Mahloket Matters Immersive Summer Fellowship for Hillel Professionals

Pardes North America invites Hillel professionals of all Jewish learning backgrounds to apply for the NEW Immersive Summer Fellowship in Jerusalem, July 10-28, 2022, with a focus on Mahloket Matters: Healing our Broken Discourse.

The Fellowship is a cohort-based learning experience within the larger Pardes Summer Program. Fellows immerse in Jewish text study, touring and building community alongside our dynamic, intergenerational and international Summer Program student body, while also coming together multiple times a week as a smaller affinity group to study and workshop Jewish ideas and texts on the theme of navigating conflict constructively.

The Fellowship is open to Hillel professionals in programming and education roles returning to North American campuses. Fellows commit to translating their personal summer study in Jerusalem into meaningful learning experiences designed to support their campus communities around contentious issues, with Jewish wisdom and text as an anchor.

Fellowships include:

  • $790 subsidy to fully cover Pardes Summer Program Tuition
  • $1000 grant towards travel / housing expenses
  • $500 engagement grant for Mahloket Matters programming upon return to campus
  • Personal mentorship from the Pardes Israel and Pardes North America educational teams (summer + year)

Applicants must fill out both the:

ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP

We live in a moment of unprecedented breakdown in civil discourse. Yet, our Jewish tradition upholds the principle that constructive disagreement for the sake of heaven (Mahloket L’Shem Shamayim), is not only imperative but the holy work needed to repair what can feel like irreconcilable differences that permeate our Jewish communities. Guided by the belief that Jewish texts and their diverse interpretations can empower us to engage more constructively in disagreements today, Pardes North America (PNA) continues to build upon the impact of our existing Mahloket Matters Fellowship cohorts by launching a NEW summer immersive option for Hillel professionals.

The Fellowship will consist of three essential components:

  1. Immersive text-study and skill-building – Fellows will spend three weeks (S-Th) engaged in rigorous study of classical and contemporary Jewish texts, from Talmud to Bible to Hasidut, with an eye towards contemporary relevance. The intergenerational, multi-voiced Pardes Summer Program community becomes a living lab for exploring differences of perspective, opinion and interpretation, and the larger landscape of Jerusalem and Israel provide rich and challenging case studies around approaches to controversial issues and conversations. Summer participants tour with and hear from guest speakers who help deepen their understanding of complex realities.
  2. Cohort Learning and Individual Mentorship – In addition to learning within the larger Summer Program community, Fellows will meet daily as a cohort of Hillel Professionals for a course exploring the core texts and approaches of Pardes’s renowned Mahloket Matters: Healing our Broken Discourse curriculum. In addition, they will receive individual mentorship to help them shape their visions for adapting the materials to their own campus communities and teaching/facilitation styles and capacities.
  3. Communal Action – As part of their participation in the fellowship, Fellows will be asked to transpose the inspiration and learning into a campus engagement initiative (in a way that balances local creativity and a handful of globally established metrics) for their campuses back home. Each Fellow will receive a $500 campus engagement fund to support the development of their own communal MM study groups and/or community engagement initiatives inspired by MM learning. Click here for the requirements.

By participating in the Mahloket Matters Immersive Summer Fellowship: Healing our Broken Discourse, Hillel Professionals will:

  • Receive both professional mentorship and financial support
  • Deepen their Jewish literacy, textual confidence and facilitation skills
  • Immerse in highly relevant Pardes Torah they can then use to serve their own Jewish communities back home
  • Become a critical voice in a movement to help foster respectful dialogue across North America
  • Join a strong network of colleagues

QUESTIONS? CONTACT:

Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement and Activation

Start date: ASAP

We are seeking a charismatic, creative, and action-oriented Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement and Activation to lead this initiative. This individual will play a key role in bridging the gap between the immersive Jerusalem-based Pardes experience and the ongoing life-long learning opportunities we offer in North America.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Implement and Iterate Alumni Engagement Strategies:
    • Enhance the current “menu” of opportunities for Pardes alumni to both “give” to
      and “receive” from, Pardes.
      • Give: Empower alumni to take action, create initiatives, and leverage
        Pardes as a platform for leadership and innovation.
      • Receive: Encourage alumni to engage in continued learning through
        classes, retreats, Shabbatonim, cohorts, and other programs.
    •  Ongoing internal evaluation of efficacy of strategies and implementing iterative
      updates to enhance outcomes.
  • Program Development and Management:
    • In collaboration with the wider team, develop and implement ideas for online and in person classes, including holiday programs, one-off shiurim, and limited series.
    • Oversee the execution of programs including but not limited to: email
      correspondence and registration, coordinating with marketing, Zoom production,
      and post-program evaluation.
    • Ensuring cross-departmental collaboration specifically with the engagement and
      development teams
    •  Serve as the project manager for select alumni cohort learning programs,
      ensuring smooth operations and successful outcomes.
  • Community Building and Leadership:
    • Foster strong, relational connections with alumni, encouraging their active
      involvement in the Pardes community.
    • Identify and cultivate connections with key alumni leaders. Lead efforts to inspire alumni to take on leadership roles within their communities, promoting Pardes’ values and educational mission.
    • Cultivate and steward and existing external partnerships with organizations and
      initiatives as it relates to our Pardesnik engagement and activation work
  • Alumni Coaching and Mentorship:
    • Provide coaching and mentorship to alumni interested in developing initiatives, such as micro-grants or local events, and support them in realizing their ideas. This may include group coaching within cohorts.
  • Targeted Recruitment and Outreach:
    • Engage in focused recruitment and outreach efforts to involve specific alumni in relevant Pardes offerings.
    • Collaborate with the wider team to manage recruitment for various programs,
      including necessary follow-up and evaluation.

Qualifications:

  •  Proven experience in alumni relations, community engagement, or a related field.
  • Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a talent for building and maintaining relationships.
  • Creativity and initiative in developing new programs and strategies to engage alumni.
  • Passion for Jewish learning and a deep connection to the mission of Pardes.
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team.
  • Willingness to travel as needed to engage with alumni across North America.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Pardes alumna
  • Experience working in Jewish education or community leadership.
  • Familiarity with the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies and its programs.
  • Based in New York City

Benefits:

  • Competitive salary commensurate with experience: $70,000-$85,000
    100% health insurance coverage for the employee (dependent coverage available)
  • 403b retirement plan with Nationwide with up to 5% contribution by employer
  • Paid time off & Paid holidays (Jewish and secular)
  • FSA
  • Group Life and Personal Accident Insurance
  • Parental leave
  • Remote and hybrid working option and flexible hours
  • Opportunities to travel domestically and to Israel to collaborate across the team
  • Opportunity to contribute to a dynamic and growing organization with a meaningful mission.

How to Apply:
Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter detailing their qualifications and passion for this role. All applications should be sent to Assistant Director of Programs at Monica at monica@pardes.org.

Cover letters should answer the following questions

  • What makes you passionate about this role and work?
  • What concrete professional or personal experiences have prepared you best for this role?
  • What is one project, strategy or initiative that this job description stimulates in you?
  • How do you ensure great teamwork and successful collaboration?
    PLEASE NOTE:

Applications are due by October 8th and interviews will be the week of October 28th. We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.

Pardes North America provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants in all organizational facilities without regard to race, color, religious creed, sex, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, pregnancy, childbirth, (or related medical conditions, including, but not limited to lactation), physical disability, mental and/or intellectual disability, age, military status or status as a Vietnam-era or special disabled veteran, marital status, registered domestic partner or civil union status, gender (including sex stereotyping and gender identity or expression), medical condition (including, but not limited to, cancer-related or HIV/AIDS-related), genetic information, or sexual orientation in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws.

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