Community Partners

We’re ready to expand the JumpSpark team! JumpSpark is the Jewish teen initiative out of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, and we’re hiring for two full-time positions. Do you think you have what it takes to join a fun, hardworking organization dedicated to Jewish engagement and education in Atlanta? Scroll down to see both positions we’re hiring for.

Director of Israel Engagement

REPORTS TO: Director of JumpSpark and Director of Global Jewish Peoplehood

CLASSIFICATION: Full-time, Exempt

SALARY: $60,000-$65,000

PRINCIPAL FUNCTION:

The Director of Israel Engagement will oversee two main programs that aim to increase Israel connection and education focused on youth. The key initiatives include:

• Create meaningful connections between teens in Atlanta and the people, land, and state of Israel
• Lengthen the arc of engagement for teen participants with Israel and the Jewish community
• Increase participation of Atlanta teens in summer Israel travel experiences
• Bring Israel and Jewish Atlanta together through human connections with a focus on the Shinshinim as a key driver of engagement
• Provide Israel education and engagement to local Atlanta organizations reaching a variety of demographics and age groups

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAMS:

JumpSpark:  JumpSpark serves as Atlanta’s initiative for Jewish teen engagement connecting and collaborating with the community to create more meaningful and defining moments for Jewish teens in Atlanta while enhancing the infrastructure of Jewish education and engagement in Atlanta. JumpSpark invests in existing programs, supports new and innovative ideas, and fosters creative thinking to meet the needs of teens, their parents, and Jewish educators and professionals that work with teens. Our portfolio includes Teen Programs, Navigating Parenthood workshops, Jewish Professional Development, and Grants.

Schoenbaum Shinshinim: The Shinshinim Service Year Abroad Program is a partnership between Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta and the Jewish Agency for Israel. This program selects trained young Israelis to spend a year of service in our community.  The Shinshinim live with host families and work across the Atlanta Jewish community where they engage a variety of community members in Israel education and engagement. The Shinshinim develop personal relationships with the community at large with the intention to serve as role models and informal educators and to instill a profound love and appreciation for Israel.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Oversee JumpSpark’s expanding portfolio of teen Israel engagement and education work in the Atlanta Jewish community
• Increase Atlanta’s teen Israel travel participation numbers by 90% by 2022 through a multi-pronged strategy focusing on teens, parents, and professionals
• Develop an engagement pipeline for teen Israel education, engagement, and travel from Bnai Mitzvah to college
• Supervise the Shinshinim program including creating work plans, serving as a liaison to partner programs, and providing training and guidance in best practices of Israel education, curriculum, and pedagogy

• Oversee JumpSpark’s new Amplifying Israel Teen Fellowship to expand and grow the relationship with teens in our partner region of Yokneam/Meggido
• Work with pre-selected teen Israel travel providers to develop and fund multi-part, pre- and/or post-engagement opportunities, including directing grants and overseeing outcomes
• Work with Jewish Teen Funders Network to develop and implement JumpSpark funded teen Israel Giving Circle program
• Create professional learning opportunities and assist in curricular resource and program development for the Shinshinim and worksite coordinators
• Establish high-level professional development opportunities for Atlanta Jewish educators around the topic of Israel
• Expand JumpSpark’s work with 3Owl Media to build-out website, social media and marketing materials and strategies to engage community members and promote teen Israel travel and engagement
• Serve as a concierge for local parents and teens to learn about opportunities and as a forum to connect with Israel before and after Israel trip participation
• Work with JumpSpark’s professional data and evaluation team at Informing Change as well as other consultants identified by Federation to develop and implement data gathering and evaluation metrics to track the impact of RootOne dollars and programming in the Atlanta Jewish teen community and the impact of Shinshinim in the community
• Ensure cross-collaboration with other Federation professionals to better leverage resources and talent
• Initiate and respond to Federation and JumpSpark staff, board members, volunteers, and the lay community
• Other duties as assigned

