TL;DR: As Israel focuses on rebuilding and healing after October 7, Amitim is launching its Third Cohort, pairing Israeli non-profits CEOs with North American Jewish leading professionals as mentors, to better serve needs in Israel. Along with this, Amitim has also welcomed Ariela Solomon as Associate Director, formed a PR Committee, added new members to its Advisory Council, and continuing to strengthen ties between Israel and Diaspora Jewry.
As Israel moves towards the end of the war in Gaza and enters the post October 7 era, it will need to go through a process of both rebuilding and healing. This will require rebuilding communities in the North and Western Negev, recovering from the trauma of the onslaught two years ago, mending the deep fissures in Israeli society that have accompanied the war, as well as repairing the damage to relations with Diaspora Jewry and the international community.
The good news is that the grass roots efforts that sprung up over the last two years, and the active support of Jewish communities around the world, provide hope and energy through this challenging time. It is in this very space that Amitim operates. We match seasoned Jewish communal professionals in America with the devoted and talented professional leaders of community organizations in Israel through mentorships to strengthen their managerial capabilities and impact. So, we are delighted to share news and updates about Amitim as we respond to Israel’s needs, progress and expand.
Following the success of our Pilot and Second Cohorts, we are launching our Third Cohort of 15 pairs in the coming weeks.
Amitim and our partner, the Israel Association for Civic Leadership, will publish an RFP in Israel next week to invite non-profits to submit their candidacy. We will select non-profits that are active in rebuilding civic society in Israel, strengthening communities in the North of Israel and the Western Negev and supporting vulnerable populations and minorities.
In parallel, we will be reaching out to former senior communal organization leadership, including Jewish Federation CEOs in North America, to serve as pro-bono mentors. The selection and matching process is complex, as we take the time to match the needs of the Israeli non-profits with the skills, experience and interests of the former CEOs.
Prior to stewarded introductory sessions, we will hold orientation workshops to provide background and context on the legal, fiscal, financial and organizational ecosystems of the respective non-profit sectors and philanthropic climate in Israel and North America.
Following these stages, we anticipate that the actual one on one mentoring will begin by the first of the year.
At this critical point we welcome Ariela Solomon, who has just joined Amitim to serve as Associate Director. She will take on some of the load, help us to grow, enrich our programming and add more professionalism to our work. Ariela is a former American now living in Israel with experience in both the hi-tech and non-profit sectors.
Amitim has received some positive PR recently with a feature article in the Jerusalem Post and a radio interview about Amitim on Israel Radio 103 Station. Considering how important it is to share our story; we have just established a PR and Publicity Committee to be chaired by Elliot Karp. Elliot was formerly CEO of the Las Vegas Jewish Federation and has been with Amitim from the outset. First working with some of the ravaged kibbutzim and in the last year serving as a mentor in our second cohort.
Elliot Karp and Alan Gill, CEO Emeritus of JDC, and chair of the Amitim Advisory Council will also be joining our Executive Committee.
New members of the Amitim Advisory Council are Cindy Chazan, formerly with the Wexner Foundation, and Dr Haia Jamshi, CEO of the Shahaf Foundation in Israel.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our supporters and funders and especially Thom and Lisa Mandel, who have enabled us to make Amitim a reality with significant impact both in Israel and North America.
Michael Weil
Founding Director, AMITIM
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