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

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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: Sigal@Jfunders.org

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.

RSVP here

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.

This is the second installment of "Coffee with...," a new series designed to provide a unique opportunity for West Coast JFN members to engage in small group conversation with and among JFN leaders and members. Our second conversation is "Coffee with Deena Fuchs, JFN Executive Vice President."

Save the date for the next in our series:

• Thursday, October 22, 9 am PT: Marcia Riklis, JFN Board Chair

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

(19:00 - 20:00 Israel)

*Please note that this webinar will be in English. The webinar will be offered in Hebrew on September 14.

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.

Speakers include Rafi Rone of the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, and Adam Hirsch of the Russell Berrie Foundation, who will discuss why their foundations have opted to use Keshet for their philanthropic work in Israel.

(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 hello@bycanvas.org; 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.

Link to register 

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 

Link to register

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 

Link to register 

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

Link to register

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 

Link to register

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 

Link to register 

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.

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 ari@jfunders.org, 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

>>RSVP HERE

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 ari@jfunders.org, 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 ari@jfunders.org, 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 membership@jfunders.org 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

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

Schools moved to a virtual platform nearly two months ago, and so much has evolved within that time. Are students in Jewish day schools having their needs met academically, emotionally, and spiritually? Join Prizmah's Paul Bernstein and a panel of funders and program providers to learn about success stories from the field and the opportunities being explored to support our schools and improve student experience. Hear why each of these funders believes that these initiatives are critical during the pandemic and well beyond.  

This is part of series that JFN is hosting to help better understand the impact and needs of day schools during this time. 

Speakers:

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

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

Debbie Niderberg
Executive Director
George Rohr Foundation
Co- Founder
Hidden Sparks

Natalie Jonas
Founder and Coordinator
Foundations Program

Rabbi Sam Feinsmith
Program Director
Institute for Jewish Spirituality

Even before the coronavirus pandemic hit, the world was in the midst of the largest refugee crisis since World War II, with an estimated 70.8 million forcibly displaced persons worldwide. Now, COVID-19 is sweeping through a population with minimal access to medical services and little ability to practice social distancing. How do we start to think about carving out space for displaced populations when in the midst of our own crisis? Please join experts in the field of disaster relief and humanitarian aid to learn about what is being done and what is still needed.

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 will be moderated by Susan Ditkoff of The Bridgespan Group Boston and will feature key leaders and focus on particular needs: The first one one Thursday, May 14th from 1-2pm ET will focus on food insecurity and housing. The following two webinars will be take place on Tuesday, May 26^th from 12-1pm ET and Tuesday, June 9^th from 12-1pm ET – please hold the dates. More details coming soon.

Speakers for May 14

Lisa K. Budlow
Chief Executive Officer
CHAI Baltimore

Jessica Chait
Managing Director
Food Programs at Met Council on Jewish Poverty

Jeffrey Schoenfeld
JFN Board Member

Jewish college students and young adults face unique challenges in this unprecedented time. Join us for a discussion about the current and anticipated needs of those who are deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We'll explore how programs have pivoted to accommodate the tens of thousands of Jewish students and young adults throughout the country whose lives have been altered by social distancing and shutdowns, as well as what gaps need to be filled, and where there is opportunity for partnership and collaboration. Please come to the conversation prepared to share your questions.

Moderator

Jim Heeger
Immediate Past Board Chair, Moishe House

Speakers

Mimi Kravetz
Chief Experience Officer, Hillel International

Daniel Kraus
Associate Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, Birthright Israel Foundation

David Cygielman
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Moishe House

Rebecca Bar
Executive Director, Challah for Hunger

To address the widespread disruption of Jewish communal life as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, several Jewish foundations, the Jewish Federations of North America, and the Nonprofit Finance Fund in April established The Jewish Community Response and Impact Fund (JCRIF). This new philanthropic collaboration aims to ensure Jewish education, engagement and leadership remain strong and even flourish at this pivotal time. It will provide more than $80 million in interest-free loans and grants.

JCRIF welcomes new funding partners. Current funders include: Aviv Foundation, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, The Diane and Guilford Glazer Philanthropies, Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation, Jim Joseph Foundation, Maimonides Fund, The Paul E. Singer Foundation and Wilf Family Foundation.

Join this special briefing to learn more about how the program works and how you can get involved.

Speakers

Lisa Eisen
Co-President
Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation

Felicia Herman
Executive Director of Natan
Manager of JCRIF's grant program

Shira Hutt
Chief of Staff of JFNA 
Manager of JFCRIF's loan program

The coronavirus has hit Israel in the midst of a major political and constitutional crisis. What does the Israeli public think about these latest developments and will they bring Israel’s warring political parties together?

Yohanan Plesner, President of the Israel Democracy Institute, and Professor Tamar Herman, Director of IDI's Director, Guttmann Center for Public Opinion, will discuss the recently signed coalition agreement between Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud and Benny Gantz's Blue and White Party, assess the chance of a new government being formed and analyze what types of policies we could see from such a cabinet.

Speakers: 

Yohanan Plesner
President
The Israel Democracy Institute

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

The timing of the COVID-19 pandemic is hitting Jewish summer camps especially hard. Camp leaders are planning for all contingencies, including the very real possibility that camp will not open this summer, even as they have already invested considerable funds preparing for this season. Few camps have endowments or reserves sufficient to make up for the revenue shortfalls they will face if Summer 2020 is cancelled.  Without significant community support, many Jewish summer camps could fold.

The Harold Grinspoon Foundation, a longtime leader in the field of Jewish camp, sees this moment as the time to dig deep. The HGF board has approved a new $10 million infusion of funds for overnight camp as a matching grant.  The grant, called All Together Now, offers camps the chance to leverage the $10 million to raise matching gifts from donors who know the value of camp and its importance for the future. 

Join this special briefing to learn more about how the program works and how you can help. 

Speakers

Andrés Spokoiny
President and CEO
Jewish Funders Network

Winnie Sandler Grinspoon
President
Harold Grinspoon Foundation

Sarah Eisinger
Director of JCamp180
Harold Grinspoon Foundation

This Mother’s Day, JFN celebrates the special bond between mothers and daughters with an inspiring conversation on family giving with Mem Bernstein, chair of Keren Keshet, and her daughters Suzanne Felson and Jennifer Smorgon. In partnership with the Jewish Future Pledge, JFN is proud to showcase this extraordinary philanthropic family to explore how each generation inspires the other, expresses its Jewish values in its giving, and the role mothers play in family giving. Moderated by Dr. Erica Brown, director of the Mayberg Center for Jewish Education and Leadership, leads the conversation.

Additionally, Danielle Segal, Senior Program Manager of the Jewish Teen Funders Network presents JTFN’s resources for inspiring values-based conversations on family giving—how to engage the whole family (kids, teens, adults and elders) around the table in making philanthropic decisions.

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

How is the coronavirus impacting synagogues and spiritual communities? Learn about the innovative ways this sector has deepened caring community and created/modified rituals to respond to the moment.  In addition, hear about the current and anticipated needs as synagogues consider how to thrive in the uncertain "new normal." Please come to the conversation prepared to share your questions, current thinking, and actions you may have already taken.

Speakers:

Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal
Chief Executive of the Rabbinical Assembly
(Recently appointed joint CEO of USCJ and the Rabbinical Assembly effective July 1, 2020)

Rabbi Sharon Brous
Senior Rabbi
IKAR

Amy Asin
Vice President and Director of Strengthening Congregations
Union for Reform Judaism 

Nadine Kochavi
Director of Synagogue Strategy
UJA-Federation of New York

Ari Rockoff
Director of Strategic Partnerships
The Orthodox Union

Adina Frydman
Executive Director of Community Resources
UJA-Federation of New York

*18:30-20:00 Jerusalem

Join us for a discussion on the unique needs relating to Israel’s ultra-Orthodox society in light of the Corona crisis. We will address the prominent aspects that emerge in the face of the crisis: the socioeconomic development of ultra-Orthodox society, the engagement of local authorities and local leadership, and the role of Haredi civil-society organizations in providing solutions tailored to the needs of ultra-Orthodox society.

We will hear from leading experts and professionals in the field led by the Haredi Institute for Public Affairs and joined by the Haredi Employment Coalition (a partnership started by JFN through members of the network) and followed by JFN funders involved with the philanthropic efforts supporting the Haredi society.

Speakers

Eli Paley
Chairman of the Paley Family Foundation
Chairman of the Haredi Institute for Public Affairs
Owner of Mishpacha Media Group, and JFN member

Chaviva Eisler
Director, the Haredi Coalition

Yisrael Tzishinsky
Founder and Chairman of the Refua Vesimcha and JFN member

From the Haredi Institute for Public Affairs:
Roy Cohen – CEO of the Haredi Institute| Nitsa Kaliner Kasir – Vice Chairman, Haredi Institute; Former Head of the Labor Market and Social Policy Divisions at Bank of Israel | Yitzchak Pindrus – Former Mayor of Beitar Illit; Former Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem | Major General (Res.) Roni Numa –Head of Bnei Brak's emergency team and the IDF Central Command Unit |Yehudit Miletzky – Senior Researcher at the Institute

RSVP to receive the ZOOM link

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. This first session will focus on the Jewish imperative for giving with a gender lens and the second session, held on June 4 at 12pm EST, 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, Slingshot's CEO Stefanie Rhodes, and Rabba Sara Hurwitz, will lead you through two interactive workshops 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

Rabba Sara Hurwitz
Co-Founder and President
Maharat

*Out of respect for our speakers’ Ramadan Iftar meal, our webinar will begin later than usual

On March 31, Arab civil society leaders and mayors established a dedicated Emergency Situation Room for Arab Society to coordinate a national Coronavirus response. Its purpose is to address the specific needs and realities in Arab communities and find ways to support local authorities in meeting related health and welfare priorities. In parallel, a situation room was established in the Negev to address the specific crisis-response needs in Bedouin society.

Join us for a discussion from leaders in the field about the unique needs of Israel’s Arab citizens and the work of both the national Arab Emergency Situation Room and the Negev Situation Room two months into the crisis. We will also hear from JFN members who are involved in crisis relief efforts in Arab society.

In partnership with the Inter Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues and Social Venture Fund for Jewish Arab Equality and Shared Society.

Moderators:

Alan Divack
Co-Chair
Social Venture Fund for Jewish Arab Equality and Shared Society

Speakers: 

Professor Nihaya Daoud
Public Health
Ben Gurion University

Ahmed Al Sheik
Executive Director
Galilee Society

Kher Albaz
Chair of the Board
AJCEEC

Batya Kallus
Israel Director
Social Venture Fund

Adina Shapiro
Board member
Bader Philanthropies and Mubadarath Foundation

Join us for a meeting exploring the relationship between environmental philanthropy, responsible investing and Covid-19.

What can we learn from the Corona crisis regarding resilience - both in the present and the future? The discussion will include a review of ESG / SDG concepts and how can we use these tools to have a positive impact on the environment and on our portfolios. We will hear from two veteran finance and impact experts and will focus their remarks on impact in global public equity. We will also hear from funders on their personal experiences in the field and will include time for a group discussion.

Speakers:

Elah Alkalay
Vice President
IBI Investment House

Noga Levtzion Nadan
CEO and founder
Greeneye and Value Squared Responsible Investment Fund

Please email Sigal for RSVP: sigal@jfunders.org

(zoom info will be sent to registrants closer to the program date)

Join us to learn more about how the coronavirus crisis is affecting at-risk young adults and children, and how philanthropists can help.

Vered Windman, Executive Director of the Israel National Council for the Child and civic society representative on the Inter-Sectoral Roundtable Subcommittee, will present an overview of the challenges, issues, and needs in dealing with the coronavirus crisis.

Iris Florentin, Senior Vice President, Head of Social Services at the Ministry of Social Affairs, will present the government angle on the issue.

Leora Propper, JFN member, social investor and Chair of Propper Family Foundation, will share her views about the place of philanthropy in helping to address the challenges facing children and youth at-risk in Israel.

Renana Levine Pashkus of the Schusterman Foundation, will propose philanthropic responses to the face this crisis.

Register via Zoom.

Please join us for an important briefing on how nonprofits in Israel are being impacted by COVID-19 and what interventions are being created to help.

We will hear about the Emergency Fund for Nonprofits a joint project of the Jewish Agency for Israel and the nonprofit lender Ogen, formerly known as the Israel Free Loan Association. We will also learn how impact investing can help Israeli entities at this time.

Moderator: 

Andres Spokoiny
President and CEO
Jewish Funders Network

Speakers: 

Misha Galperin
Philanthropic Advisor

Amira Ahranovich
CEO
Jewish Agency

Sagi Balasha
CEO
OGEN

Beth Sirull
President and CEO
Jewish Community Foundation

Ruth Salzman
CEO 
The Russell Berrie Foundation

Never has independent, empathetic reporting on our communities been more important. Readers are responding to our work in record numbers. And yet: Jewish and other news organizations are cutting salaries, cutting staff — even closing, as the pandemic intensifies the challenges the industry was already grappling with. As we think about “saving” nonprofits like JCCs, camps and cultural institutions, what is the role of philanthropy in supporting media?

Join Jodi Rudoren, editor-in-chief of The Forward, and Andrés Spokoiny, president of the Jewish Funders Network, for a conversation about the future of community news with Ben Smith, media columnist for The New York Times (and former Forward intern!); Sue Fishkoff, longtime editor of San Francisco’s J Weekly; and Prof. Jonathan Sarna of Brandeis University.

RSVP here

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

Too many of our Holocaust survivors are living in poverty. This situation has become dire. 

Join JFN's CEO and President, Andrés Spokoiny,, Seed the Dream Foundation, and KAVOD SHEF Funding Partners for a special briefing and Yom HaShoah commemoration. It is not too late for us to come together and talk about some of the ways that we, as a funding community can amplify our efforts to work together to address this critical issue.

We will commemorate Yom HaShoah with a special session on the “new shapes of memory,” including Pinchas Gutter, Holocaust Survivor, and Stephen D. Smith, PhD, of the USC Shoah Foundation.

Responding to requests by countries and organizations around the world, Start-Up Nation Central has published a growing index of Israeli technologies helping the world combat coronavirus, and launched “CoronaTech,” an online knowledge-sharing platform facilitating rapid collaboration and implementation of innovative Israeli anti-virus solutions.

Join JFN's President and CEO Andres Spokoiny and JFN Board Member Terry Kassel, in a discussion with Start-Up Nation Central CEO Professor Eugene Kandel as they focus on tools philanthropists can use to deal with this crisis. They will discuss what the Israeli tech ecosystem needs right now, how funders can get involved, and provide tips on how to identify Israeli companies doing real work. 

How is the coronavirus pandemic impacting Jewish day schools now, and what will its future impact be?

Join us for an open discussion between funders and experts in the field. Presenters will share day schools' needs as they look at what we know now and what are the anticipated needs. We will discuss what still needs to be learned, what is currently happening, what gaps need to be filled, and explore opportunities for partnership and collaboration. Please come to the conversation prepared to share your questions, current thinking, and any actions you may have already taken.

 Moderator:

Debra Shaffer Seeman
Prizmah, Center for Jewish Day Schools

Speakers:

During this coronavirus pandemic, asylum seekers in Israel find themselves in an even more precarious spot.

JFN Israel has organized a discussion by experts and funders in the field to provide an overview of the situation- mapping the needs on the ground, the government's action plan as it relates to refugees, and sharing possible philanthropic responses. Register Here

* The meeting will be held in English.

Speakers: 

Dr. Ayelet Oz
Executive Director
The Hotline for Refugees and Migrants
Civil Society Representative
Inter-sectoral Roundtable Subcommittee

Dina Dominic
Director
Human Trafficking Prevention Unit in the Ministry of Justice
Government Representative
Inter-sectoral Roundtable Subcommittee 

Adina Shapiro
Board Member
Bader Philanthropies and Mubadarath Foundation

In a prolonged moment of social distancing and sheltering in place, we find ourselves turning to artists for help. Artists and creatives are actively providing entertainment and distraction when we are stranded in our homes. They are helping us empathize with those who are suffering, process our own feelings, and let us try to come to terms with our new reality, together. 

But artists are also among the first to suffer in this moment. 

Working artists have seen their incomes evaporate. Performances, gallery openings, standing gigs, book releases, all have been cancelled or put on indefinite hold.

This conversation, hosted by CANVAS -- a new collaborative giving fund devoted to Jewish arts & culture and incubated at JFN -- will give participants a firsthand account of how these issues are playing out in real-time, and how funders within the Jewish community and beyond are rising to the occasion.

Speakers: 

How will camps be impacted by the coronavirus pandemic?

Join us for an open discussion between funders and experts in the field. Presenters will share camps’ needs as they look at what we know now, what still needs to be learned, what is currently underway, what gaps need to be filled, and where there is opportunity for partnership and collaboration. Please come to the conversation prepared to share your questions, current thinking, and any actions you may have already taken.

Speakers: 
 

During this coronavirus pandemic, already vulnerable populations find themselves in an even more precarious spot.

Join us for a discussion by funders and experts in the field of human services where they share what they are seeing firsthand, the evolving needs, what they are doing to address the growing challenges, and what needs to be done moving forward.

This conversation is hosted by The National Affinity Group on Jewish Poverty, a collaborative of funders, central agencies, direct service providers, researchers, media outlets, and advocates dedicated to fighting poverty in the American Jewish community.

Moderator:

Susan Ditkoff, Senior Advisor, The Bridgespan Group Boston 

Speakers: 

First and foremost, the coronavirus pandemic is a public health crisis. But it is also creating significant economic and logistical challenges for institutions and vulnerable populations within and beyond the Jewish community. In this webinar, we will explore how the Los Angeles Jewish philanthropic community is responding to the COVID19 crisis. Participants will include private foundations, the Jewish Federation, Foundation for Jewish Camps, as well as hybrid and direct service providers such Jewish Family Service, Jewish Free Loan and the Builders of Jewish Education. 

Immediately following JFN 2020 (and in the same venue), join influential stakeholders from Federations and private foundations—representing collectively over $80 billion in Jewish communal philanthropic assets—for informative presentations by top industry professionals, informal peer-to-peer learning, and networking. Enhance your ability to make prudent investment decisions and position your Jewish Federation, community or private foundation as the preeminent steward of endowed funds.

Info & registration >>

Amid the uncertainty of the coronavirus, we can’t risk traveling and meeting face to face, which is why we made the difficult decision to cancel our annual conference. But it’s important that in this time of crisis we share our perplexities, our fear, our ideas, and our hopes. Above all, it’s critical to discuss what we, as funders, can do to help the community and each other. That’s why we are convening virtually on March 23 and March 24.

The Jewish Funders Network 2020 International Conference will convene March 22–24, 2020 in Palm Beach, Florida. Please see our March 6 statement on JFN 2020 and the coronavirus.

JFN’s annual conference is the premier event in Jewish philanthropy.

Hundreds of funders and foundation professionals come together to leverage the power of networks and immerse themselves in a vibrant dialogue about the pressing issues. Every conference is a place to connect, reunite, and bond with other Jewish funders, and a time for active learning. Panel discussions and programs feature leading experts in philanthropy illuminating tools and techniques that can make your giving more impactful and meaningful.

Go to the conference website >>

Past conference information >>

Join Yohanan Plesner, president of the non-partisan Israel Democracy Institute and a former Member of Knesset, for an in-depth analysis of the March election results in Israel. Plesner will discuss who won, who lost, and what the future holds in store for Benjamin Netanyahu, Benny Gantz, and the State of Israel. 

Join David Ezer, Senior Director of Programs for Jewish Funders Network, to learn how to best use and navigate the website and mobile app that was created for the conference.  These tools will help you get the most out of your experience at the conference. You will learn how to look up session, set up networking meetings and more!

Webinar login and dial-in information will be provided upon RSVP.

We invite you to join us for an enriching learning opportunity that will give us knowledge to build
relationships and collaborations with American Jewry.

In light of the recent guidelines published by the Ministry of Health, regarding attending international conferences, it is doubtful that we will be able to travel to the Palm Beach.

We invite you to get to know American Jewry closely without getting on a plane and without fear of quarantine and to discuss the connection between Israeli and American philanthropy.

Never experienced a JFN conference? Never fear! This webinar will empower you to make the most of your time in Palm Beach. We'll discuss everything you need to know to have an enjoyable and productive experience, and we'll show you how to use and navigate the conference website and mobile app.

Webinar login and dial-in information will be provided upon RSVP.

 JFN Young Funders Forum is happy to invite you to a morning on

Jewish/Israeli Identity and Philanthropy

Featuring Shmuel Rosner

Researcher, journalist and co-author of  

#IsraeliJudaism: Portrait of a Cultural Revolution

What’s so Jewish about a farm? A lot it turns out. A new study reveals new metrics on the effectiveness of Jewish farms in engaging with new generations of Jews and addressing important social justice  and community food system goals. Please join us for a first look at the data and analysis by practitioners in the field.

Moderator:
Charlene Seidle, Executive Vice President, Leichtag Foundation

Speakers:
Jakir Manela, Executive Director, Pearlstone Conference and Retreat Center, Baltimore
Yoni Yefet, Founder and CEO, Kaima Farm, Jerusalem
Nati Passow, Founder, Jewish Farm School

This program is part of a series on sustainable food systems and creating impact through food. Look for more programs on this subject at the JFN 2020 Conference in Palm Beach.

Practical tools workshop for donors who serve/ are exploring serving as Ngo’s board members

For additional details please contact: sigal@jfunders.org

Join us for a one-hour, participatory video/conference call with other JFN members where we will discuss ESG funds in the impact investing space.

Funders have a full range of tools to invest capital for good. Some philanthropists use impact investing as a complementary tool with their grantmaking to diversify their portfolio or to use the returns as a way to fund more giving. Either way, the attraction is the same: investing to make a difference. For funders engaged in this work, peer learning can help us achieve more.

This call is not a traditional webinar — it will be an interactive opportunity to learn and share with one another. We’ll begin with a 30-minute briefing by JFN Member Marla Stein and Noga Levtzion Nadan, CEO, Greeneye and Value^2 as they take veteran impact investors on a "deeper dive" into the data behind ESG funds. 

Participants will then have an opportunity to ask questions, share their methods and approaches, and get feedback from other participants.

In the second meeting of the JFN Book Club, we'll discuss Ben Hecht: Fighting Words, Moving Pictures, and we'll be joined by the book's author, Adina Hoffman.

