Last month a new blog from the Mandel Center for Jewish studies at Brandeis University said that ” Some of the most talented, passionate and deeply knowledgeable members of the Jewish community do not have the opportunity to share their passions and knowledge. We have not linked the silos, smoothing the path for young Jews from our schools or synagogues to find Jewish studies experiences when they arrive in college.”(italics mine).
The irony here, is that there are so many silos to be linked! The author was talking about academicians connecting with college students and announced a new program to meet that need. It sure sounds like a great idea, but why stop there? When thinking about silos within the Jewish community, the list is so much more extensive. Specifically, the lack of programming for entering college students is gargantuan. Is there a way to be pro-active and link those silos before students actually get to campus?
We need to create programs that connect college students to the greater Jewish community before (or when) they arrive in their college town. What about developing mentorship programs for Jewish studies majors who are interested in working in the Jewish community? How about creating support systems for the hundreds of college students working in synagogues as teachers and youth group advisors? Shouldn’t this be a priority?
We need to develop an internet-internship hub for students majoring in business, marketing, and non-profit management ( a partial list of relevant majors) so motivated students can find placements in Jewish organizations.
Briefly, we need to worry about the big picture and not just one remedy–and more than just linking silos, we need to craft a web of connectedness.
We should be planning out an entire meal instead of focusing on the appetizers. As Jewish non-profit organizations we often take an a la carte approach to issues, hoping that a ‘quick fix’ will suffice. Since non-profits can’t get funding for what we really need (the whole meal) we try to get by with discrete programs (appetizers) and hope that will satiate the hunger.
A co-worker of mine says “We’re not that rich to be so cheap!” when frugal solutions are used instead of a more costly but durable option. Patchwork programs work in similar ways, tricking us into thinking the problem is solved.
So, why be content with tapas tastings? Because for the moment, it stays the hunger–which makes us feel a lot better.
But really, we’ve missed the mark.