JESNA Annual Report 2009

Think LocallyAct Globally

Jewish Education Service of North America

Local Learnings | p 2

LCC Impacts Change | p 8

Global Thinking | p 12

2009 Annual Report

http://www.jesna.org/

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On Behalf of Our Leadership

Local Learnings, Global Change

Tour Our Website

LCC Impacts Change

Global Thinking in Education

Ner Tamid Society

With Deepest Gratitude to Our Supporters

How You Can Support Jewish Education

Financials

JESNA Board and Staff

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Inside Back Cover

Table of ContentsThese words that I am commanding you today must remain on your heart. Teach them to your children and speak of them.—Deuteronomy 6:7


JESNA: Berman Center for Research & Evaluation | Learnings & Consultation Center | Lippman Kanfer Institute 1 |

On Behalf of Our Leadership

any of us first heard the phrase "Think Globally, Act Locally," in the context of the environmental movement in the early 1970s. It was a powerful slogan, helping us understand how an overwhelming challenge might be chipped away

at by hundreds and thousands and even millions of small steps. Today at JESNA, we know that the paraphrase is also true—solutions developed at the continental level can be used to overcome challenges common to many communities. We play a leadership role for productive change in Jewish education by being in the solutions business: The problems we most want to solve are those faced by local communities struggling to provide the best possible Jewish education for all their members.

This past year certainly presented a wide array of chal-lenges, many of them related to the financial upheaval that rocked the world. The economic downturn served to reinforce our commitment to providing quality re-sources and tested solutions, thereby maximizing com-munal resources. As you will read in the pages ahead, we spent the last 12 months doing exactly that by:

Deploying skilled evaluation professionals from •JESNA's Berman Center to communities across North America to address accountability, outcomes-based planning, and measurement of impact for programs based at Federations and in Central Agencies for Jew-ish Education.

Producing the Lippman Kanfer Institute's • Work-ing Paper on Day School Education in Challenging Times, which identified and analyzed more than forty strategies, including many that have been largely un-tried till now, that day schools can adopt to strengthen themselves financially and educationally.

Bringing research findings and effective practices re-•lated to teen education to educators in Community Hebrew High Schools in 47 communities in North America, reaching nearly 8,000 Jewish teens and their families.

With the generous support of our leadership and funders, we have expanded our reach and capacity many times over with a high-tech arsenal of tools and resources to accomplish our mission, many of them ac-cessible to every decision-maker in Jewish education on our constantly-improving website. Some of the more recent enhancements are featured in the update in the centerfold of this annual report, but they are better ex-perienced on the site itself at www.jesna.org.

We hope you will take the time to look through this re-port in its entirety to learn more about what we've ac-complished over the past year. More important, though, is how we will build on those successes to achieve even more in 2010. We are eager to work with you, think-ing locally and acting globally, to reach our shared goals for Jewish learning in your community and every community.

David Steirman, Chair

Don Sylvan, President

All Israel is responsible for one another.—Talmud Shevuot 39a

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http://www.jesna.org/program-centers/berman-center/about-us

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JESNA's Berman Center for Research and Evaluation in Jewish Education

Local Learnings,Global Change

The more Torah, the more life.—Ethics of the Fathers 2:7




uring FY2009, the Berman Center pro-vided valuable evaluation and consulting ser-

vices to more than 20 clients in communities across North America, benefitting our clients locally and advanc-ing excellence across the spectrum in the Jewish edu-cational and communal sec-tors. The Berman Center's projects in key emerging areas of Jewish education — including continuing rab-binic education, synagogue and school change, and Communities of Practice for Jewish educators — gener-ated new knowledge and improved practice for the entire field. The additional expertise offered by our colleagues in the Lippman Kanfer Institute and the Learnings and Consultation Center added tremendous value to our clients.

Since it was established in 1992, the Berman Center has engaged in more than 175 short- and long-term evalu-ation studies, consulting and capac-ity building projects, and evaluation training workshops for its four major client groups: private and commu-nity foundations, central agencies for Jewish education, Jewish com-munity federations, and independent national and local program provid-ers across North America. It is not only what we do, but how we do it that makes a difference to our Jewish educational and communal sector clients and their communities.

The Berman Center's coordinated team approach gives it a competitive edge in the expanding field of Jewish educational and communal program evaluation. Our team brings diverse

talent, resources, and strengths to the evaluation process from learn-ings to dissemination to application. This team approach allows the Ber-man Center go beyond "doing evalu-ation" to cultivating and sharing knowledge with clients to increase their capacities for programming and evaluation.

Do the Smart ThingIn today's economic environment, nonprofit programmers and funders are looking for ways to address ac-countability, outcomes-based plan-ning, and measurement of impact. The most effective individuals and organizations in the Jewish educa-tional and communal sectors take learning and evaluation seriously. Ideally, funders require it of grant-

The Berman Center specializes in applied learning through program evaluations that makes us better at what we do. When I have a program that needs evaluation, I click on "J" for JESNA in my contact list. Our evaluation partnerships have worked well and provided actionable recommendations.