Israel’s mixed cities face some of the country's most complex social and economic challenges, while representing some of the greatest opportunities to strengthen Jewish-Arab community relations. In January, the Ramat Eshkol neighborhood in Lod, one of Israel’s lowest-income neighborhoods, will be the site of a new model for social urban revitalization efforts in Israel, including mixed-income housing, and public schools, facilities and social services catering to a mixed population. Join the Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues, in partnership with UJA-Federation of New York and Jewish Funders Network, to hear from the project’s local civil society and government leaders, Avital Blonder of JINDAS and Ben Mayust of the Lod Economic Corporation, and renowned American urban revitalization expert Richard Baron about the prospects and scalability of such community development initiatives in Israel.

RSVP (email link) >>

 “The How’s and Why’s” of different energy sources — what do we need to know?
Including how the various solutions Impact the environment and climate change
Specific considerations and challenges for Israel

Join us for a funders discussion with former MK and CEO of the Green Movement, Yael Cohen Paran and Dr. Shachar Dolev, CEO of the Israel Energy Forum. 

JFN’s Young Funders Forum is happy to invite you to a morning dedicated to

Arab Philanthropy in Israel

Join us for breakfast and conversation with Arab funders and professionals who will share with us their story and provide an inside look into a philanthropic community in the making.

Join other funders at the San Francisco home of JFN members Suzanne and Elliot Felson to get to know JFN's new Executive Vice President, Deena Fuchs. Over coffee and dessert, Deena will share insights from her extensive past experience at the AVI CHAI Foundation on how collaboration can enhance impact. Together with Tzivia Schwartz Getzug, JFN’s West Coast Director, she’ll lead a discussion of potential ideas for how JFN members can innovate and collaborate in the future.

Kashrut will be observed.

We are in the midst of a major demographic shift in leadership in the Jewish community. By some counts, 75-90% of our leaders are turning over right now. And a CEO transition can be a time of great potential risk or reward for an organization. So what makes for a successful CEO transition? How can lay leaders ensure a smooth leadership succession process?

Leading Edge, an organization founded in 2014 to address the leadership pipeline challenges in the Jewish community, recently published six case studies that break down successful CEO transitions at American Jewish World Service, Bend the Arc, Combined Jewish Philanthropies, a JCC in the Midwest, Spertus, and Tufts Hillel.

Join our speakers for a conversation about the stories they unpacked and the lessons they learned from these case studies. 

In the first meeting of the JFN Book Club, we'll discuss Changing the World from the Inside Out: A Jewish Approach to Personal & Social Change, and we'll be joined by the book's author, David Jaffe.

Please note: while everyone is encouraged to read the entire book, the discussion will focus chiefly on two chapters: Chapter 4 ("The Power of Choice") and Chapter 7 ("Creative Discomfort").

Join other funders for a breakfast salon and a tour of an Israeli art exhibit before it opens to the public!

Rivka Saker, a longtime advocate of Israeli art and culture and founder of the Sotheby's Israel office, will join Israeli visual artist, Izhar Patkin for a conversation over breakfast on the role of art and culture in the changing political climate around the world.

This will be an opportunity to discuss the Greenbook: Arts as a Driver for Social Change in Israel and to showcase diverse Israeli voices in art and film.

The talk will be followed by an exclusive tour of a tour of the Israeli and International Art Auction at Sotheby’s, which will be opening an exhibit and auction to the public on November 21^st.

Join us for a one-hour, participatory video/conference call with other JFN members who are involved in impact investing. Virtual Meetups are not traditional webinars — they are interactive opportunities to learn and share with one another.

We’ll begin with a 30-minute briefing by Julie Hammerman & Rabbi Jacob Siegel of JLens. They’ll discuss investor advocacy, an increasingly influential strategy used by impact investors to change corporate behavior. Powerful economic entities, namely institutional investors and large companies, have become key levers for advocacy on a range of social and environmental concerns. Unlike other faith communities, the Jewish community has largely been absent from the investor advocacy arena. This has been a missed opportunity for pursuing positive change, and a critical gap in our community’s ability to respond to concerns ranging from the BDS movement, to antisemitism and religious intolerance.

For the second half hour, the floor will be open to all participants, who can ask questions of the presenters, share your own methods and approaches in impact investing, float new ideas, and get feedback from other participants.

Please note: This virtual meetup is for funders who are actively working on impact investing initiatives, and is not intended to be an introductory conversation.

The startling spike in antisemitic crimes in Brooklyn in the past few months is part of a larger trend occurring more broadly across the country and the world.

Faith and community leaders representing populations in New York’s diverse neighborhoods have banded together to find solutions and reverse this trend. What are some of the best practices that are working and can they be replicated in other communities nationwide? 

Please join these leaders in their discussion: 

Closing economic gaps and addressing housing shortages in Israel’s Arab society, 20% of the population, has become a major priority for Israel’s overall strength. Yet many government efforts to fast-track economic and housing development in Arab communities stall when faced with the mismatch between Israel’s planning procedures and the crowded, under-planned realities on the ground. Why are urban planning needs so different in Israel’s Arab society? How do planning barriers affect economic development initiatives and state-minority relations overall? What solutions are underway or proposed to mitigate these challenges?

Join JFN and the Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues for a breakfast discussion with urban planning experts Dr. Enaya Banna and Dr. Emily Silverman, who will shed light on one of the most important and most complex issues facing Israel’s Arab society today.

Up to 40% of the food produced in the United States is wasted, while one in five Americans is unsure where their next meal is coming from. Similar statistics are true in Israel and throughout much of Europe.

This webinar brings together field experts Lisa Moon, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Global Food Banking Network, Michal Bitterman, CEO and Co Founder of The Natural Step, and Aviva Paley, Senior Director and Co-Founder of Kitchens for Good, to discuss models for changing how we approach food waste and food rescue, and explore how philanthropy can work towards a more sustainable food system. Mitchell Davis, Chief Strategy Officer of the James Beard Foundation will be moderating. 

This program is part of a series on sustainable food systems and creating impact through food. Look for more programs on this subject in the winter and at the JFN 2020 Conference in Palm Beach.

JFN members are invited to celebrate of the launch of our partnership with Goodnation, a new values-based philanthropic platform that can help you achieve more impact.

We'll also hear introductory remarks by Prof. Jack Wertheimer, Joseph and Martha Mendelson Professor of American Jewish History at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Among many other works, Prof. Wertheimer is the author of Giving Jewish: How Big Funders Have Transformed American Jewish Philanthropy.

Join Yohanan Plesner, former Member of Knesset and current president of the non-partisan Israel Democracy Institute (IDI), for an in-depth analysis of the September 17 election results in Israel. Plesner will explain who won, who lost, and what are the long-term policy implications for Israel and the Jewish People.

Joining Plesner will be former Justice Ministry official Edna Harel-Fisher, Director of IDI’s anti-corruption program, who will explain the unique legal reality in Israel as the country faces the possibility of a sitting prime minister serving while under indictment, and the implications of such a situation for the political system.

Related:

• Pre-election briefing video >>
• Pre-election written analysis >>

When you think about adult Jewish education, what comes to mind? Is it Jewish literacy? Jewish History? The weekly Torah reading? Hebrew? 

While the enterprise of adult Jewish education may provide different things for different people, there is one significant benefit that is generally not considered:  

Rich Jewish learning can actively build community. 

Join Ruth Messinger, former president and CEO of American Jewish World Service and inaugural JTS Finkelstein Institute Social Justice Fellow at the Jewish Theological Seminary, and Rabbi Morey Schwartz, International Director of the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning, for an interactive discussion on the impact of Jewish adult learning. JFN member Susan Weiss Firestone will introduce the discussion.

The Jewish landscape is changing. Join us to learn about how adult Jewish education can deepen engagement and strengthen the very fabric of our Jewish communities. 

The future of North American Jewish life is evolving more quickly than ever, and in order to help the Jewish community thrive, funders need to embrace new approaches and perspectives in order to re-position our institutions and initiatives for greater impact.

This webinar will share a high-impact case study piloted with a cohort of Hillels, using quantitative and qualitative data results to show the impact of applying a Design Thinking methodology. With an eye to the future, we will re-imagine how and what we fund and support as community builders.

Speakers:

	Karyn Cohen, Director, Jewish Life and Israel, One8 Foundation
	Yonah Schiller, Executive Director of Tulane Hillel, and Founder & Senior Project Advisor of the Organizational Design Lab

Background reading: Redesigning Hillel Work: A Report from the Organizational Design Lab Pilot

Joline Godfrey

From the Center for Family Philanthropy at JFN Israel, this week of English-language events features Joline Godfrey, author of Raising Financially Fit Kids; Our Wildest Dreams: Women Making Money, Having Fun, Doing Good; No More Frogs To Kiss: 99 Ways to Give Economic Power to Girls; and 20 $ecrets to Money and Independence: The DollarDiva’s Guide to Life.

Just days before Israel’s unprecedented second national election this year, join former Member of Knesset Yohanan Plesner, president of the non-partisan Israel Democracy Institute, for a deep dive into the latest trends and issues impacting this historic vote.  This exclusive webinar will feature new polling and data presenting insights into what Israelis are thinking as they enter the polling station and the possible scenarios we can expect to see as the results come in.

The 2019 Israeli Philanthropy Conference is presented by JFN Israel in partnership with Tel Aviv University's Institute for Law and Philanthropy, the Forum of Foundations in Israel, and Committed to Give.

Please note, the conference is conducted in Hebrew.

Click here to read a blog post by JFN member Philippe J. Weil about the first Israeli Philanthropy Conference, which was held in 2017.

Earlier this month, the DC Dyke March became the second such event to ban the Jewish Pride flag. Are Jews becoming unwelcome in social justice spaces because of a perception for their support for Israel—or are "anti-Israel"/"anti-Zionist" beliefs providing cover for antisemitism? How can progressive Jews work effectively in their communities to stand up for their beliefs without being attacked for being Jewish or Zionist? This webinar brings together two progressive, Zionist activists who led the response to the DC Dyke March; a funder; and the President and CEO of Jewish Council of Public Affairs to discuss what happened and what steps funders might take in their own communities to support full inclusion for Jews and prevent such situations.

Speakers:

Amanda Berman (Executive Director, Zioness)

David Bernstein (President and CEO, Jewish Council for Public Affairs)

Archie Gottesman (Co-Founder, JewBelong)

Tyler Gregory (Executive Director, A Wider Bridge)

An exclusive funders meeting on creative philanthropic approaches for peace alliances through sports

The field of shared society is supported by many JFN members. The goal of this meeting is to meet like-minded funders and present a new assessment of Peace and Sports Alliance, followed by a roundtable discussion to share experiences and various perspectives. Our hope is to explore the opportunity to create an interest group in this area.

Sport have the unique ability to connect, empower and mobilize diverse communities. The universal language of sport promotes people-to-people encounters that are essential for breaking down barriers of hate and building bridges of hope in our region. These encounters help to equip the next generation with the skills and values needed to lead social change in their communities.

History has shown how sport can serve as a catalyst for bringing former enemies together and the global Sports for Peace Community has developed into a powerful movement for social change with a rich network of stakeholders.

Israel needs to use this platform to create a more tolerant shared society and to develop closer ties in the region.

What is the connection between the traffic jams and the housing shortage? The price of parking and the cost of living? How are congestion fees on the roads related to social justice, and what is the correlation between cooperative transportation, productivity and economic growth?

Join us to discuss with experts, entrepreneurs and social activists about the deep problems of Israeli transportation, tomorrow's solutions and their impact on Israeli society.

