Join AZM at TribeFest for 2 exciting sessions!

Session 1

QUIZrael: Trivia and Pub Quiz
Sunday, March 25, 5:45-7:00PM

Did you know the first Zionist Congress took place in a casino? You’re not alone! Team up with friends for a fun trivia pub night event. Prizes up for grabs. Bonus: learn a bit about the history of Israel and Zionism (and a few fun Israel/Vegas facts). Click here to register your team in advance, or go stag and meet new friends.

Co-sponsored by JTA Archives

Session 2

Tzedek Hevrati! Israel’s Social Protests in the Global Context
Monday, March 26, 3:30-5:00PM

What do the Arab Spring, Occupy Movements, and Israeli Protests all have in common? Why were Israelis chanting Ha’am Doresh Tzedek Hevrati! meaning “The people demand social justice!” throughout the summer of 2011? How do the Israeli protests compare to the global protests movements that took shape throughout the year? Join us to investigate the parallels in the global protests movements and explore the unique aspects of Judaism and Zionism that encourage and support social justice.

Co-sponsored by JFNA and New Israel Fund

For more information about or to register for TribeFest, please visit http://www.tribefest.org.

For more information about AZM, please visit www.azm.org, or email vizion@azm.org.

The conversation ranged from technical discussions about the proper use of hashtags and linking, to insights on the impact that one can have as a player in the social media realm. Shai Franklin pointed out that in our increasingly digitalized world, social media is a live platform for dialogue and interaction. The members of ViZionPRO had the opportunity to pick up tips from Franklin, as well as each other, and came away with a greater grasp of the various social media tools and mechanisms available to them. Some of the ideas shared included timing ones Tweets, blog posts, and status updates in a manner tailored toward ones target audience, so as to ensure optimal viewing space in various news feeds, and thinking of Twitter as a form of a press release; a means by which to inform your followers of an event, article, or idea.

It’s clear that some of the messages shared were being taken to heart, as several participants utilized social media to Tweet about the event and share the discussion with their own social networks. Participants were also able to network with one another, and many lingered afterwards to continue the conversation.

Join us for an upcoming event! The next ViZionPRO Roundtable will be held in November. ViZionPRO will also be hosting a professional development workshop on December 7. For more information, email vizion@azm.org or visit the ViZion Professionals group on Facebook.

Shabbat yoga session (credit: JCC Kehilla)

With summer drawing to a close, nearly 200 young Jews in Chicago decided to take advantage of the beautiful Lake Michigan and Lincoln Park for Shabbat on the Lake.  Shabbat activities were designed to be inclusive, creative and most of all, engaging.

As the sun set over Chicago, participants were presented with a range of options for Shabbat services and activities.  Lincoln Park provided a beautiful, peaceful setting for Conservative and Orthodox services along with Shabbat inspired yoga and drumming.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the evening were Rabbinic- and young leadership- led text studies dealing with themes of Shabbat.  Rabbis spanning Chicago’s denominational spectrum donated their time and energy to provide thought provoking facilitation for Shabbat on the Lake.  Concepts ranging from tikkun olam to what makes a Jewish community unique to the laws of Shabbat were discussed by participants learning in chevruta.

Co-sponsors included JCC Kehilla, Birthright NEXT, Hadassah, Anshe Emet, Anshe Sholom B’nei Israel Congregation, Temple Emmanuel, and Temple Sholom. Shabbat on the Lake was a far reaching collaboration to present Chicago’s young community with a truly pluralistic and exciting Shabbat experience.  Many thanks are due to all of the volunteers and staff who made this event enjoyable and memorable

Over 30 individuals of all ages, various Jewish backgrounds, and strongly connected to the Zionist movement through activism or profession, gathered on May 17 in NYC for a dynamic and thought-provoking workshop, hosted by ViZionPRO.   Founded in 2008 under the name ViZion, ViZionPRO is a professional development group which creates programming geared towards professionals working in Jewish/Israel/Zionist related non-profits, and is a project of the American Zionist Movement (AZM).

The first of two annual interactive half-day workshops, the goal for this seminar was to provide attendees the opportunity to learn more about navigating the world of foundation funding and communicating effectively on behalf of a cause.

Dr. David Bryfman, Director of the New Center for Collaborative Leadership and Teen Engagement (of The Jewish Education Project), skillfully moderated the sessions.  David elaborated on how Zionism fits within the scope of an individual’s Jewish identity through group exercises.

During the first session, Mark Charendoff offered a greater understanding of Jewish foundations, the impact they have in the world of Jewish philanthropy and beyond, and the importance of relationship-building. Charendoff shared his experiences during his tenure as President of the Jewish Funders Network and now as president of the MSC Philanthropic Services and the Maimonides Fund. He emphasized the importance of developing personal relationships, saying that people do business with those they trust. “Money is not power. Making decisions about money is power.” And, people will be more inclined to use their power to your benefit if they know and trust you.

The seminar’s second session featured Micah Halpern, who extolled the importance of understanding the message of a cause in order to communicate it effectively. Halpern, a syndicated columnist and social and political commentator, led the group in an interactive activity where participants had to list the top five aspects of a leading Jewish cause. A major part of effective communication is to know your audience. “It is important to know when and how to change the context of your message so that it will be heard by those to whom you are speaking.” Micah echoed Mark’s sentiments by saying that it is easier to communicate your message to those who trust you.

Participants lingered at the conclusion of the workshop, reviewing topics that had come up, approaching the speakers, and networking with each other. Leora Kaufman, Chair of ViZionPro, encouraged everyone to attend future events such as one of ViZionPro’s signature Roundtables scheduled for July 12th and September 20th.

