JOI March 2007 e-Newsletter

JOI Updates & News

• Reminder to Contribute to the E-Newsletter!!!

Ideas for what could go in the newsletter are:

Job Postings
Articles about you or the work you're doing
Updates on your life
Community events wherever you live
Resources that you would like to share with other alums
Anything else that you can think of.

So, I am aiming to have these done by the 1st of each month and if you send me information, I promise to include it. I hope to hear from you soon!

Take care, Lauren lauren@jewishorganizing.org

JOI News:

Meeting for Executive Director Search, March 11th (Boston). If you have any questions please contact lauren@jewishorganizing.org. If you cannot make it or don't live in the Boston area and would like to fill out a survey, please contact ann@jewishorganizing.org
Pictures of Alums in Leading Up North, Israel

Alumni Committee Updates

WE HEAR YOU!!!
JOI Alumni Discussion Series

After many 1:1’s and conversations, the JOI Alumni Committee has organized a discussion series to get us through the winter. All of these discussion subjects have come from you and we appreciate your ideas and creativity regarding alumni programming. We hope you come out for and enjoy this first, in hopefully many, programmatic series!! SO, SAVE THESE DATES!!!

Spring into Organizing: Organizing Skills for Non-Organizers
Tuesday, March 20, 2007 7 pm -9 pm
Would you like to use your organizing skills at your non-organizing job but aren’t sure how? Do you have negative or positive feelings around having a non-organizing job? Could your volunteer activities benefit from your organizing skills? This is an opportunity for alums, from all jobs and professions, to discuss their feelings and experiences around organizing. Some alums remain paid organizers after JOI but the reality is that these jobs are hard to find and maintain. This discussion will focus on how to enable you to utilize your organizing skills in whatever you are doing. Let’s discuss…Location & Facilitator(s) TBA

Sweeten Your Life with Jewish Ritual
Friday, May 18, 2007 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Learn how to incorporate Jewish ritual into your every day life & celebrate Shavuot with JOI alums and friends!!! Even if you are not staying up all night, come eat ice cream and cheesecake with us and share the practices that are important to you.
Location & Facilitator(s) TBA

Bagels, Lox & Lefties
Sunday, July 22, 2007 12 noon – 2 pm
Come learn and discuss the history and present state of the Jewish Left, while preparing ourselves for the Tisha B'av fast over brunch! Are you a Jewish Left history junkie? Did you always want to know more about historical figures, such as Emma Goldman? Do you feel that there is a Jewish Left movement? Do you feel connected to it? If not, how can we connect this rich history to our present day lives and activism?
Location & Facilitator(s) TBA

Employment Opportunities

*Program Officer, Alternative Breaks Program, American Jewish World Service

*AVODAH, Chicago Program Director

*SEIU Local 1199 Job Openings

*The Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance (MAHA), Community Organizer

MAHA organizes the Homebuyers Union, a grassroots group of low to moderate income tenants formed to remove barriers to affordable homeownership. MAHA is a statewide non-profit housing coalition working to increase public and private sector investment in affordable housing.

MAHA has organized successfully to get area banks to commit over $1 billion for affordable mortgages at below market interest rates. We have also won commitments of millions of dollars in state and city funding for affordable housing.

MAHA's main office is in Dorchester, and we have a second office in Dedham. We run homebuyer, homeowner, and financial planning workshops in various city and suburban locations. MAHA has graduated over 12,000 people since 1991 from our multi-week classes.

We are looking for a community organizer with 2-5 years of experience to join the current staff person in our Dedham office.

Salary and Benefits:
• Competitive salary - based on experience
• Employer pays 90% of health care and 50% dental
• 4 weeks paid vacation per year

Community organizer duties:
• Extensive phone outreach and in-person one-on-one meetings
• Planning campaign strategy with staff and active members
• Conducting campaign research • Maintaining an online database of affordable home lotteries • Drafting agendas for planning meetings and actions
• Producing written materials for campaigns
• Turnout and reminder calls for planning meetings and actions
• Training and preparing members for speaking roles in actions
• Creating and updating databases to track our contacts with active members
• Staffing phone banks (includes training members on how to make calls).
• Conducting outreach to and meetings with community and business leaders, neighborhood organizations, faith-based groups, and others
• Fully participating with fellow MAHA staff in grassroots fundraising efforts, staff meetings, and other organizational activities.
• Other duties as designated by the director.