—Former Executive Director, Synagogues: Transformation and Renewal (STAR)

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ees, federations and central agencies support its implementation, and pro-gram providers apply what they learn to do their jobs even better. Evalua-tion has the power to help all of these key players better understand their goals, discern the impact of their philanthropy / programming, and identify ways to assess return on in-vestment.

Do the Right ThingEvaluation is about improving pro-gram effectiveness, not only prov-ing program outcomes. Formative evaluation assesses program imple-mentation and/or impact to improve performance at any stage in the life of the program. It allows funders and program providers to make mid-course corrections to ensure programs and services are on track to meet their goals and the commu-nity's needs. Summative evaluation helps to determine how and to what

extent programs have reached their desired outcomes. It uncovers new lessons that can be applied to future programming and planning. Incor-porating regular, systematic evalu-ation makes sure that "more good is done well."

Do the Jewish ThingReflection and evaluation are cen-tral to who we are and what we do as Jews. Even Creation was accom-panied by reflection and evaluation: "And God saw what had been cre-ated and it was [very] good!" Delib-erate reflection and evaluation of programs and business models also are standard in the corporate world. By adapting tested practices for the unique needs of the nonprofit sector, Jewish funders and program provid-ers are taking the lead in profession-alizing the work of the Jewish edu-cational and communal world and raising the bar for excellence.

The JCRC had an exceptionally positive experience with the Berman Center. Its staff was very professional and provided the expert insight and wisdom that we needed. As the result of our work with JESNA's Berman Center, the JCRC will be more effective in its current programs, as well as the programs that it innovates and implements in the future. In addition, we will be able to demonstrate to our stakeholders —including funders—that we are constantly learning, and that the organization effectively achieves the goals we share. We would highly recommend the Berman Center to any Jewish nonprofit.

—Associate Director, Jewish Community Relations Council (San Francisco, California)




The Berman Center's evaluation services help key players in the field to better understand their goals, discern the impact of their philanthropy and programming, and identify ways to assess return on in-vestment. A substantial number of our clients are continuing and repeat customers who, over time, have come to rely on the Berman Center's evalu-ation expertise to inform and im-prove their programs. We encourage you to contact the Berman Center to discuss your current and potential evaluation needs.

Among our FY2009 clients, we are proud to include:

The Covenant Foundation•The Charles and Lynn Schuster-•man Family Foundation

The Legacy Heritage Fund•The Richard and Rhoda Goldman •Fund

The Walter and Elise Haas Fund•Board of Jewish Education (BJE-•SAJES) New York

Bureau of Jewish Education (BJE) •Los Angeles

Bureau of Jewish Education of San •Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties

Central Agency for Jewish Educa-•tion (CAJE) of St. Louis

Jewish Community Relations •Council (JCRC) of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, Sonoma, Alameda and Contra Costa Coun-ties

Jewish Education Center of Cleve-•land (JECC)

Jewish Federation of Metropolitan •Detroit

Montreal Federation CJA•Advancing Women Professionals •and the Jewish Community (AWP)

Bikkurim: An Incubator for New •Jewish Ideas

Center for Leadership Initiatives •(CLI)

Jewish Educator Recruitment and •Retention Initiative (JERRI)

Jewish Partisan Educational Foun-•dation (JPEF)

Jewish Theological Seminary•The Museum of Jewish Heritage •– A Living Memorial to the Holo-caust

Nurturing Excellence in Synagogue •Schools (NESS)

Oraita: Institute for Continuing •Rabbinic Education

Partnership for Effective Learning •and Innovative Education (PELIE)

Synagogues: Transformation and •Renewal (STAR)

2009 Projects and Clients: Completed and in Progress




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JESNA's Website: The Ultimate Online Resource for Education LeadersIn 2009 the JESNA site became a cen-terpiece in online Jewish education. We invite you to tour our site to get daily up-dates through our newsfeed on what's new in Jewish education. You can also search for thousands of continuously up-dated articles of interest and get insight into new projects and programs in the field. All material on our site is available free of charge for your use.

We have inserted tools for you to book-mark articles, email pertinent informa-tion to friends and colleagues, and com-ment through wikis and blogs. JESNA is now also on the following social networks for your convenience:

We also want to highlight our growing list of partner organizations:

Alliance for Continuing Rabbinic Education (ACRE)•The Association of Directors of Central Agencies for •Jewish Education (ADCA)

Bikkurim•The Coaches Training •Institute

The Covenant •Foundation

Grinspoon-Steinhardt •Awards for Excellence in Jewish Education

Lainer Interns for •Jewish Education

The North American Association of Community •Hebrew High Schools (NAACHHS)

Network for Research in Jewish Education•JESNA Professional Development Center•








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JESNA's Learnings and Consultation Center

LCC Impacts Change

I am only one. But still I am one. I cannot do everything, But still I can do something; And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something thatI can do."—Helen Keller

He who learns as a child, to what can he be compared? To ink written on fresh paper. —Ethics of the Fathers 4:20




he LCC is attuned to the Jewish edu-cational successes and challenges of local communities. It identifies and re-

ports on effective programs and solu-tions to help communities and Jew-ish education providers across North America improve Jewish education. The LCC's products and programs ensure that providers do not need to re-invent the wheel.