This event is for JFN members only.

Arts and culture are the natural habitat of the human heart and mind. Culture frames, reflects, exposes, enhances, and changes everything about the lives and actions of people and societies, and the arts play a vital role in how cultures evolve.

For funders who want to drive social change, therefore, arts and culture are a powerful and under-appreciated vector.

Join two leaders engaging deeply with arts and culture to make change for a webinar in which we'll discuss their work in particular and principles of social change through culture in general.

Speakers:

• Isaac Luria, Director of Voice, Creativity, and Culture at The Nathan Cummings Foundation. The Foundation holds a U.S.-focused portfolio in Voice, Creativity, and Culture, which aims to shift culture to transform communities, making them more just, more vibrant, more generative, and more fully realized through arts and culture as well as through spiritual and religious traditions. The Foundation also is exploring how their funding in Israel can nurture narratives of shared belonging and push back on narratives of hate and division.
  
  
• Jenny Steingart, Producer, Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish. Jenny is developing an initiative using the success of Fiddler as a Jewish story of tradition and expulsion, to shine a light onto the international migration and refugee crisis. By partnering with Reboot, a premier Jewish arts and culture organization, Fiddler is using the show as well as a collective of artists, to create mechanisms to capture and share contemporary stories that resonate with Fiddler’s themes. The launch date is World Refugee Day on 6/20 and will extend well beyond. 
  Related: World Refugee Day information
  
  
• Moderator: Lou Cove, Senior Advisor, The Harold Grinspoon Foundation. As Senior Advisor at the Harold Grinspoon Foundation Lou co-founded the PJ Alliance, a partnership of donors supporting PJ Library’s expansion in North America and internationally. He is the author of Man of the Year an Amazon Best memoir of 2017, and previously served as Executive Director of Reboot, Vice President of the National Yiddish Book Center, Senior Producer at Advance Digital, and Associate Publisher at American News Service. Lou also led a partnership with Righteous Persons Foundation and JFN to produce two studies examining the intersection of the Jewish philanthropic community and the Jewish arts & culture ecosystem: "Cross-Section: A Look at Jewish Arts and Culture in North America Today Through the Lens of Artists and Arts Organizations" and "Devising Strategies to Support Jewish Arts & Culture: Candid Conversations with Funders".

Hear directly from your fellow funders what they saw at the United States-Mexico border.

On that border, those seeking entry to the United States face enormous challenges and complications in a rapidly-changing environment. On June 2–4, Jewish Funders Network and HIAS brought a delegation of funders and foundation professionals to bear witness to the situation, deepen our knowledge, sharpen our analysis of the issues, and strategize Jewish communal responses.

In this intimate webinar for JFN members only, funder participants will share what they saw and learned, and how we as a Jewish philanthropic community might respond and act. Funders who did not attend the delegation are welcome to participate in this webinar, and to ask questions of those who made the trip.

Speakers:

• Sonia Cummings
• James Cummings
• Others TBD

Part of the Purpose & Plenty event series

In this last session, we’ll weave together the themes we’ve been discussing and begin to think about how to consider translating values into individual and/or family philanthropic visions. Having clarified issues of identity and mission, we’ll discuss ways to incorporate these concepts into a strategy for philanthropic impact. This session will prepare you to take your vision into action.

Register >>

About the series >>

Join fellow JFN members for a night of theatre and discussion! We'll attend the critically acclaimed production of Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish (with English supertitles). Following the performance, join a special talkback with cast members, members of the creative team, and the producer, Jenny Steingart, moderated by JFN Board Chair Dr. Georgette Bennett. They'll discuss how Fiddler, and the Jewish experience more broadly, intersect with the issues of immigration and refugees.

JFN member rate (your purchase through this page includes your Fiddler ticket): $99

Space is limited. Register now.

PLEASE NOTE UPDATED TIME & LOCATION (ABOVE).

JFN members and the broader community are invited to a book talk and conversation with Marc Dollinger (author, Black Power, Jewish Politics: Reinventing the Alliance in the 1960s) and Ilana Kaufman (Director, Jews of Color Field Building Initiative).

In this book, Marc Dollinger charts the transformation of American Jewish political culture from the Cold War liberal consensus of the early postwar years to the rise and influence of Black Power-inspired ethnic nationalism. He shows how, in a period best known for the rise of black antisemitism and the breakdown of the black-Jewish alliance, black nationalists enabled Jewish activists to devise a new Judeo-centered political agenda, including the emancipation of Soviet Jews, the rise of Jewish day schools, the revitalization of worship services with gender-inclusive liturgy, and the birth of a new form of American Zionism.

Marc will be joined by Ilana Kaufman in a conversation on these overlooked historical trends and their urgent implications for contemporary social issues. Bringing together history and current events—identity politics and Peoplehood, and disrupting the entire notion that Blacks and Jewish are separate—Marc and Ilana will get into issues of race, power, and what’s really good for the Jews. Ilana will also touch upon findings from the newly released Counting Inconsistencies: An Analysis of American Jewish Population Studies, with a Focus on Jews of Color.

An audience Q&A and book signing will follow the program.

Co-presented by:

Bend the Arc | IKAR | Jewish Funders Network | Temple Beth Am | Temple Israel of Hollywood

וְאֲהַבְתֶּ֖ם אֶת־הַגֵּ֑ר כִּֽי־גֵרִ֥ים הֱיִיתֶ֖ם בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃

You must love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 10:19

On the United States-Mexico border, those seeking entry to the United States face enormous challenges and complications in a rapidly-changing environment.

Jewish Funders Network and HIAS are convening a two-day delegation for funders and foundation professionals to bear witness to the situation at our border, deepen our knowledge, sharpen our analysis of the issues, and strategize Jewish communal responses.

Register >>

The home base for this experience is San Diego, the city with the busiest land border crossing in the Western Hemisphere. HIAS resettles refugees in San Diego in partnership with Jewish Family Service of San Diego, an agency that also provides legal representation to asylum seekers.

Potential sites that the group may visit include the shelter for asylum seekers run by Jewish Family Service; an Operation Streamline hearing; and the Consulate General of Mexico. In addition to briefings with HIAS’ leadership — including legal experts and advocates — we will also meet with local organizations that work with asylum seekers, as well as meeting with asylum seekers themselves. Depending on political and security conditions, we may or may not cross the border into Tijuana. Safety will be our top priority.

Cost: $750 per person.

Space is limited to 20 participants, and will be offered at a first-come-first-served basis.

Register >>

We would greatly appreciate all RSVPs as early as possible — and RSVPS must be in no later than May 1.

Delegation Co-Chairs: Sonia & James Cummings

Related:

What I Saw with #JewsAtTheBorder: Witnessing the Crisis

Israel may be headed toward what some are calling a crisis of democracy.

According to media reports, Israel's incoming governing coalition in the Knesset may seek to pass a law that would drastically change Israel’s system of government. Under the proposed law, whenever Israel’s Supreme Court overturns a law passed by the Knesset or an action taken by a government ministry for being against Israeli Basic Law (the rough equivalent of courts ruling laws unconstitutional in the U.S.), the Knesset would be able to vote—by simple majority—to override that Supreme Court ruling. This would severely weaken the judicial branch by effectively removing its power to hold the Knesset and ministries accountable to Israeli Basic Law, and virtually eliminating the important democratic principle of checks and balances from Israel’s political system.

Many Israelis—including JFN members of all political persuasions—are concerned about this development, and funders in the Diaspora are also following the issue with growing concern.

Join Yohanan Plesner, president of the non-partisan Israel Democracy Institute (IDI), for a briefing on state of Israeli democracy, with a focus on the potential coming crisis for judicial independence in Israel.

Scroll down to RSVP.

Related article by IDI: It’s the Knesset, not the Court, that has potentially dangerous, unchecked power

Come learn about the first ever study of Jewish grandparents in the United States and how the findings can affect our work not only with this overlooked population, but with all generations in Jewish families.

The national study of Jewish grandparents collected data on their attitudes, behaviors, needs and demographics. Two funders active in this space will discuss what the findings suggest about creating experiences that will help unleash grandparent-grandchild “magic” in the Jewish community; ways to put grandparents on the agenda for your grantees; and how your experiences with (or as!) grandparents can help to guide the organizations you feel most passionate about. Scroll down to RSVP.

Speakers:

• Lee M. Hendler is a JFN member, a trustee of the Joseph and Harvey Meyerhoff Charitable Funds, and the president and co-founder of the Jewish Grandparents Network, which commissioned the study. She will share results and insights.
  
  
• Winnie Sandler Grinspoon is President of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and a JFN Board member. She will discuss how an exciting pilot program at PJ Library has started to engage grandparents.
  
  

We’ll open the floor to questions and discussions after the presentations.

Related article: Who’s Your Bubbe Now? Some Surprising Findings from the 1st National Study of Jewish Grandparents

Part of the Purpose & Plenty event series

Building on the previous session of the series, we’ll explore how to “grow goodness” in families with considerable wealth, and continue to reap insights from how each of us talks about money and experiences it in our lives.

Facilitator: 

Debbie Tuttle Berkowitz
Senior Philanthropy Advisor

“I thrive on helping individuals and families identify their values and connecting these values to philanthropy for meaningful impact in our community and beyond. I believe that each person has the ability to change the world and that philanthropy is an important piece of that journey.”

About Debbie:

• 15 years’ experience in the Jewish and non-profit sector
• Special focus on Family Philanthropy, Multi-Generational, Emerging Philanthropists
• Extensive experience in giving circles and group giving — including running multiple Impact Grants Initiative groups at the Federation; founding board member of the Giving Circles Fund
• B.A. from UCSD in Religious Studies; M.S.W. from the University of Southern California; M.A. in Jewish Communal Service from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles
• Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy and 21/64 Certified Advisor
  
  

Register >>

About the series >>

Join experts and other funders for a roundtable discussion on antisemitism and Israel hatred within the U.K. Labour party, how the problem evolved, and the implications for Jewish communities worldwide.

Speakers:

• Ken Jacobson, Deputy National Director, Anti-Defamation League (ADL)  Full bio >>
• James Sorene, CEO, BICOM (Britain-Israel communications and research centre).  Full bio >>
• Andrew Srulevitch, Associate Director of International Affairs, Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
  
  

RSVP required. Scroll down.

View 2019 conference website >>

JFN’s annual conference is the premier event in Jewish philanthropy.

Hundreds of funders and foundation professionals come together to leverage the power of networks and immerse themselves in a vibrant dialogue about the pressing issues. Every conference is a place to connect, reunite, and bond with other Jewish funders, and a time for active learning. Panel discussions and programs feature leading experts in philanthropy illuminating tools and techniques that can make your giving more impactful and meaningful.

Sign up to get more information as it becomes available!

Past conference information >>

Join David Ezer, Senior Director of Programs for Jewish Funders Network, to learn how to best use and navigate the website and mobile app that was created for the conference.  These tools will help you get the most out of your experience at the conference. You will learn how to look up session, set up networking meetings and more!

Webinar login and dial-in information will be provided upon RSVP.

This webinar will empower first-time conference attendees to get as much out of the conference as you can. We'll discuss everything you need to know to have an enjoyable and productive experience—from the flow of a typical conference day to strategies for networking and side meetings to information about site tours and hosted dinners. Plus we'll answer whatever other questions you may have.

Webinar login and dial-in information will be provided upon RSVP.

