Jewish Futures Competition

The 2011 Jewish Futures Conference - Competition Winners

The 2011 Jewish Futures Competition prompted many people from around the country and beyond our borders to think about the future of Jewish Education. We received so many interesting, thought provoking ideas. Unfortunately, only two could be presented to the educational community at the Jewish Futures Conference.

As a way to acknowledge the time, effort, thought, and expense that went into the videos submitted to the competition, we will be highlighting the top ten over the coming weeks, introducing one each week.

We invite your comments and feedback about the ideas presented.

This week’s presentation is from Nomi Szoychen:

2011 Competition Winners

Ben Wiener is the founder of tenpartners, an innovative non-profit venture designed to attract and engage a new generation of active, local Jewish lay leaders. In his professional activities Ben specializes in private equity transactions and business development, with particular expertise in international dealmaking. Ben is the founder of Portofino Equity Advisors, a fundless sponsor of private equity transactions and business ventures and was a Vice President at IDT Corp, where he managed acquisition projects and established and managed a number of new corporate subsidiaries. Ben started his professional career as a corporate lawyer in New York and as a Clerk on Israel’s Supreme Court, before leaving legal practice to co-found two software companies. Ben earned a B.A. from Yeshiva University, and a J.D. from Columbia Law School. He lives with his wife and children in Jerusalem, Israel.

Andrea Rose Cheatham Kasper holds a BA from The George Washington University, a Masters degree in Jewish Education from Hebrew College and is an Ed.D. candidate in Northeastern’s Jewish Educational Leadership Program. Originally from Israel, she has lived in the USA, Japan, Panama and currently in Iceland. These diverse countries have influenced her educational vision and philosophy. She is committed to simple, resourceful living and envisions a Jewish community that appreciates the various and diverse skills of its members. She is excited about the idea of developing a Jewish vocational high school. As a professional dancer she is intimately connected to the arts and creative process and was recently awarded a regional grant for the production of her work. Andrea is married to Jacob, a marine fisheries biologist and has two children, Zelia, 3, and Lazer, 1.

Featured Videos

The Fulcrum Project, Raissa and Danny

Debra Harris

Rabbi Laura A. Baum

View her entry here.