3 minute read
A New Look
Every so often, it’s time for a refresh.
As Spertus Institute approaches a landmark birthday (100 in 2024!), we have been taking a good look at the most important ways we meet needs and serve constituents.
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Last year we rolled out a strategic plan focused on Jewish learning with lasting impact and real-world application, that advances lives, jobs, and communities. At the same time, we have expanded our scope and capacity. Spertus now reaches learners around the world—in addition to those in Chicago, where we remain an important educational anchor.
With our sharpened focus and significant geographic growth, it makes sense for our look to get some attention as well. In the months ahead we will be proudly rolling out a brand refresh that honors our past and celebrates our future. A new website will follow.
The flame, long an element of the Spertus logo, will now often appear in a circle, centering its power and reflecting our global impact: as the flame lights the world. New fonts provide increased legibility online and on mobile, with cross-platform availability to streamline remote work for our staff. We have also embraced a newer translation of the Hebrew phrase which appears below the flame. Traditionally, this phrase (pronounced Yehi Or) has been translated as “Let There Be Light,” but we find the more active rendering, Be the Light, to be an inspiring snapshot of our impact and the work of those we serve.
We extend thanks to Spertus Senior Designer Tracy Kostenbader for her significant contributions to this project. The refresh incorporates ideas from our recent work with Greater Good Strategies. Our website is being created in partnership with Ignite Digital Strategy Group.
Contents
News
A New Look | P2 Letter from Spertus President and CEO Dr. Dean P. Bell | P5 On the Cover | P5 Fighting Antisemitism with Education | P7 Educators and Thought Leaders | P11 Stories That Matter | P25 Video Series Features Spertus Board Chair Dr. Sharon Silverman | P29 62 Years of Service | P31
Graduate Programs
Degree Offerings | P13 Learning Together | P15 Alumni Advance Communities Around the World | P17
Certificate Programs
Leadership Certificate in Combating Antisemitism | P7 Certificate in Jewish Leadership | P13
Workshops and Programs
Critical Conversations: Community Responsibility in the Age of COVID | P9 Connect & Learn: Presented with JPro Chicago | P19 MentorWorks: Self-Reflection | P20 Leadership Academy: Reimagining Nonprofit Governance | P21 Voices: Rescued Stories Brought to Life | P23
Your Support
Funding and Fostering a Community of Learning | P27 Your Legacy | P28
Spertus Institute is a partner with the Jewish United Fund in serving our community
Health & Safety Guidelines | All visitors must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination and a photo ID per Chicago mandate. Masks are required regardless of vaccination status and our on-site food and beverage kiosk is closed.
Our programs continue to be a mix of onsite and online. All is subject to change. Please check our website at spertus.edu, sign up to receive our enewsletters, or follow Spertus on social media for regular updates.
Discovering Resilience in Jewish Text and Tradition
“Ahiyah Hashiloni cursed them as a reed. What is a reed? That which stands in a place of water, with shoots that renew themselves and many roots. Even if all the winds in the world come and blow against it, it will move back and forth with them. When the wind falls silent, the reed will stand in its place.
But the wicked Balaam blessed them as a cedar, as it is said: Like cedars beside the waters (Num 24:6): What is a cedar? That which does not stand in a place of water, without shoots that renew themselves and without many roots. When the winds come and blow against it, it does not move back and forth with them. So when a strong south wind blows against it, it is uprooted and upended.”
— THE TALMUD (Tractate Ta’anit 20a)
On the Cover
As an institution rooted in Jewish wisdom, at Spertus we believe that studying Jewish texts isn’t just an academic exercise. It is a relevant platform for building a more compassionate, more vibrant Jewish future.
In the same vein, artist Michel D’Anastasio brings light and contemporary interpretation to Hebrew calligraphy. His creation for our cover features the phrase רוא יהי which appears in our logo and inspires us to Be the Light.
