Lynn Schusterman | Schusterman.org

June 28th, 2011

Lynn Schusterman: Inspiring Others by Her Actions

Cross-posted from eJewishPhilanthropy.

“If we can listen to young people and see what resonates, they will follow in our footsteps.”
Lynn Schusterman speaking at Israeli Presidential Conference

In a panel titled, Where is Jewish Philanthropy Headed? held during last week’s Israeli Presidential Conference, five global philanthropists discussed their views on their own giving, the state of philanthropy in their own country, the importance of giving to Israel and more. Today, in the first of two posts on the panel, philanthropist Lynn Schusterman shares her remarks to the attendees.

Schusterman, a signatory of the Giving Pledge, sees herself more as a changemaker than a grantmaker; a philanthropist who gives not just her money, but the bulk of her time, to “deepening the Jewish identity of young Jews and to strengthening Jewish communities all over the world.” It was therefore no surprise that she was so warmly received.

It is fitting that we are gathered here today in Jerusalem to talk about the state of Jewish philanthropy. It was exactly 44 years ago this month that my late husband Charlie and I got started on our giving journey with a donation to support Israel during the Six Day War. Read More »

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June 27th, 2011

Lynn Schusterman: Inspiring Others by Her Actions

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May 31st, 2011

ROI Global Summit 2011: Connecting to Create the Jewish Future

For a video enhanced, resource rich version of this press release click here

Connecting to Create the Jewish Future

YOUNG SOCIAL INNOVATORS WILL COLLABORATE AT GLOBAL SUMMIT IN JERUSALEM TO TRANSFORM THE JEWISH WORLD AND BEYOND

June 12-16, 2011, Dan Jerusalem Hotel

Jerusalem — (June 2, 2011) As cyber-activism and Facebook revolutions sweep the Middle East, 150 Jewish social and business entrepreneurs, technology whizzes, thinkers and artists from Hong Kong to Zagreb, Sao Paulo to San Francisco, and Melbourne to Beersheva, will converge on Jerusalem for the ROI Global Summit of Young Jewish Innovators, to connect and create new tools and novel approaches to shape the Jewish world and beyond.

ROI Community is an international network of 600 social entrepreneurs and Jewish innovators in 40 countries on six continents who are creating innovative ways to connect to Jewish life.

“These young Jewish social entrepreneurs are transforming the Jewish world through their vital initiatives and commitment to tikkun olam, repairing the world,” said Lynn Schusterman, the American Jewish philanthropist who, in 2005, created ROI Community as a partnership with Taglit-Birthright Israel. “As change agents within their own communities, in Israel and beyond, these 20- and 30-somethings are key to ensuring the vibrancy of Jewish life 3,000 years down the road.”

Keynote speaker Marina Nemat, whose best-selling memoir Prisoner of Teheran recounts the torture she endured while imprisoned by the Khomeini regime as a teenager, will address human rights and the revolutions sweeping the Middle East. Opening keynoter Daniel Birnbaum, who, as CEO, oversaw Israel’s biggest IPO in 2010 for start-up SodaStream International, will share how building a corporate culture grounded in environmental responsibility boosts business. And, in conjunction with the Jerusalem Season of Culture, world-renowned video artist Kutiman will unveil a new piece inspired by Jerusalem during the ROI Global Summit.

At the heart of the program is peer-to-peer training and collaborative project-building lead by ROI network members from around the world. In addition, some of Israel’s most successful entrepreneurs and thought leaders will teach Master Classes, to inspire the ROIers with their personal stories and insights for effecting change. Among the dozen Master Class teachers will be Yossi Abramowitz, president of the newly formed Arava Power Company and Jewish educator/activist; Independence Party MK Einat Wilf, a Cambridge PhD and former Senior Fellow at the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute, who serves on the Foreign Affairs and Defense, Education and House committees; and, Rachel Azarya, the youngest Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem.

ROI Community has played a key role in seeding and supporting such cutting-edge Jewish start-ups as Moishe House, G-dcast, Jewcology, Omanoot.com, and Haggadot.com. ROI also offers an expansive Micro Grants program to help ROI members turn ideas into actual meaningful projects.