Highlights of our Achievements in 2009

Local Jewish education leaders ac-•cess the most current information available in the field to improve Jewish education through the So-sland Online Resource Center. Sub-stantial content expansion (more than 650 vetted resources in 32 categories), improved interactiv-ity via Web 2.0 technology, and the launch of OpenSource (a monthly email newsletter highlighting new resources) resulted in a 100% in-crease in visits over the past year, with over 3,000 page views per month.

At community and regional confer-•ences held in Rhode Island, Miami, Baltimore, Los Angeles and Mid-west, lay and professional leaders delved into the most recent volume

in JESNA's Making Jewish Educa-tion Work series on complemen-tary school improvement, based on its accompanying discussion guide. Members of JESNA's Communi-ties of Practice explored how the report and its recommendations can be utilized and applied by edu-cational leaders in their local com-munities.

JESNA is the program coordinator •for NAACHHS (the North Ameri-can Association of Community Hebrew High Schools). Members of NAACHHS, educators in Com-munity Hebrew High Schools in 47 communities in North America, benefit from activities and pro-grams developed by their peers that they learn about through vir-tual meetings, the NAACHHS web-

site (www.naachhs.org), the annual conference, and informal network-ing with colleagues. In their home communities, they apply research findings and effective practices re-lated to teen (Jewish) education, reaching nearly 8,000 Jewish teens and their families.

Continental Programs Recruit, Retain, Recognize, and Develop Local Jewish Educators

At JESNA's first national confer-•ence of the PD Network, 32 Cen-tral Agency professionals learned about creating sustainable organi-zational change to improve profes-

T Nothing in my experience compares to the generosity and clarity of purpose of the Grinspoon-Steinhardt Award. While virtually everyone agrees that our children's Jewish education is critical to the future of Am Yisrael … few people truly value the contribution, commitment and professional advancement of Jewish educators. Your award will make it possible for me to forge new relationships with other professionals, to learn new ways of teaching from them, and to continue my own Jewish education …

—Winner, 2009 Grinspoon-Steinhardt Award




http://www.naachhs.org/

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sional development in their own communities. Throughout the year, more than 50 members of the PD Network accessed state-of-the-art knowledge and techniques through the network listserv, PD Notes (e-newsletter), three series of tele-conferences, and JESNA's online professional development site.

North American college students •studying in Israel were encour-aged to pursue careers in Jewish education through JESNA's Israel Interns and Graduate Seminar. 56 students at Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University completed the 2009 Lainer Interns Program and returned to their home universities where they held internships in lo-cal Jewish educational programs, joining the roster of more than 650 alumni of the 17-year-old program.

The Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards, •a partnership between JESNA, two national philanthropies, and local communities increased the status and stature of Jewish educators and education by recognizing 59 outstanding educators in 48 com-munities through national and lo-cal recognition ceremonies, a na-tional seminar and generous PD stipends.

Following up on the historic con-•ference that brought together 76 top-level leaders from across the entire religious spectrum, LCC staff guided and supported the estab-lishment of the Alliance for Con-tinuing Rabbinic Education and its website (www.allianceforcre.org), a groundbreaking pluralistic collaborative organization, to pro-mote and improve continuing rab-binic education, thereby enhancing rabbinic leadership and teaching in local communities throughout North America.

National Responses to Local ChallengesWhen communities sought immediate responses to the effects of the eco-•nomic downturn on Jewish education, JESNA's LCC facilitated a series of webinars for ADCA (Association of Directors of Central Agencies) members on accessing government funding for day schools, fee-for-service and fund-raising strategies for central agencies, and results of JESNA's survey about the impact of the economic downturn on central agencies. JESNA's "Clarion Call," posted on the JESNA website and broadcast through the media, alert-ed the Jewish community to the crisis facing Jewish education and central agencies as a result of the economy.

With the closing of CAJE, an organization that provided services to thou-•sands of local educators, JESNA stepped up to help ensure that the Jewish educator community will have the right programs and services to thrive in the coming decades. LCC staff conducted environmental scans and needs as-sessments and developed recommendations for three areas that were func-tions of CAJE: knowledge management, Jewish early childhood education, and how to effectively support Jewish educators. JESNA is working with key leaders and partners to develop next steps for the field.


http://www.allianceforcre.org/

http://www.allianceforcre.org/



Making Local Knowledge Accessible GloballyJESNA's Publications and Dissemination Project makes local knowledge and •experiences relevant and accessible globally. PDP reports extrapolate and synthesize practical "lessons learned" that are usable and generalizable from clusters of relevant evaluation studies conducted by JESNA's Berman Center and others. New publications in the Making Jewish Education Work series focused on complementary school improvement and on the critical impor-tance of professional development for educators. The first issue of Snapshots and Insights, a new web-based series designed to share learnings on highly focused topics in a very timely manner, discussed resource centers for Jewish educators.

Our foundation had a dream. JESNA made it happen.