For more information about ViZionPro, contact vizionpro@azm.org or visit www.azm.org.

With Israeli music in the background and their Israeli snacks – Bamba, Bisli and Pesek Zman – teams of trivia champions were formed and the competition began. Pub Quiz cards with general trivia and special multimedia questions were handed out to participants. With their eyes glued to the screens, participants viewed eleven commercials borrowed from Israeli TV. Each commercial tells an Israeli story: from shared Army experiences to coffee culture, from the LGBT community to our Jewish heritage, each clip brought New York just a little closer to Tel Aviv. “The Pub Quiz concept was conceived as a way to bring some fun (and perhaps less known) parts of Israel to the American audience. What’s important is that people had fun and also learned something. Even some native Israelis in the room found the questions challenging” said Shlomo Schwartz, WZO Educational Shaliach, who is on the team that came up with the idea.

The winning team walked off with a meal for each team member at Hummus Place, and the second place team scooped up a large serving of gelato from Screme – New York’s Best Gelato, who sponsored the event and offered a free gelato upgrade to every participant who attended.

Sponsored by Dor Chadah and by ViZion, the Young Leadership Division of the American Zionist Movement, the Israeli Bar Night and Pub Quiz was one in a series of Israeli and Zionist themed cultural events. Stay tuned for more exciting things coming up. For more information please contact: vizion@azm.org.

Cafe Wha?

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Join AZM Chicago and VIZion Chicago for Building Resiliency Among Israel’s Emergency Medical Responders: Reducing Secondary Traumatic Stress.

Monday, May 23 from 12pm-1pm

Adler School of Professional Psychology (17 N. Dearborn, Chicago)

Guests will need to check in at the front desk of Adler, located on the 15th floor of the building.

The event will be held in Room 16-118.

Guest Speakers: Dr. Uri Heller, Ph.D. and Talia Kurland, Psy.D. Student (and Dor Hemshech Young Adult Board Member)

Please bring a lunch; refreshments will be provided

Suggested $5 Donation

*Please RSVP to jwainer@azm.org or 847-677-5949 by Thursday, 5/19
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The goal of this lunchtime professional development seminar is to educate the community as to the development of a systemic psychosocial intervention program for Magen David Adom (MDA) volunteers and staff. We hope to engage in discussion and gain insight from community members before we move on to the next step in our research, creating and implementing the intervention program. The following information is a brief summary of the research so far:

Emergency medicine offers a hgih variability of situations for which medical responders must be prepared. Furthermore, the nature of emergency medicine leaves the first aid responder with little closure as to the outcome of the patients seen on a daily basis.

Israel’s emergency medical responders, Magen David Adom (MDA) has over 10,000 volunteers of which 4,000 are youth between the ages of 15-18 and 6,000 adult volunteers between the ages of 21-65. MDA is a highly respected organization in israeli culture, and many young volunteers remain active in the organization for life. In addition to those emergencies seen worldwide (i.s., heart attacks, car accidents, etc.), Israel’s emergency personnel must be prepared to enter situations, which have resulted in mass casualties and serious injuries that are the results of

ViZion aims to provide Jewish young adults with educational and social opportunities, allowing them to explore what Zionism means to them from both personal and communal perspectives. “I didn’t know that Zionism can still be cool” said one party-goer.  This event is the first in a line of events planned for New Yorkers in the coming months.

ViZion_Kickoff-1

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Featuring:

Magic Carpet World Music Group (8:45)

Koval Whiskey Tasting (8-9pm)

Silent Auction/Raffle Prizes

Advanced Registration $20 until 4/13 at 5pm:
http://www.azm.org/magnivbaviv,

$25 at the door

*Includes one drink ticket & appetizers*

**Dietary Laws Observed**

***Magic Carpet honors ancient music while taking a bold step into the future. With the vibrations of Jazz, Reggae, and Funk, blended with the traditions of Africa, the Middle East, and India, Magic Carpet embarks on a spiritual journey every time they take off.***

With Israeli music playing in the background and scenes of Israel on the screens, the bar was transformed into a mini-Israel. “I miss Israel and I have been looking for ways to connect with other Hebrew speakers. From the moment that I entered the event, I knew that it would be an enjoyable night in which I could connect with Israel,” said Michal, a quiz participant.

The event, which was co-sponsored by Boston’s CJP, Masa Israel Journey, and the Consulate General of Israel to New England, was a kickoff for the newly formed Boston Israel Group – a group of Jewish, Israeli and American young adults in Boston, who care about Israel. BIG seeks to facilitate an awareness of Israel in the greater Boston area, and works specifically within the young adult community. Through a special partnership with AZM, ViZion and BIG are work together continuously to provide high quality Israel programming to Boston’s Jewish Young Adults.

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Shalom Klein is the Director of Business Services at Moshe Klein & Associates, Ltd., a Skokie-based accounting firm that provided low cost bookkeeping, accounting, and tax services for small businesses. He is a tireless networker and has founded the networking group, Jewish B2B Networking, which plans and hosts events for business people all around the Chicago area. Shalom also is the publisher of Jewish Business News.

Sponsored by the American Zionist Movement- Chicago and ViZion (the Young Leadership division of the American Zionist Movement)

ViZion is a group that meets monthly for professional development and networking; this months ViZion is open to individuals who work in the Jewish community on a professional and lay leader level.

Please bring lunch; refreshments will be provided.

Location: Argo Tea (1 N. Dearborn, Chicago)

RSVP by 3/10 to: Jessica, jwainer@azm.org or by calling 847-677-5949