“ROI Community creates a space where connection and innovation happens,” said Justin Korda, ROI Community Executive Director. “Our ultimate goal is to link up dynamic, creative young Jews, enabling them to translate their ideas into initiatives that bring the joy of Jewish life to Jews around the world and impact the world around them. Ultimately, we envision a thousand-strong network of innovators engaging a million people in diverse forms of Jewish life.”

This year, ROI Community selected a cadre of individuals who are creating ripples of change in their own right. Among the 150 ROIers who will participate in the Jerusalem Summit:

Neshama Carlebach, a superstar in Jewish entertainment, sings the music of her late father, the legendary Shlomo Carlebach, and her own compositions. In addition, she has achieved a unique sound by partnering with The Green Pasture Baptist Church Choir and garnered six Grammy mentions for her album “Higher.” Her music brings together different faith communities to overcome intolerance and promote healing. Her latest project is Soul Journey, where her concert proceeds fund those in need, like the victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

Brian Elliot, inspired by Hillel’s dictum, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me?” founded Friendfactor in 2009, a web-savvy LGBT rights organization that engages friends – straight and gay – to overturn discriminatory laws. On the basis of their sexual orientation, gay people can be fired in 29 American states, evicted from their home in over 30 states, and denied over 1,100 rights and privileges that marriage confers on straight couples. On May 4, Friendfactor launched a new initiative to lobby New York state government on marriage equality.

Michal Ansky, Israeli celebrity gastronome and food journalist, is a judge on FOX TV’s MasterChef and Israel Channel 2’s prime time show, MasterChef Israel. She established the popular Shuk Hanamal, The Indoor Market at the Tel Aviv Port, Israel’s first green commercial building, an expansive food market which gives Israelis direct access to local farmers’ fruits, vegetables and products of the land.

Eli Kaplan-Wildmann, a theater director and designer in Jerusalem, sits on the Board and heads programming for Havruta –Religious Gays, which was founded by alumni of the leading national religious yeshivot and pre-military academies to create an accepting space for Orthodox Israeli gays and sensitize the broader Israeli Orthodox community to the desire of this group to be integrated into Orthodox life without prejudice. Google Israel is sponsoring Havruta’s float in the Tel Aviv Pride Parade on June 10, 2011.

Anna Bakula, who discovered she was Jewish at age 15, has become a key figure in the renaissance of Poland’s young Jews. Anna helped launch Warsaw’s vibrant Moishe House and leads nearly 1,100 Jewish activists as president of the Polish Jewish Youth Organization. This summer, she’s adding a new dimension to the renowned Cracow Jewish Festival by inviting top young Jewish leaders from Belgium, France and Switzerland, among others, to brainstorm about contemporary Jewish life. In September, she’ll be the first Polish Jew to run for the directorate of the European Union of Jewish Students. She’s also writing her thesis on post-traumatic stress disorder among third generation Holocaust survivors for a degree in clinical psychology.

Stephen Shashoua is director of the Three Faiths Forum (3ff) in London, one of England’s largest interfaith organizations. The UN awarded two prizes to 3ff for intercultural innovation. The 3ff Middle East, based in Jerusalem, engages Muslims, Christians and Jews through joint text study of the Tanakh, New Testament and the Koran.

Tamar Wisemon, who moved to Beit Shemesh, Israel from the UK, co-founded Sviva Israel with her husband to change how Israelis and Jews relate to their Jewish environmental identity. They developed Eco Campus, after Sviva Israel won the Microsoft Israel R&D Community VC contest. Today, Eco Campus is the largest global Jewish environmental school network integrating Web 3.0 technology. Tamar was the only Israeli participant in a US State Department program for using new media technology to create change in civic society.

Sacha Litman, of New York, won a 2011 Jewish New Media Innovation Fund Award for his Jewish Journey Connector Project. Like Amazon and Netflix, The Connector is an intelligent database with a predictive modeling algorithm that creates comprehensive profiles of individuals to link young adult Jews to Jewish opportunities and experiences that match their interests and needs.

Simon Carpman is a mechanical engineer in Rosario, Argentina. In 2009, he founded STS Rosario, along with fellow ROIer Gabriel Weitz, to tackle issues of renewable energy sources and sustainable transport. Simon is now working on a project to “green” Argentina’s Jewish institutions.