The above job duties and responsibilities describe the general nature and level of work for employees in this position, but this is not intended as an exclusive or all-inclusive inventory of all duties required of employees in this job.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree required
• Knowledge of, passion for, and/or an authentic personal connection to the relevant issues of Jewish communal life, Israel, and familiarity with the Jewish calendar
• Experience in professional setting with standard business tools
• Willingness to learn new systems, programs, and skills as needed
• Excellent interpersonal, organizational, written, and oral communication skills
• Self-motivated with a willingness to take initiative in a fast-paced, team environment
• Demonstrated organizational skills, with attention to detail and proven ability to fill and manage a complex schedule
• Superior customer service skills
• Positive attitude, even when faced with a high-stress environment and uncertainty

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: Intermittent standing and walking with prolonged periods of sitting at a desk or in meetings. Work hours include nights and weekends, as needed. You must have stamina needed to attend morning, evening and weekend meetings and events in addition to a regular schedule. Must be available for local, national, and international travel to attend meetings, functions and other activities. Must provide your own transportation and have a valid State of Georgia driver’s license and proof of automobile insurance.

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Education and Engagement Manager

DEPARTMENT: Community Planning and Impact

REPORTS TO: JumpSpark Director

STATUS: Full-time

SALARY: $50,000-$55,000

PRINCIPAL FUNCTION:  As Jewish Atlanta continues to boom, Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta intends to play a bold and creative role in reimagining and deepening community engagement. We are looking for a driven self-starter to join our team as we expand the ways we impact the community through Jewish education and engagement.

JumpSpark, Atlanta’s initiative for Jewish teen engagement, connects and collaborates with the community to create more meaningful and defining moments for Jewish teens in Atlanta while enhancing the infrastructure of Jewish education and engagement in Atlanta. JumpSpark invests in existing programs, supports new and innovative ideas, and thinks creatively to meet the needs of teens, their parents, and Jewish educators and professionals that work with teens. Our portfolio includes Teen Programs, Navigating Parenthood workshops, Jewish Professional Development, and Grants. JumpSpark exists to bring together Jews across Atlanta to preserve and progress our community for the future and help teens grow and discover their best selves.

JumpSpark is a major initiative of Federation’s Community Planning and Impact (CPI) department.  CPI includes all of Federation’s grants and allocations, our innovation portfolio, as well as programs focused on Jewish engagement and education.  As we seek to align programming and services to best meet the needs of our community, the Education and Engagement Manager will have programmatic responsibilities in other areas of CPI in addition to JumpSpark. 

We seek an enthusiastic creative thinker, bridge-builder, and innovator who is excited by JumpSpark’s and CPI’s mission to offer pathways into Jewish living by creating opportunities for genuine connection and growth for Jews from every part of our city.  The Education and Engagement Manager will be team oriented, able to manage multiple projects simultaneously, willing to take risks, and be committed to Federation’s core values of excellence, fearlessness, and empathy.  The candidate should be familiar with the Jewish education and engagement landscape, players, and trends and must be comfortable working in a fast-paced, innovative, and experimental work environment with general supervision.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The Education and Engagement Manager will have the following areas of responsibility:

• Build strong relationships in the Atlanta Jewish community
• Strengthen Atlanta’s Jewish teen ecosystem by working with teens, families of teens and educators and professionals who work with teens
• Create and manage innovative programming for JumpSpark’s target populations including curricular development and implementation
• Work with JumpSpark grantee partners on program implementation and grant oversight
• Engage in the national conversation of Jewish innovation and education
• Participate in the national network of the Jewish Teen Education and Engagement Funder Collaborative
• Complete a broad variety of tasks as needed to further the mission of JumpSpark and Community Planning and Impact department
• Manage brand and identity for JumpSpark and its application to all print and electronic communications
• Manage the development of the JumpSpark website and its content; maintain the site and links daily
• Manage JumpSpark’s social media presence through all relevant platforms – including Facebook, Instagram, and public relation opportunities, creating content and maintaining a consistent and constant presence, including at periodic community-wide events and celebrations
• Provide concierge services for members of the community seeking entry points into Jewish life
• Serve as a member of the CPI education and engagement team to provide programmatic support and leadership for family retreats and help develop a pipeline of engagement for pre-teens and their families

