetman, Director of the Lisa F. Brill Institute for Jewish Learning. “We loved the idea of an inclusive and multi-sensory format that would embrace neurodiversity, so together with the Jewish Abilities Alliance (JAA), we’ve created a six-session class that begins in November.”

The class, which is supported by the Glen Friedman Bnei Mitzvah fund and Jay and Judy Kessler, will be taught by Rabbi Steven Rau, RJE, Director of Lifelong Learning at The Temple. He is the author of Everyone is Welcome: Creating a Culture of Inclusion in Congregational Schools and has been a Melton faculty member for 10 years. For more information about the class please contact Talya Gorsetman, 678-812-4153.

jewishatl
In Atlanta Jewish Community, Caring, Global News, PJ Library Atlanta

Sharing The Same Moon. Sharing Our Lives.

All Jews share the same lunar calendar, and now twelve families from Yokneam, Megido, and Atlanta have officially begun sharing the moon! The project began two months ago to bring us together at a time when social distancing keeps us even farther apart. Working with our Partnership region, we paired Israeli families with families in Atlanta to build bridges.

Through letter writing these families are collaboratively building an interactive book together called The Same Moon. It tells the story of two families who live on opposite sides of the ocean who get to know each other by sending handwritten letters and photos throughout the year. The book features pockets where one can store the letters as a way to personalize the book for each family. Every month the book prompts the families to share something different about their lives — their hobbies, interests, holiday celebrations and traditions, favorite recipes, and more.

Katie Guzner, a PJ Library Co-Chair, loves the program. “We read PJ Library stories about Israel with our kids and tell them about my Birthright trip, and when my husband, Gennadiy, lived in Megiddo. Now our kids get to share stories with a family in Israel. It’s so precious to receive a letter from our pen pal family and for our girls to learn that we have so much in common.”

jewishatl
In JumpSpark

“Her Campus Media:” College Dreams Pave The Way For Lifelong Dreams

Her Campus Media is an 100% woman-owned and -operated organization that provides the opportunity for college-age women to publish their voices, is the No. 1 media portfolio for college women, and works to serve and empower young women. The Founder, Stephanie Kaplan Lewis, recently spoke to JumpSpark’s Strong Women Fellowship, pointing out major lessons that she had learned from her experience starting a successful business. 

Lewis gave useful insights meant to guide any young woman who will one day start a business. Her tips include: follow your passions, build a killer team, pump out a business plan, put the pressure on, and spend hardly any money. 

After her initial presentation, Lewis paused for questions, which gave Fellows an opportunity to ask about her experience or ask for guidance about their own projects and aspirations. For instance, Ariella Ayenesazan, a 9th grader at Peachtree Ridge High School, is following her passion through her own mask business and asked intriguing questions on how to grow her business on different platforms like Lewis did.

Next, Lewis led the Fellows in an exercise where the group discussed Impostor Syndrome and finding one’s purpose through questions like “what drives you?” and fill-in-the-blanks like “Sometimes I worry that I’m not as ___ everyone thinks I am.” Lewis was vulnerable with the group by sharing times when she doubts herself and opened the floor to those who wanted to share their thoughts, reactions, and feelings. 

Lewis began her dream while in college, where she met her colleagues as Harvard undergrads while running a student publication for women on campus. The publication’s popularity resonated with college women across the country who began asking for advice on starting something similar at their schools. She has continued on with her passion to this day. 

Lewis spoke to us as a leader who represents female empowerment, inspiring future generations. The interactive event allowed us to ask questions and stay involved. She responded with impactful answers, allowing everyone to be vulnerable and share some stories of our own lives.

Finally, Fellows created a reflective word cloud that included our feelings and takeaways from the meeting, which included words like “driven,” “inspired,” “strong” and “empowered.”

 

Here are a few of our take-aways. 

“It was great to meet a successful woman who was willing to share her expertise with us, and she even said we could reach out to her after the meeting and participate in some of the high school Her Campus media programs. I appreciated how open Lewis was in sharing times she failed so we would not repeat the same mistakes. One thing that I will take away is that if someone has enough drive and ambition, they can do whatever they put their mind to, which I think is an important message for young women and teens to hear, because it motivates them to act on their dreams.” – Amelia Heller

“Her story inspires me to create my own path in life, like maybe create my own business one day. She pulled out all the stops to make her dreams come true, which I aspire to do one day as well. Stephanie is someone we can all look up to and learn from. With hard work, anything is possible.” – Kayla Jacobs

“I learned a lot about what it takes to start a company and the struggles faced when doing so. [Lewis’] presentation was engaging and informative, and I definitely took a lot away from it, especially when we went around and challenged our ‘Imposter Syndrome’ views of ourselves.” – Alexa Freedman

I learned how she started her company with very low expenses. I also really loved the activities we did, because it showed how it is okay to show your vulnerable side.” – Ariella Ayenesazan

“It was so interesting to hear her story about how she created her magazine company. It was so inspiring.” – Miriam Raggs

“I learned that it is possible to start a company without any money. I also learned that sacrifices are necessary to be successful.” – Maya Laufer

Amelia Heller, 15, is a sophomore at The Weber School in Atlanta. She loves musical theatre and hanging out with friends. Kayla Jacobs, 17, is a senior at Pope High School who loves to hang out with her friends, volunteer and shop online.

The Strong Women Fellowship aims to empower Jewish girls and young women through activities and speakers like Lewis who educate, energize, and empower the Fellows to be passionate and successful in their pursuits.

This article was originally published on VOX ATL. Read it here.

jewishatl
In Atlanta Jewish Community, Caring, Secure Community Network

Emergency Training Saves Lives

Thanks to a generous donor, Federation’s Community-Wide Security Program will now provide free Stop The Bleed kits to each of our community organizations. The kits will be strategically placed throughout their facilities so that in an emergency, any person can render aid before a professional first-responder arrives. A person who is bleeding can die of blood loss within a few minutes so knowing how to control bleeding can truly save lies.

To receive their free kits, organizations must agree to participate in our free Stop the Bleed Training and Countering Active Threat Training. Both classes are offered through Federation’s partnership with the Secure Community Network and are led by Neil Rabinovitz, Community Security Director, and Zach Williams, Deputy Community Security Director. Training can be done either in person (in accordance with current CDC COVID-19 guidelines), or virtually if preferred.

Training builds community resilience. We want to train our community to “Commit to Action” if faced with any type of active threat, including an active shooter. In multiple active threat incidents, from Pittsburgh to Monsey, survivors have credited training with saving lives. For additional information on the training classes or to schedule training, contact Neil Rabinovitz or Zach Williams.

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