JESNA (Jewish Education Service of North America) is the Jewish federation system's educational coordinating, planning, and development agency. A national, non-profit agency, it was created in 1981. It closed in 2013.
Over the past twenty-five years (until 2013), the agency provided service and created partnerships with a wide array of organizations and individuals, including Federations, the religious movements, national agencies, foundations, and many educational institutions.
JESNA's goal was to increase the availability of engaging, inspiring, high quality Jewish education. Operating as a national resource, a community partner, a catalyst and a consultant, an innovator and a guarantor of quality, JESNA helped to: recruit and prepare new generations of talented, committed Jewish educators; create and identify models of excellence in educational practice; and assist communities and front-line institutions in improving their programs and performance.
JESNA worked closely with the central agencies for Jewish education that operate in more than 60 communities and the Jewish federations in more than 150 communities throughout North America.
It was governed by a board of directors composed of lay and professional leaders in Jewish education from across North America, including individuals from the major Jewish religious movements.
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The Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) is an American Jewish non-profit organization that deals with community relations. It is a coordinating round table organization of 15 other national Jewish organizations, including the Reconstructionist, Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox congregational movements, as well as 125 local Jewish federations and community relations councils. The JCPA describes itself as "the representative voice of the organized American Jewish community."
The Jewish Agency for Israel is the largest Jewish nonprofit organization in the world. It was established in 1929 as the operative branch of the World Zionist Organization. Its mission is to "ensure that every Jewish person feels an unbreakable bond to one another and to Israel no matter where they live in the world, so that they can continue to play their critical role in our ongoing Jewish story."
A Zionist youth movement is an organization formed for Jewish children and adolescents for educational, social, and ideological development, including a belief in Jewish nationalism as represented in the State of Israel. Youth leaders in modern youth movements use informal education approaches to educate toward the movement's ideological goals.
A Jewish Federation (Jfed) is the secular primary Jewish nonprofit organization found within most metropolitan areas in North America that host a substantial Jewish community. Their broad purpose is to provide "human services", generally, but not exclusively, to the local Jewish community. All federations at least operate an annual central campaign then allocate the proceeds to affiliated local agencies. There are 148 Jewish Federations. The national umbrella organization for the federations is the Jewish Federations of North America.
Freedom of education is the right for parents to have their children educated in accordance with their religious and other views, allowing groups to be able to educate children without being impeded by the nation state.
Jewish education is the transmission of the tenets, principles and religious laws of Judaism. Known as "People of the Book", Jews value education. The emphasis and value of education is strongly embedded in Jewish culture. Judaism places a heavy emphasis on Torah study. Throughout Jewish history, the tradition of Jewish education began with the Old Testament during biblical times. The bible describes the purpose of Jewish education. The main purpose in the bible is to know how to worship God. Therefore, Jewish parents needed to teach their children about some basic prayers and what the Torah forbids at their young ages. Parents should have transmitted Jewish morals, faith, and values to their children. The bible's teachings have important impact on Jewish education. Because of this, Jewish education is rooted in the Torah. Nathan H. Winter wrote, “Torah has also been described as that dealing with the whole existence of the human being; that which touches life at every point. Torah also connotes learning, instruction, and guidance. Jewish education was concerned with the transmission of this cultural heritage to the individual Jew.”
ORT is a global education network driven by Jewish values. It promotes education and training in communities worldwide. Its activities throughout its history have spanned more than 100 countries and five continents. It was founded in 1880 in Saint Petersburg to provide professional and vocational training for young Jews.
Kiryat Menachem is a neighborhood in southwest Jerusalem. It is bordered by Ir Ganim to the south and east, Mount Ora to the west, and the Jerusalem hills to the north. To the west are steep hills that descend toward streams that flow into Nahal Sorek to the north of Hadassah Ein Karem Hospital. The neighborhood overlooks the village of Ein Karem, Nahal Sorek, and the ruins of Sataf.
United Israel Appeal (UIA), a subsidiary of The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), is a link between the American Jewish community and the people of Israel. An independent legal entity with 501(c)(3) charity status, and a Board of Directors, United Israel Appeal is responsible for the allocation and oversight of funds raised by United States Jewish federation campaigns on behalf of Israel for use by its operating agent, the Jewish Agency for Israel. It also secures and monitors U.S. grant funds for the immigration and absorption of Jewish refugees and humanitarian migrants to Israel from countries of distress. Partnered with the Jewish Agency for Israel, United Israel Appeal assists American Jews to fulfill their ongoing collective commitment to contribute to and participate in the upbuilding of the State of Israel. United Israel Appeal has offices in New York City and Jerusalem.
PJ Library is a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, a North American Jewish non-profit organization based in West Springfield, Massachusetts. It was created in December 2005 as a Jewish engagement and literacy program for Jewish and interfaith families with young children.
The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics is a multi-agency working group within the Department of Education charged with strengthening the nation's capacity to provide high quality education while increasing opportunities for Hispanic American participation in federal education programs. In addition, the Initiative serves as a resource for information related to closing the educational achievement gap for Hispanic Americans. Finally, the Initiative provides staffing to support and coordinate the mission of a President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.
An independent minyan is a lay-led Jewish worship and study community that has developed independently of established denominational and synagogue structures within the organized Jewish community. Some began in the late 1990s and most since the year 2000, though some are several decades older. These new groups often combine a commitment to halakha/Jewish law with egalitarianism, and strive to create worship services where traditional prayer can become "spiritual experiences."
Higher education accreditation is a type of quality assurance process under which services and operations of post-secondary educational institutions or programs are evaluated by an external body to determine if applicable standards are met. If standards are met, accredited status is granted by the agency.
John S. Ruskay, is Executive Vice President emeritus of UJA-Federation of New York and a senior partner of JRB Consulting Services. He served as a Commissioner of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom from May 2016 to May 2018. Ruskay is an author and lecturer on issues affecting the Jewish people.
Educational equity, also referred to as "Equity in education", is a measure of achievement, fairness, and opportunity in education. The study of education equity is often linked with the study of excellence and equity.
Mandell "Bill" Berman (1917–2016) was the businessman and philanthropist behind the Mandell L. and Madeleine H. Berman Foundation, which supports Jewish education, and research and study of the contemporary American Jewish community. His philanthropic focus was on the storage, dissemination, and preservation of Jewish data, as well as Jewish education and special education.
Steven M. Cohen is an American sociologist whose work focuses on the American Jewish Community. He served as a Research Professor of Jewish Social Policy at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and the Director of the Berman Jewish Policy Archive at Stanford University until his resignation in July 2018 after he was accused of sexual harassment.
The Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF) is a private foundation established in 1993 and located in Agawam, Massachusetts. It is a 501(c)(3)nonprofit organization charitable organization with the goal of "enhancing Jewish and community life in Western Massachusetts, North America, Israel, and beyond."
Chabad affiliated organizations and institutions number in the thousands. Chabad is a Hasidic movement, a branch of Orthodox Judaism. The organizations and institutions associated with the movement provide social, educational and religious services to Jews around the globe.