Shmuel Beru, a stand-up comedian, walked across the Sudanese desert to immigrate to Israel at the age of eight. Over the last few years, Shmuel has begun making waves across seas of communities and styles. He is bringing humor, entertainment and unique cultural flavors to audiences both young and old. Shmuel studied political science and theater at Haifa University. Shmuel had stints at the prestigious Habima Theater in Tel Aviv and at the IDF Theater. Performing in Hebrew and Amharic, his one-man show, Milah Shel Etyopi, is on stages across Israel. His script and directorial debut for the film Zrubavel won The Haifa International Film Festival award for Best Drama in 2008 and in Sicily, Zrubavel claimed the Special Jury Prize at the Taormina Film Festival.

Mordechai Lightstone, director of social media and a senior staff writer for Lubavitch.com, is the director of the digital voice for Chabad-Lubavitch Headquarters News. In November 2008, he set up Chabad’s social media platform. Just a week later, that platform, still in its infancy, became key to keeping the world informed about the unfolding terrorist attack on the Mumbai Chabad House. Since then, the platform has given a human voice and presence for Chabad’s outreach efforts on social media. Recently, it was used to disseminate information and updates about Japan’s Jewish community following the March 2011 tsunami as it had in the Christchurch, New Zealand, earthquake the previous month.

To learn more about ROI participants from your community, click here.

Contact:

Sara Averick, Israel: 052-867-4966 or sara@leadstoryplus.com

Jose Rosenfeld, Israel: 052-287-7646 or jose@leadstoryplus.com

Toby Dershowitz, USA: 202.250-6104 or toby@dershowitzgroup.com

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May 16th, 2011

10 Leading Israeli Artists Selected For U.S. Residencies Fall 2011-Spring 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media contact: Marge Goldwater / Director, Schusterman Visiting Israeli Artist Program / 212.249.1998 • margegoldwater@gmail.com

10 LEADING ISRAELI ARTISTS SELECTED FOR U.S. RESIDENCIES FALL 2011-SPRING 2012

Schusterman Visiting Artist Program to bring Israeli artists to outstanding North American institutions; residencies offer opportunity for audiences to engage with contemporary Israeli culture

New York, NY—May 16, 2011-The Schusterman Visiting Artist Program announced today the names of 10 leading Israeli artists it will place in residencies at colleges and universities across the U.S. this fall and next spring. The artists—celebrated in a variety of disciplines, including filmmaking, choreography, music and literature—will spend two to four months presenting their work to audiences across North America through relevant programming, classes, exhibitions and performances.

Among the 10 artists coming this year is Joshua Sobol, whose plays have been produced at theaters around the world, including in the U.S., Israel, England, Norway, Austria and Japan. Renowned for his play Ghetto, which has been produced in more than 25 countries, he is also the author of Cut Throat Dog, published last year in the United States (Melville House). Sobol will be artist-in-residence at the University of Washington in spring 2012.

Also in spring 2012, two artists will be in residence on University of California campuses. Emmanuel Witzthum, violist, composer and artistic director of The Lab, Center for Contemporary Performing Arts, in Jerusalem, will be hosted by the University of California Berkeley’s renowned Department of Music. Yair Dalal, composer, violinist, oud player and singer and an important figure on the world music scene, will be at UC Santa Barbara to teach and perform his music, which draws on Iraqi, Jewish Arabic and other traditions.

“The unusually talented array of artists selected for the Schusterman Visiting Artists Program embody the vibrant, creative face of Israel and provide a meaningful way to connect North Americans to a diverse and complex contemporary Israel that goes beyond the prism of conflict,” said Lynn Schusterman, chair of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation.

The Schusterman Visiting Artist cohort for 2011-12 also includes:

Poet, writer, critic and musician, Shimon Adaf, who will be artist in residence at the University of Vermont this fall. Amos Oz calls him “one of the most interesting and original voices in contemporary Israeli literature.”

Sahar Azimi, whose choreography has been presented in Israel and Europe and who has danced with some of Israel’s most highly regarded companies, including Noa Dar, Emanuel Gat and Barak Marshall. Azimi will be teaching in the highly regarded Department of Dance at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in spring, 2012.