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree
• 3-5 years of experience working in Jewish education or engagement
• Thorough knowledge of common web content management systems and a proven record of using excellent judgment with social media for brand awareness and marketing
• Knowledge of, passion for, and/or an authentic personal connection to the relevant issues of Jewish communal life and familiarity with the Jewish calendar
• An appreciation for the diversity of Jewish identity, expression, and practice
• Experience in professional setting with standard business tools
• Willingness to learn new systems, programs, and skills as needed
• Excellent interpersonal, organizational, written and oral communication skills
• A dynamic and outgoing personality with the ability to build relationships with a variety of different audiences and ages
• Self-motivated with a willingness to take initiative in a fast-paced, team environment
• Demonstrated organizational skills, with attention to detail and proven ability to fill and manage a complex schedule requiring extensive local travel

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:  Intermittent standing and walking with prolonged periods of sitting at desk or in meetings.  Must have stamina needed to attend morning, evening and weekend meetings and events in addition to regular schedule.

Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants and prohibits discrimination regarding race, religion, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.

Rabbi Tarfon teaches us in Pirkei Avot:

The day is short, the task is long, and workers are indolent, and the masters are insistent.

He goes on to say:

It is not your responsibility to finish the work [of perfecting the world], but your are not free to desist from it either (2:16).

 

Our Rabbis of the Talmud experienced burnout.

Faun Zarge, a burnout and resilience specialist from Boston MA was the guest presenter at our recent JumpSpark/Jewish Education Collaborative professional development evening. In her 60 minute presentation, she shared with us tools and techniques on how to avoid burnout in this unique year, as well as in general.

As Jewish professionals, we spend most of our time giving to others, often forgetting to fill our own vessels so we can continue the work we do.

She began by sharing her definition of burnout: Too many demands, too few resources, and not enough time for recovery. This is clearly the experiences of professionals who work for Jewish organizations.

Ms. Zarge asked the participants to reflect and write down three things that are most important to us. When answers where shared, what was revealed was that too few of us put ourselves first. Avoiding burnout must begin with taking time for recovery.  It is imperative that we schedule into our day. This time is just as important as working on your budget or planning the next virtual class or training for teachers. According to Zarge, we are obligated to do self-care. According to Rabbi Tarfon, we are not even obligated to complete our work, but we are obligated to take care of ourselves. 

Zarge went on to offer concrete things we can do to keep our fire burning.

Commit for 10 days to do something that will bring us joy and less stress:

• Set a reminder in your phone to get up and walk
• Take Facebook off your phone if all the “doom scrolling” is a distraction
• Calling a loved one or friend you have not spoken to for awhile
• Eating healthy

Ms. Zarge asked participants to share time management techniques.  Things like chunking activities, grouping together similar tasks, like phone calls, answering emails, writing, figuring out your best time of day to be productive.  Zarge shared research that the ideal commute time is 16 minutes – this is hard to believe coming from Atlanta- nevertheless, she recommended using our newly acquired 16 minutes (due to the pandemic) in our days to do something else.  We could use it to work out, prep dinner for the evening, call a parent. 

These professional development evenings with JumpSpark and the Jewish Education Collaborative are helpful and enriching. We learn together, we see that we are not alone nor isolated with our challenges. There are colleagues experiencing similar challenges. Learning and sharing together alleviates burnout as well.

2000 years ago, there was a Jewish professional who warned against burnout, and offered one simple technique: do a little at time.  No need to feel overwhelmed by the task.  Break it down.  In the year 2020, Faun Zarge shared many more techniques and shared ways we can take care of ourselves and keep on doing great work for our community. 

 

 

“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.

• Michael Drucker, Camp Barney Medintz

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.

• Stacey August, Blue Star Camps

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.

• Steven Resnick, Congregation Etz Chaim

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.

• Andrea Krakovsky, Temple Sinai

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.

