Jewish Federations of North America in partnership with Repair the World are excited to announce the launch of the first cohort of The Catalyst, a new Jewish professional development initiative for Federation professionals focused on next-gen engagement. This virtual cohort-based training program will deepen the expertise of 14 professionals from 12 Federations across the system to design and deliver programming grounded in volunteerism and Jewish learning for their local next-gen community members (individuals in their 20s-30s). 

The nine-month program includes training from Repair the World educators using Repair’s best-in-class curriculum, community-building and networking for Federation professionals with in-person Jewish service learning at Jewish Federations’ General Assembly, and micro-grant funding of up to $7,000 for each participating community to pilot a new volunteer/service initiative or to grow an existing one.

Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the Jewish principle of service and the means to communicate it, in addition to enhanced leadership skills for integrating volunteerism as a key engagement strategy for their work as part of the Federation system.

“Jewish Federations is thrilled to partner with Repair the World on the development and launch of The Catalyst, a transformational fellowship to inspire more volunteerism in Jewish communities across North America,” said Sarah Eisenman, Chief Community & Jewish Life Office of Jewish Federations of North America. “We believe in the power of service as a core pedagogy for expanding engagement in Jewish life across the system and we are excited to partner with Repair to leverage their deep expertise in this space. This partnership is a great example of the powerful impact that can be realized from collaborations between Jewish Federations and national engagement organizations.”

Jewish Federations of North America are proud to be one of seven leading organizations of the Jewish Service Alliance (JSA), a coalition of organizations convened by Repair the World dedicated to enhancing and expanding service opportunities for young adults to address the most pressing social needs of our time. Funding for The Catalyst is provided by the Jewish Community Response and Impact Fund.

The fellows in the first Cohort are:

Naomi Balaban, Director of Young Leadership Division - Jewish Federation of Broward County

Max Beede, Community Connections Program Associate – Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford

Emily Feinstein, Engagement Associate – Jewish Federation of Greater Houston

Marni Ginsberg, Director of Engagement and Leadership – Jewish Federation of Madison

Lisa Hacker, Senior Director, Jewish Volunteer Network – Jewish Federation of Cleveland

Melissa Hudson, Senior Director, Jewish Volunteer Center – Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County

Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Emerging Leadership Director - Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford

Amanda Loflin, Director of NextGen and Mentorship – Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans

Riley Reed, Campaign Associate – JUF Chicago

Anna Schragin, Development Specialist and Young Adult Division Manager – Jewish Federation of San Antonio

Marla Topiol, Director of Adult Education and Israel Engagement - Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County

Erika White, Development Associate – Milwaukee Jewish Federation

Yahelle Yaccoby, Outreach and Engagement Coordinator – United Jewish Federation of Utah 
Lidia Zambilovici, Development Director – Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton