Rutgers creates Jewish Leadership Think Tank
Archived article from Mar 30, 2001
By Stacey B. Hersh
The Allen and Joan Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life at Rutgers has joined forces with all 13 New Jersey Jewish federations to create the first statewide New Jersey Leadership Think Tank dedicated to developing leaders and addressing issues relevant to the Jewish community throughout New Jersey.
The Leadership Think Tank, a two-year project, will bring together the talent and resources of federation representatives, community leaders and international scholars to focus on the theme "Envisioning the New Jersey Jewish Community in 2010" through a series of five interactive panel discussions.
The first year will focus on building the Jewish community and current trends in philanthropy. The second year will stress more specific issues, such as aging and public policy, Israel/Diaspora relations, the changing role of leadership, and lobbying and the Legislature.
Two leaders from each federation community will be selected to participate in the think tank. Developing expertise in areas such as communication, conflict resolution and coalition building will be stressed throughout the program.
"This is an amazing opportunity for Jewish leaders to work together, share their expertise, develop new skills and address issues of concern within their local communities and the Jewish community statewide," said Karen Small, associate director of the Bildner Center and coordinator of the Leadership Think Tank.
The sessions will feature presentations by nationally recognized scholars and organizational leaders, followed by a discussion led by local Jewish federation leaders.
First-year speakers will include: Charles R. Bronfman, chair of the United Jewish Communities; David Altshuler, president of the Trust for Jewish Philanthropy; and Rabbi Michael Melchior, deputy foreign minister of the Israeli Knesset.
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