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jewishatl
In Federation News

Israel@70 – Why We Need Israel

Growing up in Pittsburgh’s most Jewish neighborhood, Squirrel Hill, Israel always made my heart swell. When I sang Hatikvah, Israel’s national anthem, there was a catch in my throat at the words, “lihiyot am hofshi b’artzeinu…” to be a free people in our land. My pride was rooted in Israel’s inspiring story of nation-building, resilience, and creativity. And it still is.

So as Israel’s 70th birthday approaches, I have a radical thought. Maybe, just maybe, Atlanta needs Israel more than Israel needs us. Here’s what I mean.

I mean that we all need to put Israel on our destination travel list. If you haven’t been to Israel in 10 years or more, you really haven’t been to Israel. So much has changed. Federation offers incredible opportunities to see Israel with fresh eyes. See our mission list at www.jewishatlanta.org/missions and come to Israel with us. You will be powerfully moved and impressed by what you see and the people you meet.

I mean that all of us can be uplifted by Israel’s innovation mindset that refuses to say “no,” to big challenges. That mindset turned sea water into drinking water, invented drip irrigation, created the first USB flash drive, and the WAZE app. Let’s build more reciprocal relationships with Israeli innovators and change makers so we can collaborate on big ideas that make the world better.

I mean that we can all be inspired by the prosperous, successful and capable Israel I have now visited so many times since becoming CEO of Federation. It’s an Israel still grateful for our support, but less reliant on us than ever before, solving problems with its own resources and ingenuity. We are moving to a peer relationship, not a purely philanthropic one, and it feels good!

I mean that we must reach out and build stronger relationships with Atlanta’s Israeli community, estimated at 10,000 and still growing. Let’s find more ways for Israelis and Atlantans to interact and truly know each other. This year we welcomed two young Israelis, Or Shahan and Lior Bar, to our community as Shinshinim – service volunteers. In just 7 months they’ve interacted with 1,000 kids in our camps, preschools and day schools. They’ve had real impact. Next year we’re welcoming eight Shinshinim to Atlanta.

I mean that everyone can take a lesson in resilience from Israel. This tiny nation has mastered the ability to rebound from terrorism and live with the constant threat of attack, and now teaches the world how to do the same. The Israel Trauma Center, which our Community Leadership trip visited in February, has helped tsunami and earthquake victims, even the Las Vegas and Parkland shooting survivors.

I mean that there’s tremendous wisdom for all of us in the Torah texts and bible stories that every Israeli school child knows, even the secular ones. Torah is not just for “the Orthodox.” Let’s build our Jewish literacy. One pillar of our work on The Front Porch is that Torah can be a manual for living for every Jew, no matter what their level of observance or literacy.

I mean that we should all take pride in the progress our partnership cities Yokneam and Megiddo have made in assimilating Ethiopian refugees since the early 1990’s. Yes, Federation support played a part, but the bigger story is Yokneam’s attitude of acceptance and commitment to a better future for Ethiopians. We’re excited to share that story in a new film about the Ethiopian Aliyah in Yokneam and Megiddo that Federation will preview this summer.

I mean that we must make it a priority help young Jews have an authentic and unique relationship with Israel. Let’s create safe spaces where we can have dialogue about Israel respecting all points of view. Let’s do it through immersive exchange programs, through Birthright Israel offshoots like Honeymoon Israel and through internships for college students like Hillel’s Onward program.

I write all this as our Atlanta Jewish community gets ready to throw a big, bold and beautiful 70th birthday bash for Israel on Sunday, April 29 at Park Tavern in Piedmont Park from 10:30 am to 4 pm. There will be food, music, technology, art projects, exhibits and sports — something for everyone! More than 70 organizations have planned Israel@70. What a great opportunity to come together and celebrate the miracle, and the complexity, that is the modern State of Israel. Tickets are priced so everyone can come, including a flat $18 for family groups with kids. You can buy tickets online at https://jewishatlanta.org/israel70.

Don’t miss the party! I look forward to seeing you at Park Tavern on Sunday.

jewishatl
In Federation News

A Crucial Doorway

I’ve always believed that volunteerism and service are powerful pathways to Jewish engagement. Our learning from The Front Porch affirms it, too — Torah is the birthright of all Jews, and it comes alive for people when they engage in meaningful volunteer service that’s infused with Jewish learning and values. This is why we’ve been in collaborative discussions with Repair the World, a nonprofit dedicated meaningful service for young adults. We want to bring their model of immersive, impactful volunteering to Atlanta. Repair recruits courageous and compassionate young leaders to become Fellows who spend a year embedded in high-need communities. They address social inequity through sustained local service and developing partnerships with local organizations around issues like education and food justice. So I’m beyond thrilled to say that Repair the World is opening an Atlanta office. (And also looking for a full time Director).