—Maury Hoberman, Lasko Family Foundation

Jewish education is not only about learning a subject. It is about learning a way of life. The lessons that I learned as a Lainer Intern have proven extraordinarily helpful. I am better suited to assist a wide range of constituencies in the academic world because of my exposure to different forms of education as a Lainer Intern.

—Shani Zylberman, Lainer Intern Program Alum

The NAACHHS Marketing Toolkit is—pardon the expression—my bible for how to recruit and retain students. I go back and re-read it every spring. The fact that it was developed for schools exactly like mine means I don't have to sift through irrelevant information for something that will help me.

—Penina Hoffnung, Midrashah Jewish Junior College, Southern New Jersey




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JESNA'S Lippman Kanfer Institute

Global Thinking thatImpacts Change


Learning must be sought; it will not come by itself.—Midrash Mishlei 2:4




hallenging times call for creative respons-es. Like American society as a whole, Jewish education has been rocked in the past year by the

left-right combination of dramati-cally reduced resources and expand-ing needs. Some institutions were unable to weather the storm. Others, in Linsky's language, have "hunkered down," trying to ride things out with-out fundamentally changing how they operate.

For JESNA's Lippman Kanfer Insti-tute, with our commitment to infus-ing Jewish education with worth-while innovation, these challenging times are also a time of opportunity. Our work in the past year has focused on helping Jewish education to "re-set," to reexamine taken-for-granted assumptions, and to embrace new options for making quality Jewish learning experiences attractive, ac-cessible, and affordable for growing numbers of Jews.

The Institute's • Working Paper on Day School Education in Chal-lenging Times identified and ana-lyzed more than forty strategies, familiar and new, that day schools can adopt to strengthen themselves financially and educationally. It also looked at a variety of possible alternative models for delivering

serious Jewish education, ranging from Hebrew language charter and multi-cultural schools to inten-sive supplementary and experien-tial programs. The strategies and options put forward in the Paper helped stimulate new educational ventures in communities both large and small.

The Lippman Kanfer Institute's •working group on Congregation-al Educational Change continued to bring together leaders of more than a dozen local, regional, and national initiatives to transform synagogue education. They shared

insights about how to create inte-grated learning frameworks that connect synagogues to other insti-tutions and to build "eco-systems" to support change.

Neither day schools nor supple-•mentary programs can have an impact on those who do not par-ticipate in them. For this reason, the Lippman Kanfer Institute fo-cused attention on one of today's most innovative efforts to connect potential Jewish learners to the ex-periences that can best meet their needs and desires: the Los Angeles Bureau of Jewish Education's Con-

Are you individually and we as a country going to treat the current reality as a one-time thing that we need to overcome, or as a signal that the sands are permanently shifting and that all our assumptions need to be dredged up and examined and potentially re-calibrated? Are you going to Hunker Down or Reset?

Reset is an idea still to be fleshed out. But it has resonance with the choices we all face today. Reset can challenge us individually to think differently about the options we have.

—Marty Linsky

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cierge for Jewish Education Pro-gram. The Institute's case study of this pioneering program, Making Connections, is the first detailed account of how one community has sought to redefine the relationship between Jewish education's "con-sumers" and "providers" in order to expand the pool of learners.

No force is transforming the land-•scape of Jewish education more powerfully than new communica-tions technologies. The Lippman Kanfer Institute's JE3 (Jewish Ed-ucation 3.0) initiative has brought together a group of creative think-ers and doers to illuminate the exciting and challenging ways in which technology is changing how we learn and teach. The Institute's online publication, Technology and Jewish Education: A Revolution in the Making, includes contributions from more than a dozen cutting-edge educators and a cornucopia of examples and resources for readers to explore.

Service, environmental and so-•cial justice programs, emerging spiritual communities, the arts and culture, new frameworks for community-building, both real and virtual—all of these now serve as settings through which Jews are re-encountering and reshaping Jewish tradition. The Lippman Kanfer Institute is partnering with

the PresenTense group to sponsor FutureTense NY. Through a series of structured conversations, young Jewish educators and communal professionals are helping to create a new shared vision and vocabulary for a Jewish education that will engage Jews wherever, whenever, and however they seek to express their Jewishness.

Jewish innovation and social en-•trepreneurship have expanded rapidly in recent years to become a dynamic element on the Jewish landscape. The Lippman Kanfer Institute has joined with the Jew-ish Federations of North America and Jewish Jumpstart to create a Think Tank for Jewish Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship. The Think Tank will bring to this sec-tor the best wisdom from the wider

world of social entrepreneurship, insights and learnings from Jewish innovators, and opportunities to deal straightforwardly with some of the conceptual and practical is-sues that will determine the vital-ity and impact of the innovation sector.

Education is a force for change, but •what do we know about the expe-riences that truly do change lives? This question led the Lippman Kanfer Institute to invite people to share their stories about Jew-ishly transformational moments in their lives. The result is Jewish Sparks, a blog that recounts some of the stories we heard and initial thoughts on their implications for Jewish education.

