Pardes Strategic Plan: 2023–2025

Year Program 2010 and Summer 2010

“The courses at Pardes make Jewish texts come alive and provide meaning in so many realms of life. Beyond any specific class, there is a phenomenal energy among the student body. It is a transformative environment.”

Ilan Glazer

OUR MISSION is to ensure that Jewish learning is a life-long endeavor that inspires students to engage in Jewish life as communal and spiritual leaders, educators and active participants worldwide. By creating radical access to traditional sources and world class scholars in open, inclusive, and intellectually rigorous environments, we enable diverse Jews to cultivate a life-long relationship with Jewish learning, the Jewish people and Israel.

Pardes creates open, inclusive, diverse and intellectually rigorous environments that engage a wide spectrum of Jews in the study of classic texts and ideas, students intense experience inJewish life and tradition. Pardes cultivates a lifelong love of Jewish learning, the Jewish people and Israel, and inspires students to engage in Jewish life as communal and spiritual leaders, educators and active participants worldwide.

WE ENVISON a renewed Jewish life anchored in Jewish knowledge and literacy, which places the study of Jewish texts at the center of Jewish life, enlivened with contemporary relevance. Jewish study is a roadmap, helping people to navigate the contemporary world. In short -- the Beit Midrashification of Jewish Life.

Table of Contents

A 3-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN TO INCREASE OUR IMPACT: 2022–2025

We firmly believe that Torah study must be the way for Jews to connect to their tradition and with one another. Pardes is the premier destination for pluralistic Torah learning and exploration, and we are on a growth trajectory to reach further than ever before.

Just as our teaching is anchored in ancient text, our plan for the future draws from all that we have learned. Imagine with us what Pardes can be just three years from now: the global platform for meaningful and accessible Torah study that fosters a sense of belonging and community.

We know that Pardes enriches Jewish lives from young adulthood to old age and serves both those who seek immersive experiences and those looking for shorter-term encounters. This strategic plan lays out the components needed for Pardes to reach its full potential

as a leading global incubator and accelerator of Jewish knowledge and the institution to which the most engaged lay and professional Jewish leaders from around the world turn to Jewishly nurture and inspire themselves and their communities, for our generation and for generations to come.

HOLDING ON TO OUR PAST TO MOVE FORWARD

In my six years at the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies, I have spent time teaching and learning from one of my favorite rabbinic texts, the description in the early Rabbinic midrash of Moshe remembering to take the bones of Joseph with him as the children of Israel escape from Egypt.

Usually, I teach this text to explore what it means to be a living embodiment of Torah. As we embark on a three-year strategic plan, I think about this text in a new way: How can we hold on to our past in a way that helps us to move forward? Just as Joseph’s bones symbolized the foundation upon which the Israelites could build their future, the rich and storied history of Pardes must be our launching pad, the basis for our own transformation as we march toward our bright future.

Pardes has inspired five decades of Jewish leadership marked by openness, passion, knowledge and inclusivity. This is our hallmark, and it will continue to strengthen us and our community in future generations. Pardes alumni educate, inspire, and transform their own students peers and communities on a daily basis. Our impact is far-reaching and

long-lasting — over 1,200 Pardes alumni are past, current and future Jewish professionals.

As we begin to implement our strategic plan, we do so within the context of ever-evolving Jewish identities. While our year-long immersive programs will remain our signature offering, the Pardes commitment to learning will increasingly need to adapt and expand to accommodate the new ways in which Jews think about religion, denominationalism, and personal growth. Our ability to reach more learners, in more places, is only possible because of the strength of those who walk alongside us. Moses didn’t carry the ark with Joseph’s bones himself. Over 40 years, numerous people stepped up to fulfill the task. What a blessing it is for Pardes to be able to draw from the power of our community. We invite you to join us as we work to strengthen Jewish life around the world.

Leon A. Morris PRESIDENT, PARDES INSTITUTE OF JEWISH STUDIES

Mark Freedman Brad Grob CHAIR, NORTH AMERICAN CHAIR, ISRAEL BOARD OF DIRECTORS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OUR HISTORY

In 1971, Michael Swirsky seeded the idea of an educational institution in Jerusalem that would provide entry to the world of Jewish religious learning with no agenda other than to facilitate knowledge. Its approach would be nondenominational and open-ended, combining the spiritual seriousness and non-instrumentalism of the yeshiva with the intellectual openness and tolerance of the university. A one-year, noncredit study program would be tailored to postcollege young adults, primarily from North America.

The institute, which named Pardes—suggestive of the mystery, multifacetedness and fruitfulness of Torah—opened its doors in the fall of 1972 with a student body of 25 and an exciting roster of teachers.

Because of its independence, Pardes has the unique ability to create and adapt to meet the needs of an ever-evolving Jewish world. Innovative educational opportunities have been added to the curriculum, and its faculty expanded.

Throughout its 50 years, Pardes has instilled a life-long love of learning by creating an open, inclusive, diverse and intellectually challenging Jewish learning community.

