By David Levin-Kruss, Yesod Europe’s Jewish Learning Director: In the time of the Mishna and Talmud, younger rabbis would learn from their elders by sitting at their feet and absorbing their words and actions. This was an ancient form of mentoring. We would expect the Mishna to praise this phenomenon wholeheartedly but, instead it sounds a cautionary note.  Avot 2:10  And warm yourself by the fire of the Sages but be careful around their coals that you should not be burned, for their bite is the bite of a fox, and their sting is the sting of a scorpion, and

By Rabbi David Levin Kruss Yesod Europe’s Jewish Learning Director Walk into a Jewish organization and you will often find professionals questioning, arguing, and being expressive. These qualities stem from both historic experience and also from our texts and how we study them. As far back as the Torah, we have stories of arguments with God and leaders. The bible even has entire books that contradict each other. And in the Talmud, stories and law rub shoulders with each other and sometimes challenge each other. In Jewish texts, important material is surrounded by commentary. The page comes alive as the

By Rabbi David Levin-Kruss Yesod Europe’s Jewish Learning Director The other day I went into a favorite cafe and ordered. While I was waiting, I got impatient as usually I would have used the app and had the food ready for me. We seem to use apps for everything – to book tickets, meet people, buy groceries. And, in our professional lives, to make meetings, organize conferences, communicate with our participants. Well, it’s about time the internet is utilized to help us through the challenges of Yom Kippur. In the Unetaneh Tokef prayer, said on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur

By Colin Bulka, Yesod Europe Programme Director In my time as a community worker, I’ve worked for a variety of organisations in both Jewish and non- Jewish settings and there is one distinction that has caused me to reflect on the meaning of the ‘professional’ aspect of my role as a Jewish community professional. This concerns the extent to which, in any given workplace, I am part of the community that the organisation serves, or not. The idea of a ‘professional’ can conjure up a myriad of associations, depending on context. Sometimes it simply implies payment, in others competence and

By Rabbi Rebecca Lillian, Shir Hazafon: Progressive Judaism in Denmark. Three dearly important mentors of mine are retiring this year. Each one created, nurtured and led   transformative projects. They were teachers and models to a generation of Jewish leaders. It’s hard to imagine those organizations without these individuals at the helm. Yet many Jewish organizations face similar concerns as their founders step down. Avrum Lupin notes in eJewishPhilanthropy that too little is being written about the many challenges faced by the organizations that they leave behind. This prompted me to look at what our texts teach about succession planning. What

By Rabbi David Levin-Kruss Introduction “Israel is laid waste. His seed is no more!” Carved on a big black stone in Egypt in the thirteenth century BCE, these are the first words about the Jews outside the bible. And, ironically, they’re a death notice for one of the world’s longest living peoples. Contrary to “one’s seed being no more,” the survival of the Jewish people is an exciting puzzle to be solved. So much so that the Dalai Lama has met with prominent Jewish thinkers to learn from them how Tibetans can survive their own diaspora.   Here are five popular

By Rabbi Zsolt Balla The past two years our communities and our world experienced major crises. The COVID-pandemic was a serious challenge to individuals and communities. Many of our old ways and concepts had to change. How can we make sure that we do not lose contact with our elderly members? How can we make sure that we keep the spark of tradition alive for those less connected? How can we make sure that those who are not visible to us will not be exploited or abused? Two years after the pandemic started, we still struggle with these questions. And

By David Levin-Kruss, Yesod Europe Jewish Learning Director  Have you ever filled out a grant application form? Almost always there is a question about what is new, different, or innovative about the program you want money for. But what is innovation? Why is it seen as so important? And is it as crucial as it is made out to be? Many of us know the Hebrew word “chadash” which means new. But there’s a related Hebrew word “chidush” which means innovation, novelty, discovery, or new idea. In Chagiga 3a in the Babylonian Talmud it tells us that it is impossible

By Josh Weiner, Rabbi and Jewish Educator, France When I am at my best, I try to think about the consequences of any action that I will be taking. I follow rules and guidelines I have set for myself. This is parallel to a growing trend in both the business and non-profit world focusing on data-driven management. Rather than deciding what’s good based on whims, rumours, and ego, we have systems in place to make effective decisions. This is what I usually do but, every so often, I throw caution to the wind and do something impulsive based on inner