Search results for: Jewish identity

This issue of CONTACT is devoted to Israel Engagement. It addresses a number of issues. In what ways can Israel Engagement innovate to inspire and connect people to Israel? How can the community foster connections to Israel among Jews across the spectrums of politics, culture and observance? How can Israel engagement succeed long after — and indeed before — one has visited Israel? The articles in this issue of CONTACT explore new ways of engaging American Jews with Israeli culture and life. In so doing, they offer new perspectives and dimensions for those seeking to build greater connections between Israel and America and to strengthen the Jewish experience worldwide.

Emily Comisar discusses a recurring question. How we get Birthright Taglit participants to feel a sense of responsibility to the community, to engage in it in whichever way is most meaningful and make it a more welcoming place for a rising generation of young Jewish adults? At a recent professional conference, she gained some insights about this question.

Since its establishment in 2006, Jewish Spirit (Ruach Yehudit) has become Israel's largest and leading educational program in the field of Jewish identity. The central goal of the program is experiential learning of basic Jewish values through emphasis on the Zionist dimension and the relevance of Jewish values to modern society. The Jewish Spirit staff is comprised of young academics, trained in Jewish philosophy and culture, who work in full collaboration with the schools’ professional staff. The program is currently working in over 60 schools across the country.

In her blog post, Sarah Mali, Director of Israel Engagement at the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, aims to highlight a program that offers a new paradigm for Jewish Peoplehood engagement locally in North America - The UJA MAKOM Young Emissary Program in Toronto.