JFN members are invited to take part in a VIP reception with Marc Dollinger (author, Black Power, Jewish Politics: Reinventing the Alliance in the 1960s) and Ilana Kaufman (Director, Jews of Color Field Building Initiative).

The reception will precede an American Jewish Historical Society book talk (7:00pm), which will feature a panel including Dollinger and Kaufman as well as April Baskin (Union for Reform Judaism), Cheryl Greenberg (Trinity College), and Rivka Press Schwartz (Associate Principal, SAR High School and Fellow, Shalom Hartman Institute of North America). More event details >>

This VIP reception for JFN members, American Jewish Historical Society board members, and other VIPs, begins at 5:30pm. Your RSVP to this reception will also entitle you to complimentary tickets to the book talk.

Join us for a webinar on the state of Holocaust knowledge and education in North America, with experts from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany (Claims Conference), Yad Vashem, and the Azrieli Foundation.

On this past Yom HaShoah, the Claims Conference released the findings of a Holocaust Awareness and Knowledge Survey, conducted in the United States. The study revealed alarming gaps in knowledge; while most Americans have some level of awareness of the Holocaust, 41% of those surveyed, and two thirds of Millennials, did not know about Auschwitz, and one third of all those surveyed thought fewer than 2 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust. While respondents overwhelmingly believe Holocaust education should be a required topic in classrooms, Holocaust education in the U.S. clearly isn't yet living up to its task. Meanwhile, the Azrieli Foundation has been conducting parallel research on the state of Shoah awareness in Canada. Yad Vashem continues to lead the world in teacher training for Holocaust education, and can address the best ways for the field to counter disturbing trends in Holocaust awareness and knowledge through effective education.

Speakers:

• Gregory Schneider, Executive Vice President, Claims Conference
  
  
• Dr. Eyal Kaminka, Director, International School for Holocaust Studies and Lily Safra Chair of Holocaust Education, Yad Vashem
  
  
• Dena Libman, Chief Operating Officer, Azrieli Foundation
  

Tools for funders giving ₪100,000 – ₪2,000,000 (NIS) annually

Most JFN Israel members’ annual giving is between ₪100,000 and ₪2,000,000 (NIS) per year. In order to better understand the needs of these donors and answer them within JFN, we are holding two strategy sessions in which we will discuss and think together about the specific needs of giving in this framework. The meetings will provide an opportunity to think, learn, and discuss the unique interests and characteristics of funders investing in these giving range.

The first meeting will take place on Thursday, January 10th 2019, 3:00 - 5:30pm at the JFN offices in Shefayim

The second meeting will take place on Thursday, January 17th 2019, 3:00 - 5:30 PM in Jerusalem
(Address provided upon RSVP)

This is an invitation-only event for funders.  Solicitation of funds is not permitted.

Join us for a one-hour, participatory video/conference call with other JFN members who are involved in impact investing. This is the second JFN virtual meetup on this topic, but funders who are currently impact investing are welcome whether or not they participated in the first.

Funders have a full range of tools to invest capital for good. Some philanthropists use impact investing as a complementary tool with their grantmaking as a way to diversify their portfolio or to use the returns as a way to fund more giving. Either way, the attraction is the same: investing to make a difference. For funders engaged in this work, peer learning can help us achieve more.

This call is not a traditional webinar — it will be an interactive opportunity to learn and share with one another.

We’ll begin with a 20-minute briefing by two leaders from JFN member organization The Nathan Cummings Foundation, who have inspired the Jewish philanthropic world with their announcement that they would move their nearly half-billion-dollar endowment into 100% mission-aligned investments. James K. Cummings, Secretary and Trustee, and Bob Bancroft, Vice President of Finance, will briefly discuss that decision and its implementation.

Then the floor will be open to participants, who can ask questions of James and Bob, share your own methods and approaches, and get feedback from other participants.

Please note: This webinar is for funders who are actively working on impact investing initiatives, and is not intended to be an introductory conversation.

Tools for funders giving ₪100,000 – ₪2,000,000 (NIS) annually

Most JFN Israel members’ annual giving is between ₪100,000 and ₪2,000,000 (NIS) per year. In order to better understand the needs of these donors and answer them within JFN, we are holding two strategy sessions in which we will discuss and think together about the specific needs of giving in this framework. The meetings will provide an opportunity to think, learn, and discuss the unique interests and characteristics of funders investing in these giving range.

The first meeting will take place on Thursday, January 10th 2019, 3:00 - 5:30pm at the JFN offices in Shefayim

The second meeting will take place on Thursday, January 17th 2019, 3:00 - 5:30 PM in Jerusalem
(Address provided upon RSVP)

This is an invitation-only event for funders.  Solicitation of funds is not permitted.

Join us for a one-hour, participatory video/conference call with other JFN members who fund in the area of interfaith families.

Opening the tent of the Jewish community comes in many forms. Some philanthropists focus on the participant: families with young children, couples, or the simply "unaffiliated." Others focus on the institutions that serve the community. Either way, the attraction is the same: make a difference and be more inclusive. For funders engaged in this work, peer learning can help us achieve more.

As we learned from the Avenues to Jewish Engagement for Intermarried Couples and Families Matching Grant Initiative in honor of 2015 Genesis Prize Laureate Michael Douglas, which contributed more than $3.3 million in matching funds to the field, there is a broad spectrum of intermarried families and couples as well as engagement factors to consider. A lot of good work has been done; what comes next? 

This call is not a traditional webinar — it will be an interactive opportunity to learn and share with one another. We’ll begin with a 20-minute briefing by Jodi Bromberg, CEO at InterfaithFamily, who will discuss strategies and approaches for engaging interfaith families in Jewish life. Participants will then have an opportunity to ask questions of Jodi, share their methods and approaches, and get feedback from other participants. JFN member Laurie Franz, will moderate the discussion. 

Please note: this webinar is for funders who are actively working on interfaith family initiatives, and is not intended to be an introductory conversation.

The Israeli Center for Family Philanthropy is proud to invite you to a first of its kind workshop. The workshop is for parents whose children will celebrate their Bar/Bat Mitzvah in the next few years (up to 3 years ahead) and are interested in incorporating values of social responsibility in the celebration and the year leading up to it.

As part of the workshop we will present tools, ideas and opportunities to make the Bar/Bat Mitzvah an experiential learning process that includes individual and family social involvement.

נתראה בשמחות!

Reception begins 5:15; program begins promptly at 5:45 with a welcome from Rabbi Peter J. Rubinstein, Director of Jewish Community and Bronfman Center for Jewish Life at 92Y.

Join Henry Timms, President and CEO, 92Y and co-author of the bestselling book New Power: How Power Works in Our Hyperconnected World—and How to Make It Work for You, speaking with JFN's President & CEO Andrés Spokoiny for a conversation on how the world of philanthropy is changing with the rise of "new power".

Dorothy Tananbaum, former JFN board chair, current board officer, and friend of 92Y, will facilitate the discussion.

In New Power, Henry Timms and Jeremy Hiemans confront the biggest stories of our time—the rise of mega-platforms like Facebook and Uber; the out-of-nowhere victories of Obama and Trump; the unexpected emergence of movements like #MeToo—and reveal what's really behind them: the rise of "new power." "Old power" was out of reach for the vast majority of people. But our ubiquitous connectivity makes possible a different kind of power: open, participatory, and peer-driven, more like a current than a currency. In this conversation, Henry, Andrés, and Dorothy will discuss how funders can understand new power and use this understanding to unleash powerful change for good.

This event is for JFN members and others by invitation only. Space is limited. RSVP (below) by November 30.

Jewish foundations and philanthropists have taken on a critical role in Jewish life around the world, developing visions for the future and bringing those visions to life through their giving. We need to preserve the story of this work in funders' own voices — through their own records — so that future generations of Jewish communal leaders and historians will truly understand funders' visions, values, and activities. This task has taken on new urgency in a digital age as keeping and donating your “papers” is no longer such a straightforward task.

Join fellow funders and a distinguished panel to discuss the critical necessity of including funders' voices in the Jewish historical record, with concrete steps you can take to preserve your and/or your foundation's papers. 

Speakers:

• Felicia Herman, Executive Director, Natan
• Lila Corwin Berman, Director, Feinstein Center for American Jewish History
• Annie Polland, Executive Director, American Jewish Historical Society
• Melanie Meyers, Director of Collections and Engagement, American Jewish Historical Society

Register now! >>

This gathering will bring together Jewish funders, lay leaders, communal activists, and entrepreneurs to workshop creative and innovative ways to design community and strengthen the rapidly growing relationship between Israel and Asia.

Meet leading Jewish and Chinese philanthropists, hear from social change-makers, and craft exciting solutions to challenges facing regional and global Jewish communities.

This highly interactive gathering will provide a practical toolkit to bring these innovative solutions to life, consisting of the latest skills in design thinking, lean start-up, adaptive leadership, and creativity that can be applied directly in your personal, professional, and communal life.

Facilitator: David Dabscheck

David Dabscheck is the CEO of GIANT Innovation, which transforms the way organizations and people think and act to become world-class innovators. David has helped a wide variety of Fortune 500 companies, global NGOs, Jewish communal organizations, and public sector agencies develop and implement sustainable innovation and creativity programs.

Register now! >>

Join leaders from the Secure Community Network (SCN), an initiative of JFN member organization Jewish Federations of North America, for a briefing on the state of security in North American Jewish communities.

SCN is the North American Jewish community’s homeland security experts, working with hundreds of institutions throughout the 147 Federation communities, and an institution to whom the FBI and DHS turn for their superior alert system, training, duty desk and other programs and services — and who were on the ground in Pittsburgh within hours of the massacre.

While the horrors of Pittsburgh are still fresh in our minds, the FBI also recently released new data showing that hate crime incidents targeting Jews and Jewish institutions in the U.S. increased by 37% between 2016 and 2017, and represent 58% of religious-based hate crime incidents. And though the statistics are still being developed, it is clear that in 2018, things are getting worse. The U.S. faces a virulent rise of anti-Semitism.

But our task is not to despair; it is to be proactive and prepared — without panic or fear — and to ensure that the work of the Jewish community in engaging and inspiring people can proceed with their important work unfettered and secure.

Speakers:

• Michael Masters, Executive Director, SCN
• Doron Horowitz, SCN Senior National Security Advisor
• Patrick Daly, Deputy Director & COO, SCN

Join us for a one-hour, participatory video/conference call with other JFN members who are involved in impact investing.

Funders have a full range of tools to invest capital for good. Some philanthropists use impact investing as a complementary tool with their grantmaking as a way to diversify their portfolio or to use the returns as a way to fund more giving. Either way, the attraction is the same: investing to make a difference. For funders engaged in this work, peer learning can help us achieve more.

This call is not a traditional webinar — it will be an interactive opportunity to learn and share with one another. We’ll begin with a 20-minute briefing by Dhaval Patel, Investment Manager at Tides, who will present the Tides approach to impact investing and will share several case studies on how their clients have used different methods to achieve social and financial objectives. Participants will then have an opportunity to ask questions of Dhaval, share their methods and approaches, and get feedback from other participants.

Please note: This webinar is for funders who are actively working on impact investing initiatives, and is not intended to be an introductory conversation.

Wildfires in greater Los Angeles have killed people and are destroying thousands of homes, as well as Jewish institutions: Camp Hess Kramer, Gindling Hilltop Camp, Shalom Institute (Camp JCA Shalom), and Ilan Ramon Day School. Join local Jewish communal leaders to learn about the impact of this disaster on the Jewish community in the region and how funders can help.

