February 24th, 2012
My take on the What People Think I Do / What I Really Do meme … Share your thoughts—did I get it right?
| Press Center • Schusterman Philanthropic Network • Photos • Videos | / | Follow Us |  |
 |
 |
 |
/ |  |
Thursday, May 17, 2012 -
Iyyar, 25 5772
#JNETS
View Comments
February 21st, 2012
This post first appeared on eJewishPhilanthropy.
The South African Jewish community, like all Jewish communities, is filled with knowledge, creativity, chesed and, of course, complexity. It is one that has a rich and proud history, bringing its unique Jewish spirit to a continent that is rife with challenges and ripe with opportunity.
Within the community, there is an array of individuals as vibrant and varied as the African fauna that surrounds them. From the exceptional community of Johannesburg, a city of commerce and insight near the great goldmines of South Africa, to the community of Cape Town, which started out as a Dutch veggie patch and now is known worldwide as an amazing center of creativity, and every point in between—innovators, activists and entrepreneurs are reshaping the South African landscape to reflect the Jewish and universal values that drive their work. Read More »
February 21st, 2012
Check out the reflections and recorded LiveStreaming from the South African Young Jewish Innovators Gathering, held Feb. 11-12 in Johannesburg! You can find photos from the gathering on our Flickr page.
Reflections
Following the gathering, eJewishPhilanthropy ran a series of reflections from gathering participants.
Jewish South African Innovation: From the Goldmines to the Garden Patch By Seth Cohen
The South African Jewish community, like all Jewish communities, is filled with knowledge, creativity, chesed and, of course, complexity. It is one that has a rich and proud history, bringing its unique Jewish spirit to a continent that is rife with challenges and ripe with opportunity. Read more
Boldly Going Where No Jew Has Gone Before By David Jacobson
Perhaps the greatest innovation of the South African Young Jewish Innovators Gathering was in actually gathering young South African Jews together. After all, 10 Jews make a minyan; 50 Jews from different spaces and different places make a “Metzuyan”—a space of excellence. Read more Read More »
February 7th, 2012
This post first appeared on Working Wikily, a blog devoted to exploring how network tools and approaches are creating new opportunities for powerful social impact.
Watching the unfolding events related to the Susan B. Komen for the Cure’s decision (and subsequent reversal) to stop funding Planned Parenthood, one couldn’t help but realize that we were watching our own revolution of the masses.
Unlike Tahrir Square and the Occupy movement, however, this latest chapter in our era of mass mobilization never really moved from cyberspace to the streets. It didn’t have to. As the nation of pink ribbons turned into a sea of red faces, Komen realized the rebellion in its midst and decided to change course.
There is no question that there are many lessons to be learned from Komen’s unplanned Planned Parenthood experience. Politics aside, even while assessing all of the steps and missteps Komen has made (and, we hope, continues to learn from), the Pink Ribbon Rebellion demonstrated one thing Komen actually did right: it built a social network of activists bound together by a collective identity built on education, empowerment and interconnectedness. Read More »
February 6th, 2012
Leaders and creators of Jewish life are embracing a networked mindset, and in an effort to help initiate a community-wide shift, we convened some of the best and brightest minds working in Jewish life today to discuss the implications of networks and network theory for the future of the Jewish community.
From Nov. 8-10, 2011, in Boulder, CO, our Foundation hosted NetWORKS: Exploring the Power & Possibilities of Networks in the Jewish Community, which brought together leading thinkers, experts, innovators and activists to discuss how we can harness the power of networks to empower Jewish young adults to strengthen both the Jewish community and the broader world.
We partnered with Leadel.net, a Jewish media hub showcasing the rich variety of contemporary Jewish voices and expressions, to create a series of videos that we hope will our community continue to expand the networks conversation. Read More »
February 1st, 2012
Thank you to everyone who could join us for the first-ever TextWORKS: A Clay Shirky Webinar! Your overwhelmingly positive feedback suggests it was extremely well received. For those who want to revisit the insights Clay shared, and/or could not make, we have posted the webinar here for your viewing pleasure.
