Get to Know Some of our Former Fellows
Alumni Fellows of the 2007 Institute
• Matt Bar, The Bible Raps Project
The Bible Raps Project teaches the core text of the Jewish People through the medium of the times: rap. After a summer developing the pedagogical method and organizational structure, Bar stayed in Israel to study and work on the Bible Raps projects at the Pardes Institute. Following a year of study, he launched a wildly successful tour of US summer camps with founding PresenTense member Ori Salzberg, and is currently completing an album to complement a distributed curriculum. The Bible Raps curriculum that Bar and his education committee developed is currently being used in 15 classrooms to rave reviews—a school in Westchester has a waiting list for students seeking to join the class that uses the Bible Raps methodology. For a fun promo of Bible Raps see: www.bibleraps.com
• Avi Bass and Jason Lustig, Impact AliyahImpact Aliyah is an organization to support, organize, and enable young Jews to make a transformative impact on Israeli Society, the Jewish community and the world through moving to Israel. Avi Bass and Jason Lustig successfully managed the first pilot trip last year, and are growing to two trips this year (one from New York, one from Boston), with a pre-Aliyah conference this winter in Jerusalem.
• Eli Winkelman, Challah for HungerChallah for Hunger is an organization that feeds the hungry by organizing college students to bake Challot on college campuses and then sell them on Friday mornings–providing a discount for those who do acts of advocacy such as calling senators or congresspeople. Challah for Hunger was adopted by Hazon in the winter of 2007/8, with Winkelman continuing to oversee its growth. Currently the merged Challah for Hunger is rolling the project out to campuses across America.
• Gabi Appel, Zionist Youth ParliamentThe Zionist Youth Parliament is a gathering of young people from around the world who meet to collaborate in a Zionist framework on issues facing the Jewish people. Modeled after European youth parliaments, the venture has developed under Appel’s guidance and received its initial funding in the spring of 2008.
Alumni Fellows of the 2008 Institute
• Tanya Strusberg, Israel Arts ManagementIsrael Arts Management (I AM) is an arts management and marketing consultancy that represents Israeli performing artists and assists them to raise their international profile through overseas touring. Strusberg grew her client base to 9 clients in the past two months, and merged with Oomanut, an organization Strusberg met through the PresenTense Network. As their new Director of Arts Management, Strusberg will be working with a wide range of exceptionally talented artists and helping to boost their international profiles through touring, festival appearances and artistic and cultural exchange programs.
• Eitan Ingall, Tamid Israel Investment GroupTamid Israel Investment Group is an innovative Israeli education initiative working through a student led, non-profit investment fund, which manages a portfolio of Israeli companies. Ingall is beginning his school year programming, has cemented education partnerships with major Tel-Aviv investment houses, with enough money committed to seed his fund.
• Bradley Cohen, All for the KidsAll for the Kids allows Israeli backpackers in India to help orphanages, in return for room, board and a meaningful experience for post-army Israelis seeking spirituality. Cohen is aiming to help produce a movie on the phenomenon of Israelis in India (to raise awareness among Israelis on how they are viewed), and is in advanced discussions with potential India-based partners in the work of engaging Israelis abroad in social action.
• Jodi Meyerowitz & Jamie Zebrak, Shomer AchiShomer Achi is an international organization that acts to strengthen Jewish identity and Jewish unity by fostering sustainable, community-based connections between Israeli and American Jewish college students through parallel social service initiatives, dialogue, and leadership training. Shomer Achi has established a partnership with their Israeli counterpart, raised the first quarter of their budget, and begun their school year programming with impressive press exposure. Jodi and Jamie served this summer as the Ungerleider Family Foundation Pacific Northwest Israel Engagement Fellows.
• Assael Romanelli, Potential StatePotential State is developing a complementary education center for the helping professions in Israel. Romanelli is building the base for the Potential State center through the development of a core team consisting of ten professionals in the field, and expects to launch regular programming in the Spring of 2009. Romanelli was a UJA-Federation of New York Fellow focusing on Israeli Jewish Renewal.
• Becca Linden, Rivkah and Yaacov Lifchitz Family Philanthropy
The Rivkah and Yaacov Lifchitz Philanthropy models a new democratic philanthropic opportunity for families - one in which middle class family members pool some of their resources to create a tzedekah powerhouse. Becca and her project were profiled in the newsletter of the Jewish Funders Network, and has launched with initial investment of over $10,000.
• JT Waldman, Tagged Tanakh
The Tagged Tanakh is a web-based platform providing new and unprecedented opportunities for adult learners, Jewish professionals, teachers, and scholars, to connect with the Biblical text and the tradition it has inspired. Waldman is continuing to oversee the development of the Tagged Tanakh at JPS. There are three bids in for the work, and the contract for the development is expected to be awarded the fall of 2008. Additionally, he is currently facilitating a partnership between JPS and a major Israeli educational technology counterpart that he met through the PresenTense Network.