Connecting the Connectors: Developing and Supporting Jewish Outreach Professionals

Bringing Jews closer to Judaism is a full-time job and more. The dedicated professionals who serve this important role rarely have the opportunity to do the kind of important work on themselves that they ask, and help, others to do.

Unlike many other non-profit staffers, these Jewish professionals have few formal opportunities to grow and develop. The Jewish non-profit world has many opportunities for professional development, but, since the Association for Jewish Outreach Programs (AJOP) closed its doors in 2017, there has not been any holistic professional development program focused specifically on supporting the people working to connect the Jewish people. While both Chabad and Aish host annual conferences that are wonderful inspirational and social experiences, they do not provide the kind of deep personal and professional support needed.

As a foundation whose mission is to proliferate Jewish wisdom and values in the contemporary world, it is not surprising that many of the Mayberg Foundation’s grantees are working tirelessly to connect Jews to their heritage. Their dedicated staff provides meaningful experiences and accessible learning opportunities to thousands of adults and families each year – without any professional support. Through conversations with grantee staff members, we learned about this critical void that needs to be filled. Individuals from a variety of Jewish outreach backgrounds have sought to provide some aspects of this work for themselves and their peers. Many of these existing programs are small, addressing only the particular needs of a small segment of professionals. In response, the Mayberg Foundation created a pilot program, allocating grants and convening professionals from three leading outreach organizations: M54: The Institute for Insourcing - Avodas Pnimis, Orthodox Union’s NCSY professional development, and Aish Jerusalem’s professional development.

At the OU, we’re creating strategic and meaningful learning opportunities to meet the needs of these amazing professionals. With the Mayberg Foundation convening this group and supporting our collective efforts, we are not only laying the foundation; together, we’re building that community.”

–Orthodox Union Assistant Director of Talent Development Shai Kopitnikoff

Our cohort of professionals, representing a diverse spectrum of Orthodox Judaism, spent six months working together, sharing updates on our efforts and exchanging best practices. Our work culminated in an in-person meeting where we grappled with shared challenges and respectfully learned from, and with, each other. Each of the three groups reported on the aspects of their professional development projects that they felt were best suited to scaling or sharing. They engaged with each other's topics, helping guide their peers towards bigger and better visions for what comes next.

Orthodox Union Assistant Director of Talent Development Shai Kopitnikoff shared his biggest “aha” moment – that all of these professionals share one dream: of supporting and empowering our professionals in their incredible work to build a stronger, more thoughtful community. “At the OU, we’re creating strategic and meaningful learning opportunities to meet the needs of these amazing professionals,” Shai said. “With the Mayberg Foundation convening this group and supporting our collective efforts, we are not only laying the foundation; together, we’re building that community.”

(L-R) Mayberg Foundation Managing Director Amanda Mizrahi, M54 Founders Chanie and Peretz Chein, Orthodox Union Assistant Director of Talent Development Shai Kopitnikoff, Atlantic Seaboard NCSY Regional Director Rabbi Jonah Lerner, Aish Global COO Rabbi Elliot Mathias, and Aish Global Branch Coordinator Rabbi Daniel Rose

“Aish professionals around the world are so mission-driven and idealistic. They are hyper-focused on making a big impact on their students and participants,” noted Aish COO Rabbi Elliot Mathias. “But they have been given limited space for their own growth – both professionally and personally. The Mayberg Foundation has given us the opportunity to provide this space to our dedicated staff, and we look forward to continuing and expanding this crucial opportunity."

“We are deeply grateful to the Mayberg Foundation for seeing us in our entirety and not just for what we produce and making the investment needed to bettering our lives and ultimately the work we do,” commented Chanie Chein, who, along with her husband, Peretz, founded M54: The Institute for Insourcing - Avoda Pnimit. The couple have also served as Chabad schluchim (emissaries) to Brandeis University since 2001.

So what happens next? The group unanimously agreed that they had just begun to scratch the surface of the field’s professional development needs. They also expressed their shared appreciation of the enormous value of working together as a group, and they would like to expand their group’s efforts to the larger Jewish community. We are still imagining what a shared product could look like, and we are excited to continue this journey together.