2012 Fellowship

Jewish educational entrepreneurship

it starts with an

idea

IntroductionJewish Education has always been one of the highest values for our people, but it has not always been the most innovative. Today, more than ever, we need creative and effective approaches to Jewish Education. It gives me the greatest pleasure to welcome you to a celebration of resourceful and responsible innovation in Jewish Education, the Launch Night of the first Threshold Fellowship.

Threshold has grown out of the Nachlaot Community, known for its passionate and “out of the box” Judaism. The creativity and fresh perspectives of our unique community are ready to be harnessed; providing an environment well suited to incubating new ventures. We have brought together a diverse and non-denominational group of talented men and women from all over Israel, individuals who have been blessed with a vision for impacting Am Yisrael. Those of us who have shared in this process have watched them become a powerful circle of peers, complementing and supporting one another, evolving as a professional cohort that I hope will continue to thrive well past this program.

Around these individuals many others have gathered. The Nachlaot volunteers who formed the Steering Committee and created this magic yesh m’ayin, the educational and communal leaders who did such a great job helping us select the Fellows, and the invaluable Mentors and Coaches who were a crucial and definitive component in the quality of what has been achieved. In the name of the Fellows, the community, the organization, and in the name of Am Yisrael, I thank you for your time and amazing efforts. Please see tonight’s achievements as your own.

Frayda Leibtag’s performance as Program Coordinator was simply excellent, and we could not have done it without Yehoshua Looks, HaOhel’s Managing Director, who stepped up to the plate whenever needed. Thanks to both of you. Thanks as well to the PresenTense Group, whose know how and well-honed guidance powered the entire program. Most of all thanks to the Fellows, for believing in yourselves, for believing in us, and for believing that Am Yisrael is worthy of your energy and dedication.

Behatzlacha! ויהי נועם ה‘ אלוקינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו

Rav Aaron LeibowitzDean, HaOhel Institutions

Threshold, Sulam Yaakov, Shirat Devorah

Rebecca AminoffKol Hadassawww.kolhadassa.org

ebecca has a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership, as well as experience teaching and working with high-school students,

both in mainstream schools and in programs for youth at risk. Over the past few years, Rebecca has recognized a growing need in the community for a program that addresses the issues facing Olim teen girls. Kol Hadassa is a two year program, based in the heart of the Ramat Beit Shemesh community, combining academic studies with a student-run business, in a strong Torah environment. The program is geared towards teenage Olim who are seeking an alternative educational environment. It is a chance for them to receive a high school diploma, to gain life skills and to develop into healthy, confident young women.

“The classroom of the future will be unlike any that most of us have sat in. It will be much, much better.”

Uri SchneiderSchneider Learning: Al Pi Darko

Natanel & Michelle CohenShabbat of a Lifetimewww.shabbatofalifetime.com

habbat of a Lifetime offers incoming tourists the opportunity to have an authentic Shabbat experience at the home

of a host family living in the heart of Jerusalem. Shabbat of a Lifetime was co-founded by Michelle, originally from Columbus, OH, who holds a Master’s degree in Jewish Education, and Natanel Cohen, originally from South Africa, who shares his passion for Jerusalem as a tour guide of many years. Michelle and Natanel have travelled the world, from Nepal to Guatemala, and even spent six months living in India with their two wonderful children running a Bayit Yehudi center, which influenced their conception of Shabbat of a Lifetime.

”סולם מוצב ארצה וראו מגיע השמימה“”Have your feet on the ground and your head in the heavens.”

Chaim DavidsSuper Slav Quail Farmwww.moshavmesorah.com

y twelve years as a traveling chef, winery cellar-man, and butcher have shown me the emphasis that chefs place on high

quality ingredients. Super Slav Quail Farm is a small shkitah (ritual slaughtering) program dedicated to expanding gourmet kosher products by introducing “game birds” to the market. These birds will be raised for their meat and eggs, catering to a niche market of restaurants, specialty shops, and caterers- at first, in Israel. In Kosher spheres, high quality ingredients are often extremely difficult to locate based on their limited production. In the spirit of tradition and reconnecting to the land-based heritage in Judaism, I pledge to uphold the highest standards of kashrut and sustainability.

”להתענג בתענוגים ברבורים ושלב ודגים״“Our rich culinary tradition has inspired me to launch this program.”

Leora Ezrachi-VeredShonimwww.zeirim.blogspot.com

honim is a community for Young Adults of the Reform movement in Israel. Shonim provides a platform for prayer, social action, Jewish study and

political activism. Offerings will include programs, seminars and community centers run by young adults in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Beer-Sheva.

Leora was born in Jerusalem to an American mother and an Israeli father. She grew up in the Israeli Reform Movement and is currently the National Director of the Reform Youth Movement. Following her army service as an education officer in the IDF, Leora obtained a B.A. in Jewish History and is now pursuing an M.A. in the same field.

“Henrrietta Szold is one of my heroines. She was ahead of her time; she knew how to organize, advancing projects and motivating people while never forgetting her commitment to a Liberal Jewish Identity. She had a clear vision of the potential of Israel.”

