Section archive - Education & Administration

After meeting to discuss the need for a collective Jewish educational catalyst, the 28 federations that make up the National Federation/Agency Alliance recommended the formation of a new Jewish Education and Engagement Planning Unit within the Jewish Federations system. That unit was approved recently by JFNA’s Executive Committee. The unit will foster relationships and partnerships between federations, as well as with key outside organizations that are devoted to fostering Jewish education. Additionally, it will commission studies and convene experts to examine issues that are important and common to local federations, and it will inspire and mediate collective attention and action.

The Covenant Foundation announced $1.6 million in new grants today as part of its mission to support and advance excellence and impact in Jewish education. Across the spectrum of Jewish educational venues and approaches - from community centers and digital labs, to day schools and synagogues - this new round of grants underscores a commitment to innovative work that is redefining and strengthening the scope, reach and depth of Jewish education.

Philanthropists committed to the vibrant future of the Jewish people have a responsibility to ensure that our education leadership can rest-and-digest in order to face the inevitably long stretches of fight-or-flight that accompany responsibility for the physical, spiritual, emotional, and social well being of their learners. Lay leaders encourage rest-and-digest when they ensure their professionals take personal time off to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

The foci of this issue of HaYidion are mission and vision. What are our ethics, culture and goals as supporters and sustainers of Jewish education? How do we justify our existence in this new century when, as Rabbi Daniel Lehmann, our conference keynote speaker and lead author, says, “Much of the thought and language that animates contemporary Jewish day schools does not sufficiently capture the imagination of 21st century North American Jews”? How do we make ourselves meaningful and relevant when the very underpinnings of our way of life are being called into question?