Before you dig in, I wanted to take the opportunity to share five key thoughts and takeaways from his presentation, many of which found their way on to the Twittersphere, under the #jnets hashtag, thanks to our collective efforts.
1) The capacity of people to use their social capital to achieve social transformation is innate and can, when properly engaged, be activated by various means. (Check out the Clay Shirky/Malcolm Gladwell debate on this topic in Foreign Affairs.) Read More »
December 2nd, 2011
Cross-posted from AviChai.org blog and eJewishPhilanthropy. Leah Nadich Meir is a Program Officer at The AVI CHAI Foundation.
“Jewish geography” is a favorite game among Jews who meet up anywhere—conferences, social gatherings, work meetings, street corners. You know the game questions: “So where are you from?” “No kidding, New Jersey! Do you know my brother (son, daughter, sister), who went to school (camp, college) there?” “Sure, I know your brother (son, daughter etc.) We were really friendly at school (camp, college etc.)! I actually just connected with him (her) again through Facebook (Twitter, LinkedIn).”
Jews have been master networkers since the Babylonian exile 3,000 years ago—our survival as a people has depended on the ability to stay connected with fellow Jews wherever they were scattered across the globe. Our networking helped us hold fast to our shared values, texts, behaviors and religious traditions.
Jewish geography was just the jumping-off point at the recent “NetWORKS” conference in Boulder: “Exploring the Power and Possibilities of Networks in the Jewish Community.” Read More »
November 29th, 2011
Annie Lumerman is the Director of Jewish Programming at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue.
Growing up in St. Louis, it seemed like every Jew was either a doctor, a lawyer or a social worker. Kiddush was always a room full of doctors consulting lawyers consulting social workers. Even though I didn’t want an MD, JD or MSW, I liked that these professionals were able to make connections and help each other.
The synagogue served as an open space to bring separate communities to work together outside of work. Like many communities, that of doctors and lawyers and social workers are complex, but it was this spark of connectivity that got me interested in the power of networking.
Participating in the NetWORKS Gathering felt like a continuous series of sparks. The conference was boundless. I expected the conversation to be controlled, but it was fluid and open-ended. A non-facilitated facilitation-of-connections. Read More »
November 22nd, 2011
Cross-posted from Jewcology.org. Evonne Marzouk is the founder and Executive Director of Canfei Nesharim and a member of the ROI Community.
On November 8-10, I traveled to Boulder, CO, for a unique post-GA event: the NetWORKS Gathering, organized by the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. According to the organizers, the event brought together “a group of exceptional innovators, activists and network curators pushing the boundaries of the most vibrant organizations, projects and communities comprising Jewish life today.” It was an honor to participate and to represent a network that I’m quite fond of—the global Jewish environmental community as gathered together on Jewcology.
In addition to being—as you might guess—an excellent opportunity to network with other Jewish leaders, the event had a specific purpose. In sessions ranging from panels and talks to participatory opportunities using models like World Cafe and Open Space, we had the opportunity to explore what networks are, how they work and what they can offer to us as a Jewish community. Read More »
November 17th, 2011
A networked report on a gathering on networks …
The Jewish community has changed dramatically over the past decade, as the rapid adoption of new technologies has expanded the number of ways people connect, create and even congregate. Networks, which have been part of the Jewish tradition for thousands of years, have taken on even greater importance as we identify, affiliate and express ourselves in ways once unimaginable.
On November 8-10, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation brought together leading thinkers, experts, innovators and activists in the Jewish community to discuss the implications of networks and network-thinking for the future of the Jewish community.
This is how the story unfolded … Read More »
Meet Us /
Programs /
Resources /
Press Center /
Employment /
Contact Us
© 2010 Charles and Lynn
Schusterman Family Foundation
Washington, DC 20001
PO Box 51, Tulsa, OK 74101