Tamar Field-Gersh & Akiva GershTiyul B’Aretzwww.tiyulbaretz.org

iyul B’Aretz is a university-accredited and MASA-sponsored study abroad program in Israel that is unlike any other. On Tiyul B’Aretz there is no campus,

no classrooms, no dorms or dining halls. Taking the learning on the road, we seek to give college students an academic experience that goes beyond the classroom walls while incorporating values that are often missing from mainstream education, such as personal growth, spiritual development, tikkun olam and community living skills. Students will gain a more intimate experience of Israel than they ever could on a traditional study abroad program by traveling throughout the semester through the diverse regions of Israel and living in a variety of communities.

Tiyul B’Aretz was co-founded by Tamar and Akiva Gersh who have been working in the field of Jewish education and programming for over a decade, including directing a traveling summer program in the U.S. and Israel for Jewish teens for the renowned 92nd St. Y in New York City.

Rabbi Fivel Yedidya GlasserP’tach Libiwww.ptachlibi.org

ivel studied at top Ivy-league universities (Dartmouth, Harvard) and Israel’s leading Anglo yeshivot. Raised in rural New York State to love the outdoors, he has been

developing a unique niche teaching about Judaism, spirituality and the environment, both formally and informally for over a decade. Fivel’s love of Torah and the Jewish People is infectious. He also has the ability to bridge ancient wisdom and modern paradigms. P’tach Libi offers a unique fusion of wilderness experience with Traditional Jewish ideas that imbues students with the tools necessary to develop a strong and lasting Jewish identity. Through multiple models, using the best of experiential programming, themes of identity, leadership and spirituality are explored. Come out to look and discover what is deep inside.

“The biggest problems facing our community are apathy, boredom and impatience, coupled with a lack of real leadership. This leads to a lack of Jewish unity and no shared purpose. WE MUST BE RELEVANT AND INSPIRE!”

hen Boy Meets Girl: A Kabbalistic Perspective is a stunning twelve-part film series, created by a crew

of top international filmmakers, that takes some of Torah’s deepest, most profound secrets on male/female relationships and self-transformation and combines them into a cutting-edge film experience geared towards a universal audience. Based on a tried and tested curriculum that has blown away thousands of students worldwide over the past seven years, our goal is to make a major contribution to this generation’s spiritual culture by producing one of the most stunning pieces of Jewish media ever conceived.

Yaakov Lehman’s previous film project “Cruisin’ with DAJUS” was seen by tens of thousands of people and recently won Best Film at the Jewlicious Film Festival.

Yaakov LehmanWhen Boy Meets Girl: A Kabbalistic Perspective

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Uri SchneiderSchneider Learning: Al Pi Darko

t the Shalev Center, we are pioneering the field of Jewish Personal Growth. We take Jewish wisdom and make it experiential,

applicable and explicitly relevant to our most intimate lives. In addition to our counseling center, our unique array of workshops, retreats, classes and groups aim at enhancing relationships, self-awareness, meaning and well-being. We have already witnessed the transformation of hundreds of lives through this exciting synthesis of Judaism and personal growth. The Shalev Center was co-founded by Hillel and Chaya Lester. Hillel, a Rabbi and therapist, has over 20 years of experience as a meditation teacher. Chaya is a psychotherapist, Jewish educator and widely-published writer. They are both passionate about creating frameworks for personal transformation, providing tools and opportunities to go deep and grow.

Rabbi Hillel & Chaya LesterThe Shalev Centerwww.shalevcenter.org

atthew Mausner (B.A., History, Yale, & M.A., History & Interdisciplinary Studies, Bar Ilan) managed software development projects for

Wall St. firms, including Goldman Sachs. He learns part-time at Yeshivat Sulam Yaakov in Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem Talmud Project is a cognitive mapping platform, a wiki for controversy, and a methodology for critical thinking, inspired by the wisdom and format of the Talmud. It addresses the polarization impoverishing debate in education, academia, politics, and the blogosphere. The NJT shows multiple sides of controversy and commentary on one page, and structures interaction to bring intelligent filtering to any complex subject. Employing cutting edge technology, expert scholars, moderation, and crowdsourcing, it realizes the promise that the Talmud is the world’s ‘original hypertext.’

“There was a time when Hillel and Shammai argued; they heard each other and others heard them. And the world is a better place for it.”

Matthew MausnerThe New Jerusalem Talmud Projectwww.newjerusalemtalmud.org

ri Schneider is an innovative educator, speech-language pathologist and entrepreneur. In addition to building Schneider Speech into an international

practice with 5 offices in NY and Israel, he has embarked on a passionate journey to pave the way to educational success for the next generation of Jewish learners. Too often, education fails before it begins because it’s predicated on a one-size-fits-all solution. The two-part platform individualizes the learning experience, and ensures that students achieve their fullest potential - no students should fall through the cracks. The research-based assessment and pin-pointed lessons can be embedded into a wide range of educational models and institutions; (1) assessing learners’ skills and styles, and (2) providing customizable modules and experiences to drive skill mastery and educational success.

