Time: 12-1:30 pm ET/9-10:30 am PT/19:00-20:30 ISR

Impact investing is an increasingly important way for individuals, foundations, Federations, and nonprofits to powerfully expand their capacity for social and environmental change, all while providing a framework to live their values through how they spend and invest.

Join JFN’s growing community of impact investors for a lively and action-oriented monthly roundtable, each featuring JFN members for shared learning and shared action. 

Whether you are new to impact investing or a seasoned veteran, the roundtables will help you to build skills, deepen your collaborations and deal access, and add meaning to how you're managing your money.

Read JFN's Guide to Jewish Impact Investing

Speakers

Yakir Segev
CEO, Kulam

Nisan Zeevi
Vice President, Margalit Startup City

Hana Rais
Financial Unit Coordinator, JVP

Moderator:

Vanessa Bartram
Managing Director
ZORA Ventures

Join GrantED to learn more about the importance of sabbaticals in the Jewish nonprofit sector, and how grantmakers and grantseekers can work together to build in opportunities for rest and rejuvenation that will strengthen communal leaders and our sector. This webinar will be moderated by the team from R&R: Rest of Our Lives, Josh Feldman, and Rachel Zieleniec. Featured speakers will include Claire Peeps of The Durfee Foundation, a leader in sabbatical support, and Sabbatical Award recipient: Stephanie Klasky-Gamer of LA Family Housing.

Speakers:

Claire Peeps
Executive Director, The Durfee Foundation

Stephanie Klasky-Gamer
President and CEO, LA Family Housing

Rachel Zieleniec
Program Director, Rest of Our Lives

Facilitator:

Josh Feldman
Founder, R&R: The Rest of Our Lives

Please join us for a monthly virtual convening for grantmaking professionals where we will come together for shared learning and community-building. 

Speakers:

To be announced.

Facilitators:

Mike Berkowitz
Co-Founder & Principal
Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies, LLC

Tamar Frydman
Senior Director, Programs
Jewish Funders Network

The Ilia Salita Excellence in Research Award (ERA) is inspired by Ilia Salita z"l and Ilia's passion for informed, data-driven philanthropy. The first recipient of the award is the study "Antisemitic Attitudes across the Ideological Spectrum" by Dr. Eitan Hersh.

Join us for a dynamic conversation with Dr. Eitan Hersh who will present his award-winning research and the key findings of his research, as well as how these findings have the potential to impact the Jewish community and inform your funding strategies. 

Speakers:

Dr. Eitan Hersh
Associate Professor of Political Science, Tufts University

Karyn Cohen
Director, One8 Foundation

We are delighted to have you with us at JFN's membership event where we will bid farewell and express our gratitude to Maya Natan, Founding Director of JFN Israel

Join us for a festive networking event to mark the 13th anniversary of our JFN IL community and its' impact on creating impactful strategic philanthropy in Israel.

* The event will be held in Hebrew 

How did a legendary Jewish activist influence a Jewish artist to launch a national art project rooted in the Jewish tradition of tzedakah? Learn the answer to that question and many more! Please join us for this revealing and inspiring CANVAS conversation with Ruth Messinger, Caron Tabb, and Jewish Arts Collaborative.

Be the Change is a 2022-2023 art and activism initiative inspired by the Jewish tenet of justice and drawing from the ritualistic Jewish tzedakah box. Taking place in Boston, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, and online, Be the Change will help viewers connect to issues of injustice and empower them to become agents of change.

Speakers:

Caron Tabb was born in apartheid South Africa, raised on a farm in Israel from the age of 8, and has lived in the U.S. for the last 20 years. After years of working in the nonprofit world, she turned her focus to art. These key biographical elements and her passion for social justice issues deeply impact her artistic practice. In addition to traditional painting and photography, she incorporates many found objects and unconventional materials into her work. Her conceptual mixed-media and installation pieces address issues of social inequality, racial justice, and feminism as seen through the lens of her deep Jewish identity. Caron has shown her work at the MFA, Boston, the Beacon Gallery, the Rukus Pop-Up gallery, and Hebrew College. Caron is a Rothko Chapel fellow and sits on the board of the Jewish Arts Collaborative. 

As Israel celebrates its 74^th birthday, we take pride in the remarkable success story of the IDF, which secured Israel’s independence and continues to guarantee its survival today. But the military is changing rapidly: in today’s "Startup Nation," cyber warriors are fast replacing foot soldiers on the front lines of the modern battlefield. At the same time, Israeli society is changing in ways that threaten the IDF’s future ability to protect the country. Alarmingly, less than half of Israeli 18-year-olds currently serve in the "people’s army," and the current model of service is clearly unsustainable. Yet what can replace it?

Join IDI experts for a fascinating discussion on the changing relationship between the army and society in Israel and their implications for Israel’s security and its democracy.

Speakers:

Prof. Amichai Cohen
Senior Fellow, The Amnon Lipkin-Shahak Program on National Security and Democracy

Yohanan Plesner
President, Israel Democracy Institute

Moderator: 

Dr. Idit Shafran Gittleman
Director, Military and Society Program

Storytelling is the most powerful tool to create change. Together, in this inspiring and interactive in-person gathering, we will take a deep dive into the process of storytelling as a powerful philanthropic tool, guided by Andy Goodman of the Goodman Center.

Our presenters will also include writer and director Ezra Edmond, creator of "Blewish," and filmmaker Roberta Grossman, Producing Director of the Jewish Story Partners, among others.

More details here!

Join us as we celebrate the arrival of spring  for a morning of great people, good food and an open conversation

with Sigal Yaniv Feller, Executive director, JFN  Israel.

A healthy organization is not only more sustainable and impactful, but it is also a better place to work. Join GrantED to learn about how grantmakers and grantseekers can partner to improve organizational health, and in turn strengthen the Jewish communal field. Consultant Amy Tobin will share recommendations for aligning values, culture, capacity, and priorities so that organizations are better equipped to positively impact their communities. You will hear from Idit Klein, President and CEO of Keshet, and Liana Krupp, President and Trustee of the Krupp Family Foundation, who will reflect on their own grantseeker/grantmaker partnership and how they collaborate to prioritize organizational health.

Speakers:

Amy Tobin
Consultant, Organizational Development

Idit Klein
President & CEO, Keshet

Liana Krupp
President & Trustee, Krupp Family Foundation

Tuesday, April 26 from 11am-12pm ET | 8-9am PT | 18:00-19:00 Israel

Henry Foner (Heinz Lichtwitz) was only 6 years old when he left Germany without his family to escape the terror of the Third Reich. He was one of 10,000 Jewish children who was rescued on the Kindertransport program which sent the children to live in safety with families in England. From the moment they parted, Max Lichtwitz, Henry's father, sent him colorful postcards -- initially in German, and later in English when Henry no longer remembered his native tongue --  illustrated with humorous drawings and charming pictures and containing a short, loving message. The postcards were later featured in a book published by Yad Vashem Publications.

We welcome you to join us as Maya Foner, Director of Programs at JFN Israel, speaks with her father, Dr. Henry Foner, about his personal story in a special program for Yom HaShoah. They will be joined by JFN member Martin Herskovitz, creator of "Creating Memory," a free, arts-based initiative for Holocaust education that uses the creative arts and exploration of relatable themes to connect students to the Holocaust in new ways.

Speakers:

Dr. Henry Foner
Author, Postcards to a Little Boy: A Kindertransport Story

Martin Herskovitz
Project Creator, Creating Memory: An arts-based initiative in Holocaust education

Moderator:

Maya Foner
Director of Programs, JFN Israel

Time: 12-1:30 pm ET/9-10:30 am PT/19:00-20:30 IST

Impact investing is an increasingly important way for individuals, foundations, Federations, and nonprofits to powerfully expand their capacity for social and environmental change, all while providing a framework to live their values through how they spend and invest.

Join JFN’s growing community of impact investors for a lively and action-oriented monthly roundtable, each featuring JFN members for shared learning and shared action. 

Whether you are new to impact investing or a seasoned veteran, the roundtables will help you to build skills, deepen your collaborations and deal access, and add meaning to how you're managing your money.

Read JFN's Guide to Jewish Impact Investing

Speakers

Mike Berman
Investor, Kedma Solar

Arieh Doobov
Director, Israeli Taskforce on Sustainable International Development
Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research

Seth Merrin
Co-Chair, Jewish Development Finance Organization

Moderator:

Vanessa Bartram
Managing Director
ZORA Ventures

Please join us for a monthly virtual convening for grantmaking professionals where we will come together for shared learning and community-building. 

Speakers:

To be announced.

Facilitators:

Mike Berkowitz
Co-Founder & Principal
Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies, LLC

Tamar Frydman
Senior Director, Programs
Jewish Funders Network

At this invitation-only, in-person event just before the kickoff of JFN's 2022 International Conference, you’ll have the opportunity for a rich discussion on leadership challenges of the post-pandemic period.

Ron Ashkenas, a leadership consultant who has worked with both corporations and nonprofit organizations, will facilitate the conversation. His clients have included J.P Morgan Chase, Cisco Systems, The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Pfizer, Merck, The World Bank, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Zurich Financial Services, ConAgra Foods, Applied Materials, Visiting Nurse Services of New York, Thomson Reuters, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Stanford University Hospital. Ron was part of the original team that collaborated with then-CEO Jack Welch to develop GE's Work-Out approach for creating a faster, simpler, and more nimble organization. Lately, he’s been working with the Robin Hood Foundation and its grantees, as well as advising Leading Edge. He’s also a leading Harvard Business Review writer.

The pandemic, and the uncertainty we are still experiencing, has upended many of our traditional notions of leadership; so we want to focus on what type of leadership we need – both in our foundations and in our grantees – to face the challenges and leverage the opportunities that we confront. How to deal with a transformed workplace? How to understand the changes around us? How to implement the structural changes that our community needs? How to be bold and decisive in the face of uncertainty? And what are our own personal and professional dilemmas given the uniqueness of our role?

The session will offer us a framework to understand those challenges but, most importantly, will include an interactive part in which we’ll be able to debate and discuss from our own professional perspectives.

Please note that to attend this lunch, you must RSVP here AND register for the conference.

JFN's first fully in-person international conference since 2019 will be at the PGA National Resort in Palm Beach, Fla., from March 27-29, and is focusing on the theme of "Reconnecting & Resilience."

PLEASE NOTE: We are thrilled to have you join us at the conference, but as of March 9, we are no longer able to assist with any hotel bookings, as rooms are completely sold out.

Speakers include Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Anne Applebaum, former Ambassador Dennis Ross, author Casper ter Kulle, author/sociologist Richard Florida, and Jewish studies professor Ilana Horwitz. All registrants must show proof of Covid vaccination, including booster.

Learn more on the conference website. 

Join us for a special VIP reception for JFN board members and conference sponsors. Mingle with friends before the conference kicks into high gear. Drinks and light refreshments will be served. 

The location will be announced soon. All food will be kosher.

Networking and Orientation Meeting for the Israeli delegation to the 2022 JFN International Conference in Palm Beach

Join us to discover how to navigate through the diverse conference content to create the most meaningful participiatiion experience for you!

Meet your fellow JFN members attending the conference, and get a glimpse into the burning issues currently on the agenda of American Jewry.

Special guest speaker: Moshe Samuels, the creator, and writer of “The New Jew,“ an Israeli TV documentary series about American Jews and Judaism.

Join CANVAS this week for a special session of Matters of the Art, this Thursday at 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT, 19:00 IL) with photographer Gillian Laub. 

CANVAS is a Jewish arts and culture funding collaborative incubated at Jewish Funders Network, and Matters of the Art is a CANVAS/JFN funder group dedicated to exploring trends, opportunities, and gaps in the field of Jewish arts and culture.

At this week's session, Gillian will talk about her recent book "Family Matters," one of the most bracing and important photo memoirs of the decade. It’s a deeply personal work that chronicles 20 years in the artist’s family — their distinctly Jewish sensibilities, their successful rise in business, and the profound rifts that tore them apart during the Trump years. The work has won universal acclaim, has been featured as an exhibition at the International Center of Photography, in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and in CANVAS's newsletter, CANVAS Compendium.

CANVAS' goal is to elevate the finest creativity our community has to offer. Gillian’s "Family Matters" has the power to elevate us all. We hope you’ll take some time to explore the work and its impact with us.

Participatory grantmaking (PGM) is an approach to bridging the gap between grantmakers and those they serve, by including and/or empowering the people affected by funding decisions to participate in the decision-making. To mark the release of JFN's forthcoming guidebook, "Exploring Participatory Grantmaking in the Jewish Community and Beyond," grantmakers and grantseekers are invited to join GrantEd in conversation with Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies to learn about this increasingly popular philanthropic tool and its applicability in the Jewish community. 

Speakers:

Jaré Akchin
Vice President for Jewish Community Impact, Third Plateau

Ariel Platt
Director, Third Plateau

Lani Santo
Chief Executive Officer, Footsteps

More presenters to be announced.

This webinar is presented by GrantED, a joint project of Jewish Funders Network and UpStart that works to strengthen relationships between grantmakers and grantseekers in the Jewish community. To learn more, visit www.jgranted.org. 

Please note: this program is open to JFN West members only.

Storytelling is the overarching theme for JFN West programming in 2022. Our May 9-10 JFN West convening will be focused on building these skills with expert storytellers and facilitators. As an exciting introduction to the theme, we invite you to join us and theatre dybbuk for "The Art of Storytelling: Our Personal Exodus Narratives."

Using the Exodus narrative as a point of inspiration, all participants will develop their own unique stories, aligning themes from these stories with their philanthropy and the impact they wish to have on the world. This is your chance to begin to hone your storytelling skills in order to inspire others to more and better philanthropy!

Speaker:

Aaron Henne
Artistic Director, theater dybbuk 

מיכל קורמר נבו היא פרופ' לעבודה סוציאלית שמובילה גישה חדשנית ופורצת דרך בהסתכלות על היבטי עוני בישראל ובעולם.

מחקרה עוסק בהסתכלות מחודשת על עוני ובאימפקט הרב שיש בשיתוף המוטבים בתהליכי קבלת החלטות, בכדי להיטיב עם אוכלוסיית הקצה ולייצר שינוי מהותי.

זוהי הזדמנות ייחודית לכל מי שמוביל שינוי חברתי בישראל להיחשף לגישה חדשנית שנוגעת לאוכלוסיות יעד שונות ומגוונות.  

שימו לב- המפגש יתקיים בזום, ביום שני, 7 במרץ 2022, בשעה 18:00 .

המפגש יאפשר לנו להכיר את הגישה שפיתחה קורמר נבו - נדון בגישות שונות לשיתוף אוכלוסיות היעד בתהליכי קבלת ההחלטות במסגרת תהליכי הנתינה,

ונבחן כיצד ניתן להכיל את גישה זו בקרב קהלי היעד השונים והמגוונים למענם פועלים חברי וחברות הרשת.

מצפים לראותכם!

The meeting will take place virtually

Join us in shaping the future of JFN Israel

Times are changing; The ongoing pandemic has altered life as we knew it, generated new routines, and created considerable transformations while impacting the social field and all levels of philanthropic work. 

Change is also an opportunity for growth and renewal. Therefore, for the second time since the founding of JFN Israel and with new management at the helm, we invite our members to come together, to listen, think and gain a deeper mutual understanding of your foundation’s evolving needs.  Through your foundation’s philanthropic journey, we hope to harvest insights on how the philanthropic community in Israel and globally can be meaningful to you and to the network.

We invite you to join us for this special meeting for foundations’ representors and CEOs, generously hosted by EDRF. The think tank process will provide an empowering opportunity to sound your voice, as you take part in ushering JFN Israel into its next chapter.

This is part of "Coffee with...," a series designed to provide a unique opportunity for JFN West members to engage in small-group conversation with and among JFN leaders and members. 

After a long career as a CEO and senior software executive in Silicon Valley, Jim Heeger now works full-time as a board member of Jewish nonprofit organizations. Currently, he serves as the Board Chair of the Foundation for Jewish Camp, having joined that board in 2012. He believes in the power of Jewish camp to create young, committed, joyful Jews. He has also been a past Chair of the Advisory Board of his local camp, URJ Camp Newman in Santa Rosa, Calif., overseeing a $23 million renovation of its facilities.

Jim is the Immediate Past Chair of the Board of Moishe House, the Immediate Past Chair of the San Francisco Jewish Federation, and a board member of the Jewish Federations of North America. He has also been President of Hillel at Stanford, Senior Vice-chair of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, and President of Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills. He earned an MBA from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University and a BS in management from MIT. Jim lives in Palo Alto, Calif., and Lenox, Mass., with his wife Daryl Messinger who is a past Chair of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ).

Please note that the information shared in this webinar is strictly confidential.

As the crisis in Ukraine continues to build, the Ukrainian people—including the Jewish community there—face grave dangers and challenges.

Join us for an exclusive briefing with Stefan Oscar from JFN member organization the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) on the overall situation in Ukraine, JDC's past work in the country, and responses during the current crisis.

Speakers:

Stefan Oscar
JDC FSU Executive Director

Join GrantED to learn about the "Sustainability Diagnostic Tool": a new tool created by the Jewish Teen Education and Engagement Funder Collaborative Powered by Jewish Federations of North America to support both grantmakers and grantseekers in determining a program's impact and success. The tool, adapted especially for GrantED by Sara Allen (Executive Director, Jewish Teen Education and Engagement Funder Collaborative) and Aaron Saxe (Senior Program Officer, Jim Joseph Foundation) to increase the usage of the tool beyond the teen engagement space. This webinar is a great opportunity for both grantseekers and grantmakers to learn how to collaboratively evaluate programs and determine improvements to create an even deeper impact on the Jewish community. 

Speakers:

Sara Allen
Executive Director
Jewish Teen Education and Engagement Funder Collaborative

Rebecca Weinstock
Director of Partnerships and Grants
The Associated

Sam Kahan Strakes
Co-Managing Senior Director
4Front

Moderator:

Wayne Green
Executive Director
Honeycomb

12-1 pm ET/ 9-10 am PT/ 7-8 pm IL

Welcome to the JFN family!  

At this special session, led by JFN Vice President of Philanthropic Engagement Ari Rudolph, you'll learn how to get the most out of your membership and will have an opportunity to meet other members. We will cover a variety of topics, including membership benefits, how to use our website, and much more!

All JFN members, new and old, are welcome!

Join us in shaping the future of JFN Israel

Times are changing; The ongoing pandemic has altered life as we knew it, generated new routines, and created considerable transformations while impacting the social field and all levels of philanthropic work. 

Change is also an opportunity for growth and renewal. Therefore, for the second time since the founding of JFN Israel and with new management at the helm, we invite our members to come together, to listen, think and gain a deeper mutual understanding of your evolving needs.  Through your philanthropic journey, we hope to harvest insights on how the philanthropic community in Israel and globally can be meaningful to you and to the network.

We invite you to join us for one of several meetings generously hosted by JFN members. The think tank process will provide an empowering opportunity to sound your voice, as you take part in ushering JFN Israel into its next chapter.

Join us in shaping the future of JFN Israel

Times are changing; The ongoing pandemic has altered life as we knew it, generated new routines, and created considerable transformations while impacting the social field and all levels of philanthropic work. 

Change is also an opportunity for growth and renewal. Therefore, for the second time since the founding of JFN Israel and with new management at the helm, we invite our members to come together, to listen, think and gain a deeper mutual understanding of your evolving needs.  Through your philanthropic journey, we hope to harvest insights on how the philanthropic community in Israel and globally can be meaningful to you and to the network.

We invite you to join us for one of several meetings generously hosted by JFN members. The think tank process will provide an empowering opportunity to sound your voice, as you take part in ushering JFN Israel into its next chapter.

19:00-20:30 IL, 12-1:30 pm ET, 9:00-10:30 am PT

It’s not just about the weather — the growing climate emergency presents a serious risk to the pursuit of all philanthropic aims. All aspects of society will be affected and we can use our philanthropy to make a difference. We have less than 10 years to act, and all funders -- whatever their mission and field of expertise —  can have an immense potential for positive impact. It’s time to plan our role as individual philanthropists and collectively - We owe it to future generations.

Join JFN’s Green Funders Forum for “Global Warning: Climate Change and Jewish Philanthropy,” a five-part series. This is particularly timely in light of November’s UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.

Session 5 - Climate Change and Us: An Interactive Discussion on the Role of Jewish Philanthropy to Impact Climate Change

Monday, February 14, (19:00-20:30 IL, 12-1:30 pm ET, 9:00-10:30 am PT) 

An interactive discussion on the role of the Jewish philanthropic community: What can we do, individually and collectively?

We encourage you to review the recording and presentations from the previous session on Practical Steps for Philanthropy to Impact Climate Change.

Participants are eligible for a free consultation meeting - please email [email protected] for more details.

Green Funders Forum is a JFN peer network that brings together dozens of funders and foundation representatives from Israel and throughout the Jewish world with experts from academia, the government, and the philanthropic sector for learning, sharing, consultation, and skill-building in various subjects related to environmental protection in Israel. Watch Green Funders Forum videos here.

This event is open to all funders.

If you would like to participate but are not a JFN member, please email [email protected].

The delegitimization of Israel on college campuses has a silencing effect and creates a hostile environment in which Jewish students and faculty members are sometimes afraid to express their identity and support for Israel. Non-Jewish students and faculty are not always well educated about the Middle East, and often prefer to avoid a toxic discussion. Join us for a panel discussion featuring two experts who will provide complementary perspectives and approaches to addressing this challenge, as well as Lauren Rutkin of the Geller Family Foundation, which funds in this space:  

Speakers:

Dr. Shahar Sadeh
Director of Strategic Affairs
Jewish Community Relations Council of New York

Megan Nathan
Managing Director
Israel on Campus Coalition 

Moderator:

Lauren Rutkin
Geller Family Foundation

The delegitimization of Israel on college campuses has a silencing effect and creates a hostile environment in which Jewish students and faculty members are sometimes afraid to express their identity and support for Israel. Non-Jewish students and faculty are not always well educated about the Middle East, and often prefer to avoid a toxic discussion. Join us for a panel discussion featuring two experts who will provide complementary perspectives and approaches to addressing this challenge, as well as Lauren Rutkin of the Geller Family Foundation, which funds in this space:   

Dr. Shahar Sadeh
Faculty Engagement Program Director
Jewish Community Relations Council of New York

Megan Nathan
Managing Director
Israel on Campus Coalition 

Moderator:

Lauren Rutkin
Geller Family Foundation

Join us in shaping the future of JFN Israel

Times are changing; The ongoing pandemic has altered life as we knew it, generated new routines, and created considerable transformations while impacting the social field and all levels of philanthropic work. 

Change is also an opportunity for growth and renewal. Therefore, for the second time since the founding of JFN Israel and with new management at the helm, we invite our members to come together, to listen, think and gain a deeper mutual understanding of your evolving needs.  Through your philanthropic journey, we hope to harvest insights on how the philanthropic community in Israel and globally can be meaningful to you and to the network.

We invite you to join us for one of several meetings generously hosted by JFN members. The think tank process will provide an empowering opportunity to sound your voice, as you take part in ushering JFN Israel into its next chapter.

Please join us for a monthly virtual convening for grantmaking professionals where we will come together for shared learning and community-building. This month we will be joined by David Ehrlichman, author of the new book "Impact Networks," for a session focused on how to build networks–including our own grantmaking professional community–to have impact in the world.

Speaker:

David Ehrlichman
Author, "Impact Networks"

Facilitators:

Mike Berkowitz
Co-Founder & Principal
Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies, LLC

Tamar Frydman
Senior Director, Programs
Jewish Funders Network

Join us in shaping the future of JFN Israel

Times are changing; The ongoing pandemic has altered life as we knew it, generated new routines, and created considerable transformations while impacting the social field and all levels of philanthropic work. 

Change is also an opportunity for growth and renewal. Therefore, for the second time since the founding of JFN Israel and with new management at the helm, we invite our members to come together, to listen, think and gain a deeper mutual understanding of your evolving needs.  Through your philanthropic journey, we hope to harvest insights on how the philanthropic community in Israel and globally can be meaningful to you and to the network.

We invite you to join us for one of several meetings generously hosted by JFN members. The think tank process will provide an empowering opportunity to sound your voice, as you take part in ushering JFN Israel into its next chapter.

Yohanan Plesner, President of the Israel Democracy Institute, and Prof. Tamar Hermann, Director of Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research, will discuss the exclusive data in the 2021 Israeli Democracy Index presented to President Isaac Herzog earlier this month. Published annually since 2003, the Democracy Index provides an in-depth assessment of Israeli democracy based on a comprehensive survey of public opinion. The Index’s analysis of survey findings creates a database for informed decision-making among policymakers seeking to strengthen Israeli democracy and preserve the country’s unique Jewish character.

Speakers

Yohanan Plesner
President
Israel Democracy Institute

Prof. Tamar Hermann
Director of Viterbi Family Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research
Israel Democracy Institute

Moderator

Dr. Jesse Ferris
Vice President of Strategy
Israel Democracy Institute

Who struggled the most in the Jewish community at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic? Join the National Affinity Group on Jewish Poverty and the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis for a data-centered conversation on the financial and material hardships experienced by members of the Jewish American community. First, we will hear from experts in the field on the pandemic's economic impact and who in Jewish communities struggled the most. Then, we will discuss the surprising and powerful effect that staying connected through Jewish community networks has in supporting both mental and financial well-being. Integrating data and theory, we’ll learn how the Jewish community has kept us feeling connected and supported through the pandemic, and learn how we can ensure others do not get left behind. 

Speakers:

Michal Grinstein-Weiss
Director, Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis

Carol Graham
Leo Pasvolsky Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution

More to be confirmed

Moderator:

Susan Wolf Ditkoff
Senior Advisor, The Bridgespan Group

Join GrantED for an engaging webinar about how to best prepare for an evaluation for both grantmakers and grantseekers. This webinar will provide concrete tools, tips, and tricks for both grantseekers and grantmakers to transparently share information, discuss challenges, and create a plan for the most impact. After the webinar, participants will be given a tool to help support this work.