Related blog post—California Fires: How to Help

Speakers:

• Jay Sanderson, President & CEO, Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles
• Bill Kaplan, Executive Director, Shalom Institute (Camp JCA Shalom)
• Rabbi Paul Kipnes, Congregation Or Ami
• Seth Toybes, Director, Wilshire Boulevard Temple Camps
• Moderator: Tzivia Schwartz Getzug, West Coast Director, JFN

Join other Jewish funders from Greater Seattle to meet with Andrés Spokoiny (President & CEO) and Tzivia Schwartz Getzug (West Coast Director) of Jewish Funders Network, with Wayne Green, Director of Jewish Teen Funders Network, for a breakfast discussion on key issues facing Jewish funders, and a preview of the JFN 2019 International Conference.

We are excited to invite you to a workshop for funders led by NCFP: The National Center for Family Philanthropy

Based on the extensive experience of working with dozens of philanthropic families in the U.S., Virginia Esposito, Founder & President of NCFP, will share stories of success and failure in family giving.

How have successful families designed policies and structures that can help you reach both your family goals and your charitable goals? What challenges have they faced and how did they get through them? And what makes family philanthropy special?

The workshop will include questions and audience discussions on the whys and hows of family giving.

*This workshop will be held in English
*This is an invitation-only event for funders.
*Solicitation of funds is not permitted.

Top photo credit: Ryan Loew/PublicSource.

Update (11/02): Video of the briefing is now available:

In the aftermath of the brutal and tragic terrorist attack on the Tree of Life * Or L'Simcha, Dor Hadash, and New Light congregations, the Pittsburgh Jewish community is only beginning a journey of mourning and recovery. The community faces urgent needs related to security, trauma therapy, and more. While funders must think long-term about security in every Jewish community (see this November 8 webinar), for the moment the Jewish world must pay special attention to Pittsburgh's needs.

Scroll down to RSVP.

Join Jeffrey H. Finkelstein, President & CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, for an online briefing on the immediate needs and situation of greater Pittsburgh's Jewish community as a whole as they support one another through this excruciating time.

Update (10/31): We will also hear from Dr. Jordan Golin, President and Chief Executive Officer, Jewish Family and Community Services, and Brian Schreiber, President and CEO, Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh.

Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh Victims of Terror Fund >>

If you are a funder involved or interested in the field of Impact Entrepreneurship, you are invited to an information session re the Impact Entrepreneurship matching grant initiative.

In June 2018, The Edmond de Rothschild Foundation (Israel), in partnership with the Jewish Funders Network, has created a $1 million matching grant initiative to help build the ecosystem of impact entrepreneurship in Israel and generate a greater ongoing philanthropic commitment to the field.

Impact entrepreneurship describes an intentional approach to addressing unmet social and environmental needs, alongside a measurable financially sustainable business model. The growing impact innovation ecosystem provides capital, products, tools, and methods to address the world’s most pressing challenges in sectors such as sustainable agriculture, renewable energy and affordable and accessible basic services including housing, healthcare, and education.

The information session will provide an opportunity to get all the details and learn about the field from active investors.

Scroll down to RSVP.

We look forward to seeing you!

For more information, see the matching grant Website

Join JFN member Marc Rowan, Chairman of Youth Renewal Fund, for a conversation on how innovation in schools can play a pivotal role in student performance. Hear from experts with proven success both in the US and Israel.

• Introduction: Marc Rowan, member of JFN and Chairman of YRF
• Moderator: Hope Taitz, Founding Board Member, YRF; Member, The Flatiron School Advisory Board
• Panelist: Dr. Gil Pereg, CEO, Darca School Network
• Panelist: Adam Enbar, Co-Founder and CEO, The Flatiron School
  
• Hosted at: Sidley Austin LLP
  
  

View speaker bios >>

Please note: For building security purposes, if you are bringing guests with you, please email Tamar Frydman with the name(s) of your guest(s).

"Building and Strengthening the Impact Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in Israel" is a matching grant initiative which aims to support intentional approaches to addressing unmet social and environmental needs alongside a measurable financially sustainable business model, while spurring new and energized commitment among funders. 

To learn more, join us for a webinar with JFN's Melissa Rosen & Emily Friedman-Novak that will cover everything funders need to know in order to apply for matching funds. 

For this initiative, eligible organizations and/or projects will:

• Operate in Israel
• Possess a 46A tax designation
• Enhance or expand the Ecosystem infrastructure – this applies to both for-profit, not-for-profit initiatives as well as collaborations between the two.
  • The ecosystem of impact entrepreneurship, or the environment in which this operates, includes (but is not limited to): social business investment platforms, microfinance initiatives, social impact bonds, impact startup hubs/incubators/accelerators, social startup hubs/incubators/accelerators, academic & research institutions, etc.
    
    

This comprehensive webinar will cover:

• Goals of the initiative
• Eligibility guidelines
• How to apply
• Timeline
• Your questions
  
  

We look forward to speaking with you!

*Please RSVP below

After the summer break and the chagim, we are thrilled to invite members to an event celebrating the beginning of the JFN Israel Program year!

We have an evening of networking and a thought-provoking discussion planned — about Israel, world Jewry, and the connection between the two.

The evening’s program:

• Sunset cocktail reception
• Prof. Yossi Shain, Head of TAU's School of Political Science, Government and International Affairs & Professor of Comparative Government at Georgetown University — on “The Israelization of Judaism”
• A look at the 2019 JFN International Conference
  
  

*Spouses are welcome!
*The event will be held in English
*This is an invitation-only event. Solicitation of funds is not permitted.
*Please RSVP by September 16th, 2018

Coventry Edwards-Pitt is a nationally-recognized wealth adviser and the author of Aged Healthy, Wealthy & Wise. Covie has interviewed vibrant elders to bring to life the daily choices they make that allow them to live content, engaged, and purposeful later lives and design legacies of meaning—including and beyond philanthropy.

In this webinar, joining us again following her well-received 2015 JFN webinar on "Raising Responsible Children in an Age of Abundance", Covie shares stories and research to inspire you to take the actions in your own life that will set you on a course not only to age well yourself, but also to help ensure that your family experiences your later years as a gift.

We will also hear from Rabbi Laura Geller, a member of the leadership team at ChaiVillageLA (and Rabbi Emerita, Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills). ChaiVillageLA is a virtual community led by older adults who share their optimism, skills, support and expertise with each other to navigate the challenges and opportunities of aging.

Naomi Strongin, Senior Program Officer at the Center for Designed Philanthropy at Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles, will bring a funder perspective to the discussion. The Foundation, a JFN member, is investing in community engagement for older adults.

A VIP reception with Jewish Funders Network

before “Black Power, Jewish Politics: Marc Dollinger & Ilana Kaufman in Conversation”

Join JFN members and guests for a VIP reception with Marc Dollinger, Ilana Kaufman and Tzivia Schwartz Getzug, JFN West Coast Director.

Heavy hors d'oeuvres, dessert, and wine will be served.

RSVP by emailing Tzivia >>

One year after Charlottesville, what is the state of the white supremacist movement in America today? How does anti-Jewish hatred animate the white supremacist movement, and how can Jews and our allies act most effectively to fight hate?

Join your fellow funders to explore these questions.

Speaker:

• Oren Segal, Director of the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism
  
  
  

Moderator:

• Jared Blum, Chair, Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism
  
  
  

Scroll down or click here for RSVP.

UPDATE: This info session will now be folded into the Tuesday, July 17, 1:00pm EDT session >>

Are you a funder invested in gender equality in your Jewish community? Are you interested in leveraging a new or increased gift to an organization working to empower women in the North American Jewish community? Do you want to know more about the Genesis Prize Women’s Empowerment Challenge?

The Genesis Prize Women's Empowerment Challenge is a matching grant initiative which aims to empower women in the North American Jewish community and spur new and energized commitment among funders to gender equality. 

To learn more, join us for a webinar that will cover everything funders need to know about the Challenge's application process. 

This comprehensive webinar with JFN's Melissa Rosen will cover:

• Goals of the initiative
• Eligibility guidelines for organizations, projects, and donors
• How to apply
• Your questions
  
  

We look forward to speaking with you!

THIS EVENT IS NO LONGER ACCEPTING RSVPS. Click here to see the alternative session.

UPDATE: This info session will now be for both funders AND nonprofits.

The Genesis Prize Women’s Empowerment Challenge is a matching grant initiative which aims to empower women in the North American Jewish community and spur new and energized commitment among funders to gender equality. 

To learn more, join us for a webinar with JFN's Melissa Rosen that will cover everything funders need to know in order to apply for matching funds. 

For this initiative, eligible organizations and/or projects will:

• Be located in North America
• Prevent gender-based discrimination, harassment, and assault
• Provide gender-inclusive educational and training programs
• Conduct research on economic issues challenging women working in the Jewish community
• Provide encouragement and opportunities for Jewish girls and women to become interested — and remain engaged — in STEM education and careers

This comprehensive webinar will cover:

• Goals of the initiative
• Eligibility guidelines
• How to apply
• Timeline
• Your questions
  
  

We look forward to speaking with you!

Join us for an urgent briefing and discussion on the crisis involving family separation, refugees, and immigrants. Please note: while this topic is developing rapidly, thousands of children remain separated from their parents and transported far away, with no clear prospect of reunification. Numerous broader and longer-term issues are also involved in this crisis. Please join leading experts and fellow funders for a set of briefings followed by an interactive discussion between funders of where we are, how we got here, and how we can move forward constructively. Scroll down to RSVP, or email tamar@jfunders.org if you have problems with the RSVP form.

Briefings — 12:30–1:15pm

• Mark Hetfield, President & CEO, HIAS: History and today
• Stosh Cotler, CEO, Bend the Arc: Activating activists
• Rachel Peric, Executive Director, Welcoming America: Changing the tone, changing hearts and minds
• Rabbi Jill Jacobs, Executive Director, T'ruah: Leading change with religious leaders
  
  

Interactive discussion between funders — 1:15–2:00pm

• Moderated by Aaron Dorfman, President, Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah
  
  

JFN members and other eligible funders are invited to an event in Tel-Aviv at the home of Noa and Yoav Shoham. Our program for the evening includes Prof. Dan Ariely on creating hope and making change. And—as always—good food, good company, and interesting conversations.

We look forward to seeing you!

This event is for JFN members and other eligible funders only. Non-members: inquire about attending at jfnisrael@jfunders.org

Spouses are welcome. Solicitation of funds is not permitted.

Please RSVP ASAP!

Prof. Jack Wertheimer's report for the AVI CHAI Foundation, Giving Jewish: How Big Funders Have Transformed American Jewish Philanthropy, has provoked spirited discussion in the Jewish philanthropic world. He has found that large donors are changing the face of Jewish philanthropy by shifting priorities toward Jewish engagement and away from legacy institutions or social service agencies. There also is a trend toward creating staffed foundations, pursuing measurable impact investing, increased collaboration, and more active participation by new groups—women, Millennials, and Orthodox donors.

Join Prof. Jack Wertheimer and JFN President & CEO Andrés Spokoiny for a discussion of the report's findings and its implications for the Jewish community and your own philanthropic work. Deena Fuchs, Senior Director of Strategy and Partnerships at the AVI CHAI Foundation, will facilitate the discussion.

