The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia NextGen affinity group has been engaged in a variety of activities to stay connected to one another during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Below are some of the activities they have been engaged in and are planning for the future.
Interested in learning more about NextGen? Contact Director Max Moline at mmoline@jewishphilly.org.
The NextGen Board met on March 19 to hear updates from the Jewish Federation on our work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Afterward, each board member took on the job of promoting the Jewish Federation’s Emergency Response Fund, our volunteer opportunities or one of our upcoming events.
Israel360 groups from 2017, 2018 and 2019 each had a virtual reunion with a l’chaim. Friends got to reconnect and share life updates and hear about the current work of the Jewish Federation.
On April 1, the NextGen Board had a game night over Zoom, with
hilarious results.
On April 2, JCRC and Ben Gurion Society partnered to host Women in Israel’s High Tech Sector, featuring Ifat Baron, founder and CEO of ItWorks, a high-tech recruitment and placement organization, and Sireen Nijeem, an Arab engineer and ItWorks alumnus who was the first female computer science engineer to emerge from her community.
Ifat and Sireen touched on topics including statistics about employment among Israeli and Arab female engineers, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sector and their advice to women looking to enter the field.
On April 3, NextGen, in partnership with Repair the World, The Jewish Graduate Student Network, two local Moishe Houses, the Chevra, Tribe 12, Neshama Hadassah and Jewish Professionals of Suburban Philadelphia hosted Shabbat Throughout the City, bringing in Shabbat for the entire Jewish community of Philadelphia.
On April 3, the Honeymoon Israel 2019 cohort will have a virtual reunion.
On April 5, NextGen’s Leadership Development Program cohort will have a virtual diversity training with JFCS’ Galia Goedel.
On April 6, NextGen lay leaders, Jewish Federation staff and other community members participated in a recorded video, Doing Pesach Together, with residents from our P2G region, sending positive vibes for Passover.
NextGen has partnered on a DIY personal seder recorded video with 19 local organizations — featuring representatives of each group leading different parts of the seder.
Events coming up:
On April 12, NextGenners will log on together to watch “The Prince of Egypt” and toast with kosher wine and potato vodka.
On, April 13, NextGen is partnering with JCRC to bring in IsraAid representatives to share about their work during the coronavirus pandemic.
Stay tuned for the launch of NextGen TV. We will be compiling homemade videos of NextGenners teaching and sharing their skills, ranging from exercise lessons, to Torah study, to book/TV/movie reviews and more. Keep an eye on the NextGen and Jewish Federation Facebook pages for content.
National Young Leadership Cabinet Recruitment Information
The Greater Philadelphia community is now in the process of recruiting dynamic young leaders for the incoming class of National Young Leadership Cabinet — the premier leadership development program of Jewish Federation.
Philadelphia has 10 members to include: Mitch Sterling, Danielle Weiss, Stu Goodman, Dayna Finkelstein, Tamar Silberberg, Lauren Danneman, George Danneman, Jill Slolane, Jan Kushner and Andrew Yaffe.
Cabinet info:
Cabinet has been changing lives for 57 years and includes a network of more than 4,000 alumni members..
Cabinet is a program for young adults who have proven leadership potential and commitment to strengthening the Jewish community — here at home, in Israel and around the world. Cabinet is a network of young leaders and philanthropists who establish friendships across North America and stand at the forefront of innovation and change.
Today, cabinet represents a top group of approximately 325 young leaders from more than 60 local Federations. We promote the program to a select audience because it:
- Grooms and builds leaders with a strategic Jewish perspective
- Connects our community to the continental and global Federation movement
- Establishes a high-caliber peer group and network to share best practices and brainstorm around issues important to our community and the Jewish future
Cabinet members have the opportunity to attend inspiring conferences; travel abroad on extraordinary study missions; be a part of exclusive experiences to learn from scholars, spiritual and philanthropic leaders; and gain leadership skills that help them succeed as volunteers and in their myriad professions, ranging from business to law, real estate to medicine, and everything in between.
Cabinet requires a minimum contribution of $5,000 to the local annual campaign as well as participating in an annual summer retreat (Aug. 4-9 in San Diego).
To learn more and to apply, visit jewishfederations.org/young-leadership-cabinet.