Requirements:
1) Commitment to involving low- and moderate-income people in community organizing and affordable housing issues.
2) Ability and willingness to work regular evening and some weekend hours.
3) Previous experience/involvement with issues facing low- and moderate-income tenants and homeowners is preferred, but training will be provided.
4) Familiarity with database software (Access and Excel).
5) Ability and experience in working with different types of people and personalities.
6) Good oral and written communication skills.
7) Access to a car is essential.
8) Sense of humor.

To apply, send resume and cover letter by March 15th, 2007 to:
Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance
1803 Dorchester Avenue,
Dorchester, MA 02124
Attn: Hillary Pizer, Associate Director
or send same to hpizer@mahahome.org

We are an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer.

*KAM Isaiah Israel: Director of Lifelong Learning

KAM Isaiah Israel Congregation seeks a full-time Director of Lifelong Learning to collaborate with our Rabbi, Cantor, and lay leadership in taking our education program to a new level. Our congregation is based in a vibrant university/professional community. We are creating this new position to coordinate and energize our current 90-student religious school and our adult education program. Our goal is to develop a program of lifelong learning whose excellence will serve membership from throughout the Chicago area. The Director will manage the current religious school and adult classes while creating new initiatives to meet this long-term goal. Teaching experience and familiarity with Jewish education are required. The Director we seek will inspire an enthusiastic appreciation for Judaism and Jewish learning, and will continually find opportunities for religious education and synagogue life to enrich each other. Compensation for the Director of Lifelong Learning will be $60,000-70,000, with competitive benefits.

Long-term goals for Director of Lifelong Learning

Design and implement coordinated adult and family education programs to serve all ages of a diverse congregation.
Support and involve parents in their role as primary nurturers of their children's Jewish identity.
Increase inclusiveness of programming for interfaith families and families living in the wider metropolitan area.
Broaden the focus of youth and adult Hebrew instruction beyond B’nei Mitzvah training.
Incorporate attractive aspects of other Jewish experiences into educational programs, including community service, visits to Israel, and Jewish camping.

Responsibilities

Education Leadership

Develop and implement a vision for life-long learning.
Refine and develop Adult and Religious School curriculum.
Establish educational goals and standards for each level of learning, with associated mechanisms to evaluate religious school student performance.
Recruit new students of all ages and generally energize educational programs.
Set annual goals/priorities in collaboration with the Education Committee.
Recruit, develop and maintain an outstanding faculty including hiring, goal-setting, support, professional development, and evaluation

Administration

Administer adult education and religious school operations, including:

registration;
student placement;
identifying and procuring appropriate curricular materials and supplies;
preparing annual calendar;
scheduling classroom usage; and
school policies.

Oversee school when in session, currently on Wednesday afternoons and Sunday mornings.
Prepare status reports and attend monthly Education Committee meetings.
Participate in weekly staff meetings with the Rabbi, Cantor, and Executive Director.
Implement and supervise the B’nei Mitzvah program.
Oversee Youth Group and its advisors.
Assess training needs and recommend professional development for faculty.
Prepare the annual education budget.

Teaching

Teach one class as schedule permits.
Plan and lead school assemblies and programs.
Lead family High Holiday services with the Rabbi and Cantor.

Job Qualifications

Commitment to lifelong Jewish education for adults and youth.
Dynamic leadership skills to inspire participation from a diverse constituency of congregants and families with a variety of goals and priorities.
Strong teaching skills.
Knowledge of Hebrew language, Jewish life and culture, and Reform Judaism.
Ability to hire, inspire, support and evaluate teachers.
Strong communication skills and sensitivity to organizational context that will foster an effective working relationship with Rabbi, Cantor, Executive Director, and lay leadership.
Administrative experience desirable.

Contact Information

Applicants may send a resume and cover letter, via email or U.S. mail, to:

KAM Isaiah Israel c/o Ms. Sandy Lieberman
1100 E. Hyde Park Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60615-2810
773-924-1234
sandy@kamii.org

Community & Events

* First Workmen’s Circle Annual Dance Party! (Saturday, March 3)

*Teen Empowerment Youth Peace Conference

Because Teen Empowerment puts youth at the front of our events, we need adult volunteers to help us with behind the scenes support! The day of the event, we’ll need help with logistical tasks such as registration, ushering, and serving food during lunch. Your participation and commitment are extremely valuable, but time commitment is minimal—you would need to attend the entirety of the conference on Saturday, April 7 (approximately 11am to 5pm), as well as a preliminary meeting the week of the event. You will be compensated by free entrance to the conference, as well as a chance to be part of Somerville history and to work in partnership with some strong and inspiring urban youth.