Speakers

Dr. Wendy Rosov
Founder & Principal, Rosov Consulting

Mike Boberg
Director of Impact Assessment, Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati

Marie Krulewitch-Browne
Executive and Artistic Director, ish 

NOTE: This webinar has been rescheduled for Thursday, February 10th. Please register here.

The delegitimization of Israel on college campuses has a silencing effect and creates a hostile environment in which Jewish students and faculty members are sometimes afraid to express their identity and support for Israel. Non-Jewish students and faculty are not always well educated about the Middle East, and often prefer to avoid a toxic discussion. Join us for a panel discussion featuring two experts who will provide complementary perspectives and approaches to addressing this challenge, as well as Lauren Rutkin of the Geller Family Foundation, which funds in this space:  

Speakers:

Dr. Shahar Sadeh
Director of Strategic Affairs
Jewish Community Relations Council of New York

Megan Nathan
Managing Director
Israel on Campus Coalition 

Moderator:

Lauren Rutkin
Geller Family Foundation

the event is postponed!

We are delighted to have you with us at JFN's membership event where we will bid farewell and express our gratitude to Maya Natan, Founding Director of JFN Israel

Join us for a festive networking event to mark the 13th anniversary of our JFN IL community and its' impact on creating impactful strategic philanthropy in Israel.

Time: 12-1:30 pm ET/9-10:30 am PT/19:00-20:30 ISR

Impact investing is an increasingly important way for individuals, foundations, Federations, and nonprofits to powerfully expand their capacity for social and environmental change, all while providing a framework to live their values through how they spend and invest.

Join JFN’s growing community of impact investors for a lively and action-oriented monthly roundtable, each featuring JFN members for shared learning and shared action. 

Whether you are new to impact investing or a seasoned veteran, the roundtables will help you to build skills, deepen your collaborations and deal access, and add meaning to how you're managing your money.

Read JFN's Guide to Jewish Impact Investing

Speakers

Sandrine Montsma
Managing Partner, Bridges Israel  

Marcia Riklis 
Chair, JFN Board of Directors

Adam Bendell 
CEO, Toniic

Moderator:

Vanessa Bartram
Managing Director
ZORA Ventures

Please join us for a monthly virtual convening for grantmaking professionals where we will come together for shared learning and community-building.

Facilitators:

Mike Berkowitz
Co-Founder & Principal
Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies, LLC

Tamar Frydman
Senior Director, Programs
Jewish Funders Network

12-1:30 p.m. ET/ 9-10:30 a.m. PT/ 19:00-20:30 IL

Join us as we discuss the current status of Israel's older adult population, glimpse into the future, and explore effective philanthropic efforts.

Keynote Speaker Yossi Heymann (CEO, JDC-Israel ESHEL) will provide an up-to-date overview of the field of aging in Israel, sharing data, future projections, large-scale initiatives, and government and civil society work in this field.

JFN members Joseph Gitler, Astorre Modena, and Claims Conference will share their philanthropic prototypes of engagement as well as COVID lessons learned.

The session will offer the opportunity for an open funders’ conversation to explore our relationship with aging on both the personal and philanthropic levels.

19:00-20:30 IL, 12-1:30 pm ET, 9:00-10:30 am PT

It’s not just about the weather — the growing climate emergency presents a serious risk to the pursuit of all philanthropic aims. All aspects of society will be affected and we can use our philanthropy to make a difference. We have less than 10 years to act, and all funders -- whatever their mission and field of expertise —  can have an immense potential for positive impact. It’s time to plan our role as individual philanthropists and collectively - We owe it to future generations.

Join JFN’s Green Funders Forum for “Global Warning: Climate Change and Jewish Philanthropy,” a five-part series. This is particularly timely in light of November’s UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.

Participants will be eligible for a free consultation meeting to explore personal philanthropic strategies around this issue.  

Participants are encouraged -- although not required -- to attend the entire five-part series.

Session 4 - Philanthropic Responses, Lessons, and Opportunities 

Monday, January 10, (19:00-20:30 IL, 12-1:30 pm ET, 9:00-10:30 am PT) 

Explore interesting and innovative models of philanthropic responses to climate change.

Speakers

Benjamin Bellegy
Executive Director
Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support (WINGS)

Tali Yariv-Mashal, PhD
Chair, Forum of Foundations in Israel
Director, the Beracha Foundation

Gideon Stein, PhD
Director, Pashdor Impact Investments
Co-Founder, Value² Responsible Investment Fund 

Green Funders Forum is a JFN peer network that brings together dozens of funders and foundation representatives from Israel and throughout the Jewish world with experts from academia, the government, and the philanthropic sector for learning, sharing, consultation, and skill-building in various subjects related to environmental protection in Israel. Watch Green Funders Forum videos here.

This event is open to all funders.

If you would like to participate but are not a JFN member, please email [email protected]

Upcoming sessions in the series:
(Speakers and other details coming soon)

Climate Change and Us: Where Do We Go from Here?

Monday, February 14

19:00-20:30 IL, 12-1:30 pm ET, 9:00-10:30 am PT

Join us for a fun  evening as we deepen connections with the Jerusalem JFN community and an opportunity to meet Sigal Yaniv-Feller the incoming Executive Director of JFN Israel.

Generously hosted by Dr. Karen Friedman and Prof. Yedidia Stern

UPDATE: We will be re-scheduling this program for a new date in January. Stay tuned for more information soon!

Who struggled the most in the Jewish community at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic? Join the National Affinity Group on Jewish Poverty and the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis for a data-centered conversation on the financial and material hardships experienced by members of the Jewish American community. First, we will hear from experts in the field on the pandemic's economic impact and who in Jewish communities struggled the most. Then, we will discuss the surprising and powerful effect that staying connected through Jewish community networks has in supporting both mental and financial well-being. Integrating data and theory, we’ll learn how the Jewish community has kept us feeling connected and supported through the pandemic, and learn how we can ensure others do not get left behind. 

Speakers:

Michal Grinstein-Weiss
Director, Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis

Carol Graham
Leo Pasvolsky Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution

More to be confirmed

Moderator:

Susan Wolf Ditkoff
Senior Advisor, The Bridgespan Group

12:30 - 1:45 pm ET | 9:30 - 10:45 am PT | 19:30 - 20:45 IL

JFN and CASJE (Collaborative for Applied Studies in Jewish Education) present the three-part webinar series: "Career Trajectories of Jewish Educators: Key Findings for the Funding Community."

Join CASJE’s managing director, Dr. Arielle Levites, members of the Career Trajectories research team, and funders in the space of Jewish education for a high-level presentation of key findings and a facilitated discussion foregrounding the unique questions, concerns, and opportunities of the funding community to translate research into practice and policy. These webinars will be of interest to foundations that support both Jewish and general education. You can sign up for an individual session, or register for all three.

Supply and Demand: Analyzing the Labor Market for Jewish Educators

Tuesday, December 14 from 12:30 - 1:45 pm ET | 9:30 - 10:45 am PT | 19:30 - 20:45 IL

Speakers:

Stacie Cherner
Director of Learning and Evaluation
Jim Joseph Foundation

Arielle Levites, PhD
Managing Director, CASJE- Collaborative for Applied Studies in Jewish Education

Alex Pomson, PhD
Principal and Managing Director, Rosov Consulting

Additional Sessions in This Series

• Session 1: Monday, October 18 at 12:30 pm ET/9:30 am PT/19:30 IL - Opportunities and Barriers to Becoming a Jewish Educator 
• Session 2: Monday, November 15 at 12:30 pm ET/9:30 am PT/19:30 IL - Should I Stay or Should I Go?: The Journeys of Jewish Educators

12:30 - 1:45 pm ET | 9:30 - 10:45 am PT | 19:30 - 20:45 IL

JFN and CASJE (Collaborative for Applied Studies in Jewish Education) present the three-part webinar series: "Career Trajectories of Jewish Educators: Key Findings for the Funding Community."

Join CASJE’s managing director, Dr. Arielle Levites, members of the Career Trajectories research team, and funders in the space of Jewish education for a high-level presentation of key findings and a facilitated discussion foregrounding the unique questions, concerns, and opportunities of the funding community to translate research into practice and policy. These webinars will be of interest to foundations that support both Jewish and general education. You can sign up for an individual session, or register for all three.

Supply and Demand: Analyzing the Labor Market for Jewish Educators

Tuesday, December 14 from 12:30 - 1:45 pm ET | 9:30 - 10:45 am PT | 19:30 - 20:45 IL

Speakers:

Stacie Cherner
Director of Learning and Evaluation
Jim Joseph Foundation

Arielle Levites, PhD
Managing Director, CASJE- Collaborative for Applied Studies in Jewish Education

Alex Pomson, PhD
Principal and Managing Director, Rosov Consulting

Additional Sessions in This Series

• Session 1: Monday, October 18 at 12:30 pm ET/9:30 am PT/19:30 IL - Opportunities and Barriers to Becoming a Jewish Educator 
• Session 2: Monday, November 15 at 12:30 pm ET/9:30 am PT/19:30 IL -  Should I Stay or Should I Go?: The Journeys of Jewish Educators

19:00-20:30 IL, 12-1:30 pm ET, 9:00-10:30 am PT

It’s not just about the weather — the growing climate emergency presents a serious risk to the pursuit of all philanthropic aims. All aspects of society will be affected and we can use our philanthropy to make a difference. We have less than 10 years to act, and all funders -- whatever their mission and field of expertise —  can have an immense potential for positive impact. It’s time to plan our role as individual philanthropists and collectively - We owe it to future generations.

Join JFN’s Green Funders Forum for “Global Warning: Climate Change and Jewish Philanthropy,” a five-part series. This is particularly timely in light of November’s UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.

Participants will be eligible for a free consultation meeting to explore personal philanthropic strategies around this issue.  

Participants are encouraged -- although not required -- to attend the entire five-part series.

Session 3 - Civil Society’s Game-Changing Strategies

Monday, December 13, (19:00-20:30 IL, 12-1:30 p.m. ET, 9-10:30 a.m. PT) 

From youth activism to shareholder activism, join us to explore inspiring game-changing strategies of leading NGOs and the diversity of needed actions.

Speakers

Moran Diment
Professional Development Manager
Life and Environment (the umbrella organization for Israeli environmental NGOs)

Yossi Cadan (Canada)
Senior Strategist
The Sunrise Project

Naomi Rozenberg 
Activist (age 14)
Youth for Climate

Green Funders Forum is a JFN peer network that brings together dozens of funders and foundation representatives from Israel and throughout the Jewish world with experts from academia, the government, and the philanthropic sector for learning, sharing, consultation, and skill-building in various subjects related to environmental protection in Israel. Watch Green Funders Forum videos here.

This event is open to all funders.

If you would like to participate but are not a JFN member, please email [email protected]

Upcoming sessions in the series:
(Speakers and other details coming soon)

Philanthropic Responses, Lessons & Opportunities to Have a Positive Impact on Climate Change

Monday, January 10

19:00-20:30 IL, 12-1:30 pm ET, 9:00-10:30 am PT

Climate Change and Us: Where Do We Go from Here?

Monday, February 14

19:00-20:30 IL, 12-1:30 pm ET, 9:00-10:30 am PT

We're sorry, but this event is sold out!

How can we as funders increase gender equality in Israel’s social sector?

Join us as we explore power, identity and learn the impact of giving through a gender lens

Hosted by Dafna Meitar-Nechmad

Jewish communal leadership aspires to the highest ethical standards, and yet, not infrequently, these aspirations go unmet. In part, this is because the Jewish community mirrors the same inequities around gender, race and class, and the scandal and misuse of power. The gaps between our values and our actions challenge the moral integrity of our communities. Yet at the same time, for some, the fear of yielding power bravely and responsibility – to set out a vision or to make commitments to values and actions – can often lead to inertia and paralysis.

This four-part seminar, which is cohort-based and open to principle funders and their families, will explore the ethics of power, what it means to have power and wield it ethically, and how, as a community, we navigate the way change and loss emerges when power relationships change.

These key questions will be explored throughout this four-part series:

• What are different currencies of power?
• How do we navigate change and loss?
• How do we navigate between moral imperatives and moral concerns?
• What is the relationship between charisma and corruption?

This series is open to principal funders and their families. Please note that this series is a cohort-based learning experience and full participation in all four sessions is encouraged in order to ensure the highest-quality experience for all participants. The first three sessions will be held via Zoom, and the fourth will take place in person at the JFN International Conference in Palm Beach, Fla.

Session Dates & Speakers:

Session 1 (Virtual): 

Wednesday, December 8, 2021 from 12-1:30pm ET / 9-10:30am PT / 19:00-20:30 Israel

Mijal Bitton
Scholar in Residence

Session 2 (Virtual): 

Wednesday, January 5, 2022 from 12-1:30pm ET / 9-10:30am PT / 19:00-20:30 Israel

Elana Stein Hain
Director of Faculty and Senior Fellow

Session 3 (Virtual):

Wednesday, February 2, 2022 from 12-1:30pm ET / 9-10:30am PT / 19:00-20:30 Israel

Mishael Zion
Faculty in Residence, Bay Area

Session 4 (In-Person): 

March 2022 at JFN Conference (March 27-29, 2022 in Florida)

Dr. Yehuda Kurtzer 
President of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America

Time: 12-1 pm ET/9-10 am PT/7-8 pm ISR

Impact investing is an increasingly important way for individuals, foundations, Federations, and nonprofits to powerfully expand their capacity for social and environmental change, all while providing a framework to live their values through how they spend and invest.

Join JFN’s growing community of impact investors for a lively and action-oriented monthly roundtable, each featuring JFN members for shared learning and shared action. 

Whether you are new to impact investing or a seasoned veteran, the roundtables will help you to build skills, deepen your collaborations and deal access, and add meaning to how you're managing your money.

Read JFN's Guide to Jewish Impact Investing

Enroll in JFN's Certificate Course in Jewish Impact Investing

Speakers

Vanessa Kacherginsky
Israel Forum for Impact Economy

Moderator:

Vanessa Bartram
Managing Director
ZORA Ventures

Please join us for a monthly virtual convening for grantmaking professionals where we will come together for shared learning and community-building.

Facilitators:

Mike Berkowitz
Co-Founder & Principal
Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies, LLC

Tamar Frydman
Senior Director, Programs
Jewish Funders Network

12-1 pm ET/ 9-10 am PT/ 7-8 pm IL

Welcome to the JFN family!  

At this special session, led by JFN Vice President of Philanthropic Engagement Ari Rudolph, you'll learn how to get the most out of your membership and will have an opportunity to meet other members. We will cover a variety of topics, including membership benefits, how to use our website, and much more!

All JFN members, new and old, are welcome!

19:00-20:00 IL/ 12-1 pm ET/ 9:00-10:00 am PT

How are monumental changes taking place in Israel’s Religious Zionist sector affecting the Jewish community in Israel and abroad? What role can funders play to influence the outcome of these developments?

Israeli journalist and author Yair Ettinger will provide a glimpse into his book, "Unraveled" (published in Hebrew as "Prumim"). An English version of the book will be published in the coming year.

In his book, Yair argues that while the Religious Zionist community has become an integral part of Israel's leadership in a variety of sectors, and while it continues to grow in strength and confidence, its religious and ideological glue is disintegrating. Ideological unrest and conflicts on a historical scale divide the sector.

In this open conversation, Yair will describe the controversies that have shaken up the Religious Zionist sector and Modern Orthodoxy, including changes in the status of women and the status of rabbis.

JFN members Ruthi Saragosti and David Roth will share their philanthropic approaches to this sector, followed by a discussion about the importance/relevance of investing in this area of giving.

Speakers

Yair Ettinger
Israeli journalist and author of Unraveled

Ruthi Saragosti
Planning Director, Israel
UJA Federation of New York

David Roth
Executive Director
Yoreinu Foundation

1-2 p.m. ET/ 10-11 a.m. PT/ 20:00-21:00 Israel

Join us for an exclusive presentation and facilitated discussion as we dive into the results of three major new studies on Jewish disability inclusion in the workforce. We will discuss:

• Successful models from Jewish human service agencies for increasing employment for people with disabilities; 
• What Leading Edge has learned about Jews and others with disabilities who work at Jewish organizations and where progress has been made;
• Findings from RespectAbility's major study on the inclusion of Jews with disabilities inside Jewish groups;
• Big picture takeaways on where we go from here so that Jews and others with disabilities can thrive both inside and out of Jewish institutions. 

This presentation will be live-captioned, and there will be an American Sign Language interpreter present as well.

Speakers

Gali Cooks
President & CEO
Leading Edge

Reuben D. Rotman
President & CEO
Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies

Meagan Buren
President
Buren Research and Communications, LLC

Jennifer Mizrahi
President
RespectAbility

Matan A. Koch (Moderator) 
Director of RespectAbility California & Jewish Leadership
RespectAbility

19:00-20:30 IL, 12-1:30 p.m. ET, 9-10:30 a.m. PT

It’s not just about the weather — the growing climate emergency presents a serious risk to the pursuit of all philanthropic aims. All aspects of society will be affected and we can use our philanthropy to make a difference. We have less than 10 years to act, and all funders -- whatever their mission and field of expertise —  can have an immense potential for positive impact. It’s time to plan our role as individual philanthropists and collectively - We owe it to future generations.

Join JFN’s Green Funders Forum for “Global Warning: Climate Change and Jewish Philanthropy,” a five-part series. This is particularly timely in light of November’s UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.

Participants will be eligible for a free consultation meeting to explore personal philanthropic strategies around this issue.  

Participants are encouraged -- although not required -- to attend the entire five-part series.

Session 2 - How Climate Change Intersects with Other Funding Areas

Tuesday, November 16, (19:00-20:30 IL, 12-1:30 p.m. ET, 9-10:30 a.m. PT) 

Join us to learn together (and in breakout groups) how climate change intersects with most funding areas  -- such as advancing marginalized populations, shared society, poverty, refugees, employment, education, women’s rights, national security, and more.  

Speakers

Dr. Dov Khenin
Former MK and Chair, President Herzog’s newly established Climate Change Council 
Learn more about Dov and the Climate Change Council in this article in Jewish Insider.

Dr. Shira Efron
Senior Research Fellow
Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) 

Prof. Yosef Jabareen
Professor of Urban Planning
The Technion

Prof. Nadav Davidovitch
Director, School of Public Health
Ben Gurion University

Green Funders Forum is a JFN peer network that brings together dozens of funders and foundation representatives from Israel and throughout the Jewish world with experts from academia, the government, and the philanthropic sector for learning, sharing, consultation, and skill-building in various subjects related to environmental protection in Israel. Watch Green Funders Forum videos here.

This event is open to all funders.

If you would like to participate but are not a JFN member, please email [email protected]

Upcoming sessions in the series:
(Speakers and other details coming soon)

Who Are the Leading Activists and Nonprofits Addressing Climate Change? 

Monday, December 13

19:00-20:30 IL, 12-1:30 pm ET, 9:00-10:30 am PT

Philanthropic Responses, Lessons & Opportunities to Have a Positive Impact on Climate Change

Monday, January 10

19:00-20:30 IL, 12-1:30 pm ET, 9:00-10:30 am PT

Climate Change and Us: Where Do We Go from Here?

Monday, February 14

19:00-20:30 IL, 12-1:30 pm ET, 9:00-10:30 am PT

12:30 - 1:45 pm ET | 9:30 - 10:45 am PT | 19:30 - 20:45 IL

JFN and CASJE (Collaborative for Applied Studies in Jewish Education) present the three-part webinar series: "Career Trajectories of Jewish Educators: Key Findings for the Funding Community."

Join CASJE’s Managing Director, Dr. Arielle Levites, members of the Career Trajectories research team, and funders in the space of Jewish education for a high-level presentation of key findings and a facilitated discussion foregrounding the unique questions, concerns, and opportunities of the funding community to translate research into practice and policy. These webinars will be of interest to foundations that support both Jewish and general education. You can sign up for an individual session, or register for all three.

Session 2: "Should I Stay or Should I Go? The Journeys of Jewish Educators"

Speakers:

Rachel Mohl Abrahams
Senior Advisor for Education Grants and Programs
Mayberg Foundation

Arielle Levites, PhD
Managing Director, CASJE- Collaborative for Applied Studies in Jewish Education

Wendy Rosov, PhD
Founder and Principal, Rosov Consulting

Additional Sessions in This Series

• Session 1: Monday, October 18 at 12:30 pm ET/9:30 am PT/19:30 IL- More Paths for More People: Opportunities and Barriers to Becoming a Jewish Educator 
• Session 3: Tuesday, December 14 at 12:30 pm ET/9:30 am PT/19:30 IL - Supply and Demand: Analyzing the Labor Market for Jewish Educators

12:30 - 1:45 pm ET | 9:30 - 10:45 am PT | 19:30 - 20:45 IL

JFN and CASJE (Collaborative for Applied Studies in Jewish Education) present the three-part webinar series: "Career Trajectories of Jewish Educators: Key Findings for the Funding Community."

Join CASJE’s Managing Director, Dr. Arielle Levites, members of the Career Trajectories research team, and funders in the space of Jewish education for a high-level presentation of key findings and a facilitated discussion foregrounding the unique questions, concerns, and opportunities of the funding community to translate research into practice and policy. These webinars will be of interest to foundations that support both Jewish and general education. You can sign up for an individual session, or register for all three.

Session 2: "Should I Stay or Should I Go? The Journeys of Jewish Educators"

Speakers:

Rachel Mohl Abrahams
Senior Advisor for Education Grants and Programs
Mayberg Foundation

Arielle Levites, PhD
Managing Director, CASJE- Collaborative for Applied Studies in Jewish Education

Wendy Rosov, PhD
Founder and Principal, Rosov Consulting

Additional Sessions in This Series

• Session 1: Monday, October 18 at 12:30 pm ET/9:30 am PT/19:30 IL- Opportunities and Barriers to Becoming a Jewish Educator 
• Session 3: Tuesday, December 14 at 12:30 pm ET/9:30 am PT/19:30 IL - Analyzing the Labor Market for Jewish Educators

CANVAS and the Fooksman Family Foundation Invite You to "An Afternoon With the Arlekin Players"

More About Arlekin

FIND INFORMATION ABOUT THE DECEMBER 7 IMPACT INVESTING ROUNDTABLE HERE.

Time: 12-1:30 pm ET/9-10:30 am PT/7-8:30 pm ISR

Impact investing is an increasingly important way for individuals, foundations, Federations, and nonprofits to powerfully expand their capacity for social and environmental change, all while providing a framework to live their values through how they spend and invest.

Join JFN’s growing community of impact investors for a lively and action-oriented monthly roundtable, each featuring a master class and two investment roundups, all led by JFN members and designed to encourage shared learning and shared action along our impact investing journeys.

Whether you are new to impact investing or a seasoned veteran, the roundtables will help you to build skills, deepen your collaborations and deal access, and add meaning to how you're managing your money.

Read JFN's Guide to Jewish Impact Investing

Enroll in JFN's Certificate Course in Jewish Impact Investing

Speakers

Avital Blonder
CEO & Founder
Jindas - Social Urban Regeneration

Jason Brzoska
Director of Operations
Newton and Rochelle Becker Charitable Trust
JLens    

Vanessa Bartram
Managing Partner
ZORA Ventures
LoftyInc Capital

12 p.m. ET/ 9 am PT/ 18:00 Israel

Please join us for a monthly virtual convening for grantmaking professionals. This event usually takes place on the second Wednesday of every month.

This month's speaker:

Daniel Stid
Program Director, U.S. Democracy Program
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

Facilitators:

Mike Berkowitz
Co-Founder & Principal
Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies, LLC

Tamar Frydman
Director, Peer Programs
Jewish Funders Network

Earlier this year, we at JFN conceived of the Israel Ideas Festival as a celebration marking the end of Covid and an opportunity to come together to share ideas for a brighter, post-pandemic future. Sadly, the virus and its many variants are not yet behind us, and Israel’s seven-day quarantine on all visitors arriving from the United States makes it impossible to plan the international in-person event we’d envisioned.

The reimagined Israel Ideas Festival is a hybrid program with live simultaneous events in Tel Aviv (please note: the in-person event in Israel is currently at capacity) and New York, and lots of interactive opportunities online.

On Day 1, we'll explore Israel's relationships with the Arab world and with fellow Jews around the world.

On Day 2, choose from deep-dive programming on seven issues in Israeli philanthropic work: Education, Women At-Risk, Elderly At-Risk, Jewish-Arab Relations, Workforce Development, Arts & Culture, and Impact Investing.

Learn more and register at jfunders.org/festival.

This is the seventh installment of "Coffee with...," a series designed to provide a unique opportunity for JFN West members to engage in small-group conversation with and among JFN leaders and members. 

Jeff Schoenfeld is passionately involved in several philanthropic organizations. In addition to serving as a current JFN board member, he is the Immediate Past President of UJA-Federation of New York, the largest local philanthropy in the world. 

Jeff currently serves as Chair of the Israel and Overseas Committee of the Jewish Federations of North America, helping to strategically guide global allocations for the North American Federation system. In this capacity, Jeff serves as a member of the Board of Governors of The Jewish Agency for Israel.

Preceding his role as President, Jeff was the Co-Chair of UJA's Annual Campaign and the Chair of UJA’s Caring Commission, overseeing human service and community building programs in New York, and 70 countries around the world. Today, he chairs UJA’s Allocation Steering Committee, is a member of its Executive Committee, Finance Committee and Board of Directors.

Jeff also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of amfAR, a leading cure-focused global HIV/AIDS research organization. Jeff serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the NPR Foundation, the country’s leading provider of journalistic excellence and programmatic content for public radio and podcasts, and also serves as a member of the Graduate Executive Board at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, working to expand Wharton’s impact as the foremost teaching, research, and experience-led business school in the world.