21st century Jewish education is dynamic and diverse, filled with promise and daunting challenges. In its few years of existence, JESNA's Lippman Kanfer Institute has placed itself at the heart of this dynamism as a recognized and respected source of insight and encouragement for the kinds of bold changes that Jewish education is beginning to embrace as it "resets" in order to fulfill a timeless mission in ever-new ways.

Thank you so much for organizing and executing the event on Monday. It was meaningful to see that “the establishment” (or at least parts of it!) is in fact listening, and listening carefully, and supporting … What was once considered fringe and “the competition” is becoming recognized as valuable and critical to our collective future. Instead of resisting it, we need to figure out how to embrace it.

—Lisa Colton, Darim Online

Jonathan Woocher and the Lippman Kanfer Institute provided invaluable assistance in helping the Jewish Federation of St. Louis move forward with the work of its Commission on Jewish Identity & Engagement. His vast body of knowledge about initiatives throughout the country, his willingness to brainstorm ideas with staff and lay leaders, and his skilled meeting facilitation led the Commission to develop innovative strategies to engage our target populations and make St. Louis a more vibrant Jewish community.

—Susan S. Scribner, Senior Planning & Allocations Associate, Jewish Federation of St. Louis



With Our Thanks

Ner Tamid Society

The Ner Tamid, eternal light, graces every synagogue as a symbol of G-d's continuing presence in our lives and in our communities. It is the light of Torah, of Jewish learning and teaching. We chose this most meaningful symbol to honor the generous individuals and foundations who have chosen to invest in our future through their commitments of $100,000 or more to JESNA's endowment campaign. The members of the Ner Tamid Society are dedicated to ensuring the light of Torah never dims, that it continues to illuminate our path and guide our deeds across the generations.

We are truly grateful to these farsighted supporters, whose acts of lovingkindness will enable us to fulfill our commitment to Jewish education, not just now, but into perpetuity. Like the Ner Tamid itself, their passion to give every Jewish child the gift of a rich and wondrous heritage can burn without interruption.

For more information about planned giving opportunities, please call us at 212-284-6886.

Commitments of $1,000,000 or moreMadeleine and Mandell L. Berman•Lippman Kanfer Family Foundation•

Commitments of $500,000 or moreEllie and Mark Lainer, •Simha Lainer z"l

Audrey and Albert Ratner, •Forest City Enterprises

The Sosland Foundation•Rabbi Isaac Toubin Memorial Fund•

Commitments of $250,000 or moreJane and Arthur Brody•Irene and Edward H. Kaplan•

Commitments of $100,000 or moreHelene Berger•Sylvia and Sidney Busis•Cheryl Fishbein and Philip Schatten•Billie and Martin Gold•Jaynie Schultz•Anne and David Steirman•Diane Troderman and Harold Grinspoon•Howard M. Wilchins, in memory of Peggy Wilchins•Donna and Bennett Yanowitz•

We extend our thanks as well to Dr. Richard Krugel and the late Boris Shteinshleifer for the endowment funds they have created to benefit JESNA.




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With Deepest Gratitudeto Our Supporters


He who gives and wants others to give

is pious. —Ethics of the Fathers 5:13

With Our Thanks



With Our Thanks

e are delighted to express our profound appreciation to the following individuals, families, foundations and

organizations who have demonstrated their commitment and caring through their generous financial support in the last year.

We also offer our thanks for the enduring commitment of the Jewish Federation system. The allocations made by the member Federations of the Alliance and other individual Federations not only provide sustaining support, but also serve as a testament to the strength and value of our con-tinuing partnership with the Jewish communities across North America.

Contributors of $250,000 and moreMadeleine and Mandell L. Berman•Harold Grinspoon Foundation•Lippman Kanfer Family Foundation•

Contributors of $100,000 to $249,999

Anonymous•Ellie and Mark Lainer•Lasko Family Foundation•Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life•

Contributors of $50,000 to $99,999Anonymous•The Covenant Foundation•Irene and Edward H. Kaplan•Legacy Heritage Fund, Ltd.•Ricky and Andrew J. Shechtel •Philanthropic Fund

Anne and David Steirman•Diane Troderman•

Contributors of $25,000 to 49,999Helene and Ady Berger•Joseph S. Kanfer•George D. Krupp•Cheryl Fishbein and Philip Schatten•The Charles and Lynn •Schusterman Family Foundation

Blanche and Neil Sosland•The Sosland Foundation•

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http://www.jewishfederations.org/page.aspx?id=175399

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With Our Thanks

Contributors of $10,000 to $24,999Robert H. Arnow•The Russell Berrie Foundation•The Crown Family•Gary and Cari Gross•The Jewish Agency for Israel•Fran and Bobby Lent•William Lowenstein•Sharon and Stephen Seiden•Francine Lavin Weaver•Arnee R. and Walter A. Winshall•Bennett and Donna Yanowitz•

Contributors of $5,000 to $9,999Jane and Arthur Brody•Claire and David Ellman•Janet and Jake Farber•Sandra and Arnold Gold•Cass and Sheldon Gottlieb•Helen and Sam Kaplan Charitable Foundation•Temma and Al Kingsley•Sally and Richard Krugel•The Nirenberg Foundation•Jo-Ann Nevas Price•Robert H. Sachs•Kyla and Mitchell C. Schneider•Shirley and Allan Solomon•UJA Federation of New York•Gail Stein Weinstein•