If you are interested or would like more information, please get in touch with Hilary Lustick, Teen Empowerment Program Coordinator, with your name, address, and email address. Her email address is Hilary@teenempowerment.org.

*Everything You Didn’t Learn in Hebrew School

Enjoy a Taste of Me’ah with the Riverway Project

Thursday March 22, 7:00 p.m.

Temple Israel of Boston, 477 Longwood Avenue

Class Starts in September; Application Deadline is May 1, 2007

This fall for the first time, Temple Israel of Boston’s Riverway Project will offer young adults in their 20's and 30’s a Me’ah class specially designed for them. So, what IS Me’ah? Me’ah is a two-year adult learning program, packed with ancient Jewish wisdom surprisingly relevant to your life today. It’s the creation of Combined Jewish Philanthropies and Hebrew College and led by some of Boston’s best and brightest Jewish minds. Join us for a Taste of Me’ah Thursday night, March 22, to find out more about this exciting opportunity to grow Jewishly with others your own age. Enjoy this “taste” – a sample Me’ah class taught by one of our amazing instructors, meet other prospective students and have the chance to sign up for the class (space is limited). Don’t miss this opportunity to engage in a fun and rewarding learning experience with your peers. To find out more, contact Bethie at the Riverway Project at bmiller@tisrael.org or 617-566-3960

*WEARING YOUR JEWISH GENES: WHAT WE ALL SHOULD KNOW

Did you know that one in four individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish descent is a carrier for one of several genetic diseases? Join CJP's Pathways and Young Health Professions as we find out what we all need to know about Jewish genetic disorders. Dr. Jodi Hoffman from Tufts-New England Medical Center will speak about the eleven serious Jewish genetic disorders and testing options for potential carriers. Rabbi Aryeh Klapper of the Center for Modern Torah Leadership will then discuss the bioethical implications of Jewish genetic testing, with a look at a few texts from Jewish sources. Dinner is included; dietary laws will be observed. Cost is $10. To reserve your space or to find out more, please contact Elana at 617-457-8586 or adultlearning@cjp.org.

Sunday, March 18th at 6 pm @ The Democracy Center, 45 Mt. Auburn St., Cambridge

Also, if you're ever interested in co-sponsoring a Jewish learning event with us, please let me know -- we're always looking to collaborate with other Jewish organizations to bring quality events to young adults in the community.