As I entered the first gathering of JPRO19: What Connects Us, the JPRO Network’s conference for Jewish professionals across North America, the room felt abuzz with excitement for the next three days of professional growth and learning. Over five hundred professionals gathered in Detroit to explore pressing topics in the Jewish world today and create connections that would improve our work and trajectory in the Jewish professional sphere. I had the privilege of getting to attend the conference with twenty other Jewish professionals from across Atlanta and to truly apply our learning throughout the experience to our work back home.

To kick off the conference, we embarked on an immersive experience, using Detroit as our classroom to explore innovative ways to approach building Jewish community. I hopped on a bus to the Bethel Community Transformation Center, where I learned from Pastor Aramis Hinds and Rabbi Ariana Silverman about the importance of relationship building in engaging in critical conversations across difference. Thinking back to my work in Atlanta at JumpSpark, I can see the ways we utilize relationship building in our work engaging teens, parents, and professionals. Before working with any of our constituents, we ensure we have built a relationship of trust and compassion so that we may best serve the community and its needs. After visiting the Bethel Community Transformation Center, I can see the value of utilizing our relationship building methodology to expand our work in Atlanta to reach a wider audience and build community and dialogue with a diverse cross-section of our city.

On the second day of the conference, we had the opportunity to attend workshops with educators of our choosing. I found myself at the “Designing Organizational Culture” workshop with UpStart. The facilitators encouraged us to think carefully about our organizational values and apply these to intentionally thinking about culture. As a professional at JumpSpark, I feel lucky to work on the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta innovation team and work for an organization with such clear values that we live every day through our work. One of the Federation’s values, fearlessness, truly drives JumpSpark’s day-to-day work in trying out bold, innovative ideas in our community without being afraid to fail. Through the UpStart workshop, I began to think about how to apply this value intentionally to all aspects of my work, from planning a program to building a relationship over coffee.

This past week, I learned the power of professional development. I left the JPRO conference feeling refreshed and energized to start the year with confidence and new ideas to bring back to my team. Seeing what my own professional learning can do for my work energizes me for the strides JumpSpark is taking in building up professional development for youth professionals in Atlanta.

While I grew as a professional at the JPRO conference, JumpSpark hosted over 25 Jewish professionals at its first JumpSpark professional event of the year, Relational Engagement with Rabbi Lydia Medwin at The Temple.

Next month, JumpSpark is hosting a session on Outcome Based Program Design, where professionals will get to learn from UpStart, as I did at JPRO, on designing programs with their goals in mind. After the session, professionals will have the opportunity to participate in a professional coworking day to network and build community.

In the coming year, JumpSpark will be hosting one professional development day per month, with topics ranging from social media and bullying to training in teen mental health first aid. We cannot be more excited to both provide quality training and empower our Jewish youth professionals and to build community and connection in the Jewish professional sphere. I hope to see you at one of our JumpSpark Professional events soon!

Over President’s Day weekend JumpSpark Professional traveled with 14 local Jewish educators and professionals to Ramah Darom. Surrounded by the beauty of the North Georgia mountains we participated in the Pardes Beit Midrash B’Darom, a weekend of learning and community building. All the learning was incredibly meaningful, but there was one new piece of text that has stuck with me:

Reish Lakish, a 3rd century scholar said, “Adorn yourself first, and then adorn others.” 

This is the Jewish equivalent of “Please put on your own oxygen mask first before assisting others.” Reish Lakish is reminding us about the importance of self-care. How many of us working in the Jewish world forget that message? How often do we really do something for ourselves? We all know we should, but so often we feel we are just too busy.

That is why JumpSpark Professional is launching the Beit Midrash for Jewish Professionals. For one hour a month you can set aside time to do something for yourself and your own Jewish self-care. Come explore Jewish text and wisdom together with other Jewish professionals and discuss how it relates to our lives and our work. Each month the session will be led by a different Rabbi or Jewish Educator from our community. No Hebrew or prior text experience necessary.

Our first session is February 27, 2019 at 10:30 AM, and we would love to have you join us! Our topic for discussion is, “What’s Jewish about Innovation?”

Give yourself the gift of Jewish self-care this week. Learn more and register here.

Can’t join us? Make sure you are following JumpSpark Pro on Facebook for all upcoming professional development opportunities.