Unpacking Jewish

Empowerment

A new way of thinking about Jewish growth

What is this?

Unpacking Jewish Empowerment is a joint project between UJA Federation of Greater Toronto and Rosov Consulting.

UJA Federation of Greater Toronto has a long track record of supporting programs committed to increasing Jewish engagement—connecting people to Jewish life and whetting their appetite for more. In its most recent strategic plan, Federation determined to build on these efforts with the goal of moving community members further. It made a commitment to Jewish empowerment—expanding the numbers of those who did not just consume Jewish life but were capable of creating it in their families and communities.

Federation turned to the team at Rosov Consulting for help with creating a conceptual model of Jewish empowerment and documenting a sample of programs and organizations across North America that are engaged in this work.

We now share the fruits of our joint work: a model of the program elements that cultivate Jewish empowerment and the outcomes these elements produce and short sketches of 12 programs and organizations that employ the practices outlined in the model.

Our hope is that these materials can help those who nurture Jewish empowerment to act with greater clarity of purpose and deeper knowledge of what this endeavor involves.

Understanding the model

Drawing on a series of interviews with educators and volunteer leaders, Rosov Consulting built this model of Jewish empowerment to visually and conceptually depict the program design elements that cultivate Jewish empowerment and the outcomes produced.

Explore the model

Hover over the elements in the interactive model below to learn more:

Characteristics of Empowerment

To be empowered as a Jew is to have an authentic sense of one’s Jewish self and to have the confidence and commitment to proactively pursue a Jewish path of one’s own choosing.

As people are exposed to the kinds of supports and experiences that help develop a sense of empowerment (such as mentorship and opportunities to experiment), they move from being passive consumers of Jewish experience to being active contributors to their own sense of being Jewish. They contribute to the Jewish community more widely.

Capacities of Empowerment

The internal capacities that individuals develop through their experience of more intensive, empowering programs are integral to preparing and supporting these individuals in increasingly independent and proactive kinds of involvement in both their own and others’ Jewish life. These internal capacities also enable more outward-facing capacities: what empowered community members have to offer one another and the community.

Through experiencing trust and mentorship and having opportunities to own and try new things, individuals develop increased self-confidence and self-activation. These feelings are accompanied by a sense of authenticity and intention. These emotions inspire people toward leadership as opposed to "followership" and inspire them to develop not just knowledge, but a sense of reliable expertise that they trust. Empowered in these ways, people are more likely to take on a deep commitment to their Jewish identity and to participating and strengthening Jewish life around them.

Understanding the model

Explore the model

Hover over the elements in the interactive model below to learn more:

Characteristics of Empowerment

To be empowered as a Jew is to have an authentic sense of one’s Jewish self and to have the confidence and commitment to proactively pursue a Jewish path of one’s own choosing.

Capacities of Empowerment

Sketches of Empowerment

The following 12 program sketches bring to life the practices of Jewish empowerment—enabling people to have an authentic sense of their Jewish selves and the confidence and commitment to proactively pursue a Jewish path of their own choosing.

These sketches employ concepts and categories from the Jewish Empowerment Model presented above to describe examples of program design elements that cultivate Jewish empowerment and the outcomes produced by such practices.