Alumni E-Newsletter • March, 2007
IN THIS ISSUE • JOI Updates & News • Employment Opportunities • Community/Events Visit JOI on the web!	JOI Updates & News • Reminder to Contribute to the E-Newsletter!!! Ideas for what could go in the newsletter are: Job Postings Articles about you or the work you're doing Updates on your life Community events wherever you live Resources that you would like to share with other alums Anything else that you can think of. So, I am aiming to have these done by the 1st of each month and if you send me information, I promise to include it. I hope to hear from you soon! Take care, Lauren lauren@jewishorganizing.org JOI News: Meeting for Executive Director Search, March 11th (Boston). If you have any questions please contact lauren@jewishorganizing.org. If you cannot make it or don't live in the Boston area and would like to fill out a survey, please contact ann@jewishorganizing.org Pictures of Alums in Leading Up North, Israel Alumni Committee Updates WE HEAR YOU!!! JOI Alumni Discussion Series After many 1:1’s and conversations, the JOI Alumni Committee has organized a discussion series to get us through the winter. All of these discussion subjects have come from you and we appreciate your ideas and creativity regarding alumni programming. We hope you come out for and enjoy this first, in hopefully many, programmatic series!! SO, SAVE THESE DATES!!! *Spring into Organizing: Organizing Skills for Non-Organizers* Tuesday, March 20, 2007 7 pm -9 pm Would you like to use your organizing skills at your non-organizing job but aren’t sure how? Do you have negative or positive feelings around having a non-organizing job? Could your volunteer activities benefit from your organizing skills? This is an opportunity for alums, from all jobs and professions, to discuss their feelings and experiences around organizing. Some alums remain paid organizers after JOI but the reality is that these jobs are hard to find and maintain. This discussion will focus on how to enable you to utilize your organizing skills in whatever you are doing. Let’s discuss…Location & Facilitator(s) TBA *Sweeten Your Life with Jewish Ritual* Friday, May 18, 2007 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Learn how to incorporate Jewish ritual into your every day life & celebrate Shavuot with JOI alums and friends!!! Even if you are not staying up all night, come eat ice cream and cheesecake with us and share the practices that are important to you. Location & Facilitator(s) TBA *Bagels, Lox & Lefties* Sunday, July 22, 2007 12 noon – 2 pm Come learn and discuss the history and present state of the Jewish Left, while preparing ourselves for the Tisha B'av fast over brunch! Are you a Jewish Left history junkie? Did you always want to know more about historical figures, such as Emma Goldman? Do you feel that there is a Jewish Left movement? Do you feel connected to it? If not, how can we connect this rich history to our present day lives and activism? Location & Facilitator(s) TBA Employment Opportunities Program Officer, Alternative Breaks Program, American Jewish World Service AVODAH, Chicago Program Director SEIU Local 1199 Job Openings The Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance (MAHA), Community Organizer MAHA organizes the Homebuyers Union, a grassroots group of low to moderate income tenants formed to remove barriers to affordable homeownership. MAHA is a statewide non-profit housing coalition working to increase public and private sector investment in affordable housing. MAHA has organized successfully to get area banks to commit over $1 billion for affordable mortgages at below market interest rates. We have also won commitments of millions of dollars in state and city funding for affordable housing. MAHA's main office is in Dorchester, and we have a second office in Dedham. We run homebuyer, homeowner, and financial planning workshops in various city and suburban locations. MAHA has graduated over 12,000 people since 1991 from our multi-week classes. We are looking for a community organizer with 2-5 years of experience to join the current staff person in our Dedham office. Salary and Benefits: • Competitive salary - based on experience • Employer pays 90% of health care and 50% dental • 4 weeks paid vacation per year Community organizer duties: • Extensive phone outreach and in-person one-on-one meetings • Planning campaign strategy with staff and active members • Conducting campaign research • Maintaining an online database of affordable home lotteries • Drafting agendas for planning meetings and actions • Producing written materials for campaigns • Turnout and reminder calls for planning meetings and actions • Training and preparing members for speaking roles in actions • Creating and updating databases to track our contacts with active members • Staffing phone banks (includes training members on how to make calls). • Conducting outreach to and meetings with community and business leaders, neighborhood organizations, faith-based groups, and others • Fully participating with fellow MAHA staff in grassroots fundraising efforts, staff meetings, and other organizational activities. • Other duties as designated by the director. Requirements: 1) Commitment to involving low- and moderate-income people in community organizing and affordable housing issues. 2) Ability and willingness to work regular evening and some weekend hours. 3) Previous experience/involvement with issues facing low- and moderate-income tenants and homeowners is preferred, but training will be provided. 4) Familiarity with database software (Access and Excel). 5) Ability and experience in working with different types of people and personalities. 6) Good oral and written communication skills. 7) Access to a car is essential. 