How can funders preserve their stories as a dynamic presence in the lives of future generations? How can old and new media (storytelling through film and print) keep our philanthropic legacies alive?

Join Yuval Lion and Mike Kraus of MYLK Media, author Joel Segel, and Jeffrey Solomon to discuss the importance of legacy in philanthropy and how film and books can be vehicles of family legacy storytelling.

Join JFN Board member Dafna Meitar-Nechmad and Prof. Yair Bar Haim of Tel Aviv University for a lunch-and-learn discussion on preventing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among IDF soldiers.

Prof. Yair Bar Haim, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and Director of the Adler Center for Development and Psychopathology at Tel Aviv University. His research focuses on anxiety and stress-related disorders, with a particular emphasis on the role of cognitive biases in the etiology and maintenance of such disorders.

This event is an opportunity for funders both to learn about cutting-edge research into PTSD prevention and to better understand the challenges that the IDF and Israeli society face in coping with perpetual conflict. We'll explore Israel's cutting-edge scientific advances in dealing with trauma and related issues—advances that not only benefit Israel, but the world.

Articles about Prof. Bar Haim and his research:

• IDF to Use Israeli-Made Computer Tech to Thwart PTSD, US to Follow Suit
• Praise for Video Games as PTSD Therapy

About Tel Aviv University:

Tel Aviv University (TAU) is the largest and leading university in Israel. Its researchers have been at the forefront of PTSD research for 30 years, developing a broad range of internationally recognized models and techniques for diagnosing, preventing and treating the psychological effects of exposure to traumatic events. They have trail-blazed the integration of new technologies—such as neuro-feedback, eye tracking and computerized threat-processing training—into psychological treatments and widely disseminated prevention programs. Today, the University is a world hub for state-of-the-art, practical, theoretical and empirical knowledge in the field.

An evening with the flourishing LA Jewish innovation community, exploring what it means to be a risk-taker!

Part of The Collaboratory 2018—the largest gathering of Jewish innovators in North America—the RiskTakers Collaborative is an exploration of the risky business of Jewish innovation. This dinner gathering brings together entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, and funders to share their experiences taking risks and to reflect on the work we need to do together.

Dinner and drinks provided. No cost to attend and no solicitation.

Shmaltz Brewing Company will be offering tastings of their award winning kosher beer!

Space is limited. RSVP and names required for security purposes.

RSVP NOW >>

*Collaboratory Attendees: Please note that transportation is not included with your ticket reservation.

Hosted by:
The Collaboratory

In Partnership with:
ROI Community
UpStart
Slingshot
Jewish Funders Network

This Event is powered by:
The Diane and Guilford Glazer Philanthropies
Jim Joseph Foundation
Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah

The most important resource deployed by Jewish communal organizations is people. Attracting and retaining the right talent means creating supportive and engaging cultures within workplaces, and creating opportunities for growth and mentorship in the field as a whole.

Two recent surveys point the way forward:

For the second year in a row, Leading Edge conducted a sector-wide employee engagement survey, Are Jewish Organizations Great Places to Work? Employees from 68 Jewish organizations answered questions about their experience at work, specifically relating to workplace culture, the factors that drive their engagement at work, and those elements that contribute most to their desire to stay at their organization and in the Jewish nonprofit sector.

JPRO Network polled professionals in the Jewish nonprofit sector to learn about their networking and career development needs and is piloting programs based on their responses. One of these pilots, WellAdvised, is providing further data about the needs of early- and mid-career professionals.

Together, these two surveys and initial learnings from the WellAdvised pilot identify ways that Jewish funders can transform their grantee organizations, their foundations, and the whole Jewish communal sector, to become a field with more appeal, more excellence, and more opportunity. Ultimately, making Jewish working life more appealing will enable Jewish workers to do their best work and achieve more of the missions that drive organizations and funders.

Speakers:

• Ilana Aisen, Executive Director of JPRO Network
• Gali Cooks, Executive Director of Leading Edge
• Moderator: Samantha Anderson, Senior Director of Member Services, JFN

The Jewish Funders Network International Conference is the premiere annual event in Jewish philanthropy. Independent funders, foundation trustees, and foundation professionals from all over the world gather for networking, learning, and fun.

The 2018 conference takes place in Israel, March 11 – 15.

Conference website >>

Click here to receive conference updates as more information becomes available >>

Conference Schedule >>

Conference Hotel and Travel >>

For questions, please contact conference@jfunders.org.

Conference Sponsorship

Interested in being a leader of the JFN community at the conference and hosting a dinner, preconference program, or other event? Contact david@jfunders.org for information and options.

An intimate roundtable discussion with General Yoav "Poly" Mordechai, the head of COGAT (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories), and Ghassan Aboud, a successful Syrian businessman and a true humanitarian now living in Dubai. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Georgette Bennett, co-chair of Jewish Funders Network and founder of the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees.

We'll discuss the geopolitical situation and Operation Good Neighbor, Israel's massive humanitarian aid program to help Syrians along the border with Israel.

(See this blog post about JFN's role.)

About Ghassan Aboud:

Mr. Aboud is one of Syria’s most successful businessmen, a philanthropist and the founder of Ghassan Aboud Group, which oversees numerous businesses, including Orient News TV that broadcasts throughout Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Mr. Abboud has been a target of both the Assad regime and ISIS. He has been a major source of humanitarian relief in Syria, through Orient for Charity and Human Relief, which serves millions  of Syrians displaced or injured by the conflict, including though eight large hospitals; various clinics; a camp for displaced persons on the Turkish border; and a range of other operations that provide direct aid and educational and social services.

About Major General Yoav (“Poly”) Mordechai:

Poly Mordechai is a Major General in the Israel Defense Forces and, since 2014, has served as the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (“COGAT”). COGAT’s mission is to promote and implement Israeli policy and facilitate humanitarian, economic, education and infrastructure projects in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as well as to coordinate Israel’s “Operation Good Neighbor,” program. Through this program vast amounts of humanitarian and medical relief have been sent over the Golan Heights into Syria; injured and sick children and adults have been brought into Israel for medical treatment; and support has been provided for refurbishing a hospital, establishing medical clinics, a bakery, and an array of other facilities within Syria. Previously, General Mordechai served in the Intelligence Directorate, was Chief of Civilian Administration in the West, and was the IDF Spokesperson.

To inquire about RSVPing, please email Samantha Anderson.

This webinar will empower first-time conference attendees to get as much out of the conference as you can. We'll discuss everything you need to know to have an enjoyable and productive experience—from the flow of a typical conference day to strategies for networking and side meetings to information about site tours and hosted dinners. Plus we'll answer whatever other questions you may have.

Webinar login and dial-in information will be provided upon RSVP.

How can funders ensure the programming they fund will be more exciting for people in the Millennial generation and beyond? Join Vibe Israel founder and JFN member Joanna Landau for a discussion of Vibe Israel’s innovative, data-driven approach to engaging young people as they create a new conversation about Israel’s creative energy. This work has given Landau unique insights into how to communicate with Millennials and remain relevant. The conversation will be useful for those who fund not only Israel engagement but other types of programming as well.

Co-presented by Jewish Funders Network and the Diane and Guilford Glazer Philanthropies

Today's teens and young adults—Millennials and the following generation—have very different relationships to Israel than previous generations did... If they even have the relationship at all.

Join fellow funders for a salon exploring young Jews' changing relationships to Israel, and implications for how we fund Israel education, Israel engagement, and Israel advocacy. What's changing, what's the same, and what do we—as funders—do about it? Are we willing to make changes in how we approach the upcoming generations for the sake of being effective—even if that means the programs we fund may not always sync up with our personal views about Israel?

Dr. David Bryfman, Chief Innovation Officer at The Jewish Education Project, will facilitate the discussion.

Drinks and light kosher appetizers will be served.

(Rescheduled from a previous date due to weather.)

Update: watch video of Sarah Hurwitz's remarks >>

SPONSORED BY THE AVIV FOUNDATION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH JEWISH FUNDERS NETWORK AND LIPPMAN KANFER FOUNDATION FOR LIVING TORAH

A mini-conference focused on creating deep exploration of Jewish texts, values and traditions. Building on the strong success of strategies that currently attract people to Judaism, we will discuss how mooring those experiences in Jewish content and creating new content-based experiences can deepen participants connection with Judaism, and otherwise, attract those currently not engaged.

The structure of the afternoon will allow us to learn from experts and also invite funders to bring our own observations and experiences into the conversation. Our goal, as always, is to create a meaningful, valuable, and interactive forum for funders.

Schedule & Speakers:

12:30 – 1:00: Light lunch

1:10 – 1:25: Opening Keynote — Sarah Hurwitz

Sarah Hurwitz was a White House speechwriter from 2009 to 2017, starting out as a senior speechwriter for President Barack Obama and then serving as chief speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama. Sarah worked with Mrs. Obama to craft widely-acclaimed addresses – including her 2016 Democratic National Convention speech and her political speeches during the 2016 campaign cycle.

While at the White House, Sarah Hurwitz connected with Judaism, exploring the wisdom of Jewish law, the power of Jewish spirituality, and the lessons of Jewish history. She is currently writing a book on Judaism and her Jewish journey.

1:25 – 2:15: Round 1 — Alisa Doctoroff, Past President, UJA-Federation of NY

Fundamental Questions: WHY are we doing this work? Why does rich Jewish content matter? What do we hope it does for people intellectually, behaviorally, emotionally, and practically?

2:15 – 3:05: Round 2 — Mark Charendoff, President, Maimonides Fund

Fundamental Questions: WHAT is available for people who want to engage in rich Jewish content? What works and what doesn’t, and what is missing? 

3:05 – 3:30: Break (with abundant kosher snacks)

3:30 – 4:20: Round 3 — Kimberly Miller Rubenfeld, Vice President, Circle of Service Foundation

Fundamental Questions: WHO can these experiences appeal to? How does engaging in this content with a community of others enhance the experience? 

4:20 – 5:10: Round 4 — Yossi Prager, Executive Director for North America, The AVI CHAI Foundation

Fundamental Questions: HOW can we be most strategic as funders? What are the obstacles and challenges we must address? How do we spur new ideas and leverage existing ones?

5:10 – 5:30: Closing — Adam Simon, Executive Director, Aviv Foundation

Fundamental Questions: WHERE are we headed and how would we know when we got there? 

Space is limited! RSVP now.

Jewish Funders Network will convene funders for a breakfast preceding the first annual Israel Exchange conference. Network with other funders interested in Israel engagement and  hear from Dan Schwabel of Millennial Branding about how the programs we fund can better engage today's young adults. JFN President & CEO Andrés Spokoiny will moderate a group discussion.

(Please note: the RSVP below is only for the breakfast, but JFN attendees are welcome to stay for The Israel Exchange conference. For more information, contact Julia Ben Shalom, Director of US Operations and Development at Vibe Israel: juliabs@vibeisrael.com.)

Register >>

Share your story >>

Philanthropy has long been concerned with medical care and research—that is, fixing health problems. But in recent years, more and more philanthropists have also turned their attention to the positive substance of health and wellness—asking not just how to fix problems, but also how to actively promote good health and wellness, and prevent illness before it begins. Jewish philanthropy is a part of this trend, and while health and wellness are universal aspects of human flourishing, they are also Jewish values.

Join other Jewish funders for a series of programs dedicated to funding health, wellness, and preventing disease. In this first webinar, speakers will define terms associated with this field and give an overview of health and wellness as it relates to philanthropy. Funders will learn about philanthropic responsibilities in this space and how this movement is impacting the world of Jewish philanthropy.