Eran Kolirin, the writer and director of The Band’s Visit, a feature film that won several awards at the 2007 Cannes Festival. Kolirin, who has also worked in television, including on the Israeli version of the American series “In Treatment,” will spend the spring semester teaching at Temple University in Philadelphia.

Choreographer Uri Shafir, who has danced with several leading Israeli companies, including the Batsheva Ensemble, as well as with Dana Ruttenberg and Barak Marshall, will teach next spring in the very active Department of Theater and Dance at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Record producer and music arranger for some of Israel’s leading recording artists, Assaf Talmudi, is also the co-founder of Oy Division, a band specializing in researching and reconstructing Eastern European Jewish folk music, which released its debut album in 2010 and has toured worldwide. Talmudi is nearing completion of a Ph.D. in the Music Department at Bar Ilan University based on interdisciplinary research in the fields of evolutionary musicology, artificial intelligence and complex systems. He will be in residence this fall at McGill University in Montreal.

Sharon Ya’ari, a photographer who will be honored in September with a solo show at the Kunsthaus Baselland in Switzerland and has had one-person shows at the Tel Aviv Museum, the Herzliya (Israel) Museum and the Lisson Gallery in London, among others, will be artist-in-residence at George Washington University, Washington, D.C., this fall.

Dani Menkin, a filmmaker whose students at Syracuse University will work with him when he shoots his next feature film on location in Syracuse this fall. Menkin will also be a presenter and judge at the Syracuse International Film Festival.

“Dani Menkin is one of Israel’s most exciting young filmmakers. His work crosses the boundaries between documentary and fiction, making his residence a perfect fit for the film program in the Department of Transmedia at Syracuse,” said Owen Shapiro, Shaffer Professor of Film in the Department of Transmedia of the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Syracuse University. “Menkin’s work in imaging disabilities will make his presentations of particular value to our School of Education Disabilities Studies Program. We are very thankful to the Schusterman Foundation and our Department of Transmedia for making this residency possible.”

With funding from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and others, the Schusterman Visiting Artist Program is one of the largest organized residency programs of Israeli artists ever launched in the U.S. It awards Israeli artists—including filmmakers, choreographers, musicians, writers and visual artists—long-term residencies at North American universities, museums, Jewish community centers and other cultural organizations, with a focus on fostering interaction between the artists and the communities where they are based.

“The Schusterman Visiting Artist Program allows members of the host community and the visiting artists to connect in a variety of settings—from formal to informal, Jewish to non-Jewish—over a significant period of time, rather than the more traditional one-off experience,” says Marge Goldwater, the program’s director. “As we look back on the first three years, we see that the success of the longer residencies has prompted host institutions to continue to find ways to bring Israeli cultural leaders to their communities after the Schusterman artist has left.”

For more information about the program, please contact Marge Goldwater via email at margegoldwater@gmail.com or telephone at 212.249.1998. Please visit the Schusterman Visiting Artist Program website.

About the Schusterman Visiting Artist Program

The Schusterman Visiting Artists Program, a project of the Foundation for Jewish Culture, was founded in June 2008 to provide a new avenue for connecting North American audiences with Israel through the lens of Israeli artists embedded in residencies in communities across the U.S. www.jewishculture.org

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May 3rd, 2011

Welcome to the Family!

Seth Cohen is Director of Network Development for the Schusterman Family Foundation.

“Welcome to the family.”

With these four words, Lynn cemented the change that had been percolating for several months and would send my professional life in an exhilarating, challenging and unpredictable new direction.

Rather than remain a corporate attorney and partner with a national law firm, I had decided to join the professional team of a philanthropic family possessing a broad vision of helping others realize their full potential, particularly within the two communities closest to their hearts: k’lal Yisrael—Jewish peoplehood—and the people in their hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The opportunity to join Team Schusterman coincides with the desire of the Foundation to embark on a new and complementary agenda of helping connect and strengthen networks of Jewish life together in ways that match the dynamic and evolving nature of today’s world—fast paced, rapidly changing, hyper connected. Read More »

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May 3rd, 2011

Schusterman Family Foundation Hires Seth Cohen as Director of Network Development

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media contact: Roben Kantor, Communications Officer / Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation / 202.289.7000, ext. 6 • rkantor@schusterman.org

SCHUSTERMAN FAMILY FOUNDATION HIRES SETH COHEN AS DIRECTOR OF NETWORK DEVELOPMENT

Cohen to spearhead an expanded approach by Foundation to reach and connect emerging networks of young Jewish adults

Washington, DC—May 3, 2011 – The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, a philanthropic organization dedicated to helping the Jewish people flourish, announced today that Seth Cohen will join its senior leadership team as Director of Network Development.