Jeff received his B.A. in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley, and his MBA in Finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

19:00-20:30 IL, 12-1:30 pm ET, 9:00-10:30 am PT

It’s not just about the weather — the growing climate emergency presents a serious risk to the pursuit of all philanthropic aims. All aspects of society will be affected and we can use our philanthropy to make a difference. We have less than 10 years to act, and all funders -- whatever their mission and field of expertise —  can have an immense potential for positive impact. It’s time to plan our role as individual philanthropists and collectively - We owe it to future generations.

Join JFN’s Green Funders Forum for “Global Warning: Climate Change and Jewish Philanthropy,” a five-part series. This is particularly timely in light of November’s UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.

Participants will be eligible for a free consultation meeting to explore personal philanthropic strategies around this issue.  

Participants are encouraged -- although not required -- to attend the entire five-part series.

Session 1 - Climate Change 101 and the New Decision Makers

Tuesday, October 19, (19:00-20:30 IL, 12-1:30 pm ET, 9:00-10:30 am PT) 

In the opening session of this five-part series, hear from two leading environmental experts in Israel’s government: Israeli Minister of Environmental Protection Tamar Zandberg; and Professor, Member of Knesset, and longtime activist Alon Tal. You will receive up-to-date information on climate change, how it affects Israel and the Jewish world, what various countries are doing about it and its relevance to all Jewish philanthropy -- no matter what our funding issue areas are. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions after the speakers present.

Speakers

Tamar Zandberg, Israeli Minister of Environmental Protection

Professor Alon Tal, a Member of Knesset 

Green Funders Forum is a JFN peer network that brings together dozens of funders and foundation representatives from Israel and throughout the Jewish world with experts from academia, the government, and the philanthropic sector for learning, sharing, consultation, and skill-building in various subjects related to environmental protection in Israel. Watch Green Funders Forum videos here.

This event is open to all funders.

If you would like to participate but are not a JFN member, please email [email protected] 

Upcoming sessions in the series:
(Speakers and other details coming soon)

How Climate Change Intersects with Other Funding Areas

Tuesday, November 16

19:00-20:30 IL, 12-1:30 pm ET, 9:00-10:30 am PT

Who Are the Leading Activists and Nonprofits Addressing Climate Change? 

Monday, December 13

19:00-20:30 IL, 12-1:30 pm ET, 9:00-10:30 am PT

Philanthropic Responses, Lessons & Opportunities to Have a Positive Impact on Climate Change

Monday, January 10

19:00-20:30 IL, 12-1:30 pm ET, 9:00-10:30 am PT

Climate Change and Us: Where Do We Go from Here?

Monday, February 14

19:00-20:30 IL, 12-1:30 pm ET, 9:00-10:30 am PT

12:30 - 1:45 pm ET | 9:30 - 10:45 am PT | 19:30 - 20:45 IL

JFN and CASJE (Collaborative for Applied Studies in Jewish Education) present the three-part webinar series: "Career Trajectories of Jewish Educators: Key Findings for the Funding Community."

Join CASJE’s Managing Director, Dr. Arielle Levites, members of the Career Trajectories research team, and funders in the space of Jewish education for a high-level presentation of key findings and a facilitated discussion foregrounding the unique questions, concerns, and opportunities of the funding community to translate research into practice and policy. These webinars will be of interest to foundations that support both Jewish and general education. You can sign up for an individual session, or register for all three. 

Session 1: "More Paths for More People: Opportunities and Barriers to Becoming a Jewish Educator"

Speakers:

Menachem (Manny) Menchel
Senior Program Officer, Jewish Life, William Davidson Foundation

Arielle Levites, PhD
Managing Director, CASJE- Collaborative for Applied Studies in Jewish Education

Alex Pomson, PhD
Principal and Managing Director, Rosov Consulting

Upcoming Sessions 

• Session 2: Monday, November 15 at 12:30 p.m. ET/9:30 am PT/19:30 IL - Should I Stay or Should I Go?: The Journeys of Jewish Educators
• Session 3: Tuesday, December 14 at 12:30 pm ET/9:30 am PT/19:30 IL - Supply and Demand: Analyzing the Labor Market for Jewish Educators

12:30 - 1:45 pm ET | 9:30 - 10:45 am PT | 19:30 - 20:45 IL

JFN and CASJE (Collaborative for Applied Studies in Jewish Education) present the three-part webinar series: "Career Trajectories of Jewish Educators: Key Findings for the Funding Community."

Join CASJE’s Managing Director, Dr. Arielle Levites, members of the Career Trajectories research team, and funders in the space of Jewish education for a high-level presentation of key findings and a facilitated discussion foregrounding the unique questions, concerns, and opportunities of the funding community to translate research into practice and policy. These webinars will be of interest to foundations that support both Jewish and general education. You can sign up for an individual session, or register for all three. 

Session 1: "More Paths for More People: Opportunities and Barriers to Becoming a Jewish Educator"

Speakers:

Menachem (Manny) Menchel
Senior Program Officer, Jewish Life, William Davidson Foundation

Arielle Levites, PhD
Managing Director, CASJE- Collaborative for Applied Studies in Jewish Education

Alex Pomson, PhD
Principal and Managing Director, Rosov Consulting

Upcoming Sessions 

• Monday, November 15 at 12:30 p.m. ET/9:30 am PT/19:30 IL -  Should I Stay or Should I Go?: The Journeys of Jewish Educators
• Tuesday, December 14 at 12:30 pm ET/9:30 am PT/19:30 IL - Supply and Demand: Analyzing the Labor Market for Jewish Educators

12-1 pm ET/ 9 am-10 am PT/ 19:00-20:00 IL

In this program offered in partnership with SAPIR: A Journal of Jewish Conversations, we explore the perils of looking at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a purely Western lens, particularly in the media and on college campuses. (Current JFN members are eligible to receive a free hard copy of the upcoming issue of Sapir, which will come out in November. Fill out this form to claim your copy.)

As leading intellectual and former Knesset member Einat Wilf wrote in a recent issue of SAPIR, critics have for decades "cast Jews, Israel, and Zionism as the evil side in the conflict through their consistent and persistent employment of the 'Placard Strategy': utilizing simple equations such as those that might appear on a placard in an anti-Israel demonstration. On one side of the equation are Israel, Zionism, and images such as the Star of David. The evil du jour is the other side, whether it is Imperialism, Colonialism, Racism, Apartheid or — for the truly determined — Genocide and Nazism. Most recently, White Supremacy was added to the list."

Speakers

SAPIR is a journal exploring the future of the American Jewish community and its intersection with cultural, social, and political issues. It is published by Maimonides Fund with Bret Stephens serving as Editor-in-Chief and Felicia Herman as Managing Editor. 

Current JFN members are eligible to receive a free hard copy of the upcoming issue of Sapir, which will come out in November. Fill out this form to claim your copy.

Please join us for a monthly virtual convening for grantmaking professionals. This event takes place on the second Wednesday of every month unless otherwise specified.

Facilitators:

Mike Berkowitz
Co-Founder & Principal
Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies, LLC

Tamar Frydman
Director, Peer Programs
Jewish Funders Network

Save the date for our upcoming sessions:

• Wednesday, November 3rd, 2021 at 12 PM ET
• Wednesday, December 1st, 2021 at 12 PM ET

JFN Grantmaking Professionals Exchange is a learning and networking initiative to strengthen relationships and enhance strategic, technical, and Jewish learning among professionals across the field of Jewish philanthropy.

Time: 12-1:30 pm ET/9-10:30 am PT/7-8:30 pm ISR

Impact investing is an increasingly important way for individuals, foundations, Federations, and nonprofits to powerfully expand their capacity for social and environmental change, all while providing a framework to live their values through how they spend and invest.

Join JFN’s growing community of impact investors for a lively and action-oriented monthly roundtable, each featuring a master class and two investment roundups, all led by JFN members and designed to encourage shared learning and shared action along our impact investing journeys.

Whether you are new to impact investing or a seasoned veteran, the roundtables will help you to build skills, deepen your collaborations and deal access, and add meaning to how you're managing your money.

Learn more about Jewish impact investing here.

Master Class: "Investing in Regenerative Agriculture"

Koen van Seijen
Founder and Managing Partner
Garnell Capital Partners

Investment Roundups

James Walker
MiniLuxe

Vanessa Bartram
Managing Director
ZORA Ventures

Vanessa will be moderating the roundtable and presenting on LoftyInc.

Join us for an open conversation on arts, culture, and philanthropy

necessity vs. luxury

12-1 pm ET/ 9-10 am PT/ 19:00-20:00 IL

In December 2020, the U.S Congress passed the Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act, a historic piece of legislation delivering unprecedented levels of funding for peacebuilding in Israel and Palestine.

This new fund will deliver $250 million over five years to projects that support peacebuilding and Palestinian economic development and represents the largest investment ever in the region’s peacebuilders.

Please join us for a webinar that will help prepare members for this groundbreaking initiative.

JFN members Georgette Bennett and Danny Hakim, who are both deeply committed to the field of peacebuilding, will share how they are preparing their grantees, and how they think that we, as funders, should build an infrastructure that will allow maximizing this opportunity.

John Lyndon, executive director of ALLMEP (Alliance for Middle East Peace) and an expert on The Nita Lowey Peace Act will be the main speaker and will give a presentation on the grant including important information, eligibility, the potential for change and more.

The session will be followed by a Q&A that will provide a unique opportunity to learn and discuss the potential impact of The Nita Lowey Peace Act in the field of shared society. 

SPEAKER DETAILS

Anita Diamant
Nadine Epstein
Shaylyn Romney Garrett
Rabbi Rebecca Sirbu
Andrés Spokoiny

This virtual symposium brings together funders, investors, and leaders to address the most challenging global issues of our time. The 2021 Symposium will support the growth of strategic and collaborative international philanthropy by offering participants the opportunity to explore trends in philanthropy, gain practical skills and knowledge to increase the levels and impact of their giving across borders, learn from peers, and network with funders actively engaged in supporting international development efforts. The Symposium is co-hosted by The Philanthropic Initiative (TPI) and New England International Donors (NEID).

Discount code for JFN members on JFN's Member Discounts page.

Learn more and register.

12-2 pm ET/ 9 am-12 pm PT/19:00-21:00 IL

Join the Jews of Color Initiative for an event designed specifically for the philanthropic community to engage with the first-ever study of this scale on Jews of Color in the United States. Earlier this year, more than 1,000 Jews of Color completed the "Count Me In" Survey. Now you can join the conversation to hear the findings and learn how philanthropists can develop, amplify, and sustain Jewish communities and leaders that reflect and represent all Jews.

Ilana Kaufman, Executive Director of the Jews of Color Initiative, will be joined by Paula Pretlow, Trustee of the Weinberg Foundation, Tiffany Harris, Chief Program Officer of Moishe House, and Gamal Palmer, Senior Vice President of The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles to share the key findings and discuss how we as philanthropists can leverage Beyond the Count to create change.

• How do JoCs think about Jewish identity?
• What have been the experiences of JoCs in Jewish communities?
• How has systemic racism affected JoCs in Jewish spaces?
• How can the Jewish community better reflect the range of experiences and identities of all Jews?

>>Register here

Facilitators:

Mike Berkowitz
Co-Founder & Principal
Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies, LLC

Tamar Frydman
Director, Peer Programs
Jewish Funders Network

Time: 12-1:30 pm ET/9-10:30 am PT/7-8:30 pm ISR

Impact investing is an increasingly important way for individuals, foundations, Federations, and nonprofits to powerfully expand their capacity for social and environmental change, all while providing a framework to live their values through how they spend and invest.

Join JFN’s growing community of impact investors for a lively and action-oriented monthly roundtable, each featuring a master class and two investment roundups, all led by JFN members and designed to encourage shared learning and shared action along our impact investing journeys.

Whether you are new to impact investing or a seasoned veteran, the roundtables will help you to build skills, deepen your collaborations and deal access, and add meaning to how you're managing your money.

Speakers:

Moderator:

Vanessa Bartram
Managing Director
ZORA Ventures

12-1 pm ET/ 9-10 am PT/ 7-8 pm IL

Welcome to the JFN family!  

At this special session, led by JFN Vice President of Philanthropic Engagement Ari Rudolph, you'll learn how to get the most out of your membership and will have an opportunity to meet other members. We will cover a variety of topics, including membership benefits, how to use our website, and much more!

All JFN members, new and old, are welcome!

12-1pm ET / 9-10am PT / 7-8pm Israel

This session is part of a National Affinity Group on Jewish Poverty webinar series addressing the challenges the coronavirus pandemic has created for Jews living in poverty and the agencies that serve them, while also highlighting the successful responses to these challenges.

Hear from three Avodah Corps members who have spent the past 10 months working on the frontlines of the fight against poverty in the Jewish community in New York City. 2020-2021 Corps Members Allie Fischgrund (Project Ore), Emma Holyst (Met Council), and Abby Israel (Footsteps) will share stories and perspectives from their work on the ground, surprises or ways that their thinking has changed, and lessons for how to advance the work of breaking cycles of poverty, particularly in the Jewish community. Jennifer Turner, the New York Program Director of the Avodah Jewish Services Corps, will also join to connect this work to Avodah’s broader fight against poverty.

Susan Wolf Ditkoff, Senior Adviser at The Bridgespan Group, will moderate the conversation.

Please join us for a monthly virtual convening for grantmaking professionals. This event takes place on the second Wednesday of every month.

Facilitators:

Mike Berkowitz
Co-Founder & Principal
Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies, LLC

Tamar Frydman
Director, Peer Programs
Jewish Funders Network

Time: 12-1:30 pm ET/9-10:30 am PT/7-8:30 pm ISR

Impact investing is an increasingly important way for individuals, foundations, Federations, and nonprofits to powerfully expand their capacity for social and environmental change, all while providing a framework to live their values through how they spend and invest.

• Download JFN's free "Guide to Jewish Impact Investing," written by Michael Lustig.
• Listen to our recent podcast on Jewish impact investing.

Join JFN’s growing community of impact investors for a lively and action-oriented monthly roundtable, each featuring a master class and two investment roundups, all led by JFN members and designed to encourage shared learning and shared action along our impact investing journeys.

Whether you are new to impact investing or a seasoned veteran, the roundtables will help you to build skills, deepen your collaborations and deal access, and add meaning to how you're managing your money.

Speakers:

Sean Gilbert
GIIN - Global Impact Investing Network

Kate Walsh
GIIN - Global Impact Investing Network

Yaniv Izaki
Angel Investor
Izaki Ventures

Moderator:

Vanessa Bartram
Managing Director
ZORA Ventures

Join a small group of Jewish communal grantmakers and grantseekers for a special three-part, interactive, facilitated conversation series designed to foster opportunities for deeper understanding, communication, and learning with one another. Our hope is that as a result of these conversations, participating grantmakers and grantseekers will:

• Recognize the power and privilege that they hold and the role that plays in the relationships with the other
• Engage in non-transactional conversations with the other
• Feel more confident in speaking more candidly with the other

These participatory sessions are free of charge and will be hosted on Zoom:

• Wednesday, June 30, 1-2:30 pm ET (10-11:30 am PT)
• Wednesday, July 7, 1-2:30 pm ET (10-11:30 am PT)
• Wednesday, July 21, 1-2:30 pm ET (10-11:30 am PT)

Please plan to attend all three sessions so you have ample time and space to build new relationships. Spaces are limited!

This is an open event, for both funders and nonprofits, under the auspices of GrantED, a joint project of JFN and UpStart designed to strengthen relationships between grantmakers and grantseekers in the Jewish community. Learn more about GrantED at Jgranted.org.

If you are a nonprofit/grantseeker, register here

If you are a funder/grantmaker, register here

7:00 - 8:30pm Israel / 12:00pm - 1:30pm ET / 9:00 - 10:30am PT

For many funders, the events of recent weeks have created a dilemma regarding the field of shared society, and have raised questions around possible action in the face of the recent extremism among Jewish and Arab populations. Join us for a peer conversation in which we examine and challenge the paradigms on which we have operated until now.

We will discuss how philanthropy can have a significant and effective impact by reducing existing gaps and challenges.

The meeting will be opened by JFN members who will share decisions they have made considering the current situation: have they chosen to maintain their philanthropy strategy? Have they chosen to adjust it?

Prof. Eran Halperin, Founder, and Co-Chair and Ron Gerlitz, Executive Director of the aChord Center* will present an overview of the recent crises from the perspective of social psychology; what is the current situation, what are the recovery processes, and what insights are relevant and can be used to create effective philanthropic work in the shared spheres.

We will facilitate small discussion groups with funders working in fields that are directly and indirectly affected by the crisis.

We will discuss insights that have emerged and how they can be applied to the giving strategy | What information is important for us to have for future decisions? | Which philanthropic models have proved to be effective even in times of crisis? | Are there new directions of giving that the crisis has highlighted for us?

* aChord Center was established in response to the field's need for practical knowledge and innovative tools to best deal with psychological barriers in intergroup relations. The Center has a unique ability to connect the latest research with real-world needs and activities.

12:00-1:45 pm (EST) / 9:00-10:45 am (PST) / 19:00-20:45 (Israel Time)

Funders Rabbi Adam Frank, Jonathan Inbar, and others speak with Tel Aviv Municipality Spokesperson Eitan Schwartz about their support for plant-based diets, how it intersects with other funding priorities, what motivates them to care about animal welfare, how food influences the environment and how we, as funders, can make change.

Special Bonus: Cooking lesson focused on family-friendly vegan meals.

The meetings will be held in Hebrew. We recommend taking part in all three sessions, to attain a comprehensive toolbox on this topic.

This three-part series, in collaboration with JDC-Elka, will allow participants to gain an understanding of regulatory, legal and financial aspects as well as enable a deeper conversation based on simulations, case studies and dilemmas from the field.

The second workshop will focus on up-to-date information on financial aspects of serving as a board member of an NGO and the related implications. The workshop will include simulations of interpreting NGO’s financial reports, from a board member’s perspective.

Speaker: Iris Stark, CPA, Founder and Executive Partner of Stark and Stark CPA, Lecturer at Tel Aviv University on Corporate Governance, Director’s Responsibility, and Internal Auditing in the Non-Profit Sector.

1-2 PM ET / 10-11am PT / 8-9pm Israel

12-1pm ET / 9-10am PT / 7-9pm Israel

This session is part of a National Affinity Group on Jewish Poverty webinar series addressing the challenges the coronavirus pandemic has created for Jews living in poverty and the agencies that serve them, while also highlighting the successful responses to these challenges.

In this session, we'll learn about how convening different people and stakeholders can create real change. Examples highlighted will include TOM - Tikkun Olam Makers, a global movement of communities that creates and disseminates affordable solutions to challenges faced by the elderly, people living with disabilities, and those experiencing poverty.

Speakers:

Gidi Grinstein
Founder and President
Reut Institute

More speakers to be confirmed

Moderator:

Susan Wolf Ditkoff
Senior Advisor
The Bridgespan Group

This three-part series **, in collaboration with JDC-Elka, will allow participants to gain an understanding of regulatory, legal, and financial issues as well as enable a deeper conversation based on simulations, case studies, and dilemmas from the field.

The first workshop will focus on the legal and regulatory aspects of serving as a board member of an NGO.

This session will provide valuable information, a space to learn through case studies, and an opportunity to share experiences and examine them.

Speaker: Adv. Yaron Keidar, Bogot & Keidar Advocates, specializing in consulting and legal advice to the nonprofit sector, former Head of Israel’s Corporations Authority in the Ministry of Justice.

*The meetings will be held in Hebrew and are intended for an Israeli audience*

**We recommend taking part in all three sessions, to attain a comprehensive toolbox on this topic.

Join us as we explore a self-assessment tool for grantmakers and grantseekers developed by Exponent Philanthropy and customized by GrantED for our network. During this program, you will have the opportunity to learn about the toolkit, take the self-assessment, and join in a conversation with others from the field about what makes a great grantmaker-grantseeker relationship. We will also hear from a grantmaker-grantseeker pair about how the self-assessment tool helped them to build trust, lean into discomfort, and develop a more equitable partnership.  

This is an open event, for both funders and nonprofits, under the auspices of GrantED, a joint project of JFN and UpStart designed to strengthen relationships between grantmakers and grantseekers. Learn more about GrantED at Jgranted.org.

You can download the self-assessment tool here. 

Speakers:

Brendan McCormick
Manager
Research and Education, Exponent Philanthropy 

Join us as we explore a self-assessment tool for grantmakers and grantseekers developed by Exponent Philanthropy and customized by GrantED for our network. During this program, you will have the opportunity to learn about the toolkit, take the self-assessment, and join in a conversation with others from the field about what makes a great grantmaker-grantseeker relationship. We will also hear from a grantmaker-grantseeker pair about how the self-assessment tool helped them to build trust, lean into discomfort, and develop a more equitable partnership.  

This is an open event, for both funders and nonprofits, under the auspices of GrantED, a joint project of JFN and UpStart designed to strengthen relationships between grantmakers and grantseekers. Learn more about GrantED at Jgranted.org.

You can download the self-assessment tool here. 

Speakers:

Brendan McCormick
Manager
Research and Education, Exponent Philanthropy 

Time: 12-1:30 pm ET/9-10:30 am PT/7-8:30 pm ISR

Impact investing is an increasingly important way for individuals, foundations, Federations, and nonprofits to powerfully expand their capacity for social and environmental change, all while providing a framework to live their values through how they spend and invest.

Join JFN’s growing community of impact investors for a lively and action-oriented monthly roundtable, each featuring a master class and two investment roundups, all led by JFN members and designed to encourage shared learning and shared action along our impact investing journeys.

Whether you are new to impact investing or a seasoned veteran, the roundtables will help you to build skills, deepen your collaborations and deal access, and add meaning to how you're managing your money.

Speakers:

Michael Lustig

Dalia Black
Principal
WEAVEIMPACT

Lee Barken
CPA, LEED-AP
Chief Community Officer, CollectiveSun

Moderator:

Vanessa Bartram
Managing Director
ZORA Ventures

12-1:30pm ET/9-10:30am PT/7-8:30pm Israel

At this Grantmaking Professionals Virtual Meetup, we will discuss nonprofit mergers and acquisitions as part of our series on conflict. Mergers have long been a feature of the Jewish communal landscape, but have become an even more significant topic of conversation since the start of the pandemic. Mergers and acquisitions offer an ideal case study of conflict, since they are frequently difficult and contentious, but often necessary and unavoidable. Grantmaking professionals often have an important role to play in catalyzing and supporting them. At this session we will invite grantmaking professionals who have been involved in mergers or acquisitions to share their experiences navigating conflicts, with an eye towards how colleagues can help their nonprofit partners lean into healthy conflicts without falling into unproductive strife. As always we will have plenty of time for small group discussion and fellowship.

Speakers:

Karyn Cohen
Director, Jewish Life and Israel
One8 Foundation

Joshua Donner
Executive Director
David S. and Karen A. Shapira Foundation

Bram Bregman
President
Newfoundout Family Office

Facilitators:

Mike Berkowitz
Co-Founder & Principal
Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies, LLC

Tamar Frydman
Director, Peer Programs
Jewish Funders Network

12-1pm ET / 9-10am PT / 7-9pm Israel

Join the National Affinity Group on Jewish Poverty for a conversation with Becka Alper, Alan Cooperman, and Laurence Kotler-Berkowitz, PhD as they take a deep dive into the data on the economics and well-being of U.S. Jews from the Pew Center’s 2020 survey of Jewish Americans that was released on May 11. Learn about how these trends and changes might impact service delivery and funding needs moving forward. This will be the first webinar focusing specifically on the Pew Center's 2020 survey as it relates to Jewish poverty. 

Speakers:

Becka A. Alper
Senior Researcher
Pew Research Center

Alan Cooperman
Director, Religion Research
Pew Research Center

Laurence Kotler-Berkowitz, PhD
Senior Director, Research and Analysis Director, Berman Jewish DataBank
Jewish Federations of North America

Moderator:

Susan Wolf Ditkoff
Senior Advisor
The Bridgespan Group

12-1pm ET/ 9-10am PT/ 7-8pm Israel

Join us for an interactive discussion between two grantmaker/grantseeker pairs as they reflect on the ways that the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted their relationships. We will discuss how grantmakers' philanthropic practices have changed — from the start of the pandemic to the current day — and what’s to come. In particular, we'll focus on what lessons we've learned in the past year and what practices instituted as a result of Covid we may want to make permanent.

This is an open event, for both funders and nonprofits, under the auspices of GrantED, a joint project of JFN and UpStart designed to strengthen relationships between grantmakers and grantseekers. Learn more about GrantED at Jgranted.org.

You can hear more from these pairs by checking out their conversations on Jgranted.org. Joni and Ilana's conversation is in the Relationship Building section, and Ayalon and Jon's is in the Power Dynamics section.

Speakers

Joni Blinderman
Associate Director
Covenant Foundation

Ilana Ruskay-Kidd
Founder and Head of School
The Shefa School

Ayalon Eliach
Senior Advisor
Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah 

Jon Adam Ross
Founding Artist
The InHEIRitance Project

Moderator

Jonathan Horowitz
Director of National and Democracy Initiatives
The Klarman Family Foundation

Food Funders Program Series

The last year has amplified numerous inequities, from massive health disparities and economic inequality to racial injustices. The broken food system is a thread that runs through all these crises.

This three-part series brings together creative speakers and special events for JFN funders engaged in harnessing the full potential of food to nourish and transform our communities.

Transformative Change: An Afternoon with World Central Kitchen's Chef Grace Ramirez (Online)
Wednesday, May 26, 1-2 pm ET/10-11 am PT/ 8-9 pm Israel

This program reflects on how individuals can create large-scale change and shows how multiple stakeholders and sectors are necessary to change systems.

