Young Adult Impact Grants Initiative Begins

Lana Volftsun

 

By Lana Volftsun, Young Adult Impact Grants Initiative Member This year’s IGI kicked off at the JCF where we had the opportunity to hear from Roger Bennett about the changing young adult Jewish experience in America. We discussed why we give and why we give Jewishly – what does giving Jewishly mean to us? Afterwards, we broke into groups to discuss our values. It was fascinating to see what motivates each IGI member to give and what fuels their passions.

Our IGI chairs, Matthew and Jason Goldman facilitated a group discussion on the topic, ultimately unifying the group around shared values ranging from innovation to community to tradition. It was exciting to meet so many new people who also care about doing good Jewishly. Our second gathering was held over dinner at the home of Doug & Lisa Goldman. I was thrilled that we were joined by Toby Rubin, Founder and CEO of UpStart Bay Area. She educated us about the local and national climate for serving post-college young adults and provided great examples of what has worked locally and nationally. We went around the table and shared our most valuable or engaging recent Jewish experience. Responses ranged from Birthright Israel and other travel opportunities to Mission Minyan or a casual Shabbat with friends.

After a delicious dinner, we broke into small groups to discuss how we like to be engaged Jewishly and where we see areas that could be better served in the Bay Area. The warmth of the Goldman’s home and the excitement building around the table made for a really wonderful evening and I can’t wait for the next one! We’re convening again at the end of March to design our Request for Proposals and we may even have a local ‘field trip’ before then.

I’m thrilled to be part of IGI to learn more about myself, my peers, and to positively influence the Bay Area Jewish community. Thank you so much to everyone who made this program possible, I can’t wait to see the impact we make!