Cohen will initiate and direct efforts by the Foundation to work with existing and emerging networks of young Jewish adults around the world, an increasingly important and influential part of the global Jewish community. His responsibilities will include identifying, animating and linking those networks and their leadership to resources that will enable them to create meaningful Jewish experiences for themselves and their peers.

“We are committed to spreading the joy of Jewish living, giving and learning by empowering young Jewish adults to take ownership of their Jewish identity and lives,” said Lynn Schusterman, chair of the Foundation. “By bringing Seth on board, we will broaden and deepen our capacity to facilitate stronger connections and relationships between the individuals, organizations and networks that comprise Jewish life today.”

Over the past decade, in response to a world defined by an accelerating pace of change and expanding opportunities for choice, the Jewish community has given rise to a wide variety of programs, initiatives and independent networks that seek to engage young adults and their peers through the many facets of their identities. The Foundation recognizes the time is ripe to begin finding ways to connect these vibrant hubs of activities, experiences and networks in service of its larger goal of building inspired, enduring Jewish communities.

Working in close collaboration with his colleagues at the Foundation, the Schusterman Foundation-Israel and the ROI Community of Young Jewish Innovators, Cohen will oversee a complementary mix of programs and partnerships designed to further the Foundation’s goal of helping as many young Jewish adults as possible connect with one another and work together to build vibrant Jewish communities.

“As a community, we must be adept and nimble at adapting to the realities of the world we live in—hyper-connected, fast-paced, rapidly changing,” said Seth Cohen. “I am incredibly excited to work with a visionary philanthropist and join an experienced professional team with an evolving vision, and astute understanding, of what it will take to inspire large numbers of young Jewish adults to live rich Jewish lives in the 21st century.”

The strategic approach Cohen will develop is a natural extension of the Foundation’s efforts over the past two decades to enrich the Jewish lives of young adults. It will build on and support its continuing efforts to fund and collaborate with Jewish institutions and organizations; to incubate, pilot and launch new programs and initiatives; and to empower young Jewish innovators to create new avenues of Jewish experiences through the ROI Community.

“We are deepening our investment in the course we have been charting for more than two decades,” said Sandy Cardin, president of the Schusterman Family Foundation. “We recognize that our vision of supporting young Jews throughout their Jewish journeys now requires a broader portfolio of interwoven approaches. Given his rich experience and deep understanding of contemporary Jewish life, we believe Seth is the ideal steward for advancing this cutting-edge young Jewish adult engagement and networking strategy.”

Based in Atlanta, Cohen is an accomplished professional, activist and author on topics of Jewish communal life and innovation. His current Jewish community activities include serving as a President of Jewish Family & Career Services in Atlanta and a Trustee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. He has also recently served as a member of the Strategic Planning Committee of the Jewish Agency for Israel and a member of the board of Joshua Venture Group, a New York-based non-profit supporting the development of outcomes-focused Jewish innovation.

For the past 13 years, Cohen has worked as an Atlanta-based attorney, most recently as a partner at the international law firm of Holland & Knight LLP, leading its Atlanta corporate and M&A team with a practice that includes representing companies ranging from start-ups to Fortune 10 telecommunications companies. Throughout his career, Cohen has also held numerous volunteer leadership roles in the non-Jewish community, including as a member of the Board of Directors of the 24/7 Gateway Center, Atlanta’s premier program for addressing chronic homelessness, and numerous other civic initiatives, including serving as a lead attorney in a federal lawsuit protecting the voting rights of Georgia citizens. He contributes regularly to www.ejewishphilanthropy.com and can be found on Twitter at @sethacohen33.