Founded by Chef José Andrés and a team of world-class chefs, World Central Kitchen (WCK) believes the future of nations depends on how they feed themselves. In 2020 alone WCK mobilized in communities around the world to meet the daily needs of families in need of a hot meal and supported thousands of local restaurants in the process. The team responded to natural and manmade disasters in countries on five continents, from massive bushfires in Australia to a deadly explosion in Lebanon, to devastating hurricanes in Central America. Team members' fight to feed hungry people has taken them to more places than they ever expected.

Hear the remarkable story of the creative culinary masterminds behind this work: Chef Grace Ramirez, whose journey has led her to the nexus of cooking, food systems, and social change, and CEO Nate Mook. In conversation, they will reflect on their unique journeys from the kitchens to the frontlines and share strategies for creating both small and large-scale change in our communities. Moderated by Mitchell Davis, Chief Strategy Officer of the James Beard Foundation.

Future Events in This Series

Food Funder Peer Roundtable (Online) 
Wednesday, June 30, 12–1 pm ET/9–10 am PT/ 7–8 pm Israel

Join around the Zoom kitchen table to learn how we’ve addressed food systems during the time of Covid-19 and candidly share what’s worked and what hasn’t.

Pre-Festival Food and Farming (in Israel)
Monday, October 25

A day of food, farms, and fun in-person as part of JFN’s Israel Ideas Festival, a live event that brings together funders for three days of engagement and learning in Israel.

This is the sixth installment of "Coffee with...," a series designed to provide a unique opportunity for JFN West members to engage in small-group conversation with and among JFN leaders and members. 

Maya Natan is Executive Director of JFN Israel and CEO of Keshet DAF-IL, Israel's first donor-advised fund.

JFN Israel, established in 2008, brings together Israeli funders — who make up one-quarter of JFN's total membership — to exchange ideas about their philanthropic involvement and expand their giving circles.

JFN Israel’s staff offers consulting and expertise to all JFN members – regardless of nationality – who are interested in funding in Israel. All JFN members get one free session of Israel advisory services.

Through Keshet DAF-IL, Israelis and others interested in funding in Israel can open donor-advised funds, an easy and cost-effective alternative to starting a private foundation. Keshet also provides various services to American foundations funding in Israel.

What can we learn from new philanthropic models for social change that emerged during Covid?

During the global Covid health crisis we saw new philanthropic models emerge reflecting the agility, creativity, and dire needs that philanthropy has come to address.

Please join us as we will focus on two models where philanthropy stepped in beyond its traditional roles to provide direct support and funding for small businesses and for the arts and culture community.

The first model is led by Inbar Shashua Bar-Nir and Adi Atun from WE19, which is part of the Shashua Family's “House for Social Solidarity” initiative. They will illustrate how WE19 gave hope to small businesses amid the Covid-19 outbreak. WE19 provided financial grants that helped entrepreneurs to expand their business, without financial strain.

The second model, led by Nachman Rosenberg, CEO of Nacht Philanthropic Ventures, will demonstrate the lessons learned while supporting industry professionals in the Israeli arts and culture field, directly benefiting 700 musicians, lighting professionals, sound technicians, and production workers, through generous stipends.

*The event will be held in Hebrew

Jewish Americans in 2020: Cultural Engagement, Diversity, Politics, and Antisemitism

Jewish Funders Network and The Harold Grinspoon Foundation invite you to join an exclusive conversation with Becka Alper and Alan Cooperman about findings from the Pew Center’s 2020 survey of Jewish Americans (to be released May 11, 2021). We will unpack the Jewish American experience by examining religious beliefs and practices, cultural engagement, diversity, views of Jewish identity, and experiences with antisemitism among Jewish Americans. With introductory remarks by Winnie Sandler Grinspoon, President of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.

The new survey is Pew Research Center’s second major nationwide study of U.S. Jews. The first, A Portrait of Jewish Americans, came out in 2013.

Please note that JFN is also offering a webinar focused on the Pew Report's implications for addressing Jewish poverty on June 17.

Speakers:

Becka A. Alper
Senior Researcher
Pew Research Center

Alan Cooperman
Director, Religion Research
Pew Research Center

12:00-1:45 pm (EST)/ 9:00-10:45 am (PST)/ 19:00-20:45 (Israel Time)

Tel Aviv Municipality Spokesperson Eitan Schwartz will talk about the popularity of veganism in Tel Aviv.

Funders Rabbi Adam Frank, Jonathan Inbar, and others will speak about their philanthropic work in the field, how it intersects with other funding priorities, what motivates them to care about animal welfare, how food influences the environment, and how we, as funders, can influence change.

Special bonus: A cooking lesson with tips for creating a vegan-friendly Shavuot.

12-1:30pm ET/ 9-10:30am PT/7-8:30pm Israel

The next few JFN Grantmaking Professionals Monthly Online Convenings will explore the topic of conflict. We live in a time of pervasive political, social, and cultural conflict. While this conflict affects many sectors, it is particularly taxing for civil society, which plays a traditional role in strengthening associational bonds. Yet not all conflict is bad, and sometimes it is necessary to address festering problems. How should grantmaking professionals think about societal and communal conflict from our unique vantage points? What can we do to navigate the (sometimes necessary) conflict in the Jewish communal world, within our grantee portfolios, and within our own institutions? And what skills, tools, and techniques will better equip us for this conflictual moment?

At this session, we will be joined by Tim Phillips, founder and CEO of Beyond Conflict, for a conversation about the nature of contemporary conflict. We will consider our own views about, and roles in, conflict and begin to consider how we might better navigate these treacherous waters. As always we will have plenty of time for small group discussion and fellowship.

Speaker:

Tim Phillips
Founder and CEO
Beyond Conflict

Facilitators:

Mike Berkowitz
Co-Founder & Principal
Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies, LLC

Tamar Frydman
Director, Peer Programs
Jewish Funders Network

Time: 12-1:30 pm ET/9-10:30 am PT/7-8:30 pm ISR

Impact investing is an increasingly important way for individuals, foundations, Federations, and nonprofits to powerfully expand their capacity for social and environmental change, all while providing a framework to live their values through how they spend and invest.

Join JFN’s growing community of impact investors for a lively and action-oriented monthly roundtable, each featuring a master class and two investment roundups, all led by JFN members and designed to encourage shared learning and shared action along our impact investing journeys.

Whether you are new to impact investing or a seasoned veteran, the roundtables will help you to build skills, deepen your collaborations and deal access, and add meaning to how you're managing your money.

Speakers:

Linda-Eling Lee
Global Head of ESG Research
MSCI Inc.

Astorre Modena
General Partner
Terra Venture Partners

Douglas Bitonti Stewart
Executive Director
Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation

Moderator:

Vanessa Bartram
Managing Director
ZORA Ventures

To celebrate Shavuot, JFN convenes leading thinkers and legal activists to examine the intersection of law and philanthropy. Over the course of 90 minutes, we’ll hear from Suzanne Last Stone on the Jewish understanding of law and its role in society; Amy Spitalnick on the use of civil litigation to hold accountable — and bankrupt and dismantle — violent extremists; and Ken Marcus on the use of law and public policy to combat the resurgence of antisemitism in American higher education.

Speakers:

Suzanne Last Stone
University Professor of Jewish Law and Contemporary Civilization
Yeshiva University

Amy Spitalnick
Executive Director
Integrity First for America (a civil rights nonprofit that is backing the plaintiffs in a landmark federal lawsuit against the neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and hate groups responsible for the Charlottesville violence).

Ken Marcus
Founder and Chair, Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law
Former Assistant, U.S. Secretary of Education for Civil Rights

Post corona- back to normal or moving forward?

After a year of intense Zooming , we are thrilled to be Off our screens and being together in person at JFN IL's Young Funders Forum event.

Let's get together and share how we survived/thrived this past year and discuss how reality has challenged us both personally and philanthropically.

11a Pacific/2p Eastern/9p Israel

Note: This is not a JFN event, but we are sharing it on behalf of the Leichtag Foundation, a JFN member.

On Thursday night, Israel experienced one of its worst tragedies ever during the joyous Lag B’omer celebration at Mt. Meron. Besides the 45 people who lost their lives, hundreds more remain hospitalized with critical injuries. One in three adult Ultra Orthodox Charedim were at Mt. Meron, leaving few families untouched by grief. The impacts of this trauma will be long-lasting.

Hear directly from the Ultra Orthodox Charedi civil society leaders and entrepreneurs who mobilized an immediate response to support their deeply affected community in the aftermath of the devastating incident at Mt. Meron in Israel last week. Speakers are Ultra Orthodox Charedi members of the Jerusalem Model, trusted changemaking partners of Leichtag Foundation. These influential leaders are addressing their community's needs 24/6, and will share up-to-the-minute information about the local situation, elements of the tragedy, and community-centric opportunities for support.

Register here>>

1-2pm ET/ 10-11am PT/8-9pm Israel

Join Philanthropy Roundtable’s President and CEO Elise Westhoff in this livestream discussion, as she discusses the concerns raised by initiatives such as the Arnold-Madoff proposal that would impose new regulations on private foundations and donor-advised funds and could greatly impact the philanthropic sector. Elise will be joined by Howard Husock, Senior Executive Fellow, Philanthropy Roundtable, and Sandra Swirski, the Executive Director for the Alliance for Charitable Reform, as they analyze these new developments.

Speakers:

Elise Westhoff
President and CEO
Philanthropy Roundtable

Howard Husock
Senior Executive Fellow
Philanthropy Roundtable

Sandra Swirski
Executive Director
The Alliance for Charitable Reform

More speakers to be confirmed

*Note: This event is also being offered on Wednesday, April 21, from 1:30-2:30 pm ET/10:30-11:30 am PT/8:30-9:30 pm IL

Welcome to the JFN family!  

At this special session, led by JFN Board Chair Marcia Riklis and JFN Vice President of Philanthropic Engagement Ari Rudolph, you'll learn how to get the most out of your membership and will have an opportunity to meet other members. We will cover a variety of topics, including membership benefits, how to use our website, and much more!

All JFN members, new and old, are welcome!

The Abraham Accords have changed the Jewish map, opening up a new center of gravity for Jewish life in what some would consider the most unlikely place: the Arabian Peninsula. What are the emergent cultural trends, budding Jewish institutions, and unique historic opportunities to be leveraged? How can philanthropy operate in this new ecosystem for global Jewish activity? What principles ought to be applied to partnerships with local entities? Join moderator Carly Maisel, Global CEO of Kirsh Philanthropies, in a discussion with, Mr. Ross Kriel, Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, and Michal Michelle Divon.

Moderator:

Carly Maisel
Global CEO
Kirsh Philanthropies

Speakers:

Ross Kriel
President, Jewish Council of the Emirates
President, "Gates to the East" congregation, the only licensed synagogue in Dubai

Rabbi Yehuda Sarna
Chief Rabbi, Jewish Council of the Emirates
Honorary Chairman, Association of Gulf Jewish Communities
University Chaplain, NYU
Executive Director, Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life at NYU

Michal Michelle Divon
Senior Editor and Producer
Khaleej Times

*The session will be held in English   

Over the last few months and as a result of the pandemic, we have witnessed some significant collaborations take shape within the philanthropic community. We believe there is great importance in sharing, learning and highlighting these initiatives among our network. 

One recent example of this is the "Ray of Light" Initiative - A philanthropic partnership seeking to support the development and implementation of short- and medium-term responses to the social, economic, and mental-health fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, as Israel begins to exit the acute health-crisis phase. 

Join us for this session with the six foundations who partnered on this initiative and are jointly managing this investment as a single entity: The Russell Berrie Foundation, Crown Family Philanthropies, The William Davidson Foundation, the Klarman Family Foundation, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, and Yad Hanadiv.
  
We will hear about the process that led to this collaboration. What was the strategy and which criteria for support did the foundations choose and why?
What critical fields arose during the mapping process; and why, at this present point in time, does philanthropy have a key role to play in the fields that the mapping identified? 

This is the fifth installment of "Coffee with...," a series designed to provide a unique opportunity for JFN West members to engage in small-group conversation with and among JFN leaders and members. 

Winnie Sandler Grinspoon, an officer on the JFN Board, is president of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, the creator of PJ Library®, a program that shares Jewish tradition, culture, and values with more than 675,000 children and their families in multiple countries through monthly gifts of children’s books and resources. The foundation also works to enhance the Jewish community through its JCamp180™ initiative to support summer camp with an emphasis on fundraising, strategic planning and board development, and its Life & Legacy™ program, which works across North America to build endowments through legacy giving. 

The Grinspoon Foundation and Life & Legacy were recently recognized with JFN's Shapiro Prize for Philanthropic Collaboration. Under Winnie's leadership, the foundation has launched All Together Now, a matching grant program that has raised more than $16 million for Jewish summer camps in the past year.

Prior to her full-time work in philanthropy, Winnie practiced law in New York and in Boston. She lives in Weston, Mass. You can learn more about her in this recent eJewish Philanthropy article.

12-1pm ET/9-10am PT/7-8pm Israel

The National Affinity Group on Jewish Poverty will resume its bi-monthly webinar series. The series addresses the challenges the coronavirus pandemic has created for Jews living in poverty and the agencies that serve them, while also highlighting the successful responses to these challenges.

Future sessions will occur every other Thursday. Save the following dates (all Thursdays, from 12-1 pm ET) for the next four sessions: May 6, May 20, June 3, and June 17. More dates will be announced soon.

In this session, we'll focus on landscape analysis.

Speakers: 

Susan Wolf Ditkoff
Senior Advisor
The Bridgespan Group

*Note: This event is also being offered on Tuesday, April 27, from 12-1 pm ET/9-10 am PT/7-8 pm IL

Welcome to the JFN family!  

At this special session, led by JFN Board Chair Marcia Riklis and JFN Vice President of Philanthropic Engagement Ari Rudolph, you'll learn how to get the most out of your JFN membership and will have an opportunity to meet other members. We will cover a variety of topics, including membership benefits, how to use our website, and much more! 

All JFN members, new and old, are welcome!

At this Grantmaking Professionals Online Convening, we will be discussing the values that motivate our philanthropic practice and how to prioritize them. We will also examine the interplay between our personal values and those of our institutions, as well as the ways in which these values can sometimes be obscured to our grantees, our partners, and even ourselves. As always we will have plenty of time for small group discussion and fellowship.

Facilitators:

Mike Berkowitz
Co-Founder & Principal
Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies, LLC

Tamar Frydman
Director, Peer Programs
Jewish Funders Network

Time: 12-1pm ET / 9-10am PT / 7-8pm Israel

The Covid pandemic presented significant challenges to teen engagement across the US. Teen engagement organizations rose to the occasion, coming up with innovative solutions in response to these challenges. It is clear that connecting, engaging, and experiencing Jewish life online will continue to be a pivotal part of teen engagement moving forward.

Hear from three incredible organizations who will share their expertise and learnings on online teen engagement. They will also share their perspectives on how technology and virtual spaces will continue to shape the landscape in the post-Covid world.

Speakers:

Sara Allen
Executive Director
Jewish Teen Education & Engagement Funder Collaborative

Wayne K Green
Executive Director
Honeycomb (formerly known as Jewish Teen Funders Network) 

Seth Merrin 
Managing Member, Merrin Investors 
Board Member, Lost Tribe Esports 

Jeffrey M. Solomon
Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Cowen
Chair of the Board, Lost Tribe Esports

Time: 12-1pm ET/ 9-10am PT/ 7-8pm Israel

Please join us for a conversation between Jewish Theological Seminary Professor Jack Wertheimer and Deena Fuchs about "Grantees and Their Funders," Jack's report on what professionals at Jewish nonprofits experience while working with funders.

During this session you will also have an opportunity to learn about GrantED: Stronger Relationships, Greater Impact, a joint project of JFN and UpStart launched on March 15. GrantED is a direct response to the findings and recommendations in "Grantees and Their Funders." In addition to organizing programs and facilitated conversations, GrantED offers a wide range of tools, articles, case studies, and other resources on its website (www.jgranted.org).

Speakers:

Jack Wertheimer
Joseph and Martha Mendelson Professor of American Jewish History
Jewish Theological Seminary of America

Deena Fuchs (former Executive Vice President of JFN)
Executive Director
Micah Philanthropies

Time: 12-1:30 pm ET/9-10:30 am PT/7-8:30 pm ISR

In celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, all of the presentations this month will be by JFN members who live in Israel and who are focused on investments in Israel. 

We will have the opportunity to hear from Elah Alkalay, Yoel Cheshin, and Brian Friedman. After the presentation the meeting will be open for an additional 30 minutes for networking and discussing current investments.

Speakers:

Elah Alkalay
Chair of the board
I.B.I Mutual Funds & VP Business Development
New Era

Yoel Cheshin
Chair 
2B Angels Community

Brian Friedman
Founder
Israel Investment Advisors 

Moderator: 

Vanessa Bartram
Managing Director
ZORA Ventures

A few months ago, private funders and philanthropic foundations collaborated in order to examine what could be learned from the Covid-19 pandemic with regard to the educational gaps in Arab society and what possibilities were available to philanthropy for reducing these gaps. Through the Deloitte consulting company, a research study was conducted, and the interesting findings of the mapping will be revealed for the first time in this special meeting for donors and foundations' professionals.

The foundations that initiated the mapping will discuss the activity that preceded it during the course of the past year and why they required such a research study in order to plan their future steps in an effective and strategic manner.  We will discuss the motivations and needs that led to the mapping, the potential partners with whom we can promote collaborations, and what steps can be taken to enable a significant educational – pedagogical quantum leap in Israel’s Arab society. We will hear about the mapping process and its findings at length from Idan Yurman, a partner and head of the public sector at Deloitte. The last part of the session will be dedicated to Q&A and to a funders' conversation with those who wish to learn about and delve into this subject.

* The project, which was conducted with the assistance of Deloitte, included a comprehensive study based on a range of information sources from Israel and abroad, identifying best practices, extensive engagement of the public, including more than 30 interviews, three roundtables with the participation of education personnel, parents and learning experts, as well as a digital questionnaire with more than 750 respondents from all segments of Arab society.

* The mapping was led and supported by Mubdarat - the philanthropic office of Adina Shapiro, Ibrahim Nassasra, the Crown Foundation, the Dan David Foundation and additional foundations.

Join CANVAS, the Jewish arts and culture funding collaborative incubated at JFN, as we celebrate and honor the opening of "Dwelling in a Time of Plagues." The program will feature short talks by the following participating artists and authors: Julie Weitz, Tal Beery, Olivia Guterson, Mike Wirth, Hillel Smith, Maya Ciarrocchi, Bareket Kezwer, Rebecca Soffer, Moriel Rothman-Zecher, and Sarah Blake.

"Dwelling in a Time of Plagues" is a Jewish creative response to real-world plagues of our time. Collectively, the commissions in this constellation of art projects around North America grapple with contemporary crises: the global pandemic, institutional racism, xenophobia, ageism, forced isolation, and the climate crisis.

RSVP here.

Download a free exhibition brochure featuring original art and writings from "Dwelling in a Time of Plagues."

With a growing international footprint and new intensive trainings, resources, and consulting services, the Jewish Teen Funders Network is about to rebrand as Honeycomb, focusing on helping educators and community leaders run immersive Jewish philanthropy experiences and programs and other meaningful grantmaking activities for youth and families.

The name “Honeycomb” represents the interlocking elements of group philanthropy experiences and the richness—both in impact and in meaning—that comes from those experiences. Honey itself also carries special symbolism in Jewish traditions and stories, most notably when consumed on Rosh Hashanah. As part of the rebrand, Honeycomb has unveiled new programs, immersive trainings, curriculum development, and consultations available for educators and professionals who run youth philanthropy programs in a variety of settings—Federations, schools, synagogues, community centers, foundations, camps and elsewhere. Honeycomb will also support and offer expertise to families on how to engage their youth in their giving.

Get a sneak peek at the new website and learn more about Honeycomb's services for JFN members at this special, invitation-only briefing with Honeycomb Executive Director Wayne Green and JFN President and CEO Andrés Spokoiny.

12-1:15pm ET/ 9-10:15am PT/19:00-20:15 Israel

While Israel has long been a central component of Jewish education worldwide, Israeli Jews haven't always been encouraged to learn about their Jewish brothers and sisters in the Diaspora.

The need for peoplehood education and initiatives that build mutual understanding between the Jewish communities in and outside of Israel, is more and more apparent.

Many have already responded to this issue in the form of philanthropic investments, initiatives, and organizations. The need to invest in this field is also felt strongly by the Israeli government, which has allocated resources and budgets to this issue and seeks to consult with diaspora partners. The pioneers in this field have planted strong roots, and the impact of their activities is already being felt. 

This roundtable conversation will bring together funders already active in peoplehood education in Israel with others who are interested in the field, to share their work and vision for the future. 

The conversation will be hosted by JFN in conjunction with Israel's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs.

Speakers

Mark Charendoff, President
The Maimonides Fund

Miriam Peretz, Educator
Winner of the 2018 Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement

Join the Green Funders' Forum for an update on one of the worst ecological disasters in the history of Israel -- the unprecedented oil spill affecting Israel's entire coast line. 

We will receive an up-to-date picture of the scale of the disastrous oil spill and the immediate actions being taken to save the marine environment and to mitigate the health risks to Israeli residents.   Moreover, we will hear what steps the State of Israel needs to take to prevent further ecological disasters now and in the future.   The presenters will be representatives of Israel's environmental NGOs who have mobilized to deal with this catastrophe.  

Background:   An oil transport ship spilled thousands of tons of oil about 50 km off the coast of Israel last week.   Israel's entire shoreline is filled with tar, oil and waste;  thousands of marine animals are dead or in critical condition; dozens of people have been injured and the drinking water from desalination plants is in danger of contamination.   And, the consequences are accumulating. The public has mobilized en masse - thousands of volunteers are cleaning the beaches at the risk of their health;  local municipalities and governmental authorities are overburdened responding to this unprecedented situation.      

At the same time, the Israeli government is about to make fateful decisions that affect our future and further endanger the residents of Israel and the Mediterranean, including: oil and gas drilling in the Mediterranean and the transport of oil from the UAE via a massive oil pipeline from the Gulf of Eilat to Ashkelon and Ashdod.   

We urge you to join us for this emergency meeting to hear from the environmental NGOs on the ground and to understand the actions we can take personally and as a philanthropic community.

Speakers: 
Dr. Ruthy Yahel, Chief Marine Ecologist at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority
Eran Ben-Yemini, Executive Director of Life and Environment - umbrella organization for the environmental movement 
Nir Papai, Deputy CEO of Nature Protection at the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel  
Arik Rosenblum, Executive Director of EcoOcean

What is the structure of the Israeli education system? What are the sources of funding? How does the Israeli education system rank in comparison to other OECD countries?

Join us as Prof. Dan Ben-David, President of the Shoresh Institution provides answers to these and other questions as we look to address the challenges and opportunities within the system. Together we will learn about the role of philanthropy in funding education in Israel and hear from Danna Azrieli of the Azrieli Foundation on their models of interventions, lessons learned, and how they are moving the needle in closing the gaps in Israeli society through education.

For North American funders wishing to help improve the situation, this session provides a road map to Israel's complex educational system.

Speakers:

Dan Ben-David
President
Shoresh Institution

Danna Azrieli
Co-Chair
Azrieli Foundation in Israel

About the Shoresh Institution:

Shoresh is an independent socioeconomic policy research institution whose sole raison d’être is to identify the source, nature and scope of Israel’s internal root (shoresh) existential challenges. The Shoresh Institution provides evidence-based analyses – essential for strategic perspectives and transformative policies at the national level – to Israel’s leading policymakers and the general public to assist in moving the country towards a sustainable long-term trajectory that raises Israel’s living standards while reducing disparity among its citizens.

This is the fourth installment of "Coffee with...," a new series designed to provide a unique opportunity for JFN West members to engage in small group conversation with and among JFN leaders and members. 

Wayne Green is Executive Director of the Jewish Teen Funders Network (JTFN). JTFN is the leading resource for Jewish youth philanthropy working with educators, professionals, and lay leaders to deliver Jewish teen philanthropy programs at synagogues, Federations, summer camps, JCCs, and more. JTFN also promotes philanthropy and collective giving as forms of experiential education for Jewish teens.

JTFN works with parents, families and foundations to engage young members of their family to be active participants in their strategic grantmaking and philanthropy. This “Coffee with Wayne Green” will provide the opportunity to explore multi-generational giving and bringing your Jewish family values together to make an impact in the world today.

12-1pm ET/9-10am PT/7-8pm Israel

This is the fourth in a new National Affinity Group on Jewish Poverty webinar series, "Key Success Factors in Addressing Jewish Poverty" in which we will highlight specific case studies and bright spots from throughout North America, with a particular focus on meeting the enormous challenges posed by the Covid pandemic and its economic effects.

Future sessions will explore such issues as measurement and evaluation, virtual program delivery, and convening for impact. Save the following date (all Thursdays, from 12-1 pm ET) for the next session: March 4. More dates will be announced soon.

In this session, we'll focus on landscape analysis.

Speakers:

Susan Wolf Ditkoff
Senior Advisor
The Bridgespan Group

More to be confirmed

1-2 pm ET/10-11 am PT/8-9 pm Israel

This is the third in a three-part series on Remote Learning and Engagement. 

Since March 2020, there have been very few educational interventions and initiatives that have not had to pivot to the virtual delivery of services and programs. While some institutions have expanded already existing capacities, others have had to radically reimagine their educational practices and business models. In some cases, this has uncovered ways of reaching never-previously-imagined audiences.

This three-part series explores funder considerations and expectations when supporting such adaptations, program provider aspirations, and research data about what has transpired.

In this session on Jewish education, we explore how day schools have been especially nimble in adapting to the provision of schooling from home and we share findings from an international study on how students have experienced this change.