Sue and Howard Wilchins•Beate and Henry Voremberg•

Contributors of $2,500 to $4,999Saby Behar•Sylvia and Sidney Busis•Claire and David Ellman•Niki and Henry Fayne•Genine Macks Fidler•David Fishman•Billie Gold•Michal Hillman•Gene R. Hoffman•Nadine and Sidney Pertnoy•Searle Mitnick•Gary and Lisa Shiffman•Anne and Donald Sylvan•Sherry and Jonathan Woocher•

Contributors of $1,000 to $2,499Anonymous•Ellen P. Goldstein•Amy Kaufman Goott•Paula and Jerry Gottesman•Howard Jacobson•Jewish Communities of Western Connecticut•The Laura and Gary Lauder Philanthropic Fund•The Joseph Meyerhoff Memorial Trusts•Cynthia and Richard Morin•David and Inez Myers Foundation•New Kalman Sunshine Fund, Inc.•Carol and David Robbins•Elaine and Saul Schreiber•Eve Kresin Steinberg•

If someone says he will give charity

and does so, he gets a reward for speech and

a reward for action.

—Tosefta Peah 4:17



With Our Thanks

Ellen Kagen Waghelstein•Libby and Moshe Werthan•Timothy Wuliger•Miriam and Bernard K. Yenkin•Barbara and Barry Zemel•

Contributors of $100 to $999Ruth and Alan Ades•Wendy and Howard Allenberg•Hilda and Alfred Ashley•Daniel Apice•Stan Baratz•Ann and Irwin Bear•Cindy and David J. Berger•Mark Berger•Rosalie and Lawrence Berman•Congregation Beth El of the •Oranges and Maplewood

Joyce H. and William E. Brodkin•Leonard Brumberg•Joan and Harvey K. Bucholtz•Max Candiotty, Esq.•Louise and Daniel C. Cohen•Dr. Robert E. Cohen•Barbara and Daniel Drench•Elinor and Gustave Eisemann•Reuben Eisenstein•Esther Feigenbaum•Harold S. Feinbloom•Miriam Futernick•Brenda and Samuel Gewurz•

Dr. Betsy Gidwitz•Gloria G. and Andor Glattstein•Janice and Mark Gold•Susan and Bill Goldenberg•Pauline and Gersham Goldstein•Stacy and Todd Gorelick•Dr. Gil Graff•Rachel and Neil Greenbaum•Andrew Groveman•Susan and Harold M. Halpern•Lee M. Hendler•Doreen Hermelin•Adra Horn•Herbert and Carol Horowitz•Leora W. Isaacs•Rebecca Reznikoff Isgur•Hyman Israel•Sheryl and Robert Jawetz•Joyce and Arthur Joseph•Mark Kamensky•Marilyn and Lawrence Katz•N. Herschel Koblenz•Kohrman Family Foundation•Madeleine Kreitman•Rabbi Vernon H. Kurtz•Lee and Luis Lainer•Ronni and Mark Lederman•Gerald C. Legow•Shelia and Stephen E. Lieberman•Sue Liebman•Magdovitz Family Foundation•

My son; if your heart has grown

wise, my heart too

will rejoice. —Proverbs 23:15




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With Our Thanks

Andrea Meiseles•Alan Mendelson•Bernice and Jack A. Meyers•Betty G. Minsk and Malcolm N. Minsk•Eric Morgenstern•Golda and Michael Och•Sheila and Lawrence C. Pakula•Bette S. Paris and Reynold F. Paris•Charles T. Rivkin•Patricia and William Robbins•Honorable Steven D. Robinson•John Ruskay•Lorraine and Alan Sandler•Jeff Schein•Meredith and David Schizer•Leona and Neil Schluger•Norman Sheldon•Lawrence A. Sherman•Edward A. and Beth K. Smith Fund•Eric William Smith•Elene and Herbert Solomon•Jeff and Mindy Sosland•Harriet Steckler•Sherry and Doron Steger•Louise and Jerry Stein•Arthur and Edith Stern Family Foundation•Sharon Margolin Ungerleider•Eileen and Harry Weinstein•Harvey L. Weisberg•Harris K. Weston•Daniel R. and Becky Wilchins•

Lois J. Zachary•Alan Ziskin•Lois Zoller•

Contributors of $25 to $99Douglas Aronin•David and Barbara August•Madlyn Barnett•Judy Baruch•Andrea and Randy Berkow•Annette Berkowitz•Seth Berman•Diane Bernbaum•Nancy and Jacob Bloom•Rabbi Howard Buechler•Lottie and Henry M. Burger•Renae Cohen•Stanley Cohen and Suzanne Ducat•Cheryl Cook•Sandy and Arnie Dashefsky•Cheryl and Edward Dauber•Brenda and Jerome Deener•Cheryl Diamond•Michelle Florio Diamond and Joel S. Diamond•Terry and Mel Drucker•Edwin Ellman•Patricia Fertel•Cheryl and Rich Fialkoff•Jordon Fifer•Rabbi Lyle A. Fishman•



