the
PRESENTENSE
IMPACT
Past fellowship
benchmarks of success
77
ventures ignited in four years
47% 84%
receive follow-on funding or merge
of fellows are highly engaged in the Jewish community
448 active volunteers
EDUCATION
Tagged Tanakh > JT Waldman PresenTense Global Summer Institute www.taggedtanakh.org
Tagged Tanakh takes Midrash to a new level by creating an online portal for users from around the world to add their own commentary to the Hebrew Bible. This sharing of thought enables tech-savvy Jewish young adults to find greater meaning in the teachings of the Tanakh. The Jewish Week named Tagged Tanakh’s founder, JT Waldman, one of the “36 Under 36” for his contribution to the Jewish community.
Ignited in 2008
MediaMidrash > Russel Neiss & Charlie Schwartz PresenTense Global Summer Institute www.mediamidrash.org
MediaMidrash curates a vast online database of curricular content that provides practical tools and media for Jewish educators. Videos, animations, art, music, and lesson plans – arranged by subject matter and age – are easily streamed directly to the classroom. MediaMidrash is providing the resources needed to connect today’s content-craving youth with Jewish traditions and values. Ignited in 2009
Bible Raps > Matt Bar & Ori Salzberg PresenTense Global Summer Institute www.bibleraps.com
Who says class needs to be boring? Bible Raps has reached thousands of students, campers, and educators, and is revolutionizing how Jewish texts are taught. Using the power of music, Bible Raps has developed compelling workshop techniques used in classrooms throughout the Jewish world. Bible Raps are also available on iTunes.
Ignited in 2007
LooktoLearn > Nic Abery PresenTense Global Summer Institute www.looktolearn.co.uk
Through the use of art and high-culture, LooktoLearn has created a program for teaching Jewish values in the secular world. LooktoLearn fuses analysis of Biblical texts with museum-based learning, helping students better connect to their contemporary Jewish identity.
Ignited in 2010
communities
Lifchitz Family Foundation > Becca Linden PresenTense Global Summer Institute www.lifchitzfamily.org
When Becca Linden noticed her extended family growing distant, she created the Lifchitz Family Fund. Forming a democratic giving circle — an innovative model of collective giving — family members can reconnect and become a collective tzedekah powerhouse. Partnering with the San Diego Jewish Community Foundation, the fund allocated over $15,000 in 2009 and continues to grow.
Ignited in 2008
Ignited in 2010
MemProject > Tova Speter CJP Boston/PresenTense Community Entrepreneur Partnership www.thememproject.org
A picture is worth a thousand words. The MEM Project builds upon that idea and engages young adults interested in exploring their Jewish identity through collaborative mural projects. Taking the class out of the classroom, participants engage in community service through art — beautifying both the neighborhood and the soul — and give a voice to an under-served population.
Hebrew Play > Michael Goldstein CJP Boston/PresenTense Community Entrepreneur Partnership www.hebrewplay.org
The Hebrew language is a thread that unites the Jewish people. Hebrew Play aims to make Hebrew an integral part of the American Jewish identity by inspiring local communities of young families to use Hebrew when they play together. With three locations in the United States, Hebrew Play is helping raise the next generation of bilingual children.
Ignited in 2010
Challah for Hunger > Eli Winkelman PresenTense Global Summer Institute www.challahforhunger.org
Challah for Hunger engages college students on more than 30 campuses to bake and sell challah, and donate the profits to help end hunger in the developing world. The program, led by student volunteers, has received international attention, including accolades from Bono and President Bill Clinton.
Ignited in 2007
The Fruits of Tomorrow > Mamaro Mandafro PresenTense Jerusalem Fellowship
The Fruits of Tomorrow (HaPerot Shel Mahar) provides Ethiopian youth with a social framework to explore their Israeli identity, while still preserving the traditions and common language that connect them with the older generation.
Ignited 0 in 201
INSTITUTIONS
Tamid Investments > Eitan Ingall PresenTense Global Summer Institute www.tamidgroup.org
Launched at the University of Michigan, Tamid Israel Investment Group uses a business-oriented framework to pioneer a new program for on-campus Israel education. Both Jewish and non-Jewish students engage in learning about and investing in Israel’s economy through educational seminars, hands-on experience, and a fellowship program.
Ignited in 2008
Ignited in 2010
Eco-Tech > Didi Zilberman PresenTense Jerusalem Fellowship www.mtova.org.il
Didi Zilberman came to PresenTense from Machshava Tova, a nonprofit dedicated to using technology to narrow societal gaps in Israel. Seeking to expand the organization’s reach and impact, she developed a project that combines job-skill training and charity. Eco-Tech trains at-risk youth to fix broken computers — giving them a vocational education — and donates the repaired machines to families in-need.
JCLE > Madeline Bleiweiss Jewish Federation of Cleveland/PresenTense Community Entrepreneur Partnership www.jclecity.org
JCLE is igniting the energy of Jewish young adults in the Cleveland area. Founded as a program of the Cleveland Hillel Foundation, JCLE provides an environment for Jewish graduate students and young professionals to meet — creating the cultural cohesion that the community previously lacked. Ignited in 2010
Fostering Innovation
PRESENTENSE
GROUP
www.presentense.org For more information or to make your impact, contact us at info@presentense.org