Speakers:

Rachel Mohl Abrahams
Senior Advisor for Education Grants and Programs
Mayberg Foundation

Marc Wolf
Vice President, Program Strategy and Impact
Prizmah, Center for Jewish Day Schools

Alex Pomson
Principal and Managing Director
Rosov Consulting

Time: 12-1pm ET/9-10am PT/7-8pm ISR

Impact investing is an increasingly important way for individuals, foundations, federations and non-profits to powerfully expand their capacity for social and environmental change, all while providing a framework to live their values through how they spend and invest.

Join JFN’s growing community of impact investors for a lively and action-oriented monthly roundtable, each featuring a master class and two investment roundups, all led by JFN members and designed to encourage shared learning and shared action along our impact investing journeys.

Whether you are new to impact investing or a seasoned veteran, the roundtables will help you to build skills, deepen your collaborations and deal access, and add meaning to how you're managing your money.

Speakers:

Vanessa Bartram
Managing Director
ZORA Ventures
Presenting: Pursuing the SDGs: Lessons in the Hunt for Global Impact

Ofir Azury
Eleos
Presenting: Powering the Future of Behavioral Care

Jaynie Schultz
Elah Fund
Presenting: Growth capital impacting investing in exceptional Israeli companies

We are excited to invite you to a JFN IL’s Young Funders Forum event dedicated to our community!

We will make time to catch up in small breakout rooms, meet new members and celebrate some changes.

And important none the less: We will raise a toast for a better 2021, so please come with your favorite bottle of wine.

Please join us for a monthly virtual convening for grantmaking professionals. This event takes place on the second Wednesday of every month.

At this month’s Grantmaking Professionals Online Convening we will be exploring everyone’s favorite topic: fundraising! How do professional grantmakers navigate the various ways in which our roles intersect with fundraising? And what can we learn from the discipline of fundraising about the practice of philanthropy? As always we will have plenty of time for small group discussion and fellowship.

Facilitators:

Deena Fuchs
Executive Vice President
Jewish Funders Network

Tamar Frydman
Director, Peer Programs
Jewish Funders Network

Mike Berkowitz
Co-Founder & Principal
Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies, LLC

12-1pm ET/ 9-10am PT/ 7-8pm Israel

As COVID-19 continues to take Israeli lives and ravage its economy, seemingly immune to Israel’s impressive vaccination campaign, Yohanan Plesner, President of the Israel Democracy Institute, and Professor Karnit Flug, Vice President, Research and William Davidson Senior Fellow for Economic Policy at IDI, will discuss the stakes and possible outcomes of Israel’s fourth election in less than two years.

Speakers:

Yohanan Plesner
President
Israel Democracy Institute

Prof. Karnit Flug
Vice President of Research and the William Davidson Senior Fellow for Economic Policy
Israel Democracy Institute

Moderator:

Dr. Jesse Ferris
Vice President of Strategy
Israel Democracy Institute

12-1pm ET/ 9-10am PT/ 7-8pm Israel

As Covid-19 continues to take Israeli lives and ravage its economy, seemingly immune to Israel’s impressive vaccination campaign, Yohanan Plesner, President of the Israel Democracy Institute, and Professor Karnit Flug, Vice President, Research and William Davidson Senior Fellow for Economic Policy at IDI, will discuss the stakes and possible outcomes of Israel’s fourth election in less than two years.

Speakers: 

Yohanan Plesner
President
Israel Democracy Institute

Prof. Karnit Flug
Vice President of Research and the William Davidson Senior Fellow for Economic Policy
Israel Democracy Institute

Moderator:

Dr. Jesse Ferris
Vice President of Strategy
Israel Democracy Institute

12-1pm ET/9-10am PT/7-8pm Israel

This is the third in a new National Affinity Group on Jewish Poverty webinar series, "Key Success Factors in Addressing Jewish Poverty" in which we will highlight specific case studies and bright spots from throughout North America, with a particular focus on meeting the enormous challenges posed by the Covid pandemic and its economic effects.

Future sessions will explore such issues as measurement and evaluation, virtual program delivery, and convening for impact. Save the following dates (all Thursdays, from 12-1 pm ET) for the next two sessions: February 18, March 4. More dates will be announced soon.

In this session, we'll focus on engaging people with lived experiences.

Speakers: 

Idit Klein
President & CEO
Keshet: For LGBTQ equality in Jewish life

Lani Santo
CEO
Footsteps

Yavilah McCoy
CEO and Executive Director
DIMENSIONS

Moderator: 

Susan Wolf Ditkoff
Senior Advisor
The Bridgespan Group

1-2 pm ET/10 -11 am PT/8-9 pm Israel

This is the second in a three-part series on Remote Learning and Engagement. The next session will address Jewish educational experiences (February 17, 1-2 pm ET).

Since March 2020, there have been very few educational interventions and initiatives that have not had to pivot to the virtual delivery of services and programs. While some institutions have expanded already existing capacities, others have had to radically reimagine their educational practices and business models. In some cases, this has uncovered ways of reaching never-previously-imagined audiences.

This three-part series will explore funder considerations and expectations when supporting such adaptations, program provider aspirations, and research data about what has transpired.

In this session on Israel experiences, we focus on the pivot taken by Onward Israel this past summer, offering more than 500 remote internship experiences in Israel

Speakers:

Ilan Wagner
President and CEO
Onward Israel

Josh Donner
Executive Director
David S. and Karen A. Shapira Foundation

Nettie Aharon
Senior Project Associate
Rosov Consulting

Welcome to the JFN family!  

At this special session, led by JFN Board Chair Marcia Riklis and JFN Vice President of Philanthropic Engagement Ari Rudolph, you'll learn how to get the most out of your membership and will have an opportunity to meet other new members. We will cover a variety of topics, including membership benefits, how to use our website, and much more!

*The meeting will be held in Hebrew

As we continue the dialogue with JFN members on resilience, we invite you to join us for a conversation with Dr. Nava Levit-Binnun, director of the Sagol Center for Brain and Mind, and the founding director of the Muda Institute for Mindfulness, Science and Society at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya.

Dr. Levit-Binnun will impart her professional and personal experience, the neuroscientific research about mindfulness and its implementation in various aspects of the Israeli social sector.  We will invite members to share their own tools for cultivating resilience in times of crisis and practice together as set our intentions for 2021 and the constant changing reality.

19:00 - 21:00 Israel Time / 12:00-2:00 pm EST / 9:00AM-11:00 AM PST

Climate change is expected to have an unprecedented impact on life as we know it. Future generations in Israel and the world are likely to suffer from dire consequences if no action is taken.

Join JFN's Green Funders Forum for a live inspirational conversation with the most passionate and persistent Arab and Jewish youth leaders working to save Israel from the impact of climate change. 

The event is for the philanthropic community. If you are a funder or a foundation professional, please request a seat and our host will approve your registration. You can RSVP by emailing Sigal Yaniv Feller: [email protected]

Following the conversation, we will hold an interactive discussion and explore our role as a philanthropic community and as human beings in fighting climate change.

The Green Funders Forum operates under the auspices of Jewish Funders Network and aims to educate funders on the importance of environmental protection and on meaningful strategies to influence the environment.

Hosts:

Marla Stein
Co-Chair
Green Funders Forum
Stein Family Fund

Sigal Yaniv Feller
Deputy Director and Senior Director of Advisory Services
JFN Israel

Presenters:

Hila Lernau
Researcher on youth activism on Israeli climate change at Tel Aviv University’s Porter School of Environmental Studies. Member of Teachers for Climate. 

Luna Abu Yunis, Youth for Climate
Climate activist, peacebuilder, and science enthusiast, from the Arab city of Sakhnin in northern Israel, she is one of the leaders of the students’ climate strikes in Israel.

Odelya Robbins Morgenstern, Youth for Nature in Jerusalem Hills
An eleventh grader at Adam High School in Jerusalem. Odelya is a youth movement counselor who plays music and creates art in her free time

Michael Backlund
Director of Global Community at Climate Science. Michael is an Israeli youth activist who is focused on climate education, solutions and justice.

Yoni Neter
Year of service volunteer in the Israeli scouts, one of the leaders of the sustainability process in the scouts will share his work with youth movements leading sustainability for future generations.

Welcome to the JFN family!  

At this special session, led by JFN Board Chair Marcia Riklis andJFN Vice President of Philanthropic Engagement Ari Rudolph, you'll learn how to get the most out of your membership and will have an opportunity to meet other new members. We will cover a variety of topics, including membership benefits, how to use our website, and much more!

 12-1 pm ET/ 9-10 am PT / 7-8 pm Israel

This is the second in a new National Affinity Group on Jewish Poverty webinar series, "Key Success Factors in Addressing Jewish Poverty" in which we will highlight specific case studies and bright spots from throughout North America, with a particular focus on meeting the enormous challenges posed by the Covid pandemic and its economic effects. Future sessions will explore such issues as measurement and evaluation, advocacy and awareness building, virtual program delivery, convening for impact, and engaging people with lived experiences. Save the following dates (all Thursdays, from 12-1 pm ET) for the next three sessions: February 4, February 18, March 4. More dates will be announced soon.

In this session, we'll learn about the role effective advocacy plays in addressing poverty and will reflect on how the new presidential administration changes the climate for enacting reforms to help vulnerable individuals. Watch previous sessions in this series here.

Speakers:

Elana Broitman
Senior Vice President, Public Affairs
Jewish Federations of North America

Melanie Roth Gorelick
Senior Vice President
Jewish Council for Public Affairs

Additional speaker TBA.

Moderator:

Susan Wolf Ditkoff
Senior Advisor
The Bridgespan Group

California's proposed Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC) will be implemented in high school classrooms across the state and is likely to be a model used in developing curricula across the country. Initially, drafts of the curriculum excluded Jews and even included anti-Jewish content. The collective efforts of Jewish organizations and individuals in California improved matters, but there remains pressure from the BDS movement to remove Jewish identity, definitions of antisemitism, and Jewish lesson plans from the curriculum. Join for a timely conversation with leading Jewish communal professionals on the role ethnic studies curricula plays in the BDS movement’s strategies, the impact this curriculum may have on how both the Jewish-American experience and antisemitism are taught throughout the country, and how you can make a difference in your own community around similar issues.

Speakers:

Tyler Gregory
Executive Director
JCRC of the San Francisco Bay Area

Alisa Finsten
Senior Vice President of Community Engagement
Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles

Note: Prior to being approved by State Board of Education at its March meeting, there is a public comment period during which individuals may provide input into the final draft of the ESMC through January 21. If you would like to provide input prior to our scheduled program on January 20, here is a link with additional information and a place to submit comments.

1:30-2:30pm ET/10:30-11:30am PT/8:30-9:30pm Israel

This is the first in a three-part series on Remote Learning and Engagement. Upcoming sessions will address using online technology to facilitate Israel encounters (February 3, 1-2 pm ET) and Jewish educational experiences (February 17, 1-2 pm ET).

Since March 2020, there have been very few educational interventions and initiatives that have not had to pivot to the virtual delivery of services and programs. While some institutions have expanded already existing capacities, others have had to radically reimagine their educational practices and business models. In some cases, this has uncovered ways of reaching never-previously-imagined audiences.

This three-part series will explore funder considerations and expectations when supporting such adaptations, program provider aspirations, and research data about what has transpired.

In this session on professional development, researchers will share their findings so far on the remote professional development and adult education offerings of 14 programs supported by The Jim Joseph Foundation. 

Speakers:

Stacie Cherner
Director of Learning & Evaluation
Jim Joseph Foundation

Mark Horowitz
Vice President
Program and Talent, JCCA

Meredith Woocher
Senior Project Leader
Rosov Consulting

12-1pm ET/9-10am PT/ 7-8pm Israel

Due to the current climate of civil unrest and the continued impact of Covid-19, leading Jewish organizations and Jewish communities throughout the United States are developing new and innovative approaches to community security.

In this session, funders will learn about work being done on the national level to secure Jewish institutions and virtual communities. This includes an example of successful lobbying that led to a dramatic increase in government funding and a case study from New York, where philanthropists have invested in a serious upgrade of the community security infrastructure. Finally, we will discuss how to harness the energy of volunteers interested in protecting their communities. 

Speakers:

Carly Maisel
Global CEO
Kirsh Philanthropies

Mitchell D. Silber
Executive Director
Community Security Initiative

Richard Priem
Deputy National Director 
CSS

Steven Hughes
Chief Security Officer
Elliott Management Corporation

Brad Orsini
Senior National Security Advisor
Secure Community Network
Jewish Federations of North America

Please join us for a monthly virtual convening for grantmaking professionals. This event takes place on the second Wednesday of every month.

We will dig deeper into the conversation we began in December about the relationships between grantmaking professionals and grantseekers. This power dynamic is not new; in fact, the rabbis considered a similar case in the Talmud. Together, with special guest Rabbi Elie Kaunfer, President and CEO of The Hadar Institute, we will explore this Talmudic case and its implications for our own philanthropic relationships.

We look forward to coming together for shared learning and community building.

Speakers:

Rabbi Elie Kaunfer
President and CEO
Hadar Institute

More speakers TBA

Facilitators: 

Deena Fuchs
Executive Vice President
Jewish Funders Network

Tamar Frydman
Director, Peer Programs
Jewish Funders Network

Mike Berkowitz
Co-Founder & Principal
Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies, LLC

Time:12-1pm ET/9-10am PT/ 7-8pm Israel

Impact investing is an increasingly important way for individuals, foundations, federations and non-profits to powerfully expand their capacity for social and environmental change, all while providing a framework to live their values through how they spend and invest.

Join JFN’s growing community of impact investors for a lively and action-oriented monthly roundtable, each featuring a master class and two investment roundups, all led by JFN members and designed to encourage shared learning and shared action along our impact investing journeys.

Whether you are new to impact investing or a seasoned veteran, the roundtables will help you to build skills, deepen your collaborations and deal access, and add meaning to how you're managing your money.

Moderator:
Vanessa Bartram, Managing Director, ZORA Ventures

Speakers for January 12:

Yaron Neudorfer
CEO
Social Finance Israel

Rafi Musher
CEO
Stax, Inc

Doug Stewart
Executive Director
Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation

 12-1 pm ET/ 9-10 am PT / 7-8 pm Israel

This is the first in a new National Affinity Group on Jewish Poverty webinar series, "Key Success Factors in Addressing Jewish Poverty" in which we will highlight specific case studies and bright spots from throughout North America, with a particular focus on meeting the enormous challenges posed by the Covid pandemic and its economic effects. Future sessions will explore such issues as measurement and evaluation, advocacy and awareness building, virtual program delivery, convening for impact, and engaging people with lived experiences. Save the following dates (all Thursdays, from 12-1 pm ET) for the next four sessions: January 21, February 4, February 18, March 4. More dates will be announced soon.

In this session, we'll learn about the unique challenges and opportunities of providing human services in small, less urban Jewish communities.

Speakers:

Rabbi Rachel Isaacs
Director of the Center for Small Town Jewish Life at Colby College
Spiritual leader of Beth Israel Congregation in Waterville, ME

Rabbi Erica Asch
Rabbi of Temple Beth El in Augusta, ME

Leslie Dannin Rosenthal
Chair of the National Advisory Committee for Jewish Federation of North America’s Network of Independent Communities

Moderator:

Susan Wolf Ditkoff
Senior Advisor
The Bridgespan Group

JFN is collaborating with the Jerusalem Youth Chorus on a special project for our 2021 JFN virtual conference in March. To kick off our work together, we’re calling on all members to join us for a special workshop with the Israeli and Palestinian singers of this extraordinary ensemble. Members participating in this workshop will meet these incredible young people, share their own songs, memories, and stories, and through an engaging dialogue, we'll generate the necessary inspiration the chorus will use to create a song to premiere at the March program. Join us for an inspirational conversation you won’t soon forget. (Singing not required!)

This summer, the chorus created a video, "Home - From Home," featuring friends and supporters from all over the world, who came together to share music and feelings in a joyous celebration on that theme. We hope to create something equally meaningful and resonant of the depth and strength of our network, that speaks to the themes of our conference and reflects on this most unusual year.

The chorus has been recognized for its musical innovation and integrity of purpose and process from the New York Times to the "Late Show With Stephen Colbert," and this workshop will bring together JFN heads, voices, and hearts to work together to set our dreams to music. 

Impact investing is an increasingly important way for individuals, foundations, federations and non-profits to powerfully expand their capacity for social and environmental change, all while providing a framework to live their values through how they spend and invest.

Join JFN’s growing community of impact investors for a lively and action-oriented monthly roundtable, each featuring a master class and two investment roundups, all led by JFN members and designed to encourage shared learning and shared action along our impact investing journeys.

Whether you are new to impact investing or a seasoned veteran, the roundtables will help you to build skills, deepen your collaborations and deal access, and add meaning to how you're managing your money.

Moderator:
Vanessa Bartram, Managing Director, ZORA Ventures

Speakers for December 15:

Master Class: James Cummings, Nathan Cummings Foundation: "Zoom to Impact"

Investment Roundup: Lital Slavin. "Beyond Creative: Movies for a Change"

Investment Roundup: Michael Stein and Juliet Stein, Max and Bella Stein Charitable Trust: "Investing in Vegan Alternative Proteins"

Please join us for a monthly virtual convening for grantmaking professionals. This event takes place on the second Wednesday of every month.

In this webinar, we will explore the various dynamics that shape our relationships, including personal values and worldview, religious identity, politics, and work styles, to unpack what makes for a healthy rapport. We will break into smaller groups to discuss. 

We look forward to coming together for shared learning and community building.

Speakers:

Sara J. Fertman
Director
The Jeffrey H. and Shari L. Aronson Family Foundation

Wendy Platt Newberger
Director of Jewish and Israel Giving
Crown Family Philanthropies

Third speaker TBA

Facilitators: 

Deena Fuchs
Executive Vice President
Jewish Funders Network

Tamar Frydman
Director, Peer Programs
Jewish Funders Network

Mike Berkowitz
Co-Founder & Principal
Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies, LLC

The Jewish Funders Network is pleased to announce our inaugural JFN West* virtual regional convening. Members in our region will join together to share a dynamic experience with top-level content, critical knowledge sharing, and networking opportunities.

This event will embrace the unique flavor of the Jewish community in the West. We will explore both the challenges and opportunities we face in the wake of Covid-19: wildfires; expanding needs; and constricting resources. With leading experts in the field, we will discuss issues specific to Jewish philanthropy in the West, explore best philanthropic practices during a crisis, and consider a vision for our future, while meeting other JFN West members. Together, we will learn, inspire, and act.

Presenters include:

• Dr. Una Osili, Associate Dean for Research and International Programs at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
• Rachel Levin, President of Fundamental Inc, Executive Director of Righteous Persons Foundation, and co-founder of Reboot
• Alexandra Shabtai, Advisory Board Member for Glazer Philanthropies, Board Member, At The Well
• Ilana Kaufman, Executive Director for the Jews of Color Field-Building Initiative
• Rabbi Mary Zamore, rabbinic leader and author of "The Sacred Exchange: Creating A Jewish Money Ethic"

Learn more here.

8:00 PM IL / 10am Pacific

Don’t miss this special conversation between entrepreneur and philanthropist Daniel Lubetzky and Arab-Israeli newscaster Lucy Aharish about the critical role independent media plays in sustaining a healthy democracy. At a time when both journalists and democratic institutions are under attack – in Israel and around the world – creating a space for independent voices to be heard has never been more critical. These leading voices will examine the role of philanthropy in promoting freedom of speech, democratic discourse and transparent media in a polarized era, offer insight into new approaches to enhance civic engagement, and show how vibrant media serves to bring critical issues to the forefront of the Israeli national conversation and support a healthy and thriving democracy in Israel. With introductory remarks from Marcia Riklis, JFN Board Chair.

Speakers

Daniel Lubetzky
Founder and CEO of KIND Snacks
Founder, OneVoice Movement & PeaceWorks Foundation

Lucy Aharish
Journalist and host of DemocraTV

Yuval Lion, moderator
JFN member and former journalist

JFN is collaborating with the Jerusalem Youth Chorus on a special project for our 2021 JFN virtual conference in March. To kick off our work together, we’re calling on all members to join us for a special workshop with the Israeli and Palestinian singers of this extraordinary ensemble.

This summer, the chorus created a video, "Home - From Home," featuring friends and supporters from all over the world, who came together to share music and feelings in a joyous celebration on that theme. Members participating in this workshop will meet these incredible young people, share their own songs, memories, and stories, and through an engaging dialogue we'll generate the necessary inspiration the chorus will use to create a song to premiere at for the March program.

The chorus has been recognized for its musical innovation and integrity of purpose and process from the New York Times to the Late Show With Stephen Colbert, and this workshop will bring together JFN heads, voices, and hearts to work together to set our dreams to music. Join us for an inspirational conversation you won’t soon forget. (Singing not required!)

19:00- 20:30 Israel Time / 9:00AM - 11:30AM PT

The meeting will be held in English, via Zoom.

Please join Jude Yovel-Recanati and Dr. Ariel Kor, JFN Board Members who will open the floor to discussion with funders about their personal well-being. We will then discuss funders' role in ensuring the resilience and sustainability of organizations and professionals during Covid. 

Professor Yossi Harel-Fisch, a consultant to the World Health Organization, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and international governments, will provide a comparative perspective on the impact of the pandemic across global societies and demographics, and the behavioral implications on resilience and mental health.

In small groups participants will discuss the short and long-term effects, resources available for those in distress, what dilemmas funders face, and any silver linings from the pandemic.

Funders will share how Covid has influenced their giving strategy, what dilemmas they face, and any silver linings from the pandemic.

Speakers:

Professor Yossi Harel-Fisch
Director of International Research Program on Adolescent Well-Being and Health, Bar Ilan University

19:00 - 20:00 Israel Time

*Please note that this webinar will be in English. 

This is the first in a series of skill-building workshops to help funders navigate their philanthropic work in an effective and optimal manner, despite the complexity around us.

Our main guest speaker will be Prof. Emeritus Donald Haider from Kellogg University, who has researched the nonprofit sector in the United States over several decades and conducted a comprehensive study about nonprofit mergers over the past decade. Prof. Haider will share his insights on the components for success and failure in nonprofit mergers, and on various models for philanthropic involvement in the field.

During the second part of the session, we will hear selected test cases by JFN members, from Israel and from the U.S who participated in merger processes and will present central insights and tips for donors, such as: What is important to understand before taking action? Where is caution needed? What complexities should you expect? How can donors positively affect merger and partnership processes?

We will dedicate the last part of the meeting to an open discussion of this subject.

With the growing concerns to Israel’s future due to the consequences of climate change and local environmental threats, JFN's Green Funders Forum is launching a unique series of workshops and individual consultations for funders interested in expanding their knowledge of and impact on Israel’s environment.

In the third and final session (Nov. 18) in the series we will host Gila Gamilel, Israel’s minister of environmental protection, and former MK Dov Khanin. They will discuss the implications of the American elections on the global and local environmental challenges and the role civil society and philanthropy can play.

Please note that sessions will be held in English.

Affordable housing continues to be a complex component in the continuum of poverty. From lack of affordable housing, limited government support, to the challenges those living in poverty have keeping up with rent or mortgage payments, the housing agenda often seems too overwhelming to tackle.

In this webinar, the Housing Workgroup of the National Affinity Group on Jewish Poverty will give an update on the dialogue already underway about affordable housing. We will also learn about an innovative model being administered by Jewish Family Services of Rochester that is helping to support and stabilize an affordable housing community there. Finally we will hear from JFN members, Jane and Eddie Lorin, who develop and operate healthy affordable housing communities and who launched a private foundation that collaborates with nonprofits to ensure quality of life for residents living in affordable housing communities.  

Presenters:       

Lisa Budlow
CEO, CHAI (Comprehensive Housing Assistance, Inc.) Baltimore
Chair, Housing Workgroup, National Affinity Group on Jewish Poverty

Jennie Schaff, PhD
CEO
Jewish Family Services of Rochester 

Eddie Lorin
Co-Founder
Alliant Strategic Funds

Jane Lorin
Board Member
HAPI Foundation (Health Apartment Property Initiative)

Moderator: 

Susan Wolf Ditkoff
Senior Advisor
The Bridgespan Group

Impact investing is an increasingly important way for individuals, foundations, federations and non-profits to powerfully expand their capacity for social and environmental change, all while providing a framework to live their values through how they spend and invest.

Join JFN’s growing community of impact investors for a lively and action-oriented monthly roundtable, each featuring a master class and two investment roundups, all led by JFN members and designed to encourage shared learning and shared action along our impact investing journeys.

Whether you are new to impact investing or a seasoned veteran, the roundtables will help you to build skills, deepen your collaborations and deal access, and add meaning to how you're managing your money.

Moderator:
Vanessa Bartram, Managing Director, ZORA Ventures

Speakers for November 16:

Eddie Lorin
CEO, Co-Founder, Alliant Strategic Funds
Exploring the Opportunities of Affordable Housing.

Danny Oren
ESG ETFs: Market Returns with Less Evil.

Sari Miller
CEO, Sarjay, Inc.
Trusty.care: A Smarter Way to Manage Medicare and the Aging Journey.

Please join us for a monthly virtual convening for grantmaking professionals. This event takes place the second Wednesday of every month.

In this webinar, we will explore the various dynamics that shape various relationships, including personal values and worldview, religious identity, politics, and work styles, to unpack what makes for a healthy rapport. We will break into smaller groups to discuss. 

We look forward to coming together for shared learning and community building.

Facilitators: 

Deena Fuchs
Executive Vice President
Jewish Funders Network

Tamar Frydman
Director, Peer Programs
Jewish Funders Network

Mike Berkowitz
Co-Founder & Principal
Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies, LLC

Note: This meeting will be held in Hebrew and will be from 3 am - 4:15 am EST.

What are the five major challenges that are important for us to recognize and understand as funders, and as members of the philanthropic community, about the employment crisis in Israel?

Which sectors does the crisis currently affect? What are the possible solutions and what could be the role of philanthropy and civil society in dealing with the current challenges?