With Our Thanks

Lynn D. Flanzbaum•Robert Folberg•Seymour Fried•Carol and Philip Goldsmith•Sharon and Richard Hammerman•Muriel B. Handmaker•Judith Harrison•Eugene Heller•Albert Hepner•Joan and Rabbi Howard Hersch•Andrea and Peter Horowitz•Helen Horwitz•Linda Jerrow•Stuart Kaback•Ilene and Gary Katz•Andrea and Michael Keats•Jeffrey and Marilyn Klein•Richard E. Kobrin•Rabbi Murray Kohn•Rose and Hal Kravitz•Lori and Jeff Lasday•Betty and Barry Leif•Rika Levin-Reisman•Frederic J. Masback•Carolyn H. and David Maretsky•Donald Martin•Naomi Yadin-Mendick and David Mendick•Barbara and Sol Minsberg•Roni Ogin•Stephen Messner and Elizabeth Prelinger•Zulio Naftalov•Dale and Michael Nissenson•Nyberg Family Foundation•Harriet Perlmutter-Pilchick•

Rabbi Robert Pilavin•Donna and Albert Polovoy•Dr. Jack Porter•Ira Rezak and Brigitte Bedos-Rezak•Jennifer Rosenberg•Hal and Erika Rudin-Luria•Arthur Ruvin•Ruth Langer and Professor Jonathan Sarna•Edward Saltzberg•Diana M. Savit•Stuart Schoenverger•Rabbi Aaron Schonbrun•Paul Schwartz•Bob and Linda Schwarz•Stephen Shaw•Daniel Shneidman•Rabbi Marion Shulevitz•Philip Silver•Mr. Gerald Silverstein•Susan and Ken Sims•Dr. James and •Joanne Smith

Irwin Spielman•Gail and Robert Stagman•Jill and Gary Swergold•Ellen and Scott Teller•David G. Trager•Ophra Weisberg•Barbara and Alan Weisblatt•Dr. Howard Woocher•Donna and Barry Yellen•Eric and Mona Yorke•Karl D. Zukerman•

When two sit together and

words of Torah are spoken

between them, the Divine Presence

rests between them.

—Ethics of the Fathers 3:2




www.JESNA.org | 22

Supporting Jewish Education

How You Can Support Jewish Education

Blessed is the generation in which the old listen to

the young. And doubly blessed is the generation

in which the young listen to the old.

—Talmud Rosh Hashanah 25b



Designated Giving allows you to fund specific projects which

reflect your interests while address-ing important needs in Jewish educa-tion. Many of JESNA's most successful programs are supported in large part by generous individuals and founda-tions. Examples of these projects are described throughout this report.

Tribute and Memorial Contri-butions are special gifts made

to honor, memorialize, or congratulate loved ones on all occasions. We will be delighted to send a beautiful, artist-designed card on your behalf or you may purchase a packet of blank cards for your own use.

If your company has a matching gifts program as an employee benefit, your gift to JESNA could be eligible for such a match. The Human Resources office at your work-place can tell you more about this benefit and how it can help you increase the impact of your gift to Jewish education.

For more information on giving please call our Development department at 212-284-6886 or visit our website at www.jesna.org and look for the "Support Jewish Education" button.

Undesignated Giving allows JESNA to allocate funds where

they are most urgently needed. Donors of $10,000 and $25,000 receive special recognition through our Ben Gamla and Ben Zakkai Giving Society, respec-tively.

Endowments or Planned Gifts help ensure that we can contin-

ue to provide excellence in Jewish Ed-ucation and to ensure that we can con-tinue to do so for generations to come. JESNA can accommodate planned gifts in many forms, including bequests, insurance policies, and gifts of real property. Supporters who make com-mitments of $100,000 or more to this campaign will become members of our Ner Tamid Society (see p. 15).

ESNA is at the epicenter of a diverse and dynamic field, working in partnership with educators, lay leaders, funders, and decision-makers who share our commitment to excellence in Jewish education. This web of relationships enables JESNA to gather and generate the knowledge and

know-how needed for Jewish education to thrive.

J

Join us in our mission to transform Jewish education in every community for every learner.

Supporting Jewish Education




www.JESNA.org | 24

Condensed Statement of Financial Activities (Fiscal year ended June 30, 2009)

Financial Report of ManagementThe financial statements of the Jewish Education Service of North America, Inc (JESNA) are audited annually by an independent firm. JESNA received an unqualified opinion as of June 30, 2009, from its auditors, which found that the combined financial statements prepared by JESNA management were presented fairly in all material respects in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

A copy of the full financial statements with the Independent Auditor’s Report for the year ended June 30, 2009, is filed with the New York State Department of Law, Office of the Attorney General Charities Bureau, 120 Broadway, New York, NY, 10271, and may be obtained upon request by writing to these offices, or directly to:

Jewish Education Service of North America, Inc. Accounting Department 318 West 39th Street, 5th Floor New York, NY 10018