For more information, please contact Roben Kantor at rkantor@schusterman.org or at 202-289-7000, ext 6.

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About the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation

The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation is dedicated to ensuring vibrant Jewish life by empowering young Jews to embrace the joy of Judaism, build inclusive Jewish communities, support the State of Israel and repair the world. Established in 1987 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Foundation also provides assistance to non-sectarian charitable organizations dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in our hometown, especially in the areas of education, child advocacy and youth development.

The Foundation is part of the Schusterman philanthropic network, a global group of initiatives and organizations established by the Schusterman family to advance their charitable mission and vision of ensuring vibrant Jewish living, giving and learning. Also included in the SPN are the Schusterman Foundation-Israel and the ROI Community of Young Jewish Innovators. www.schusterman.org

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March 30th, 2011

Show and Tell: 4 Principles of Effective Storytelling

Adapted from the Lisa’s remarks during the 2011 Jewish Funders Network Plenary: The Power of Narrative to Drive Change. A version of this article also appeared on eJewishPhilanthropy.

It all started on a blind date in 1961. He was an hour and a half late. She was getting ready to leave when he finally showed up. Less than a year later, they were married.

He was a risk taker by nature, she a caretaker, and this unique combination was the hallmark of their lives together. She supported his gamble on drilling wells. He was in awe of how much she gave to those around her – from the tiniest victims of abuse and neglect who she accompanied to court, to her children and grandchildren, to him in later years when he was diagnosed with an illness that would eventually cut his life short.

When they were blessed with abundance, they established a family foundation that they infused with the same family values that filled their home: a love for Judaism, the Jewish people and Israel; a passion for repairing the world and for helping their hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma. They viewed themselves less as grantmakers and much more as change makers determined to help create more vibrant, relevant, value-driven communities.

Nearly 25 years later, their foundation has expanded into a global network of programs and organizations that has impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the world. And yet the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation is still grounded in the same values Charlie and Lynn established with their initial investment. Read More »

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March 25th, 2011

Lynn Talks Jewish New Media with the Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal recently covered the Jewish New Media Innovation Fund in its Donor of the Day column, which specifically focuses on the New York metro area. In it, Lynn talks about why we decide to join with the Righteous Persons and Jim Joseph foundations to create the Fund. You can learn more about the initiative and the 2011-2012 award recipients at www.jewishnewmedia.org.

“Putting the Torah into app form and translating Jewish liturgy into slang are just two of the projects being funded by the Jewish New Media Innovation Fund.

The fund is a joint collaboration of the Jim Joseph, Righteous Persons and Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family foundations. Over $500,000 was recently awarded to nine projects, including funding of roughly $170,000 to four projects based in the New York area. This is the first year for the fund and its purpose is to support projects that use digital media to reach the under-40 audience and connect them to Jewish traditions.

“We believe it will help create new, innovative ways for young Jewish adults to explore their identities, connect with their peers and build strong communities,” says Lynn Schusterman, chair of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, one of the funders. “We also hope this initiative will result in the greater utilization and increased funding of new media tools and technologies by a wide range of Jewish organizations and individuals seeking to enhance, enrich and strengthen Jewish life.”

Read the rest on the Wall Street Journal website Read More »

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February 15th, 2011

Celebrating Shabbat with Teach For America!

On the occasion of Teach For America’s 20th Anniversary Summit, we hosted a Shabbat dinner for 155 Teach For America staff, corps members and alumni who had descended upon Washington, D.C., alongside nearly 11,000 of their colleagues, to take stock of the organization’s progress over the past two decades and to lay out its goals for the future.

The dinner was a celebration of Teach For America’s success and our deep partnership that has taken root in Oklahoma, across the U.S. and in Israel. It was also in recognition of the alumni of the REALITY Teach For America Israel Experience, a program we co-founded with the Samberg Family Foundation that enables corps members to spend 10 days exploring Israel from a service and education perspective, as well as connecting their secular service work as teachers to their personal values and motivations for repairing the world. Read More »

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January 24th, 2011

HRC Foundation to Launch Program to Explore Workplace Policies of Jewish Non-Profit Organizations

HRC FOUNDATION TO LAUNCH PROGRAM TO EXPLORE WORKPLACE POLICIES OF JEWISH NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

Lead Grant from Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation Funds Expansion of Workplace Equality Advocacy

WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign Foundation announced today that it will begin an effort to investigate the existing workplace policies for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees at Jewish non-profit organizations. The work, an expansion of HRC’s workplace equality project, is supported by a generous lead grant from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and supporting grants from The Morningstar Foundation, Stuart S. Kurlander—a leader in several non-profit Jewish and Jewish LGBT community organizations—and an anonymous donor.