WHAT MAKES PARDES UNIQUE?

The Torah we engage with is distinguished by four elements that differentiate the impact Pardes has on its learners and their communities:

DEPTH OF LEARNING AND WORLD-CLASS FACULTY

COMMITMENT TO PLURALISM, CELEBRATING DIFFERENCES, AND MAINTAINING AN INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR ALL JEWS, REGARDLESS OF GENDER, DENOMINATION OR BACKGROUND

EMBRACING DIVERSITY OF IDEAS THROUGH A SPECTRUM OF VOICES, QUESTIONING AND HAVRUTA/PEER DIALOGUE

ACCESS TO TOOLS FOR A FULLER ENGAGEMENT WITH JEWISH LIFE

THE CHALLENGES THAT FEED OUR FUTURE

Vision for Growth

Pardes has identified five strategic priorities that support our mission and vision as a plan for growth.

BUILD ON OUR PROGRAMMATIC SUCCESS

Affirm our focus on our core competency - education. Increase access to our innovative opportunities for learning by building measured capacity and sustainable programmatic growth.

OUTCOME Expand on our best-in-class programs to serve and inspire more learners of all ages, backgrounds and beliefs who directly and indirectly shape their personal and professional communities in meaningful and substantial ways.

BUILD OUR PRESENCE IN NORTH AMERICA

Increase our sphere of influence by maximizing our role as the central address for Torah study, particularly in North America.

OUTCOME Develop affinities for Pardes by increasing access to our leading voices Jewish learning. Serve as the vital Jewish learning resource that others look to when adding Torah study in to their programs. Engage our alumni base in new ways.

BUILD THE TEAM THAT LEADS US

Invest in human capital and a stable structure to implement our growth plan.

OUTCOME Cultivate professional and lay leaders who work seamlessly to provide appropriate oversight, operations and revenue generation. Exceptional people and professional development will position Pardes to better deliver on our mission.

BUILD CAPACITY FOR ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE

Optimize our strengths and secure our financial future through actions and strategic communications.

OUTCOME Achieve operational effectiveness and financial stability by supporting the twoway relationship between program success and organizational strength and sustainability. This will result in the next level of maturity for our organization and enhancing our ability to have a positive impact on students.

BUILD OUR NEW HOME

Create and activate first-class facilities and infrastructure.

OUTCOME A new infrastructure — in our new home in Jerusalem as well as throughout the world — will align resources, expertise, and technology to support our learners and partners, and optimize our strengths to pursue manageable growth.

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF OUR STRATEGIC PLAN WILL BE DRIVEN BY

OUR CORE VALUES

A LOVE FOR THE STUDY OF TORAH, BOTH FOR ITS OWN SAKE AND FOR THE SAKE OF PERSONAL AND COMMUNAL TRANSFORMATION

PERSONAL AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH

THE CRUCIAL ROLE OF COMMUNITY-BUILDING IN WELCOMING MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES AND CONSTRUCTIVE DISAGREEMENT

Pardes enriches Jewish lives from young adulthood to old age and serves those who seek out immersive experiences and those looking for shorter-term encounters. In all of its programs, Pardes serves as an incubator and accelerator for knowledgeable and engaged Jewish leaders, lay and professional, in North America and throughout the world.

On September 1, 2025, we will reflect on Pardes as the global platform for meaningful and accessible Torah study. Our approach and growth will foster a sense of belonging and community, reaching 127% more learners than we did when we began the implementation of this plan.

The growth of Pardes will increase our impact around the globe. Our powerful immersive model, central to the success of our mission, gives learners the most significant outcomes.

DEEP CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE JEWISH PEOPLE WORLDWIDE AND THE STATE OF ISRAEL AS AN EXPRESSION OF OUR ZIONIST COMMITMENT GROWTH IN ISRAEL 8,000

Programs

THEORY OF CHANGE

WHAT

Pardes is the central address for interdisciplinary initiatives, partnerships and creative programs. We are an inclusive and equitable learning establishment aiming to serve a wider community.

HOW

Build THE COMMUNITY WE SERVE + OUR INFLUENCE AND IMPACT + INTERNAL CAPACITY + AN OUTSTANDING ORGANIZATION

SO THAT

More people become engaged with Jewish texts, are open to a diversity of viewpoints and bring others into the conversation.

THE CHANGE WE SEEK

We aim to promulgate an understanding that Torah belongs to everyone, bringing that

HOW WE WILL ACHIEVE OUR GOALS

BUILD ON OUR PROGRAMMATIC SUCCESS

Affirm our focus on our core competency - education. Increase access to our innovative opportunities for learning by building measured capacity and sustainable.

Pardes Teacher Fellows (formerly PEP)

Training new Jewish studies teachers for community day schools in North America

Year Program

Our signature 9-month offering

Experiential Educators Program Training educators for camps, youth work, supplemental schools

BUILD OUR PRESENCE IN NORTH AMERICA

Increase our sphere of influence by maximizing our role as the central address for Torah study, particularly in North America.