“The Jewish maxim “chanoch lana’ar al pi darko - educate the student according to his way,” is far more necessary and more possible today, than ever before. Individualizing education is the way to empower learners to achieve independence in their Jewish learning experience.”

Uri SchneiderSchneider Learning: Al Pi Darko

srael Herb School, our flagship program, offers young Jewish adults a unique experience living close to the land, studying herbal medicine intensively,

while growing in familiarity with our Jewish tradition and its modern expressions. Wild Plant Seeders, our second project is now beginning the process of reseeding the hillsides with wild herbs and flowers. Located at Moshav Aviezer in the Emek Haelah, we have just completed our pilot program with 12 students from around the world who came to live and learn together for the 4 month program. We are expanding our offering to include an arts emphasis to accompany our botanical medicine and farming apprenticeship. We enjoy working with like-minded organizations to further our goals of stability, growth, and generosity.

Baruch Shapiro has been working in environmental and educational endeavors for 18 years. He is an active participant in land restoration in the Emek Haela through the Wild Plant Seeders project, teaching children and adults how to care for personal and planetary health.

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Baruch ShapiroIsrael Herb School Fellowshipwww.israelherbschool.com

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עמיתי התוכניתרבקה אמינוף: ”קול הדסה“ היא תוכנית לימודי תיכון עבור עולים חדשים דוברי אנגלית המשלבת רכישת מיומנויות של ניהול עסקי.

נתנאל ומישל כהן: ”שבת לחיים“ היא תוכנית המציעה חוויית שבת אותנטית בבתי משפחות מארחות בלבה של ירושלים עבור תיירים בארץ.

חיים דייוידס: ”סופר שלו“ היא תוכנית לימודי שחיטה המוקדשת להרחבת האפשרויות בתחום בישולי גורמה כשרים.

ליאורה אזרחי-ורד: ”שונים“ היא תוכנית לבניית קהילה עבור צעירים מהתנועה הרפורמית בישראל.

תמר פילד-גרש ועקיבא גרש: ”טיול בארץ“ היא תוכנית חווייתית להיכרות בלתי אמצעית עם מדינת ישראל ואזרחיה ומיועדת לסטודנטים מחו“ל. הלימוד בתוכנית מקנה נקודות זכות ללימודי תואר ראשון עבור המשתתפים בה.

פייבל ידידיה גלסר: ”פתח ליבי“ היא אפשרות מודולרית לחינוך יהודי - סביבתי בלתי פורמלי. התוכנית מאפשרת לגלות את המרחבים הפנימיים דרך התנסות במרחבי הארץ.

יעקב להימן: ”כשנער פוגש נערה“ היא סדרה של קטעי וידאו אינטרנטיים השואפת לקדם מודל קבלי ליחסי גברים ונשים.

הלל וחיה לסטר: ”מרכז שלו“ - מרכז חלוצי להתפתחות וצמיחה אישית.

מתיו מאוזנר: ”התלמוד הירושלמי החדש“ הוא פלטפורמה למיפוי קוגניטיבי של חשיבה ביקורתית בהשראה ובתבנית של התלמוד.

אורי שניידר: ”לימוד שניידר: על פי דרכו“ פיתוח דרך לימוד אישית עבור כל לומד בתחום של לימודי יהדות על מנת לאפשר ללומדים להשיג את מלוא הפוטנציאל הלימודי והאפשרות ללמידה עצמאית של החפץ בכך .

ברוך שפירו: ”ביה“ס הישראלי לצמחי מרפא“ מציע תוכנית לימודים של רוקחות בוטנית, חקלאות ואומנות דרך למידה חווייתית של נושאים אלה.

To our Steering Committee

Adi Friedman (Chair)Batsheva GanzNoga HullmanDavid KatzLorelai KudeYaakov OrtMarc RosenbergZev StubMoshe VinebergLewis WeingerHoward WeisbandMottle Wolf

Our Mentors

Devora CornHillel GrossmanZvi GrumetSandy HammerZev LantonDavid MasonEugene RiceGeorgina RiceNadav SerlingZev StubMichael WegierGalina Vromen

Our Coaches

Abby AlfredRon AllswangJamie DavidAmmi DorevitchChana MesbergRegina OstrovskiStuart SchraderYoni SherizenLaurie TamresLewis WeingerHoward Weisband

Our RoundTable Presenters

Moshe ChesedRabbi Yehoshua FassShuey FogelRonen GafniDov GordonDavid KatzRabbi Aaron Leibowitz

Special Thanks

Threshold is an incubator for Jewish Educational Entrepreneurship that enables our Fellows to create their own meaningful ventures and occupations, while continuing their lifelong dream of living in Israel. www.threshold.org.il

Interested in applying for the 2013 Fellowship or volunteering as part of our Steering Committee, or as a coach or mentor? Be in touch! info@threshold.org.il

Jewish educational entrepreneurship