After a year hiatus, the Mandel Jerusalem Fellows program reopened for the 2008-9 academic year with five fellows recognized for their accomplishments as Jewish educators, institutional leaders and social entrepreneurs. The fellows spent the year intensively studying and exploring subjects such as theories of education, visions of the good life, pluralism and theory and practice.

Each fellow devoted much of the year to developing an individual project proposed as part of the application process.  The projects addressed important challenges in Jewish education and community, affording an opportunity to examine the relationship between theory and practice as well as the role of vision in Jewish educational leadership. Fellows were paired with personal tutors who helped guide their work in this realm. Additionally, fellows presented progress in their project work in the framework of a weekly project workshop in which faculty and other fellows critiqued, challenged and helped develop their work. The program culminated in June with final presentations in which fellows presented their year’s work to peers, Mandel faculty and colleagues from their professional world.

Amichai Lau-Lavie spent the year researching and developing a book that contextualizes the past decade of his professional achievements as the founder and director of Storahtelling. The book, entitled ‘Bible, Interrupted,’ articulates his discoveries, ideas and applicable pedagogies. It traces the evolution of the Bible as a spoken, written and translated text, focusing on the Torah Service, Judaism’s central public ceremony of Biblical instruction. Via an analysis of the Torah Service methodology, Lau-Lavie presents a unique five-step model for the re-integration of sacred legacies into the contemporary public square.

In her project, Esti Moskovitz-Kalman explored the nature of the relationship between North American Jewish leaders and Israel. As part of her research, Esti interviewed North American rabbis, Jewish professionals and lay leaders. Based on the conclusions of her research, she proposed a profile of an Israel-engaged leader and a model for training such leaders to become Israel-engaged.

Serena Eisenberg developed a vision of tikkun olam (social justice) to inform educational efforts, particularly related to professional development in the American Jewish social justice field. She proposed suggestions and questions for continued training to broaden and deepen Jewish educators’ understanding of tikkun olam – as individual and collective moral growth through action as well as in the cognitive, emotional, and spiritual realms.

Concerned that Judaism’s imperatives to learn from and care for the other often become lost in the translation from text to act, Miriam Margles examined dynamics that hinder this enactment.  Envisioning a flourishing Jewish life in which attentive and receptive relationships are of ultimate concern and sacred import, she developed a vision of Jewish education that fosters qualities of relationality rooted in curiosity, generosity and care, and that addresses the obstacles that get in the way.

Wendy Amsellem developed a professional training component for the women who are studying in the fulltime program at Drisha Institute. In her paper, she explored some of the challenges and possible trade-offs involved in incorporating a professional development component into the current ‘beit midrash’ study program.

Judging from impressions of fellows, tutors and other members of faculty as well as outside observers, the one-year model of the Mandel Jerusalem Fellows program is off to a successful start, having sent five accomplished graduates to grapple with important Jewish educational challenges as they continue to make their mark in this realm.