GOAL

Establish Jewish learning as a normative expression of Jewish identity by connecting “non-native” learners to Jewish learning via the Pardes pedagogy

Elevate the Jewish communal field by creating opportunities for a wide array of staff and educators to increase their competence and confidence in accessing and using Jewish texts and traditions to guide their work

Empower and uplift Pardesniks in their lifelong Jewish learning, leadership and scholarship

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Affinity Cohorts & Fellowships online and in-person learning groups that bring both “non-native” and “returning” learners

Strategic partnerships with Jewish organizations to create workplace “Batei Midrash” and to offer learning, skill development, certifications and trainings for Jewish professionals and lay leaders

Cultivating and uplifting diverse thought leadership by faculty and Pardesniks that expands and deepens the communal conversation around the Torah’s relevance on contemporary issues

Pardesnik activation in peer-engagement models to create hyper local Jewish engagement and learning opportunities

BUILD THE TEAM THAT LEADS US

Invest in human capital and a stable structure to implement our growth plan.

Goal

Create a board (composition, numbers, diversity and skills) that is educated, engaged and activated around optimally supporting the vision

Foster and operationalize a core values-driven culture for faculty, staff and board

Key Performance Indicators

• Execution of board strategy and deliverables according to the timeline

• Successful clarification and affirmation of core values

• Actionable “Culture plan” to bring aspired values to life with desired behavioral norms, including a focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work

• Inclusive process to align staff and embed ownership of culture at Pardes implemented

• Engage senior leadership team around organizational needs, senior staff structure and capacity building

• Develop an organizational structure, roles, and rollout plan anchored in five distinct areas: educational programming, marketing, development, operations and North America

Build organizational capacity and structures to attract, retain and develop top talent to support the vision

• Staged hiring and onboarding plan, compensation philosophy and related deliverables identified in the plan

• Identify specific needs for HR support and create a rollout plan

• Further develop and implement a framework for effective engagement via performance feedback & evaluation, professional development and engagement initiatives

Create a recruiting plan that supports the growth plan of the organization

• Conduct a baseline analysis of current recruitment efforts and specific issues we are trying to solve

• Increased enrollment, with the appropriate increase to be program-specific

BUILD CAPACITY FOR ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE

Optimize our strengths and secure our financial future through actions and strategic communications.

Goal

Acquire and leverage best tools, technology and systems to ensure excellence across the organization

Key Performance Indicators

• Conduct a baseline analysis of current systems and break down into appropriate categories

• Research, customer data collection and benchmarking for each system

• Improvement of systems across Pardes

• Streamlining of required systems and eliminating redundant systems

• Improving access to data and production of useful data

Creating a strategy to fund the entire strategic plan

Engage funder support as shown through a completely funded Strategic Plan

Examine and select one of the following models for partnership programming:

• Joint fundraising with major foundations

• Parlay the success of these partnerships into increased fundraising from individuals and foundations

• Charge appropriate fee-for-service

Create an integrated marketing and communications plan that clarifies our brand/messaging, builds awareness, raises our profile and supports recruiting and fundraising efforts

Create a comprehensive fundraising infrastructure based on a comprehensive campaign, including completing the capital campaign; completing the two minyanim ($250,000 and $100,000); and designing and implementing a major gift strategy, a Netzach (bequest) strategy and an alumnus giving strategy

Leverage our world-class faculty for online learning, podcasts, and other digital educational resources and learning series

• Delivering the marketing plan on time and on budget

• Establish the necessary systems and working relationships between Pardes faculty and staff in Israel and the marketing department that allow the successful and effective creation and marketing of the programs

• Delivery of development strategy

• Support reaching fundraising milestones, both in terms of the number of dollars and number of donors, according to plan

• Major gift, Netzach and alumni giving outcomes to be determined by the strategy team

• Podcasts - launch new podcasts, clean up the marketing and podcast platform in ways that drive new people to Pardes podcasts and that make it easier to subscribe and list to individual podcasts.

BUILD OUR NEW HOME

Create and activate first-class facilities and infrastructure.

Goal

Leverage the new facility for maximum educational and cultural offerings, increasing the public presence of Pardes, and positioning Beit Karen as a destination for locals and visitors

Complete and fully activate Beit Karen to best achieve the institution’s goals according to the existing pla

Key Performance Indicators

• Do a “landscape analysis” including a mapping of cultural, educational and religious programming in south Jerusalem

• Successful implementation of local community engagement plan

• Numbers of groups and participants engaging in the facility

• Implement new partnerships with select gap-year programs for immersive Jewish learning in new building

• Moving into fully functioning facility

• Remain on schedule and on budget

Summer 2007, Educators Program 2009-2011

“The diversity of the Pardes community adds so much to both the learning environment and to the daily conversations in the halls. Every day I am inspired by the opportunity to see Judaism through a new set of eyes.”

Yoni Shear