Repair is already on the ground serving Baltimore, Detroit, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Miami and New York. They’re just what we need in Atlanta, and their partnership model aligns perfectly with what The Front Porch is process is telling us to do — make more transformative Jewish experiences available to people who are ready to re-engage through value-driven Jewish service.  Jodi Mansbach and Michael Kay are Repair the World board members, and they’ve been champions for bringing Repair to Atlanta. Thanks to both!

Repair’s Board Chair, Larry Brooks, recently shared news about the organization’s impact in eJewishPhilanthropy.  “In the 2013-14 program year, RTW Fellows engaged 3,600 unique participants in their communities. By 2016-17, the number of unique participants grew to 25,000 – of whom a strong majority are coming back repeatedly and reporting increased understanding of Jewish values, while 80% of local partners report increasing their capacity through the volunteers. Repair achieved this level of growth and impact not only by measuring and assessing results at the end of each year, but, more importantly, by aggressively targeting and testing the future potential of the Communities program. By 2022 Repair now aims to engage 180,000 unique volunteers – while growing the power of the program on both volunteers and partners. This is measurable impact.”

Can you see why I’m excited? In Repair, we’ve found a perfect partner to make meaningful and impactful community service available to more young adults.

No matter where you live in Jewish Atlanta, no matter how Jewishly connected (or unconnected) you feel, I deeply believe that community service is a crucial doorway to Jewish meaning. I hope you will consider engaging with Repair the World in the coming year. Ana, Sasha and I wish you all a chag kasher v’sameach – a Passover that is celebrated with intention, meaning, and joy.

jewishatl
In Federation News

The Ultimate Learning Journey – Israel

In just a few days, a diverse group of 70 Atlanta Jewish community leaders, representing more than 30 organizations, big and small, will have arrived in Tel Aviv for the ultimate Front Porch Learning Journey — an immersive week in Israel. It’s a challenge to simply get 70 busy Atlantans together in one room, so bringing this group to Israel is nothing short of a miracle. Individually, we are a mixed multitude of community volunteers, rabbis, program directors, and change makers from every stream of Judaism. Collectively, we are The Front Porch in Israel — #TFPinIsrael if you want to follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and I hope you will.

We are traveling to Israel with a unique kavannah(intention), not as tourists, but as curious and committed partners. We have a mindset to build bonds as a community of leaders, affirm and deepen our ties to Israel, and immerse ourselves in Israeli innovation. Our trip has no time allotted for shopping or sightseeing, but it does include time for difficult conversations, for small group work and personal reflection. As we coalesce as a group, we’ll be creating a precious infrastructure of human capital and relationships, so that when we come home, we’ll be primed and ready to co-create the 21st century Jewish community Atlanta needs to become.

In my view, this is the most consequential trip Jewish Atlanta has ever undertaken. We’re going to Tel Aviv, Lod, Yokneam, Gush Etzion, Jerusalem, the Belz Synagogue, meeting with Palestinian peace activitists, and touring an IDF field hospital. Our itinerary plows new ground, connecting us with latest Israeli experiences on immigrant absorption, urban renewal, technology, senior care, LGBTQ communities, and the challenge of religious pluralism. Every day we’ll be reflecting on what we’ve seen and extracting big insights — what are the big shifts from 20th to 21st century Israel? What is our responsibility to each other? What would a “living bridge” between Atlanta and Israel look like?

Here’s a sample day from our itinerary:

Monday, January 29:
VisitTaglit Innovation Center, a major player in Israeli research and development and entrepreneurship. Stop at Impact Labs to understand how the outsized impact of Israeli innovation has met human needs around the world.
Exploration ofJindas Urban Regeneration, a project in the multi-cultural city of Lod to promote the city’s vitality as a model for success in Israel and its influence on surrounding neighborhoods.

And that’s just the first day!

As Atlantans, we’re tremendously proud to be the home of one of the most vibrant, and diverse communities in North America – just ask any of the 10,000 Israelis who have moved here to study or work and experience our way of life. Now it is our chance to turn the camera on Israel, to travel with hearts and eyes wide open, and bring our insights home. We can’t wait to report back to you and share what we’ve seen, what we’ve felt, and how it has changed us.

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