Prof. Karnit Flug, Vice President of Research and the William Davidson Senior Fellow for Economic Policy at the Israel Democracy Institute, a Professor at the Hebrew University and the former Governor of the Bank of Israel, and Tali Nir, Executive Director, 121 – Engine for Social Change, will present the main problems concerning employment in Israel.

The second part of the meeting will be a conversation among JFN members. Noa Yovel Maoz and Dr. Naama Meiran will share insights from Gandyr Foundation's philanthropic work during the COVID crisis pertaining to young adults and employment.

Cocktails at the Museum

An Outside-In Exhibition + Interactive Artist Conversation Featuring Dwelling in a Time of Plagues Works 

Clamor in the Desert by Mirta Kupferminc

Shelter in Place by Adam W. McKinney

The Ushpizin of the Silver Screen by Tiffany Woolf 

With Reflection and Commentary from CANVAS Founder Lou Cove + Funding Partners

The Jim Joseph Foundation • The Peleh Fund • The Righteous Persons Foundation • The Klarman Family Foundation • The Charles & Lynn Schusterman Foundation 

More information about Dwelling in a Time of Plagues at www.PlagueDwelling.com

Session 2 - Nov. 4: 19:00-21:00 Israel Time: Funding Strategies for Environmental Impact in Israel

Three workshops: Oct. 21 | Nov. 4 | Nov. 18

Each workshop is at 19:00 - 21:00 IST (9 am PST, 12 noon EST)

Please note: The sessions will be in English and are timed so that participants both in Israel and abroad can attend.

With the growing concerns to Israel’s future due to the consequences of climate change and local environmental threats -- exacerbated by a changing world due to Covid-19 -- the Green Funders’ Forum is launching a unique series of workshops and individual consultations for funders interested in expanding their knowledge of and impact on Israel’s environment.

We will address key questions to support impactful giving:

• What are the main environmental challenges to Israel’s future?
• How can philanthropy best influence these increasing challenges?
• Who are the key players?
• What is the social impact of funding in the environmental field in Israel? 
• What are the opportunities to influence?
• What are the lessons and best practices learned from previous and present experiences?

Session 3 - Nov. 18: 19:00-21:00 Israel Time: Taking the Next Steps in Environmental Giving

We invite you to join us in this opportunity to take the next step as individuals and as a Forum to make Israel sustainable for us and for future generations!

The series is coordinated by JFN’s Green Funders’ Forum in collaboration with Life & Environment - The Umbrella Organization for the Israeli Environmental Movement.

RSVP here for all three sessions. Zoom links will be provided for each session upon RSVP.

JFN’s Young Funders Forum invites you to a nightly talk, on the eve of the US presidential election

A tolerant, inclusive and equal society increases the ability of citizens to comply with guidelines in times of crisis. At the same time, our political system rewards exclusion and polarization that lead us away from the society we strive to build Why is this happening? And how can the division curve be flattened? Leading us in this conversation is Prof. Eran Halperin, founder and head of the aChord Center - Social Psychology for Social Change who will analyse the psychological needs and political interests that push us in opposite directions and look at the role of philanthropy in creating significant social change. (8:45-10:00pm)

We will start the conversation with an opportunity to check-in and catch up with everyone (8:15-8:45pm).

In the wake of California’s fires, and America’s intensified hurricane season, natural disaster relief and preparedness has come to the foreground of communal conversations. With relief efforts complicated by COVID, how can funders now work with their municipal and Jewish-communal institutions to effectively provide for present needs as well as to build necessary infrastructure and better prepare communities to withstand disasters down the road? Our panel brings together a U.S. Congressman and leading voices on environmental and disaster funding both inside and outside the JFN community to offer insight into how funders can make the biggest difference in this critical field of work. 

SPEAKERS

Rep. Jimmy Panetta
United States Representative, CA-20

Patricia McIlreavy
CEO, Center for Disaster Philanthropy  

Roxanne Cohen
Managing Director, Community Impact, Jewish Community Federation and Endowment, San Francisco Bay Area

Peter Teague
PT Philanthropic, moderator

The Jewish Community Response and Impact Fund (JCRIF), a $91 million partnership of eight Jewish foundations and the Jewish Federations of North America, was created to address the many challenges facing Jewish institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic. JCRIF has been distributing grants and no-interest loans to a wide range of Jewish institutions since April. These grants and loans were used to address emergency needs and help organizations to adapt and innovate in the face of unprecedented challenges.

JCRIF's funders and grantees will share key takeaways about the crises and opportunities facing Jewish institutions. Abi Dauber Sterne, Director of Makom: The Jewish Agency for Israel Education Lab, will discuss the new stimulus program created by JCRIF's grant funders enabling more American youth to spend this academic year on gap year programs in Israel.  

Speakers:

Barry Finestone
President and CEO
Jim Joseph Foundation

Felicia Herman
Director, JCRIF Aligned Grant Program
Executive Director, Natan

Abi Dauber Sterne
Director
Makom: The Jewish Agency for Israel Education Lab

The National Affinity Group on Jewish Poverty is pleased to host Sarah Abramson, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Impact of Combined Jewish Philanthropies, will underscore the importance of community-based initiatives and share the journey of CJP’s anti-poverty initiative. Sam Cobbs, CEO of Tipping Point, will share his personal story and how place/community has been a driving theme of his work at Tipping Point. He will also discuss Tipping Point’s approach to COVID-19, alleviating poverty in the Bay Area, and how this work is rooted in place, differentiating it from other philanthropies.

Attendees will leave with relevant takeaways on how to help their local Jewish communities develop initiatives to build back better from COVID-19 and combat poverty now and in the future.

This session is part of the Jewish Federation of North America's GA 2020 Virtual, which is open to all, free of charge. Visit www.generalassembly.org to register for this session and any other sessions or plenaries that interest you.

Register Here>>

Join JFN, the National Affinity Group on Jewish Poverty, and Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies, for a special program to learn about a groundbreaking new game that educates people about the realities of poverty in the United States.

"Broke: The Game" simulates the stress and difficulty of attempting to overcome poverty. With a simple setup, this game forces players to challenge their preconceived ideas about poverty and those experiencing it. Hear from the creator of the game about why she was inspired to create this game. Colleagues and funders will then share their impressions of the game after playing. 

Speakers:

Reuben D. Rotman
President & CEO
Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies

Dana Gold
Game creator
Chief Operating Officer
JFCS Pittsburgh

This is the third installment of "Coffee with...," a new series designed to provide a unique opportunity for JFN West members to engage in small group conversation with and among JFN leaders and members. 

In August, several members joined us for an important conversation with Andrés Spokoiny about the big-picture future for the Jewish community as we seek to define our direction for the rest of the 21st century and beyond. Last month, we were fortunate to hear from Deena Fuchs, JFN’s Executive Vice President, and had a dynamic conversation on the role of Jewish philanthropists during this time of crisis. We look forward to a meaningful discussion with Marcia.

For many years, Marcia served on the Executive Committee of UJA-Federation of New York, holding a number of positions, including Chair of The Annual Campaign and Founding Chair of Shituf, the grant-making body, which coordinates UJA work in Israel. She is a founding member of Jewish Democratic Council of America and in addition to chairing the Jewish Funder’s Network Board of Directors, she sits on the board of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the Peaceworks Foundation.

Manny Menchel from the William Davidson Foundation will moderate a panel on the evolution of Jewish life, leadership, and spiritual centers. How did we get here, what is "here", and where are we going?

Speakers:

Amy Sales
Associate Director and Senior Research Scientist
Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University

Moderator:

Manny Menchel
Program Officer, Jewish Education
William Davidson Foundation

RSVP AT THIS LINK

Three workshops: Oct. 21 | Nov. 4 | Nov. 18

Each workshop is at 19:00 - 21:00 IST (9 am PST, 12 noon EST)

Please note: The sessions will be in English and are timed so that participants both in Israel and abroad can attend.

With the growing concerns to Israel’s future due to the consequences of climate change and local environmental threats -- exacerbated by a changing world due to Covid-19 -- the Green Funders’ Forum is launching a unique series of workshops and individual consultations for funders interested in expanding their knowledge of and impact on Israel’s environment.

We will address key questions to support impactful giving:

• What are the main environmental challenges to Israel’s future?
• How can philanthropy best influence these increasing challenges?
• Who are the key players?
• What is the social impact of funding in the environmental field in Israel? 
• What are the opportunities to influence?
• What are the lessons and best practices learned from previous and present experiences?

Session 1- Oct. 21: 19:00-21:00 Israel Time: Getting to Know the Issues and Strategies of the Environmental Movement in Israel

Session 2 - Nov. 4: 19:00-21:00 Israel Time: Funding Strategies for Environmental Impact in Israel

Session 3 - Nov. 18: 19:00-21:00 Israel Time: Taking the Next Steps in Environmental Giving

We invite you to join us in this opportunity to take the next step as individuals and as a Forum to make Israel sustainable for us and for future generations!

The series is coordinated by JFN’s Green Funders’ Forum in collaboration with Life & Environment - The Umbrella Organization for the Israeli Environmental Movement.

PLEASE NOTE THAT PARTICIPATION IN ALL THREE SESSIONS IS REQUIRED TO ATTEND THE SERIES.

Exceptions can be made in special cases by emailing Sigal: [email protected]

RSVP here for all three sessions. Zoom links will be provided for each session upon RSVP.

Impact investing is an increasingly important way for individuals, foundations, federations and non-profits to powerfully expand their capacity for social and environmental change, all while providing a framework to live their values through how they spend and invest.

Join JFN’s growing community of impact investors for a lively and action-oriented monthly roundtable, each featuring a master class and two investment roundups, all led by JFN members and designed to encourage shared learning and shared action along our impact investing journeys.

Whether you are new to impact investing or a seasoned veteran, the roundtables will help you to build skills, deepen your collaborations and deal access, and add meaning to how you're managing your money.

Moderator for Roundtable Series

Vanessa Bartram, Managing Director, ZORA Ventures

Speakers for October 20: 

Yuval Lion
Presenting "Travels with a Pragmatic Values Investor"

Dalia Black
Presenting "Advancing Hi-Tech in the Bedouin Community"

3^rd presenter to be announced

This is the fifth in a five-part series. While you are welcome to join us for any of the roundtables, we encourage you to join us for the full series to maximize our shared learning and collaborations.

Covid-19 has commanded the attention of the Jewish community and shifted its priorities. However, the communal issues that were pressing before the pandemic have not gone away. When the immediate crisis recedes, concerns about the growing rift between Israel and Diaspora Jewish communities will once again come into focus, but with new angles to explore.

Philanthropist Charles Bronfman and Jeff Solomon have co-founded a new start-up, Enter: the Jewish Peoplehood Alliance, devoted to ensuring that the Jewish people remain a dynamic, diverse, global community that is united, secure, and inclusive. This program brings together leaders from this exciting initiative to examine some of the complicated issues around peoplehood that will resurface in an altered environment. Our conversation will explore how funders can effectively engage in the field of Israel-Diaspora affairs through agility and adaptation in this most unusual environment.

Speakers:

Dan Shapiro 
former U.S. Ambassador to Israel
Enter: the Jewish Peoplehood Alliance

Alon Friedman
Founding CEO
Enter: the Jewish Peoplehood Alliance

Anita Friedman
President
Koret Foundation

Jeffrey R. Solomon
Senior Advisor
Chasbro

Strategic philanthropy depends upon good data and research—however it’s not only about the data you have, but what you do with it. In order to make good decisions and work effectively with nonprofit partners to drive change, funders must have a solid understanding of what research and data is available and how to translate that information into action.

This session explores how funders, nonprofits, and researchers can work more effectively together to guide big bets or make targeted interventions. The panel of researchers, funders, and program leaders on the call will help you incorporate applied research into your philanthropic toolbox. 

Speakers:

Stacie Cherner
Director of Learning and Evaluation
Jim Joseph Foundation

Arielle Levites, PhD
Managing Director
Consortium for Applied Studies in Jewish Education
George Washington University

Rabbi Yehuda Sarna
Executive Director
Bronfman Center at NYU
New York University

Moderator:

Rella Kaplowitz
Senior Program Officer
Evaluation and Learning
Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation

Please join us for a monthly virtual convening for grantmaking professionals. This event takes place the second Wednesday of every month.

We look forward to coming together for shared learning and community building. 

Speakers

Rachel Mohl Abrahams
Senior Advisor
Education Grants and Programs
Mayberg Foundation

Aaron Dorfman
President
Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah

Connie Kanter
CEO
Samis Foundation

Facilitators: 

Deena Fuchs
Executive Vice President
Jewish Funders Network

Tamar Frydman
Director, Peer Programs
Jewish Funders Network

Mike Berkowitz
Co-Founder & Principal
Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies, LLC

Join President and CEO of the Jewish Funders Network Andrés Spokoiny, Editor in Chief of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency Philissa Cramer and Moment Deputy Editor Sarah Breger as they discuss the role Jewish journalism plays inside and outside the Jewish community, how COVID-19 has changed the media landscape and the future of Jewish media.

This is a Moment Magazine event.

We are living in a moment of both chaos and revelation. As the pandemic has shifted the ground beneath our feet we have learned much about ourselves and our communities. How has living through this experience offered a glimpse into who we are as individuals and as a community? What questions about Jewish life has it brought to the fore that will help us shape the future of our communities? 

In this session, we will utilize Jewish texts to consider questions and paradigms that can guide us in shaping Jewish life moving forward.

Speakers

Elana Stein Hain
Scholar in Residence and Director of Faculty
Shalom Hartman Institute of North America

Learn about how Covid-19 has affected leaders and professionals in our community and what it means for the future of the Jewish nonprofit sector. Speakers will share research about employee experience and organizational policy changes during the pandemic and how this has affected the field. Funders will come away knowing how they might support and maximize the potential of the Jewish communal work force at this time.

Speakers:

Amy Born
Chief Strategy Officer
Leading Edge

Randall Kaplan
CEO
Capsule Group LLC 

Corinne Irwin 
Director of Human Resources
American Jewish World Service

We are pleased to welcome back Dan Ariely, the Israeli-American bestselling author of "Predictably Irrational." 

Speaker:

Dan Ariely

Watch Dan's last lecture for JFN here.

We are pleased to welcome back Dan Ariely, the Israeli-American bestselling author of "Predictably Irrational." 

Speaker:

Dan Ariely

Watch Dan's last lecture for JFN here.

Impact investing is an increasingly important way for individuals, foundations, federations and non-profits to powerfully expand their capacity for social and environmental change, all while providing a framework to live their values through how they spend and invest.

Join JFN’s growing community of impact investors for a lively and action-oriented monthly roundtable, each featuring a master class and two investment roundups, all led by JFN members and designed to encourage shared learning and shared action along our impact investing journeys.

Whether you are new to impact investing or a seasoned veteran, the roundtables will help you to build skills, deepen your collaborations and deal access, and add meaning to how you're managing your money.

Moderator for Roundtable Series

Vanessa Bartram, Managing Director, ZORA Ventures

Speakers for September 22 TBA

Charlene Seidle
Executive Vice President
Leichtag Foundation

Avi Deutsch
Managing Partner
Vodia Ventures

Marla Stein
Entrepreneur and supporter of the Israeli impact investing field

This is part of a series that meets once a month. While you are welcome to join us for any of the roundtables, we encourage you to join us for the full series to maximize our shared learning and collaborations.

Date for Future Sessions

• Tuesday, October 20, 12-1pm Eastern (7-8 p.m. in Israel)

SPEAKER DETAILS

Rabbi Elka Abrahamson        
Rabbi Sharon Brous
Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, Ph.D. 
Rabbi Tamar Elad-Appelbaum
Rabbi Shai Held, Ph.D.              
Manny Menchel
Andrés Spokoiny

Reeling from attacks on Jews and Jewish institutions in 2018–19, and now facing the impact of Covid-19, leading Jewish organizations and Jewish communities throughout the United States are developing new and innovative approaches to community security. In this session, funders will learn about work being done on the national level to secure Jewish institutions, and virtual communities — including successfully lobbying for a dramatic increase in government funding; a case study from New York, where philanthropists have invested in a serious upgrade of community security infrastructure; and opportunities to harness the energy of volunteers interested in protecting their communities.

Speakers

Carly Maisel
Global CEO 
The Kirsh Foundation

Evan R. Bernstein
Chief Executive Officer
Community Security Service

Michael G. Masters
National Director and CEO
Secure Community Network

Mitchell D. Silber
Executive Director
Community Security Initiative

(2 p.m. in Israel)

*Please note that this webinar will be in Hebrew. An identical webinar will be in English on September 15.

JFN Israel is pleased to announce the launch of Keshet Donor Advised Fund, a nonprofit public benefit corporation founded as Israel’s first donor advised fund.

Please join us to learn about the way this donor advised fund works and about the new services it can provide.

Keshet aspires to significantly boost philanthropy and streamline grant making in Israel to improve the quality and efficiency of philanthropy by both Israeli and non-Israeli funders.

Learn more about Keshet’s low startup and management costs, as well as how Keshet will enable you to make informed donation decisions free of time pressure, while benefiting from the professional services and deep familiarity with the social and philanthropic sector in Israel of JFN Israel.

More details, including speaker list, coming soon!

9:00-10:30 am EST  

We are pleased to have Professor Alon Tal, Israel’s leading environmental activist and founder of Adam Teva V’din, the Arava Institute and former Chair of Israel’s Green Party, speak at this forum. He will highlight environmental challenges and opportunities for the coming year and elaborate on his personal journey as an environmental activist, academic and funder.  

We will also have a preview of a series of meetings planned for the fall, which will focus on environmental philanthropy and social action through a range of critical sustainability issues.

In addition, in the spirit of community building, we will dedicate some time to get to know one another in small breakout rooms. 

The meeting will be held in English, via ZOOM

This is the second program in the CANVAS Conversations series, "Why We Invest in Our Creative Community.”

Jews have always relied on humor to endure difficult times—and this is an especially difficult time. But many of the tools the best performers and producers rely on—the theater, the comedy club, a live audience—are inaccessible or compromised in quarantine conditions. For this conversation, CANVAS has invited four masters of the craft to share how they are lifting spirits and finding new ways to work in a time of crisis. 

How does the creative community support and elevate the broader Jewish community? How can the philanthropic community better support their work to make us laugh, perceive ourselves in a new light, and distract us from the hardships we face together? Lou Cove, founder of CANVAS and moderator for this discussion explores these and other questions with our guests. (To submit your own questions for our performers, please email [email protected]; we will get to as many as we can during the program.)  

Guests

Alex Edelman is a comedian, writer, and performer. His most recent creation was Saturday Night Seder, an all-star, musical, streaming Passover Seder to benefit the CDC Foundation’s Coronavirus Emergency Response Fund, which has raised more than $3 million since its premiere in April.

Tiffany Woolf has over 25 years of PR experience in arts & entertainment, film, and public interest communications, She was on the Dalai Lama’s PR team (yes, even the world's most enlightened guru needs some promotion from time to time). In 2018, Tiffany partnered with Reboot to launch Silver Screen Studios, a digital platform of shows, featuring interviews with the legends we love from Carl Reiner, Norman Lear, Marion Ross & Larry King to everyday older role models. Tiffany loves to delight in the absurd, loves old people, a good story or joke, kind people and lobster rolls (kosher of course).

Steve Bodow is an American television writer and producer. Most recently he was Executive Producer and showrunner of Netflix's Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj. From 2015 to March 2019 he was executive producer of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, following his 13 years at The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as an executive producer, head writer and staff writer. He was also consulting producer for The Opposition with Jordan Klepper, after serving as EP on the hour-long Jordan Klepper Solves Guns special. Steve is a founding member and a past artistic director of the New York theater group Elevator Repair Service, best known for Gatz, its full-text adaptation of The Great Gatsby.

Jena Friedman is an American stand up comedian, writer and filmmaker. She was a field producer at The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and has written for Late Show with David Letterman. She developed the television project Soft Focus with Jena Friedman for Adult Swim (where she interviewed John McAfee), the first installment of which premiered in February 2018. Jena has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, Nat Geo Explorer, MSNBC and BBC Two. She has been a contributing writer to The New Yorker. Her critically acclaimed Edinburgh show Miscarriage of Justice premiered in 2019.

CANVAS is proud to support the work of these artists through its philanthropic investments in Reboot, and in the broader Jewish creative community. Join for a JFN webinar where you’ll laugh until you cry, and immediately feel like you’re home.

About CANVAS

CANVAS is a Jewish Funders Network-powered funding collaborative that seeks to encourage, support and promote a 21st-century Jewish cultural renaissance. CANVAS seeks to elevate the ecosystem of Jewish arts & culture in North America through strategic and coordinated giving, education, and cross-sector exposure (between funders and artists, Jewish creatives and secular distribution networks/media, and more). Founding partners of CANVAS include The Righteous Persons Foundation, Jim Joseph Foundation, Charles & Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, Klarman Family Foundation, and the Peleh Fund.

Watch "Literature in a Time of Crisis: A CANVAS Conversation with Nathan Englander, Marra Gad and Rachel Kadish"
the first installment in the CANVAS Conversations series.

The focus of this webinar will be on what it takes to negotiate an effective partnership that leads to increased impact and organizational strength. The long-term positive impact of partnerships can be great, but it requires time, capacity, and intentionality. We will provide an overview of the negotiation process, change management tools, and pitfalls to avoid. During this session we will dive into what can be expected as part of legal and financial due diligence, various implementation options, and the areas of integration — including culture. This webinar will be most useful for organizational leadership, on both the staff and board level. Funders are also welcome to attend.

The Grantmaking Professionals Virtual Meet-up series returns Wednesday, September 9. As the High Holidays approach and the pandemic rages on, we will come together for personal and professional reflection. 

Rafi Rone, of the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, will start us off by offering words of Torah reflecting on the upcoming High Holiday season. Please note that this meet-up will be an hour long.

Speakers:

Rafi Rone
Program Director
Israel and Jewish Community, US
The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation

Facilitators: 

Deena Fuchs
Executive Vice President
Jewish Funders Network

Tamar Frydman
Director, Peer Programs
Jewish Funders Network

Mike Berkowitz
Co-Founder & Principal
Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies, LLC

"Back to School," is a phrase we've used for generations, and this year's start brings new challenges and opportunities. Whether online or in person, Jewish day schools have spent countless hours preparing their communities for the start of an unprecedented school year. Join Prizmah's CEO Paul Bernstein in a conversation about reopening, student/teacher safety, the logistics of schooling during a pandemic, and changes to the educational approaches and pedagogy.

Speakers:

Paul Bernstein
Chief Executive Officer
Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools

Erica Rothblum
Head of School
The Rabbi Jacob Pressman Academy of Temple Beth Am

Odelia Epstein
Director of the Knowledge Center
Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools
Author of the Fall 2020 Planning Survey

Audrey Maman
Program Manager for CAJE Educational Services

Philanthropist Lisa Greer, author of the just-released “Philanthropy Revolution: How to inspire donors, build relationships, and make a difference” (Harper Collins) joins Forward National Editor Rob Eshman and Andrés Spokoiny, President and CEO of Jewish Funders Network, for a conversation on a better way to raise money for the causes you believe in.

When Lisa and her entrepreneur husband Josh found enormous business success, they plunged headfirst into the world of giving. Lisa’s revealing book tells behind-the-scene tales of how not to approach wealthy donors, what works, what doesn't and how a new generation is changing philanthropy.

Hosted by the Forward, cosponsored by JFN.

>>Register here.

Antisemitism has been rising globally, and while we may read about events in Britain, France, or other European countries, reports from Latin America are less frequent.

Professor Ilan Stavans spent several years traveling in Jewish communities throughout Latin America, resulting in his recent book, "The Seventh Heaven: Travels Through Jewish Latin America," the 2020 Natan Notable Book winner. In conversation with JFN President and CEO Andrés Spokoiny, Ilan will reflect on his experiences and discuss how the history and culture of the region distinguishes antisemitism there from the prejudices and attitudes that surface here. When faced with antisemitism and anti-Zionism, how have Latin American Jewish communities acted and reacted? How have these forces shaped communal life, political activities, philanthropy, and religious affiliation across Latin America? These and other important questions will illuminate the similarities and differences facing global Jewry.

Review of The Seventh Heaven at Jewish Book Council

Purchase at Amazon

>>RSVP HERE

Speakers: 

Ilan Stavans
Lewis-Sebring Pro­fes­sor of Human­i­ties, Latin Amer­i­can and Lati­no Cul­ture
Amherst Col­lege

Andrés Spokoiny
President & CEO
Jewish Funders Network

JFN is excited to co-convene with Upstart a three part webinar series focusing on strategic partnerships and alliances. Details and a date for a JFN community debrief will be announced shortly. 

Webinar 2 - Taking Stock: Assessing Your Organization and Potential Partners

Wednesday, August 26
12:00 – 1:15 PM ET 

This webinar will focus on how to assess your organization’s readiness for partnership, as well as your partner’s potential readiness. We will begin by providing guidance for organizational self-assessment including financial stress-testing, staff and board leadership capacity, program sustainability, marketing/communications impact, and infrastructure needed to fulfill mission. Once this has been done, it’s time to identify and assess potential partners. We will share a road map to beginning these conversations, share key criteria for assessing appropriate partners, and discuss the importance of selecting partners that align with your organizational strategy and will increase mission impact. During this session, we will also discuss how organizations might initiate conversations with funders around supporting this work. This webinar will be most useful for organizational leadership, on both the staff and board level. Funders are also welcome to attend.

Webinar 3 - Crafting a Successful and Impactful Partnership

Thursday, September 10
12:00 – 1:15 PM ET 

The focus of this webinar will be on what it takes to negotiate an effective partnership that leads to increased impact and organizational strength. The long-term positive impact of partnerships can be great, but it requires time, capacity, and intentionality. We will provide an overview of the negotiation process, change management tools, and pitfalls to avoid. During this session we will dive into what can be expected as part of legal and financial due diligence, various implementation options, and the areas of integration — including culture. This webinar will be most useful for organizational leadership, on both the staff and board level. Funders are also welcome to attend.