8) Sense of humor. To apply, send resume and cover letter by March 15th, 2007 to: Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance 1803 Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester, MA 02124 Attn: Hillary Pizer, Associate Director or send same to hpizer@mahahome.org We are an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer. KAM Isaiah Israel: Director of Lifelong Learning KAM Isaiah Israel Congregation seeks a full-time Director of Lifelong Learning to collaborate with our Rabbi, Cantor, and lay leadership in taking our education program to a new level. Our congregation is based in a vibrant university/professional community. We are creating this new position to coordinate and energize our current 90-student religious school and our adult education program. Our goal is to develop a program of lifelong learning whose excellence will serve membership from throughout the Chicago area. The Director will manage the current religious school and adult classes while creating new initiatives to meet this long-term goal. Teaching experience and familiarity with Jewish education are required. The Director we seek will inspire an enthusiastic appreciation for Judaism and Jewish learning, and will continually find opportunities for religious education and synagogue life to enrich each other. Compensation for the Director of Lifelong Learning will be $60,000-70,000, with competitive benefits. Long-term goals for Director of Lifelong Learning* Design and implement coordinated adult and family education programs to serve all ages of a diverse congregation. Support and involve parents in their role as primary nurturers of their children's Jewish identity. Increase inclusiveness of programming for interfaith families and families living in the wider metropolitan area. Broaden the focus of youth and adult Hebrew instruction beyond B’nei Mitzvah training. Incorporate attractive aspects of other Jewish experiences into educational programs, including community service, visits to Israel, and Jewish camping. Responsibilities *Education Leadership* Develop and implement a vision for life-long learning. Refine and develop Adult and Religious School curriculum. Establish educational goals and standards for each level of learning, with associated mechanisms to evaluate religious school student performance. Recruit new students of all ages and generally energize educational programs. Set annual goals/priorities in collaboration with the Education Committee. Recruit, develop and maintain an outstanding faculty including hiring, goal-setting, support, professional development, and evaluation *Administration* Administer adult education and religious school operations, including: registration; student placement; identifying and procuring appropriate curricular materials and supplies; preparing annual calendar; scheduling classroom usage; and school policies. Oversee school when in session, currently on Wednesday afternoons and Sunday mornings. Prepare status reports and attend monthly Education Committee meetings. Participate in weekly staff meetings with the Rabbi, Cantor, and Executive Director. Implement and supervise the B’nei Mitzvah program. Oversee Youth Group and its advisors. Assess training needs and recommend professional development for faculty. Prepare the annual education budget. *Teaching* Teach one class as schedule permits. Plan and lead school assemblies and programs. Lead family High Holiday services with the Rabbi and Cantor. Job Qualifications Commitment to lifelong Jewish education for adults and youth. Dynamic leadership skills to inspire participation from a diverse constituency of congregants and families with a variety of goals and priorities. Strong teaching skills. Knowledge of Hebrew language, Jewish life and culture, and Reform Judaism. Ability to hire, inspire, support and evaluate teachers. Strong communication skills and sensitivity to organizational context that will foster an effective working relationship with Rabbi, Cantor, Executive Director, and lay leadership. Administrative experience desirable. Contact Information Applicants may send a resume and cover letter, via email or U.S. mail, to: KAM Isaiah Israel c/o Ms. Sandy Lieberman 1100 E. Hyde Park Blvd. Chicago, IL 60615-2810 773-924-1234 sandy@kamii.org Community & Events * First Workmen’s Circle Annual Dance Party! (Saturday, March 3) Teen Empowerment Youth Peace Conference Because Teen Empowerment puts youth at the front of our events, we need adult volunteers to help us with behind the scenes support! The day of the event, we’ll need help with logistical tasks such as registration, ushering, and serving food during lunch. Your participation and commitment are extremely valuable, but time commitment is minimal—you would need to attend the entirety of the conference on Saturday, April 7 (approximately 11am to 5pm), as well as a preliminary meeting the week of the event. You will be compensated by free entrance to the conference, as well as a chance to be part of Somerville history and to work in partnership with some strong and inspiring urban youth. If you are interested or would like more information, please get in touch with Hilary Lustick, Teen Empowerment Program Coordinator, with your name, address, and email address. Her email address is Hilary@teenempowerment.org. Everything You Didn’t Learn in Hebrew School *Enjoy a Taste of Me’ah* with the Riverway Project Thursday March 22, 7:00 p.m. Temple Israel of Boston, 477 Longwood Avenue Class Starts in September; Application Deadline is May 1, 2007 This fall for the first time, Temple Israel of Boston’s Riverway Project will offer young adults in their 20's and 30’s a Me’ah class specially designed for them. So, what IS Me’ah? Me’ah is a two-year adult learning program, packed with ancient Jewish wisdom surprisingly relevant to your life today. It’s the creation of Combined Jewish Philanthropies and Hebrew College and led by some of Boston’s best and brightest Jewish minds. Join us for a Taste of Me’ah** Thursday night, March 22, to find out more about this exciting opportunity to grow Jewishly with others your own age. Enjoy this “taste” – a sample Me’ah class taught by one of our amazing instructors, meet other prospective students and have the chance to sign up for the class (space is limited). Don’t miss this opportunity to engage in a fun and rewarding learning experience with your peers. To find out more, contact Bethie at the Riverway Project at bmiller@tisrael.org or 617-566-3960 *WEARING YOUR JEWISH GENES: WHAT WE ALL SHOULD KNOW Did you know that one in four individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish descent is a carrier for one of several genetic diseases? Join CJP's Pathways and Young Health Professions as we find out what we all need to know about Jewish genetic disorders. Dr. Jodi Hoffman from Tufts-New England Medical Center will speak about the eleven serious Jewish genetic disorders and testing options for potential carriers. Rabbi Aryeh Klapper of the Center for Modern Torah Leadership will then discuss the bioethical implications of Jewish genetic testing, with a look at a few texts from Jewish sources. Dinner is included; dietary laws will be observed. Cost is $10. To reserve your space or to find out more, please contact Elana at 617-457-8586 or adultlearning@cjp.org. Sunday, March 18th at 6 pm @ The Democracy Center, 45 Mt. Auburn St., Cambridge Also, if you're ever interested in co-sponsoring a Jewish learning event with us, please let me know -- we're always looking to collaborate with other Jewish organizations to bring quality events to young adults in the community.
JOI • 99 Chauncy Street • Suite 600 • Boston, MA 02111 USA • Ph: 617.350.9994 • Fx: 617.350.9995