RevenuesContributions (designated) $1,314,137Contributions towards Relocation / Lease Surrender 1,093,326Federation Allocations & Program Support 1,077,907Earned Income 912,145Contributions (undesignated) 324,937Fiscal Sponsorships 178,901Contributions (donated services) 158,495Agency Dues 21,650 Subtotal Operating Revenues $5,081,498Market Depreciation (183,364)

TOTAL REVENUES $4,898,134

ExpensesPersonnel Costs $2,990,124Occupancy Costs 436,382Travel, Conferences & Meetings 374,104Professional Fees 248,559Fiscal Sponsorships 179,832Professional Fees (donated services) 158,495Supplies & Equipment 104,836Communications & Mailings 96,834Awards, Grants & Fellowships 88,701Other Expenses 67,944

TOTAL EXPENSES $4,745,811

CHANGE IN UNRESTRICTED NET ASSETS $152,323

21%Federation Allocations& Program Support

22%Contributions

toward Relocation / Lease Surrender

26%Contributions(designated)

3%Contributions(donated services)4%

Fiscal Sponsorships

18%Earned Income

6%Contributions(undesignated)

Revenues

63%Personnel

Costs9%OccupancyCosts

8%Travel, Conferences& Meetings

5%Professional Fees

4%FiscalSponsorships

Expenses

3%Professional Fees(donated services)

2%Awards, Grants& Fellowships

2%Other Expenses

2%Communications & Mailings

2%Supplies & Equipment


Board Members (as of December 2009)

Staff (as of December 2009)

Office of the ExecutiveDonald Sylvan, Ph.D. PresidentKate Lutzner Assistant to the President and Office ManagerKaitlin BarryHuman Resources Associate

Lippman Kanfer InstituteJonathan Woocher, Ph.D. Chief Ideas Officer, Director of the Lippman Kanfer InstituteMonica Rozenfeld Program AssistantGalia Avidar Research FellowRebecca Leshin Intern

The Berman Center for Research and EvaluationRenae Cohen, Ph.D. Director of the Berman Center for Research and EvaluationShira Rosenblatt, Ph.D. Associate Director

ChairDavid Steirman

Honorary ChairMandell L. Berman

Vice ChairsSandra O. Gold, Ph.D.Cass W. GottliebSearle MitnickHoward M. WilchinsArnee R. Winshall

SecretaryAmy Kaufman Goott

Assistant SecretaryCarol Robbins

TreasurerPhilip Schatten

Assistant TreasurerGary Gross

Board MembersAlan AdesCarol Auerbach

Lauren Raff, M.Ph. Senior Project ManagerKate O’Brien, M.A. Senior Research WriterMiri Rozenek, M.A. Research AssociateAda Maradiaga Administrator

Learnings and Consultation CenterLeora Isaacs, Ph.D. Vice-President for Programs and Organizational Learning Director of the Learnings and Consultation CenterSteven Kraus Education ConsultantDevorah Silverman, M.S.W. Education ConsultantAda Maradiaga Administrator Jenny Aisenberg Knowledge Development ManagerZac PriceWebmasterMarcie Yoselevsky Intern

Saby BeharAnn BermanFred ClaarDr. Helene Kalson CohenJeffrey CorbinSeymour EpsteinBeverly Bloom FellmanDavid FishmanDeborah FriedmanNancy GartBrenda GewurzDr. Gil GraffGene HoffmanHoward JacobsonTemma KingsleyDr. Richard KrugelPatty MasonBonnie Slavitt MooreCynthia MorinMark B. PearlmanSidney PertnoyCharles RatnerRobert H. SachsPaul SchlesingerMitchell C. SchneiderElaine SchreiberStephen Seiden

Institutional AdvancementEllen Goldstein Vice President for Institutional AdvancementRika Levin-Reisman Chief Marketing OfficerJessica Tayts Development Assistant

FinanceRalia Neamonitakis Chief Financial OfficerOlga Avezbakiev Accounting AssistantMilana Isakova Accounting Assistant

Office ManagementVernessa Lewis Operations Department/HR Shavon Hicks Operations Department Assistant

Israel OfficeDavid Resnick, Ph.D. Director, Israel Office

Robert ShermanGary ShiffmanShirley SolomonDr. Blanche SoslandCarol Brennglass SpinnerEve Kresin SteinbergEllen Kagen WaghelsteinGail WeinsteinDr. Lois J. Zachary

Ex OfficioDr. Donald A. Sylvan

Life MembersRobert ArnowHelene BergerArthur BrodyBillie GoldNeil GreenbaumJoseph KanferMark LainerMark E. SchlusselDiane TrodermanBennett Yanowitz, Esq.

Think Locally, Act Globally

Jewish Education Service of North America318 West 39th Street, 5th FloorNew York, NY 10018 USA

212-284-6882212-284-6951 fax Design by MANOVERBOARD.

Invest in Jewish Education

Berman Center for Research & EvaluationLearnings & Consultation CenterLippman Kanfer Institute

Visit our website at www.JESNA.org

© 2009 Jewish Education Service of North America

http://www.manoverboard.com/

Documents

JESNA Annual Report 2009