Impact investing is an increasingly important way for individuals, foundations, federations and non-profits to powerfully expand their capacity for social and environmental change, all while providing a framework to live their values through how they spend and invest.

Join JFN’s growing community of impact investors for a lively and action-oriented monthly roundtable, each featuring a master class and two investment roundups, all led by JFN members and designed to encourage shared learning and shared action along our impact investing journeys.

Whether are new to impact investing or a seasoned veteran, the roundtables will help you to build skills, deepen your collaborations and deal access, and add meaning to how you're managing your money.

Moderator for Roundtable Series

Vanessa Bartram, Managing Director, ZORA Ventures

Speakers for August 19 Roundtable

Campe Goodman, Senior Managing Director at Wellington Management

Michael Lustig

Nicky Newfield

This is part of a series that meets once a month. While you are welcome to join us for any of the roundtables, we encourage you to join us for the full series to maximize our shared learning and collaborations.

Dates for Future Sessions

• Tuesday, September 22, 12-1pm Eastern (7-8 p.m. in Israel)
• Tuesday, October 20, 12-1pm Eastern (7-8 p.m. in Israel)

Around the globe, school leadership, educators, and parents are looking ahead to the 2020-21 school year. After several months of trial and error in the shadow of the Covid crisis, this upcoming school year will be one of huge opportunity as well as many challenges.

Join us for an open discussion between funders and experts in the field. We will discuss what is currently happening and where the gaps are. We will also hear from funders on the role of philanthropy and collaborations during this pivotal time. 

In the second of this two-part series, Dr. Gil Pereg, CEO of Darca Schools, will showcase how the crisis is impacting underprivileged communities in Israel’s geo-social periphery. Dr. Pereg will share his expertise and discuss how the crisis has affected schools and their leadership. Using Darca’s work in recent months, he will share some of the challenges and opportunities facing the formal education system in the months to come.

Around the globe, school leadership, educators, and parents are looking ahead to the 2020-21 school year. After several months of trial and error in the shadow of the Covid crisis, this upcoming school year will be one of huge opportunity as well as many challenges.

Join us for an open discussion between funders and experts in the field. We will discuss what is currently happening and where the gaps are. We will also hear from funders on the role of philanthropy and collaborations during this pivotal time. 

In the first of this two-part series, Yossi Baidatz, CEO of the Center for Educational Technology (CET), will provide an overview of models of digital learning and the data on its various implementations. We will discuss hybrid learning in formal and informal education while addressing the diverse social and geographic needs of Israeli society. 

This is the first of a two-part series. The next is Tuesday, August 18th 12-1 pm ET (7-8 pm in Israel). Click here for details.

Yohanan Plesner, President of the Israel Democracy Institute, and Professor Tamar Herman, Director of The Israel Democracy Institute, return to JFN to provide an assessment of the new Israeli government. They will outline who the main players are and what legal and political challenges lie ahead. They will also reflect on recent protests and unrest and their implications.

Speakers: 

Yohanan Plesner
President
The Israel Democracy Institute

Professor Tamar Hermann
Director
The Israel Democracy Insitute
Director, Guttmann Center for Public Opinion

Read Plesner's latest article for JFN.

Watch Plesner's most recent JFN webinar below:

How has giving been affected by the Covid crisis? What can we expect in the year ahead? Will we see a catastrophic decline in giving or will the crisis encourage more philanthropy? What can we learn from giving behavior in other times of contractionary crisis, such as the Great Recession of 2007 – 2009? What can we do to avoid the worst-case scenarios? This program brings together a leading researcher in the overall philanthropy space with JFN-member funders from both private philanthropy and federations for a thoughtful conversation on what we can expect and how we can best change giving practices to accommodate or counter these wider trends.

Patrick Rooney
Executive Associate Dean for Academic Programs, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy

Jay Sanderson
President & CEO Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles

Angelica Berrie
President, Russell Berrie Foundation

Marcia Riklis, JFN board chair
Marcia Riklis Family Foundation

JFN is excited to co-convene with Upstart a three part webinar series focusing on strategic partnerships and alliances. Details and a date for a JFN community debrief will be announced shortly. 

Webinar 1 - Strategic Collaborations: Forging Connections for Greater Impact

An introduction to strategic partnerships, this session will cover the spectrum of nonprofit collaboration using La Piana Consulting’s Collaborative Map, highlighting eight forms of partnership. This session will include the basic framework for nonprofit collaboration, benefits and challenges associated with various forms of partnership, and motivations/rationale for successful models. Through exploration of the different types of collaborations, attendees can begin to identify possible directions that might be the most impactful for their organization at this moment. This webinar is designed for board members, staff leadership, and funders — helping to create a common language to be used by the broader Jewish community.

Webinar 2 - Taking Stock: Assessing Your Organization and Potential Partners

Wednesday, August 26
12:00 – 1:15 PM ET 

This webinar will focus on how to assess your organization’s readiness for partnership, as well as your partner’s potential readiness. We will begin by providing guidance for organizational self-assessment including financial stress-testing, staff and board leadership capacity, program sustainability, marketing/communications impact, and infrastructure needed to fulfill mission. Once this has been done, it’s time to identify and assess potential partners. We will share a road map to beginning these conversations, share key criteria for assessing appropriate partners, and discuss the importance of selecting partners that align with your organizational strategy and will increase mission impact. During this session, we will also discuss how organizations might initiate conversations with funders around supporting this work. This webinar will be most useful for organizational leadership, on both the staff and board level. Funders are also welcome to attend.

Webinar 3 - Crafting a Successful and Impactful Partnership

Thursday, September 10
12:00 – 1:15 PM ET 

The focus of this webinar will be on what it takes to negotiate an effective partnership that leads to increased impact and organizational strength. The long-term positive impact of partnerships can be great, but it requires time, capacity, and intentionality. We will provide an overview of the negotiation process, change management tools, and pitfalls to avoid. During this session we will dive into what can be expected as part of legal and financial due diligence, various implementation options, and the areas of integration — including culture. This webinar will be most useful for organizational leadership, on both the staff and board level. Funders are also welcome to attend.

How does poverty impact access to higher education and educational success? In this webinar, we will discuss how the community can help build opportunities and networks for underserved students to support retention and success.

Over the coming months the National Affinity Group on Jewish Poverty will be hosting a series of webinars and virtual meetups to discuss the many challenges the coronavirus pandemic has created for Jews facing poverty and the agencies that serve them. We will hear the needs from the service providers on the ground supporting our front lines, share best practices and information, and strategize on ways to respond collectively.

Each webinar is moderated by Susan Ditkoff of The Bridgespan Group Boston. 

Speakers

Danielle Ellman
Chief Executive Officer
Commonpoint Queens

Sara J. Fertman
Director
The Jeffrey H. and Shari L. Aronson Family Foundation

Adam Kolett
Executive Director
Hillel of Broward and Palm Beach

A peer discussion on the questions posed by donors and foundations in light of the changes in the social field in the face of the Covid-19

Please join us for a joint meeting of JFN and the Israel Foundations Forum.

We will gather for a peer discussion in small groups focusing on the following funding areas: education, employment, health, young adults, environment, arts and culture, women and human rights.

In the meeting we will delve into these social areas from different angles as we collectively explore, what we, the members of the philanthropic community, need to ask and understand in order to prepare for the emerging changes in the social field in Israel.

The meeting will be held in Hebrew 

Join us for a conversation with Wes Moore, CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation, an anti-poverty organization based in New York City, and author of several best-selling books. In this event, Rachel Garbow Monroe, President and CEO of the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation will talk to Wes about his new book “Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City,” Covid-19’s disproportionate impact on communities of color, and how funders can best support racial justice and anti-poverty work at this critical time.

We encourage you to join us for this important conversation and to consider purchasing "Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City" as a learning tool and resource for you and your communities. To learn more about the book, about the aftermath of the April 2015 death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore, told through eight characters on the front lines of the uprising that overtook Baltimore and riveted the world, please click the link here.

Note: This event will not be recorded, so please be sure to join us live!

About Wes Moore

A social entrepreneur and CEO, Wes Moore leads Robin Hood, one of the largest anti-poverty forces in the United States.

Wes's first book, “The Other Wes Moore,” a perennial New York Times bestseller, captured the nation’s attention on the fine line between success and failure in our communities and in ourselves. That story has been optioned by executive producer Oprah Winfrey and HBO to be made into a movie. He is also the author of the bestselling books “The Work,” “Discovering Wes Moore,” and “This Way Home.”

Wes grew up in Baltimore and the Bronx, where he was raised by a single mom. Despite childhood challenges, he graduated Phi Theta Kappa from Valley Forge Military College in 1998 and Phi Beta Kappa from Johns Hopkins University in 2001. He earned an MLitt in International Relations from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar in 2004. He then served as a captain and paratrooper with the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne, including a combat deployment to Afghanistan. He later served as a White House Fellow to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Before becoming CEO at Robin Hood, Wes was the founder and CEO at BridgeEdU, an innovative tech platform addressing the college completion and job placement crisis. BridgeEdU reinvents freshman year for underserved students. Wes remains chairman of the board of directors at BridgeEDU. He has also worked in finance as an investment banker with Deutsche Bank in London and with Citigroup in New York.

Wes has been featured by USA Today, TIME Magazine, People Magazine, “Meet the Press,” “The Colbert Report”, “The View,” MSNBC, and NPR, among many others. He is a consistent news contributor to programs such as "Morning Joe," "Hardball with Chris Matthews," "NOW with Alex Wagner," "Andrea Mitchell Reports," and many others. He has also hosted programs such as “Beyond Belief” on the Oprah Winfrey Network, as well as two shows on PBS: “American Graduate Day 2014” and “Coming Back with Wes Moore”, for which he was the executive producer.

Wes lives in Baltimore with his wife and two children.

About Rachel Garbow Monroe

Rachel Garbow Monroe has been the president and CEO of The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, one of the 50 largest private foundations in the United States with approximately $2.9 billion in assets, for nearly 10 years. The Weinberg Foundation is dedicated to meeting the basic needs of people experiencing poverty and provides approximately $125 million annually in grants to nonprofits, primarily in the US and Israel, which provide direct services in the areas of housing, health, jobs, education, and community services.

Rachel leads a staff of more than 60 across offices in Baltimore, Maryland and Honolulu, Hawaii. She has been instrumental in the creation and launch of several new initiatives, including a national convening on Jewish poverty in the United States, as well as a $12 million partnership with the Foundation for Jewish Camp to increase accessibility for campers and staff with disabilities. Rachel also directed the reframing of the Foundation’s grants structure to five focus areas. Previously, she helped conceive and launch the $10 million Baltimore Elementary and Middle School Library Project, as well as the Foundation’s major events, including the Biennial Community Gathering, the Employee Giving Program, the Israel Mission Alumni Scholars Program, and the Small Grants and Baltimore City Community Grants Programs.

Previous professional roles include chief operating officer for The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore; the worldwide director of marketing for the international architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; and marketing manager for the Jewish Community Centers of Chicago. For five years, Rachel also served as an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University where she taught a graduate nonprofit marketing course at the Institute for Policy Studies.

Rachel is married with three children.

Learn from experts in the field and noted historians about how the American Jewish community has responded to and evolved due to crisis over the last 150 years - with a special lens on philanthropy.

Speakers:

Felicia Herman
Executive Director
The Natan Fund

Jonathan D. Sarna
University Professor
Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History
Director
Schusterman Center for Israel Studies
Brandeis University

Annie Polland
Executive Director
American Jewish Historical Society

We are thrilled to announce a new matching grant initiative: Strengthening the Impact Ecosystem Building Social Economic Resilience in Israel a collaboration between the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation (Israel) and Jewish Funders Network (JFN).

Please join us for an information session for funders interested in participating in the matching grant program and supporting social organizations making an impact in this field.

We will share the vision, goals and objectives of the matching grant program and provide an opportunity to hear from a funder who participated the previous matching grant program. We will also provide details about how the program works, answer questions and give an overview of JFN membership and services.

Speakers & Agenda

• Eli Booch, Director of Philanthropy, Edmond de Rothschild Foundation, will discuss the vision for the matching grant program, and explain why growth and support for impact entrepreneurship projects is so significant in this current era. 
• Alina Shkolnikov, Impact Entrepreneurship Manager, Edmond de Rothschild Foundation, will explain the matching grant program's objectives.
• Sharon Dwek, Membership Director, JFN IL, will outline the matching grant terms and conditions for donors, will walk you through the application process.
• Noa Yovel Maoz, JFN Member, will explain why she participated in the matching grants program. 
• Q&A

This roundtable will also be offered on July 21 from 1-3 pm ET. RSVP for the date that is most convenient for you. Please note, this roundtable is tailored for grantmaking professionals. Interested funders should RSVP for roundtables on Tuesday, August 4, from 1-3pm ET and Wednesday, August 5, from 1-3pm ET.

During the current Covid-19 crisis, many JFN members have contacted us seeking advice on the unique situation you were/are facing vis-à-vis your funding in Israel. Some are uncertain about the future scope of their giving, while others have been seeking knowledge and guidance on needs and opportunities for emergency grants. Many have approached us to think collectively of ways to alleviate the stresses of the Israeli NGOs you support, and to help with possible partnerships and collaborations.

As Israel’s economy gradually reopens, these needs and the questions are not disappearing, but rather crystallizing: Transitioning from emergency grants to ongoing support, building the resilience of the social sector, encouraging mergers and collaborations, and figuring out your role and commitment as a funder are just some of the issues you may be confronting in the upcoming period.

This small virtual meeting is designed to dig deeper into your current philanthropic work in Israel, discuss the challenges you face and offer you some initial tips and tools for action. Our goal is to identify and map the most urgent needs of the philanthropic community at this time and in response over the coming months-we will develop content, tools and guidance that would be most helpful for you to face the changing new reality we are all facing.

Please note, this virtual meeting is different from — but complementary to — the webinars we are offering about the Shaldor Report, which outlines expected social scenarios in Israel through a review of key megatrends and suggests how they will impact diverse aspects of society.

Sigal Yaniv Feller, our Director of Advisory Services and Reut Stoller, Director of Programming, both from the JFN-Israel office, will be facilitating the meeting

This virtual meeting is designed for people with experience funding in Israel. If you are new to funding in Israel, we would be delighted for you to attend. Please email [email protected], so we can help you in your journey.

​https://youtu.be/Uag_QwYZy24

Israel programs — including missions, youth tours and immersive trips for adults of all ages — have long been among contemporary Jewish philanthropy’s major achievements, bringing hundreds of thousands of people of all ages to Israel for immersive, life-changing experiences. COVID’s disruption of travel and large gatherings brought the field to a standstill, and there are significant questions about how and when to restart. This program brings together a group of funders and program providers who have been regularly meeting since the crisis began to share the data, conversations, and concerns they’ve been wrestling with. The dialogue will explore the effects of the crisis, where the gaps are and what’s needed, and creative strategies to consider while travel remains curtailed. 

Speakers: 

Rina Goldberg
Managing Director, Israel and Overseas
The Jewish Federations of North America

Steven Green
Senior Director, Grants Management and Compliance, Jim Joseph Foundation

Ariella Saperstein
Program Officer
Maimonides Fund

Liz Sokolsky
Executive Director
Birthright Israel North America

Mike Wise
Co-CEO
Honeymoon Israel Foundation

Impact investing is an increasingly important way for individuals, foundations, federations and non-profits to powerfully expand their capacity for social and environmental change, all while providing a framework to live their values through how they spend and invest.

Join JFN’s growing community of impact investors for a lively and action-oriented monthly roundtable, each featuring a master class and two investment roundups, all led by JFN members and designed to encourage shared learning and shared action along our impact investing journeys.

Whether you are new to impact investing or a seasoned veteran, the roundtables will help you to build skills, deepen your collaborations and deal access, and add meaning to how you're managing your money.

Moderator for Roundtable Series

Vanessa Bartram, Managing Director, ZORA Ventures

Speakers for July 22 Roundtable

Cintra Pollack, Singer Family Foundation

Joshua-Marc Tanenbaum

Elli Booch, Director of Philanthropy, Edmond de Rothschild Foundation (IL).

This is the second in a series that meets once a month through October. While you are welcome to join us for any of the roundtables, we encourage you to join us for the full series to maximize our shared learning and collaborations.

Dates for Future Sessions

• Wednesday, August 19,  1-2pm Eastern (8-9 p.m. in Israel)
• Tuesday, September 22, 12-1pm Eastern (7-8 p.m. in Israel)
• Tuesday, October 20, 12-1pm Eastern (7-8 p.m. in Israel)

Agile Methodologies is a process used in software development to support thinking and processes to be responsive to changing needs. This webinar from 2020 JFN conference sponsor, the grants management software company Foundant Technologies, explores how this framework can support philanthropists in their work explores how it has adopted this framework to support philanthropists in their work, by helping people and processes align, scale, and reach goals with a clear purpose and outcome. Various agile frameworks can be used to pivot processes and align stakeholders across all functions. Finding the right framework for you means adopting a common language and fine-tuning your processes to create transparency, predictability, and trust. Over the hour, we’ll discuss:

• What does agile look like at an organization or a process level?
• Why do agile methodologies lend themselves to philanthropy so well?
• What does an agile funding process look like?
• How can you implement agile methodologies at your foundation/organization?

"Agile is the ability to create and respond to change. It is a way of dealing with, and ultimately succeeding in, an uncertain and turbulent environment." -- Agile Alliance

Speakers: 

Sammie Holzwarth
Product Manager
Foundant Technologies

Mark Larimer
VP of Sales & Marketing
Foundant Technologies

This roundtable will also be offered on July 23 from 1-3 pm ET. RSVP for the date that is most convenient for you. Please note, this roundtable is tailored for grantmaking professionals. Interested funders should RSVP for roundtables on Tuesday, August 4, from 1-3pm ET and Wednesday, August 5, from 1-3pm ET.

During the current Covid-19 crisis, many JFN members have contacted us seeking advice on the unique situation you were/are facing vis-à-vis your funding in Israel. Some are uncertain about the future scope of their giving, while others have been seeking knowledge and guidance on needs and opportunities for emergency grants. Many have approached us to think collectively of ways to alleviate the stresses of the Israeli NGOs you support, and to help with possible partnerships and collaborations.

As Israel’s economy gradually reopens, these needs and the questions are not disappearing, but rather crystallizing: Transitioning from emergency grants to ongoing support, building the resilience of the social sector, encouraging mergers and collaborations, and figuring out your role and commitment as a funder are just some of the issues you may be confronting in the upcoming period.

This small virtual meeting is designed to dig deeper into your current philanthropic work in Israel, discuss the challenges you face and offer you some initial tips and tools for action. Our goal is to identify and map the most urgent needs of the philanthropic community at this time and in response over the coming months-we will develop content, tools and guidance that would be most helpful for you to face the changing new reality we are all facing.

Please note, this virtual meeting is different from — but complementary to — the webinars we are offering about the Shaldor Report, which outlines expected social scenarios in Israel through a review of key megatrends and suggests how they will impact diverse aspects of society.

This virtual meeting is designed for people with experience funding in Israel. If you are new to funding in Israel, we would be delighted for you to attend. Please email [email protected], so we can help in your journey.

Sigal Yaniv Feller, our Director of Advisory Services and Reut Stoller, Director of Programming, both from the JFN-Israel office, will be facilitating the meeting.

This virtual meeting is designed for people with experience funding in Israel. If you are new to funding in Israel, we would be delighted for you to attend. Please email [email protected], so we can help you in your journey.

https://youtu.be/TFegA45g6fk

In this webinar we will discuss the intersection of philanthropy and government and its role in combating poverty, especially during COVID-19. 

Over the past couple of months the National Affinity Group on Jewish Poverty has been hosting webinars and virtual meetups to discuss the many challenges the coronavirus pandemic has created for Jews facing poverty and the agencies that serve them. We will hear the needs from the service providers on the ground supporting our front lines, share best practices and information, and strategize on ways to respond collectively.

Each webinar is moderated by Susan Ditkoff of The Bridgespan Group Boston. 

Speakers

Louisa Chafee
Senior Vice President
External Relations and Public Policy
UJA- Federation of New York

Jerry Rubin
President and Chief Executive Officer
Jewish Vocational Service-Boston

Ginna Green
Former Chief Strategy Officer
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action

Save the dates in your calendar! We have one more webinar planned this summer:

Tuesday, August 4 12-1pm ET

Please join us for a bi-monthly virtual convening for grantmaking professionals.

In this session, Jaré Akchin of the Circle of Service Foundation and Alicia Schuyler Oberman of the Jack Miller Family Foundation and the Board Member Institute for Jewish Nonprofits, will be discussing an ambitious technical assistance program they have created together with other key funders in Chicago, to support local Jewish organizations.

We look forward to coming together for shared learning and community building. 

Speakers:

Jaré Akchin
Program Officer
Circle of Service Foundation

Alicia Schuyler Oberman
Foundation Director and Board Member
Jack Miller Family Foundation 

Facilitators: 

Deena Fuchs
Executive Vice President
Jewish Funders Network

Tamar Frydman
Director, Peer Programs
Jewish Funders Network

Mike Berkowitz
Co-Founder & Principal
Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies, LLC

What does art have to do with it all? Our society is confronted with unprecedented challenges, from Covid-19, racial injustice to a climate emergency. Artists are playing a critical role in helping us to cope, to imagine, to be entertained and to hope. Yet artists are some of the first to lose their jobs.

Join JFN member Sonia Cummings; CANVAS founder Lou Cove, and Tzivia Schwartz Getzug, JFN's West Coast director — and some leading Los Angeles-based artists — for a conversation about the ways Jewish creatives are responding to our times.

About CANVAS 

CANVAS is a Jewish Funders Network-powered funding collaborative that seeks to encourage, support and promote a 21st-century Jewish cultural renaissance. CANVAS seeks to elevate the ecosystem of Jewish arts & culture in North America through strategic and coordinated giving, education, and cross-sector exposure (between funders and artists, Jewish creatives and secular distribution networks/media, and more).

About the Art Featured Here

"Construction #1," by Shay Arick. C-print assemblages created from
Israeli flora found during quarantine.(Courtesy of Asylum Arts, a CANVAS grantee)

In the aftermath of the corona crisis, what forces and trends are shaping the new social landscape in Israel? Which global processes has the crisis accelerated, and how might these affect the social fields in Israel where philanthropy plays a role? What are the long-term changes we can expect?

These large and ongoing questions continue to accompany day-to-day philanthropic work and influence our ability to make decisions about both the “here and now” and the long term.

Working with JFN Israel and some of our foundation members, Shaldor Strategy Consulting has created a report that sheds light on the social field in Israel after and in light of the coronavirus crisis.

In this session, we will share the latest knowledge that will help you safely navigate your philanthropic activities in the face of new and emerging realities, engage in dialogue with local and national government, and work in small groups to provide you with maximum understanding and tools for a hands-on discussion on the necessary adjustments to your routine giving strategy.

The report  outlines expected social scenarios in Israel through a review of key megatrends and suggests how they will impact diverse aspects of society, both with relation to social activities and financial sources. We strongly recommend that you review the report prior to the meeting so that you can benefit the most from your participation.

The meeting will be held in English

Acts of hate targeting Muslims and Jews have been mounting at an alarming rate in North America and in Europe. Antisemitism and Islamophobia have special urgency today, as conspiracy theories about COVID-19 have proliferated. When Muslims and Jews make common cause, the odds of success in reversing this rising tide greatly increase. This program explores the current problem of hate against Jews and Muslims, how it is being addressed at the grassroots in America, and how these efforts can be replicated elsewhere in the world. Field experts present techniques to strengthen Muslim-Jewish relations and fight hate, as well as identifying the issues around which Muslims and Jews can make common cause,  build relationships, and support one another.

Speakers: 

Georgette Bennett
Polonsky Foundation

Sheryl Olitzky
Cofounder and Executive Director
Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom

Natalia Mahmud
Assistant Director, U.S. Muslim-Jewish Relations
AJC

George Selim
Senior Vice President of Programs, Anti-Defamation League

***NEW POLICY*** Beginning on July 1, JFN will limit non-member access to some of our events. JFN members have unlimited access, but non-members who are eligible to join JFN are limited to three online programs or two live events per year (maximum three events total). Once this limit is reached, you must become a JFN member to access additional programs. (Please note that the webinars of some affinity groups have more open policies, and participating in those programs will not count against the limit.) Please contact [email protected] for information.

Join us for an important conversation with the leaders of the Jews of Color Initiative COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund. The session will provide an overview of the needs of vulnerable Jews of color and Jewish communal professionals of color amid the pandemic. In addition, panelists will share lessons learned from initial funding rounds and highlight opportunities for how the Jewish community can better support Jews of color moving forward.

This is part of the National Affinity Group on Jewish Poverty's ongoing series of webinars and virtual meetups to discuss the many challenges the coronavirus pandemic has created for Jews facing poverty and the agencies that serve them. In this series, we hear the needs from the service providers on the ground supporting our front lines, share best practices and information, and strategize on ways to respond collectively. Watch the previous briefings in this series here.

Each webinar is moderated by Susan Ditkoff of The Bridgespan Group Boston. 

Introductions will be made by Paula B. Pretlow, Trustee, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation.

Speakers: 

Ilana Kaufman
Executive Director
Jews of Color Field Building Initiative

Angel Alvarez-Mapp
Director of Programs and Operations
Jews of Color Initiative

Ginna Green
Former Chief Strategy Officer
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action

Save the dates in your calendar! We have two more webinars planned this summer:

• Tuesday, July 21, 12-1pm ET
• Tuesday, August 4, 12-1pm ET

This is the first in a series called "Why We Invest in Our Creative Community: A CANVAS Conversation.