Speakers:

• Dr. Norbert Goldfield (JFN member), Executive Director of Healing Across the Divides, an organization dedicated to improving the health of marginalized people living in Israel and the Palestinian territories via community-based interventions
  
  
• Dr. Kate Lorig, Director of the Stanford Patient Education Research Center and Professor of Medicine in the Stanford School of Medicine

It seems that every day, another story surfaces of a powerful man's pattern of sexual harassment, abuse, or assault. The Jewish community is not immune, either from this problem or from the implications of society's new willingness to take it more seriously than in the past. Jewish Funders have responsibility and power to make change. How can Jewish philanthropy use that power to address, prevent, and ultimately eradicate sexual harassment, abuse, and assault—in the organizations we fund, in our own foundations and social circles, and everywhere else?

Speakers:

• Lisa Eisen, Vice President, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation
• Sara Miller, Managing Director, Richard Levin & Associates and co-author of It’s Time to Act: Ending Sexual Harassment in the Jewish Communal Space
• Rabbi David A. Teutsch, Professor Emeritus, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, and co-author of B’tselem Elohim: Jewish Ethics, Sexual Harassment and the Workplace of the Future
• Moderator: Samantha Anderson, Senior Director of Member Services, Jewish Funders Network

Network with funders in the D.C. area for an intimate pre-Hanukkah funder gathering at a JFN member's home. We'll discuss how to make your Jewish philanthropy more personalized, more intentional, and more reflective of your family’s core values with an interactive text study facilitated by Dr. Erica Brown, director of the Mayberg Center for Jewish Education and Leadership at George Washington University.

A light kosher dinner will be served.

This event is brought to you by Jewish Funders Network in partnership with the Aviv Foundation, the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, and the Mayberg Foundation.

The Summit is designed for lay and professional leaders in the Jewish community and registration is by invitation only.

More information >>

The first event in a series on Regenerative Real Estate / Impact Real Estate, sponsored by the Jacob and Anita Penzer Foundation, produced by Alexander Golding, in partnership with Jewish Funders Network

When we think of impact investing, we often think of aligning our stock portfolios with our values. But we should think of real estate as well. With real estate impact investing, funders can make progress toward multiple social and environmental missions while simultaneously addressing the nationwide crisis that is the lack of quality affordable housing.

This event, open to the general real estate investor community and to members of Jewish Funders Network, will cover Affordable Housing. The educational "boot camp" will be followed by a cocktail party. Expect to leave with actionable takeaways to employ in your future impact real estate investments.

Takeaways will include:

• Overview of the affordable housing landscape
• The difference between affordable housing and the affordability of housing
• Specific deals and strategies so you can be at the intersection of money and meaning
• Strategies on how workforce development will help the community
• Insights on the tax consequences of the proposed Trump tax plan

Speakers include:

• Eddie Lorin, Founder and CEO of Impact Housing
• John Shire, Equity Partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP and Partner & Co-Founder of The Impact Investment Forum
• Donnel Baird, Founder and CEO of BlocPower.
• Mickey Penzer, Vice President and Head of Strategic Partnerships at the Penzer Family Office.

Please note: this event will take place in New York City the day before the JLens Jewish Impact Investing Summit.

Tickets & more information >>

$ Please note: this event is listed with a $100 ticket price, but JFN members can attend gratis. Email Shira Uriarte to get your member discount code.

How do we, as funders, consider the changing fabric of Jewish families in our giving? Join us for an intimate funder conversation with voices from PJ Library, Honeymoon Israel, and UJA-Federation of New York—three organizations that are responding to the needs of today's Jewish families in creative and meaningful ways.

SPONSORS:

It is our pleasure to invite funders to a gathering at the Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem. Join us for a glass of wine on the walls of the Old City, followed by a fascinating meeting with MK Rachel Azarya, Chair of the Knesset's Reforms Committee, on social change in Jerusalem from different perspectives ("Me'orav Yerushalmi").

The evening's program:

• 6:00 – 7:00 PM: An exclusive tour of the Tower of David Museum, guided by the Museum's Director and Chief Curator, Eilat Lieber
  
  
• 7:00pm:
  • Reception
  • A preview of the 2018 JFN Conference
  • Guest speaker—MK Rachel Azaria, Chair of the Knesset's Reforms Committee: "From Civil Leadership through Local Government to the Knesset - Jerusalem as a Case Study."
    
    

As always, we'll enjoy good food, good people, and interesting conversations.

We look forward to seeing you,

– The JFN Israel Team

(Parking is available at Mamilla, a 5 minute walk from the museum.)

Spouses are welcome!

This event will be held in Hebrew.

This is a funders-only event. Solicitation of funds is not permitted.

Following on from the success of the last three Asia gatherings—Hong Kong 2014, Singapore 2015, and Shanghai 2016—we are delighted to invite JFN members back to Hong Kong for another informative, impactful, and inspirational event that explores the synergy between Israel, Asia and the strength of Jewish peoplehood.

Israel increasingly looks toward Asia, the Jewish world can provide great support by stimulating developments in diplomacy, business, and philanthropy. These gatherings bring together a network of Jewish funders, lay leaders, and entrepreneurs from the US, Australia, and Israel, and connects them with Jewish communities of like-minded peers living in Asia.

Together ideas and accomplishments are shared and the role that Asia is increasingly playing in the global Jewish conversation and its relationship with Israel is carefully considered. The gatherings create a platform for mutual learning and enrichment, exposing participants to new areas of investment and interest, and for potential future collaborative endeavors for the benefit of global Jewish peoplehood and the State of Israel.

This year's gathering will take place at the Island Shangri-La Hotel and the Jewish Community Center in Hong Kong.

Register now to secure your place, as capacity is limited!

See featured speakers & details >>

Join other JFN members and board co-chair Angelica Berrie for a launch of the new book Touches of Grace: Philanthropy and Social Involvement in Israel.  Author Dr. Haim Emil Dahan, a JFN board member and the founder and president of Ofanim, will lead us through his philanthropic journey.

“Touches of Grace is the story of Israeli philanthropy, as seen through the eyes of a start-up entrepreneur whose life was transformed by an act of generosity. Haim Dahan's philanthropic journey infuses values from a three-thousand-year-old tradition with data on the current state of Israel's emerging culture of philanthropy. His encounters with people who share his passion for giving inspire us to embrace philanthropy as the gift of who we are!” — Angelica Berrie

Cocktails and kosher-style refreshments will be served. This event is open to JFN members only.

About Haim Emil Dahan >>

Buy the book >>

The most urgent challenge facing public education in Israel today is the direct correlation between socioeconomic status and school achievement levels.

Israel has one of the most extreme income gaps in the Western world, and neighborhood income levels have become an almost perfect predictor of school academic success. The poorer you are, the more likely you are to get a low-quality education, which, in turn, limits opportunities for military service, higher education, and professional career training. Reversing this trend has become a national priority.

Join JFN members Don Futterman, Executive Director of the Israel Center for Educational Innovation (ICEI) and co-host of the Promised Podcast, and Mary Ann Stein, President of The Moriah Fund, for a lunch-and-learn on strategies and approaches to closing educational gaps in Israel. A kosher lunch will be served.

This event is for JFN members only.

Remote participation via webinar is also available. Email Shira Uriarte for details.

The Israel Center for Educational Innovation (ICEI), was established to turn around underachieving and failing schools serving the poorest and lowest performing Jewish population in the elementary school system: Ethiopian-Israeli children. Today, in partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Education and local municipalities, ICEI’s programs are transforming schools serving thousands of Ethiopian-Israeli students, and thousands of other low income students.

Part 2 of an "After Charlottesville" series. See Part 1 here.

What is our immediate role in fighting hate, as Jewish funders? How do funders act with speed, finding the right balance between due diligence and agile, relevant action?

Speakers:

• Georgette Bennett, The Polonsky Foundation and JFN Board Co-Chair
• Aaron Dorfman, President, Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah
• Lisa Eisen, Vice President, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation
• Isaac Luria, Director of Voice, Creativity, and Culture, the Nathan Cummings Foundation
• Moderator: Aliza Mazor, Chief Field Building Officer, Upstart
  
  

Background reading:

• Progressive Funders, You May Be Part of the Problem | Vu Le, Nonprofit AF 
• Cash, Speed, and Trust | Lauren Smiley, San Francisco Magazine

Can local funders partner successfully with Israeli funders and/or the Israeli government?  Of course they can!

Sigal Yaniv Feller, JFN Israel's Director of Advisory Services, will join West Coast Director Tzivia Schwartz Getzug, in a conversation about international collaborations.

Please join the conversation!

Light breakfast will be served.

Please RSVP by Wednesday, October 18.

Can local funders partner successfully with Israeli funders and/or the Israeli government?  Of course they can!

Sigal Yaniv Feller, JFN Israel's Director of Advisory Services, will join Barak Loozon, Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund's Director for Israel and Global Networks, in a conversation about international collaborations.

JFN's West Coast Director Tzivia Schwartz Getzug will share information about JFN's March 2018 international conference in Tel Aviv and on a matching grant opportunity for STEM education in Israel.

Please join the conversation!

Light appetizers will be served.

Please RSVP by Monday, October 16.

RSVP to Tzivia >>

This event is brought to you in partnership with the Jewish Community Federation & Endowment Fund of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties.

Join the Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues & Jewish Funders Network
in NYC on Wednesday, October 18th, at 12:00 PM
for a luncheon discussion on

Bedouin Philanthropy in the Negev

Speaker:

Ibrahim Nsasra
Philanthropist & entrepreneur
Founder of the Tamar Center in the Negev, Armonot HaNegev Catering, & Lahav Tours

In recent years, a small but growing number of Israel's Arab entrepreneurs are becoming involved in philanthropy to advance social change and development of Arab society. Traditionally a charitable practice in Arab culture, a new generation of business leaders is bringing their resources and know-how to strategic giving, and working to expand philanthropic networks in the process.

Ibrahim Nsasra, a Bedouin businessman from Lakiya in the Negev, has used his success in the transportation industry to launch initiatives that enhance access to employment for women, and STEM education for youth. In doing so, he has engaged other business and civil society leaders and become recognized as an influential change-maker in Bedouin society—by far Israel's most disadvantaged population. How did Ibrahim Nsasra overcome barriers to success himself? What is his vision for the Bedouin society of the future? How are his actions and those of philanthropists like him affecting perceptions of leadership in the community?

A light lunch will be served.

Location details provided upon RSVP.

Please RSVP to liron.shoham@jdc.org

Top photo credit: U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv via Visual Hunt / CC BY-SA

Event co-host:

Israel has some of the most innovative and hands-on philanthropists in the world. Over the past decade, the Israeli philanthropic community has grown significantly and a culture of giving has taken off.

Join Sigal Yaniv Feller, JFN Israel's Director of Advisory Services, for a discussion on the state of Israeli philanthropy. We'll explore the growth of Israel's philanthropic sector and address how to do effective grant-making in Israel from abroad.

An upturn in antisemitism; an activist revival; political mobilization and polarization; shifts in philanthropic focus; a cultural renaissance. All these, and more, are waves of change buffeting the U.S. Jewish community during the first year of President Trump's administration. These strong currents exacerbate pre-existing tensions, such as the split between "Jacksonian" and "Jeffersonian" models of political behavior among Jewish leaders and institutions.