Pardes Pioneers

Learn, Lead and Inspire: Become a Pardes Pioneer

The Pardes Pioneers Fellowship is your opportunity to build a vibrant Jewish learning community rooted in Torah, belonging, and connection—right where you live. We believe deeply in the power of face-to-face gathering, and we’re here to help you bring that to life.

You bring the heart, the home, and the people—we’ll provide the rest: expert training, curated materials, a generous nourishment stipend, and ongoing support from Pardes and our partners at IYUN.

Applications for the upcoming fellowship are now closed. For questions, please contact Tani at tani@pardes.org.

What is a Pardes Pioneer?

A Pardes Pioneer is a passionate Pardesnik (alum of year or summer program) who leads a local Jewish learning circle. In partnership with IYUN, each Pioneer chooses from two thought-provoking topics and receives a fully prepared curriculum and facilitator guide. With all the tools and support in place, Pioneers recruit a group of friends, peers, or neighbors to join them for a eight session journey of rich discussion and shared exploration.

This is your chance to bring the spirit of the beit midrash to your dining room table or living room floor, and to inspire Torah learning in a way that’s personal, rooted, and real.

Program Details

For Whom:
Open to Pardesnik alumni of the Pardes Year and Summer Programs who are eager to bring meaningful Jewish learning to their local communities.

Fellowship Includes:

  • Six 90-minute virtual training sessions with IYUN and Pardes faculty on relational recruitment, facilitation, experiential pedagogy, and more
  • Access to pre-curated source sheets and facilitator guides
  • Weekly mini havruta learning with fellow Pioneers
  • One-on-one coaching and support as requested
  • Ongoing professional development and pedagogical support form Pardes faculty and staff
  • $500 nourishment stipend* to create a welcoming environment
  • Exclusive invitation to a highly subsidized immersive retreat in the late spring

Training Requirements:

  • Six online sessions total (At least 3 of 4 IYUN training sessions must be attended live)
    • Pardes Opening – Sep 3, 12:30-2:00 ET Required
    • Relational Recruitment: Building a Community of Learners – Sep 10 2:00-3:30 ET
    • The Spine of a Session – Sep 17, 12:30-2:00 ET
    • The Art of Asking Great Questions – Oct 16 (chag the day before on wednesday) 12:30-2:00 ET
    • Relational by Design: Curating a Learning Space with Intention – Oct 22, 2:30-4:00 ET
    • Pardes Session (closing circle) – Nov 5, 12:30-2:00 ET Required
  • Participation in occasional surveys or research (TBD), in partnership with Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah (LKFLT)

Learning Circles:
Groups launch in mid-November and run for at least eight sessions over eight months. Each Pioneer creates a WhatsApp group for ongoing connection and content sharing and gathers participants locally in person for IRL learning. Not to worry, 

You’ll be guided and supported every step of the way!

Topic Options:

  • Living in Jewish Time: Exploring wellbeing through the rhythms of the Jewish Calendar  
  • Living Jewishly in a Democracy: Exploring our roles and responsibilities as Jewish citizens 

Application Deadline: Monday, August 18

*Stipends and retreat subsidies available for North American Pioneers only.

Program Details

  • For Whom: Open to all Pardes alumni who’ve participated in the year or summer programs.
  • Topic Options:
    • Jewish Wisdom for Life’s Greatest Questions
    • Living the Jewish Calendar
    • Spiritual Practices for Real Life
  • Training: Over the course of the program, Pioneers will receive four training sessions with Iyun and Pardes faculty. These sessions are designed to equip you with knowledge of the sources and techniques for recruiting and running a learning circle. There will also be the option to work one-on-one support with Pardes staff or faculty for those who want to deepen their skillset and receive support as they are running their groups.
  • Learning Circles: Lead six sessions with your circle over two months, using source sheets provided by Iyun.
  • Support: Each Pioneer will receive a microgrant* for snacks to make each session warm and welcoming.
  • Open Access: Pardes Pioneers is open to alumni wherever they are. Please note that microgrant funding is only available to Pardesniks in North America. 

Become a Pioneer of Jewish Learning

You don’t need to be a rabbi or an educator to make an impact—you just need curiosity, community, and a commitment to sharing Torah. Whether you’re already active in Jewish life or looking for a new way to engage, the Pardes Pioneers Fellowship equips you with everything you need to inspire Jewish learning where you live.

Join us and bring Torah to life in your community.

In Partnership with Iyun

 


Generously supported by Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah

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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