In the wake of unprecedented upheaval and conflict, where do we find answers to the deeper questions we face? As the People of the Book, Jews have historically turned to books to comprehend and process the world, with all the beauty and challenges it presents us. More than ever, we depend on the insights of our authors for interpretation, empathy, and transcendence.

We are excited to present a rare and intimate conversation/reading with three major Jewish authors — Nathan Englander, Marra B. Gad, and Rachel Kadish — as they share their work and their reactions to the crises of our times.

What is the role of an artist in a pandemic? During a period of profound reckoning? How has their response been informed by their Jewish identities? We hope you will join us to learn the answers to these questions, and ask some of your own.

This conversation will be moderated by Lou Cove, Founder of CANVAS, and Naomi Firestone-Teeter, Executive Director of the Jewish Book Council (a CANVAS grantee).

About the Panelists

Nathan Englander is the author of the story collections "For the Relief of Unbearable Urges," an international best seller, and "What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank," and the novels "The Ministry of Special Cases" and "Dinner at the Center of the Earth." His books have been translated into 22 languages, and, among other prizes, he was chosen as one of Twenty Writers for the 21st Century by The New Yorker and is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a PEN/Malamud Award, a Berlin Prize, the Sue Kaufman Prize from the American Academy of Arts & Letters, the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award. He was a Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2013. His play "The Twenty-Seventh Man" premiered at the Public Theater in 2012, and his new play, "What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank," commissioned by Lincoln Center Theater, was scheduled to run at The Old Globe in San Diego now, but is on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic. He is Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University and lives with his family in Toronto.

Marra B. Gad is the author of "The Color of Love: A Story of a Mixed-Race Jewish Girl," winner of the 2020 Midwest Book Award for Memoir. She was born in New York and raised in Chicago. She is an independent film and television producer and now calls Los Angeles home. Ms. Gad is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and holds a master's degree in modern Jewish history from Baltimore Hebrew Institute at Towson University.

Rachel Kadish’s most recent novel, "The Weight of Ink," was awarded a National Jewish Book Award, the Julia Ward Howe Fiction Prize, and the Association of Jewish Libraries’ Fiction Award. Her work has been read on National Public Radio and has appeared in The New York Times, Salon, Slate, Paris Review, Iowa Review, and the Pushcart Prize Anthology. She has been the Koret Writer-in-Residence at Stanford University and a fellow of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. She lives outside Boston and is a co-founder of the Stockholm-based initiative Voices Between: Stories Against Extremism.

About CANVAS

CANVAS is a Jewish Funders Network-powered funding collaborative that seeks to encourage, support and promote a 21st- century Jewish cultural renaissance. CANVAS seeks to elevate the ecosystem of Jewish arts & culture in North America through strategic and coordinated giving, education, and cross-sector exposure (between funders and artists, Jewish creatives and secular distribution networks/media, and more).

For too long, philanthropy's role has been perceived merely as a way of financing activities. However, philanthropy has a significant goal strengthening our communities, and we hope you can join us for what promises to be an insightful discussion. We will be joined by leading practitioners of the secular philanthropic field that have a rich track record in connecting communities. In addition to understanding how large philanthropies act across the United States, we will focus on what this means for the American Jewish community and its relationship with Israel – a field where, for decades, philanthropy has been a significant part of the conversation. This webinar is presented by the Ruderman Family Foundation, in partnership with the Jewish Funders Network.

The event will take place via ZOOM, Monday, July 6, at 11:00 EST.

>>>RSVP HERE

Please join us for a presentation by speakers Batya Kallus and Jenny Cohen as they share a valuable adaptive capacity tool that they've developed to help funders assess their grantees' progress through the COVID crisis and to inform their own portfolio-level decision making.

We will then have a chance to use the tool ourselves and to discuss its application(s) with our peers during small group sessions. We will be breaking into peer learning and support groups twice during this meeting, including near the top of the call. Be prepared to chat!

Speakers:

Batya Kallus
Social Venture Fund Jewish-Arab Equality and Shared Society

Jenny Cohen
Evaluation Capacity-Building Consultant

Facilitators: 

Deena Fuchs
Executive Vice President
Jewish Funders Network

Tamar Frydman
Director, Peer Programs
Jewish Funders Network

Mike Berkowitz
Co-Founder & Principal
Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies, LLC

Israel's high-tech, medical and science accomplishments are world-renowned, and many of its researchers have been at the forefront in the fight against Covid-19 in Israel and abroad. This global pandemic has impacted all of us and underscores the critical role of medical and scientific expertise. In this introductory webinar, with longtime funders of science, and one leader within Israel’s academic research community, learn different approaches to funding research in Israel and what we have learned along the way. We will also discuss the role funders can play in strengthening the infrastructure needed for research and different opportunities for collaboration. 

Moderator

Kim Philbrick McCabe, Executive Director,The Klarman Family Foundation

Speakers

Asher Ragen, Programme Director for the Academic Excellence, Yad Hanadiv

Ruth Salzman, CEO, The Russell Berrie Foundation

Professor Uri Sivan, President of the Technion — Israel Institute of Technology

The Jewish communal workforce has seen serious hardship during the COVID-19 period. With over 20,000 jobs lost, the crisis has created a severe impact on many communal institutions and families. This program brings together speakers who offer a big-picture view of the effects on the workforce, outline what is happening, and suggest ways to support professionals who have been laid off or furloughed from their jobs.

Speakers:

Ilana Aisen
CEO
JPRO Network

Gali Cooks
President & CEO
Leading Edge

Reuben D. Rotman
President & CEO
Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies

Impact investing is an increasingly important way for individuals, foundations, federations and non-profits to powerfully expand their capacity for social and environmental change, all while providing a framework to live their values through how they spend and invest.

Join JFN’s growing community of impact investors for a lively and action-oriented monthly roundtable, each featuring a master class and two investment roundups, all led by JFN members and designed to encourage shared learning and shared action along our impact investing journeys.

Whether you are new to impact investing or a seasoned veteran, the roundtables will help you to build skills, deepen your collaborations and deal access, and add meaning to how you're managing your money.

Moderator for Roundtable Series

Vanessa Bartram, Managing Director, ZORA Ventures

Speakers for June 24

Doug Stewart, Executive Director, Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation

Master Class: A Relatively Spectacular Failure

Beth Sirull, President and CEO, San Diego Jewish Community Foundation

Investment Roundup: Our Investment in Ogen

Gideon Stein, Chief Research Scientist, Mobileye

Investment Roundup: Our Investment in Pivot

This is the first in a five-part series that meets once a month through October. While you are welcome to join us for any of the roundtables, we encourage you to join us for the full series to maximize our shared learning and collaborations.

Dates for Upcoming Sessions

• Wednesday, July 22, 1-2pm Eastern (8-9 p.m. in Israel)
• Wednesday, August 19,  1-2pm Eastern (8-9 p.m. in Israel)
• Tuesday, September 22, 12-1pm Eastern (7-8 p.m. in Israel)
• Tuesday, October 20, 12-1pm Eastern (7-8 p.m. in Israel)

The pandemic has wreaked havoc on the economy, and amid rising unemployment and hiring freezes, Americans are seeking meaning and a way to help their communities. Join leaders in the field to learn about the importance of national service and volunteerism — and of the needs and opportunities within this critical sector — during the pandemic and beyond. 

Moderator:

Laura Lauder
JFN member
Laura & Gary Lauder Philanthropic Fund 

Speakers:

Jesse Colvin
CEO
Service Year Alliance

Cindy Greenberg
President & CEO
Repair the World

Natalye Paquin
President & CEO
Points of Light

In the last couple of months, the Corona crisis presented many challenges to the philanthropic community in Israel and around the world: professional, economic, logistical and emotional. Social reality has changed and so have the ways of philanthropy, identifying needs on the ground and the need to respond quickly and under uncertain circumstances.

The gradual return to economic activity poses the need to address significant questions as they relate to the new reality that the philanthropic sector is facing:

How do I manage my post-Corona funding allocation? What is my role as a funder in dealing with organizations' closures or mergers between NGOs? What channels of cooperation with the government / local authorities do I have as a donor and how do I create collaborations? How to transition from emergency grants to ongoing support? And many other question marks that are raised by these challenging times.

Our goal is to examine together your current philanthropic needs, and to enable a sincere discussion around the challenges while offering you suggestions and tools for action.

The meetings will include likeminded funders with similar giving capacity and experience in strategic philanthropy in order to yield an effective and meaningful dialogue based on shared challenges and common dilemmas.

With the conclusion of the 2019-2020 school year, Jewish day schools and yeshivas are refocusing their attention on the coming year and the financial challenges that have arisen in light of COVID-19. Join Prizmah's CEO Paul Bernstein and a panel of funders to identify the needs day schools are facing and how they are being addressed on a local, regional, and North American level. Hear how we can ensure that Jewish educational providers can open their doors — physically or virtually — in the fall.  

This is the third part of a series that JFN is hosting to help donors better understand the impact and needs of day schools during this time. 

Speakers:

Paul Bernstein
Chief Executive Officer
Prizmah, Center for Jewish Day Schools

Felicia Herman
Executive Director
The Natan Fund 

Connie Kanter
CEO
Samis Foundation

Ann Pava
Immediate Past Chair
Prizmah and Chair
Prizmah's Development Committee

Melissa Rivkin
Director of Day School Strategy
Samis Foundation

The Covid crisis has brought increased attention to and focus on a number of vulnerable populations in the Jewish community. As funders work with organizations to meet these needs, it is clear that many are implementing their interventions and supports without a fully inclusive mindset, which often leaves people with disabilities out of the conversation. As the emergency footing slowly moves toward a new normal, what practices can funders use to become more strategic and thoughtful to ensure that their work allows this critical population to benefit as fully as others? This conversation brings together funders, activists, and the leading sponsor of the Americans With Disabilities Act to reflect.

Speakers:

Tony Coelho
Former U.S. Congressman
Board Member, Epilepsy Foundation

Jennifer Marshall
Executive Director, This Is My Brave, Inc.

Shira Ruderman
Executive Director
Ruderman Family Foundation

Sasha Trump Weiss
Chair
Beit Issie Shapiro

Please join us for a bi-monthly virtual convening for grantmaking professionals.

We look forward to coming together for shared learning and community building. 

Speakers:

Amy Rosenblatt Lui
Executive Director
The Beverly Foundation, Fingerhut Family Foundation and Ronald Fingerhut Family Foundation

Yotam Polizer
Global Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
IsraAID

Facilitators: 

Deena Fuchs
Executive Vice President
Jewish Funders Network

Tamar Frydman
Senior Manager, Programs and Member Education
Jewish Funders Network

Mike Berkowitz
Co-Founder & Principal
Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies, LLC

A Three-Session Course for Donors*

Join us on June 3, 10, and 17 for a course focused on placing values at the forefront of your conversations in strategic philanthropy. Facilitated by leading family philanthropy advisors, this seminar helps family funders identify and use core values as a framework to keep them aligned when navigating the challenges of their philanthropic work—particularly around the difficult conversations that arise within families, with grantees, or in aspects of their decision-making and grantmaking. Each session is 90 minutes, and participants should plan to attend all three.

Over the three meetings, participants will:

·         Establish the values that can serve as a framework for coherent grantmaking.

·         Learn how to develop governance and operating policies, practices, and group norms that support decision-making and power sharing.

·         Learn how to better engage in conversations that take place as being part of a foundation board that may potentially be difficult or tense – with grantees, other family members, staff, other trustees, etc.

·         Learn how to apply the values to turn the inherent tensions that can arise in philanthropic conversations toward important and healthy deliberations about philosophy and strategy.

* Enrollment is restricted to individual donors and family members/trustees of family foundations. 

Free to JFN members
$180 for eligible non-members

FACILITATORS

Samantha Anderson
Ceres Group Advisors

Amy Holdsman
Essential Leadership

The Covid-19 pandemic is producing major upheaval, and we don’t yet know where all the chips are going to fall. We do know, however, that the world will be transformed, and the Jewish community will confront momentous changes. That’s why we recently embarked on a scenarios design process that imagines how the United States and the world will look in the next two years. We can’t predict, but we can imagine alternative futures that will affect the Jewish community in different ways — which we can then use to help prepare.

Using scenarios, organizations can make sense of their context and identify trends and factors that might affect them in the future. That allows them to “wind-tunnel” their strategies by asking themselves how they’ll fare in each of the alternative futures they may face. What threats and opportunities may present themselves in each scenario? What do we need to do today to prepare? How do we survive, thrive, and be resilient, knowing that the future is uncertain?

In this webinar, we will be sharing information about scenario planning and providing a mini-training in how to facilitate something similar within your own organization. We also encourage you to consult our materials (including a video summarizing the process) here.

Speakers

Andrés Spokoiny, President & CEO of JFN

Deena K. Fuchs, Executive Vice President of JFN

This engaging webinar hosted by the Jewish Teen Funders Network will explore the benefits and impacts of involving the younger generation in the family giving experience. We will share tools, best practices and games in order to engage and enhance conversations around giving.

Speakers

Wayne Green
Executive Director
Jewish Teen Funders Network

Alana Hollander
Community and Special Projects Manager
Jewish Teen Funders Network

Danielle Segal
Senior Program Manager
Jewish Teen Funders Network

Jewish media has been a critical pillar of our communal infrastructure for decades. It serves both as the public square of the community and also as an important vector for the transmission of content. As in the secular world, the standard for-profit model of Jewish journalism was sputtering due to market changes, new consumption habits, and the rise of countless alternative free news sources. Even before COVID, Jewish media outlets needed a new way forward; the crisis has only accelerated the challenges. This conversation highlights the importance of true journalism for Jewish life and brings in innovative and exciting new models from the secular world that can make nonprofit journalism both viable financially as well as independent and free from influence. Our conversation brings together experts from the secular world with leading lights of Jewish journalism and funders to explore alternatives for a vibrant Jewish fourth estate.

Speakers

Introduction
Rabbi Eliot Cosgrove
Rabbi
Park Avenue Synagogue

New Models
Peter Lattman
Managing Director—Media
Emerson Collective

Jennifer Preston
VP—Journalism
Knight Foundation

Dialogue with Journalists
Jodi Rudoren
Editor-in-Chief
The Forward

Yair Rosenberg
Senior Writer
Tablet Magazine

Andrew Silow-Carroll
Editor-in-Chief
The Jewish Week

Ami Eden
CEO / Executive Editor
70 Faces Media

NOTE: This webinar is also being offered on June 16.

The Covid-19 pandemic is producing major upheaval, and we don’t yet know where all the chips are going to fall. We do know, however, that the world will be transformed, and the Jewish community will confront momentous changes. That’s why we recently embarked on a scenarios design process that imagines how the United States and the world will look in the next two years. We can’t predict, but we can imagine alternative futures that will affect the Jewish community in different ways — which we can then use to help prepare.

Using scenarios, organizations can make sense of their context and identify trends and factors that might affect them in the future. That allows them to “wind-tunnel” their strategies by asking themselves how they’ll fare in each of the alternative futures they may face. What threats and opportunities may present themselves in each scenario? What do we need to do today to prepare? How do we survive, thrive, and be resilient, knowing that the future is uncertain?

In this webinar, we will be sharing information about scenario planning and providing a mini-training in how to facilitate something similar within your own organization. We also encourage you to consult our materials (including a video summarizing the process) here.

Speakers

Andrés Spokoiny, President & CEO of JFN

Deena K. Fuchs, Executive Vice President of JFN

The Israeli-American bestselling author of "Predictably Irrational," Dan Ariely provides a special lecture for JFN on the lessons behavioral psychology offers to help governments begin to reopen their economies safely. This writer, researcher, and raconteur will detail experiments that show how the decision-making we do around coronavirus is not as rational as we think it is, explain how governments can help afford people more of a sense of control in this time, and offer predictions as to what habits and behaviors will—and won’t—change. Dan will also share with us his fascinating work beyond the coronavirus, harnessing the power of behavioral economics to address and solve major social problems in Israel.

Speaker:

Dan Ariely

Over the coming months the National Affinity Group on Jewish Poverty will be hosting a series of webinars and virtual meetups to discuss the many challenges the coronavirus pandemic has created for Jews facing poverty and the agencies that serve them. We will hear the needs from the service providers on the ground supporting our front lines, share best practices and information, and strategize on ways to respond collectively.

The next in this series is on Tuesday, June 9^th from 12-1pm ET. Each webinar is moderated by Susan Ditkoff of The Bridgespan Group Boston. 

Speakers for June 9

Charlene Seidle
Executive Vice President
Leichtag Foundation

Reuben Rotman
President & CEO
Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies

In the age of #MeToo and #TimesUp, Jewish funders are thinking deeply about how gender dynamics influence philanthropic leadership. Whether you've thought about these issues for a long time or are just beginning to explore how to apply a gender lens to your philanthropy and leadership, this two-part series will provide a deeper understanding of how you can leverage your resources and influence to effect change in all your philanthropy and the Jewish imperative in doing so. The first session focused on the Jewish imperative for giving with a gender lens. This session will provide participants with tangible tools and skills for this work. 

Using tools from Slingshot's latest resource, "Money, Gender and Power," the guidebook's author Tuti B. Scott, and Slingshot's CEO Stefanie Rhodes,will lead this interactive workshop to support Jewish funders of all genders in learning how to take concrete actions to advance gender equity, and commit to lifting up women and girls in the philanthropic landscape at large. 

Speakers: 

Tuti B. Scott
Founder
Changemaking Strategies

Stefanie Rhodes
CEO
Slingshot

In the last couple of months, the Corona crisis presented many challenges to the philanthropic community in Israel and around the world: professional, economic, logistical and emotional. Social reality has changed and so have the ways of philanthropy, identifying needs on the ground and the need to respond quickly and under uncertain circumstances.

The gradual return to economic activity poses the need to address significant questions as they relate to the new reality that the philanthropic sector is facing:

How do I manage my post-Corona funding allocation? What is my role as a funder in dealing with organizations' closures or mergers between NGOs? What channels of cooperation with the government / local authorities do I have as a donor and how do I create collaborations? How to transition from emergency grants to ongoing support? And many other question marks that are raised by these challenging times.

Our goal is to examine together your current philanthropic needs, and to enable a sincere discussion around the challenges while offering you suggestions and tools for action.

The meetings will include likeminded funders with similar giving capacity and experience in strategic philanthropy in order to yield an effective and meaningful dialogue based on shared challenges and common dilemmas.

Please join us for a bi-monthly virtual convening for grantmaking professionals.

We look forward to coming together for shared learning and community building. 

Facilitators: 

Deena Fuchs
Executive Vice President
Jewish Funders Network

Tamar Frydman
Senior Manager, Programs and Member Education
Jewish Funders Network

Mike Berkowitz
Co-Founder & Principal
Third Plateau Social Impact Strategies, LLC

In recent years, the European Leadership Network (ELNET) launched a special outreach program to Muslim communities in Europe, and in 2019 organized a first-ever delegation to Israel of 40 imams (Muslim clergy) and Muslim community leaders from France and Belgium. The purpose of the visit was to provide these leaders with a deeper understanding of Israel while fostering interreligious dialogue with the Jewish community. On this webinar you’ll hear about this extraordinary event from the head of the delegation, Imam Hassen Chalghoumi, one of the leading moderate imams in France.

Imam Chalghoumi has been actively involved in interfaith work and combating extremism following a series of Islamist terrorist attacks in France and Belgium. During the visit, Imam Chalghoumi asserted that anti-Zionism is antisemitism, stating, "what characterizes anti-Zionism is hatred. If we were simply talking about criticism of the State of Israel, we wouldn't see the hatred and talk of the need to wipe out and destroy Israel."

In conversation the speakers will focus on the strategy to fight antisemitism and build a broad pro-Israel consensus in Europe.

Speakers

Imam Hassen Chalghoumi
Imam of the Drancy municipal mosque in Seine Saint-Denis, France
Founder, Conference of Imams 

David Siegel
President
Friends of ELNET

Dr. Arie Bensemhoun
CEO
ELNET-France

Larry J. Hochberg
President
Hochberg Family Foundation

Joseph Braude
Center for Peace Communications

In the last couple of months, the Corona crisis presented many challenges to the philanthropic community in Israel and around the world: professional, economic, logistical and emotional. Social reality has changed and so have the ways of philanthropy, identifying needs on the ground and the need to respond quickly and under uncertain circumstances.

The gradual return to economic activity poses the need to address significant questions as they relate to the new reality that the philanthropic sector is facing:

How do I manage my post-Corona funding allocation? What is my role as a funder in dealing with organizations' closures or mergers between NGOs? What channels of cooperation with the government / local authorities do I have as a donor and how do I create collaborations? How to transition from emergency grants to ongoing support? And many other question marks that are raised by these challenging times.

Our goal is to examine together your current philanthropic needs, and to enable a sincere discussion around the challenges while offering you suggestions and tools for action.

The meetings will include likeminded funders with similar giving capacity and experience in strategic philanthropy in order to yield an effective and meaningful dialogue based on shared challenges and common dilemmas.

In the last couple of months, the Corona crisis presented many challenges to the philanthropic community in Israel and around the world: professional, economic, logistical and emotional. Social reality has changed and so have the ways of philanthropy, identifying needs on the ground and the need to respond quickly and under uncertain circumstances.

The gradual return to economic activity poses the need to address significant questions as they relate to the new reality that the philanthropic sector is facing:

How do I manage my post-Corona funding allocation? What is my role as a funder in dealing with organizations' closures or mergers between NGOs? What channels of cooperation with the government / local authorities do I have as a donor and how do I create collaborations? How to transition from emergency grants to ongoing support? And many other question marks that are raised by these challenging times.

Our goal is to examine together your current philanthropic needs, and to enable a sincere discussion around the challenges while offering you suggestions and tools for action.

The meetings will include likeminded funders with similar giving capacity and experience in strategic philanthropy in order to yield an effective and meaningful dialogue based on shared challenges and common dilemmas.

The Jewish Innovation sector has fueled a renaissance in Jewish life over the past 20 years, enabling millions of individuals to find new ways to connect and stay connected to Judaism, Jewish experiences, and Jewish communities by reimagining Jewish life.

In this time of crisis, it is critical to not only preserve and advance the core system that nurtures new leaders, ideas and ventures, enabling them to help Jewish institutions of all kinds adapt to contemporary realities, but we must also embrace Jewish innovation as a core mindset of recovery and rebuilding. 

Join Aaron Katler, Stefanie Rhodes and Mamie Kanfer Stewart for a discussion about how we can take the lessons learned from 20 years of nurturing and funding innovation to create a roadmap for the post-COVID Jewish community.  

Speakers:

Aaron Katler
CEO
UpStart

Stefanie Rhodes
CEO
Slingshot Fund

Mamie Kanfer Stewart
Founding Director, Vice Chair
Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah

In the last couple of months, the Corona crisis presented many challenges to the philanthropic community in Israel and around the world: professional, economic, logistical and emotional. Social reality has changed and so have the ways of philanthropy, identifying needs on the ground and the need to respond quickly and under uncertain circumstances.

The gradual return to economic activity poses the need to address significant questions as they relate to the new reality that the philanthropic sector is facing:

How do I manage my post-Corona funding allocation? What is my role as a funder in dealing with organizations' closures or mergers between NGOs? What channels of cooperation with the government / local authorities do I have as a donor and how do I create collaborations? How to transition from emergency grants to ongoing support? And many other question marks that are raised by these challenging times.

Our goal is to examine together your current philanthropic needs, and to enable a sincere discussion around the challenges while offering you suggestions and tools for action.

The meetings will include likeminded funders with similar giving capacity and experience in strategic philanthropy in order to yield an effective and meaningful dialogue based on shared challenges and common dilemmas.

COVID-19 has impacted all sectors of the Jewish community. From summer camps to day schools to social services, everyone is adjusting to a new reality in this unprecedented time.

We hope that you'll join us for a special meeting to discuss how the San Francisco Bay Area philanthropic community is responding to the COVID-19 crisis. Together, we will explore the impact of COVID-19 and how the many foundations and organizations that serve and support the San Francisco Bay Area are pivoting their programs and strategies to meet the needs of our local community.

Participants will include representatives from the Jim Joseph Foundation, the John Pritzker Family Fund, the Bay Area Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund, the Oshman Family JCC, and Hebrew Free Loan. 

Moderator:

Barry Finestone
President and CEO
Jim Joseph Foundation

Speakers:

Joy Sisisky
Chief Philanthropy Officer
Bay Area Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund 

Cindy Rogoway
Executive Director
Hebrew Free Loan

Amy Rabbino
Executive Director
John Pritzker Family Fund

Zack Bodner
Chief Executive Officer
Oshman Family JCC

Over the coming months the National Affinity Group on Jewish Poverty will be hosting a series of webinars and virtual meetups to discuss the many challenges the coronavirus pandemic has created for Jews facing poverty and the agencies that serve them. We will hear the needs from the service providers on the ground supporting our front lines, share best practices and information, and strategize on ways to respond collectively.

This webinar on Tuesday, May 26^th from 12-1pm ET will focus on mental health and aging. Each webinar is moderated by Susan Ditkoff of The Bridgespan Group Boston. The final in the series will take place on Tuesday, June 9^th from 12-1pm ET. 

Speakers for May 26

Jordan Golin
President and CEO
Jewish Family and Community Services (JFCS) Pittsburgh

Paula Goldstein
President and CEO
Jewish Family and Children's Service (JFCS) of Greater Philadelphia

Paula B. Pretlow
Trustee
The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation

JFN’s Young Funders Forum invites you to a conversation with Dr. Hillel Ben Sasson, founder of ‘IDEA - the Centre for Liberal Democracy’ on the democratic journey in Israel and around the world in light of the challenging times Covid-19 presents us on our path towards our joint destination.

Zoom link will be sent upon registration

The conversation will be held in Hebrew with English transcription