The idea for the Jewish Organizing Initiative was born in 1994 during a meeting of the Jewish Caucus at the National Organizers Alliance (NOA) Conference in Olympia, Washington. A number of experienced Jewish community organizers wondered, out loud, about a way for young people to come into the field of community organizing through a Jewish channel. Michael Brown, JOI’s founder, took part in that discussion, and continued to think about the question after the conference.
Back in Boston, Michael presented the idea informally to a wide range of people and began to listen to their thoughts and reactions. At the 1996 NOA conference, he talked with a group of young people about the concept. The group showed immediate interest and excitement.
The next year saw several important steps toward the birth of JOI, including several focus groups, each comprised of twenty young people. The groups answered questions such as: “How much should JOI pay fellows?” “What should the curriculum include?” “Should fellows be required to live communally?” “What kind of organizations should we partner with?” etc. A number of leaders in Boston supported the idea and offered their help.
After more listening, recruiting a working board of directors, gathering concrete volunteer support from experienced organizers and a planning grant from the Nathan Cummings Foundation, JOI launched its first program year in September 1998 with ten fellows. Since then, JOI has continued to train excellent organizers and develop young Jewish leaders.