“Together, HRC and our partners share a vision of a work environment that provides every employee with the opportunity to achieve their full potential – in policy and in practice,” said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. “This collaborative partnership will expand the conversation about equality for LGBT people to the communities these organizations serve and to religious communities more broadly about their role in making fairness and equality a reality for all.”

“The continued marginalization of LGBT Jews in some quarters is especially disheartening for those of us who believe in the power of a fully inclusive Jewish community that embraces every person as having equal and infinite merit,” said Lynn Schusterman, chair of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. “We hope that by creating this equality index, we can advance a process whereby LGBT Jews will be more welcomed and protected in the workplace and in Jewish community organizations, which will, in turn, create a more open, vibrant and diverse Jewish community.”

Last year Lynn Schusterman issued a call for all Jewish organizations to join her family’s foundation in adopting non-discrimination hiring policies that specifically mention sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.

Put into context, today, anyone can be fired for their sexual orientation in 29 states, or for their gender identity or expression in 38 states. Although lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people have enjoyed increased protections among the largest employers and in certain states over the last decade, the vast majority of LGBT employees remain unprotected. Information on current practices at nonprofits is largely unavailable and likely to reveal a strong need for education in workplaces on the organizational benefits that flow from treating LGBT employees fairly. This project will serve as a pilot to expand workplace equality into other non-profits and small employers of all sorts.

The initial goals of the work include assessing existing practices and highlighting areas for education. The HRC Foundation will develop and administer a survey, benchmark results against selected criteria for LGBT workplace inclusiveness and publish a report based on a review of approximately 300 organizations. The work will also include an assessment of organizations’ cultural competency in delivering services to the LGBT community, such as whether the agency has inclusive language and messaging for LGBT clients, customers, students, campers, youth or parents. The initial report is scheduled for release in 2012.

“We strongly believe in the Jewish value of b’tzelem elohim that every person in the world is created in the image of the Divine. Individuals should have the right – and the ability – to live their lives so that sexual identity does not present any impediment to either obtaining or maintaining employment,” said Susie and Michael Gelman, managing directors of The Morningstar Foundation. “The talented individuals who devote their professional lives to serving the Jewish community should be able to rely on Jewish organizations upholding this fundamental Jewish precept. We look forward to working with our partners to create positive change around this issue.”

“As a longtime supporter of the work of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, I know its advocacy for inclusive workplace practices for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community has been a key driver of change in social justice for our community,” said Stuart S. Kurlander. “The organizations involved see a partner in HRC who can not only help bring change within the Jewish non-profit community but also advance the dialogue in this country on equality for all people.”

ABOUT THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all. www.hrc.org

ABOUT THE CHARLES AND LYNN SCHUSTERMAN FAMILY FOUNDATION

ABOUT THE MORNINGSTAR FOUNDATION

The Morningstar Foundation is a family foundation which awards grants to pre-selected organizations dedicated to strengthening the Jewish community in the United States, in Israel, and throughout the world, enhancing educational opportunities for inner-city youth, protecting the environment, and safeguarding civil liberties.

ABOUT STUART KURLANDER

Stuart S. Kurlander has a long history of involvement in the Jewish community. He is currently Vice President for Financial Resource Development, member of the Executive Committee and a member of the Board of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the United Jewish Endowment Fund. Mr. Kurlander is National Board Chair of Keshet. He is the Founder and Chair of the Kurlander Program on Gay and Lesbian Outreach and Engagement at the District of Columbia Jewish Community Center, the first program of its type at a Jewish Community Center. He was National Chair of the first UJC LGBT Pride Mission to Israel in 2005. Professionally, Mr. Kurlander is a Washington, DC Partner of the international law firm, Latham & Watkins, LLP.

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