The Moment for Innovation is Now

In Biblical times, Abraham and Sarah were models of welcoming strangers and ensuring they felt comfortable. That’s the Jewish value that drives the Passport to Peoplehood program from Be’chol Lashon.  

It started at Camp Be’chol Lashon where campers use their ‘passports’ to ‘travel’ to a different country to encounter Judaism through the culture of the Jewish community in that region. The new-to-them culture welcomed the campers with food, dance, and experiences, all woven together by Judaism.  

Now, ignited by a Propel grant through Federation Innovation, Passport to Peoplehood is bringing these welcoming encounters outside of the camp walls and into the lives of Atlantans. They’re creating new ways to learn about and embrace ethnically, racially, and culturally diverse Jews. 

Federation Innovation ignites and funds community innovation, empowers changemakers, and encourages Jewish Atlanta to try new things that bring Jewish possibilities to life. 

While many people looked the other way, Gabby Spatt could see that mental health needs and substance abuse, were spiking in Atlanta over the last decade. So, as Executive Director of The Blue Dove Foundation, she started working on a Mental Health Toolkit to start addressing these issues. 

Just as CPR helps assist an individual having a heart attack, the Mental Health Toolkit and training helps assist someone experiencing a mental illness or substance abuse-related crisis. The Toolkit is meant to be a first line of defense – to help identify an issue and help the person find the best next steps.

Gabby and The Blue Dove Foundation leveraged a Propel grant from Federation Innovation to create the Toolkit and a second Propel grant this year to finalize and distribute it. 

Federation Innovation ignites and funds community innovation, empowers changemakers, and encourages Jewish Atlanta to try new things that bring Jewish possibilities to life. 

Привет and Шалом!

That’s “Hello” and “Shalom” in Russian. That’s what Sasha, Michelle, and Gabi say in Atlanta’s new Russian-Speaking Moishe House.

Not only does this fourth and newest Moishe House now reach young adults in the Brookhaven area, with Sasha, Michelle, and Gabi at the helm, it’s a place for them to explore their shared Russian culture. In this house, Russian is spoken, and Russian-Jewish identity and outreach are the focus. Powered by a grant from Federation Innovation, they’re sharing their culture, amplifying Jewish diversity, and exploring their Jewish roots. 

Federation Innovation ignites and funds community innovation, empowers changemakers, and encourages Jewish Atlanta to try new things that bring Jewish possibilities to life.