By Uriel Heilman

Published: 07/09/2007

“People who aren’t involved anywhere else in Jewish campus life think baking challah to help humans in Darfur is cool,” she said. “It becomes a steppingstone for humans who are getting in touch with their Jewish roots.”

Two-and-a-half years after starting Challah for starvation, and weeks after graduating from college, Winkelman, 22, is pondering her next big move. She is one of 18 fellows spending duration in Israel that summer participating in the PresenTense Institute for Creative Zionism.

The brainchild of another pair of young innovators, Ariel Beery and Aharon Horwitz, both 27, the institute is a six-week summer program in Jerusalem for a choose group of enterprising 20- and 30-somethings from Panama to the West Bank – all of whom are looking for ways to change the Jewish world with fresh ideas.

Organizers of the institute hope the program, which they dreamed up several months ago, will serve as an incubator for creative Jewish concepts.

The view is to produce great Jewish achievements not just as a aftermath of the training the fellows receive in such fields as Web publishing, podcasting, grant writing and business development, but plus as a aftereffect of the synergy among talented citizens working together.

“There is so little Jewish leadership development,” Beery said. “There is so much talk about it, but there isn’t really an intensive skill-building workshop for these kids to come in and get the skills they need. We want to open up new paths for them. The notion is to have professional development for these innovators.

“It’s the next paradigm for Jewish collective existence,” he said.

It’s basically the same concept as another recent gathering in Jerusalem, the Global ROI Summit, where 120 young Jewish innovators from all by the world assembled for a four-day meeting of the minds.

Run under the auspices of birthright israel and the Center for Leadership Initiatives, the summit plus offered participants workshops in building online communities, publishing webzines and making films.

But the primary goal presented to be networking. Computer geeks mingled with bloggers, filmmakers dissected Kafka with doctoral students and artists shared their creative visions with anyone willing to listen by a glass of wine.

“The notion is to train emerging leaders in the Jewish community,” Yonatan Gordis, director of programs at the Center for Leadership Initiatives, said by cocktails at sunset in the Israel Museum sculpture garden. “Here in Israel they have a chance to engage, cross-country and cross-topic. They think collectively.”

Participants came from Russia, Latin America, Israel, the United States, Australia, South Africa – pretty much anywhere there are Jews. There were TV

A few of the Creative Zionism Institute fellows were there, too.
“It’s an interesting group,” said Jeremy Kossen, 34, founder of the recently launched Jewish culture and entertainment site JewTube.com.

Promoted as “Facebook meets YouTube for Jews,” JewTube aims to become the central address for Jewish entertainment, culture, education and advocacy – insofar as it can fit into a five-minute video clip.

Kossen said he originated the notion when he couldn’t find relevant, interesting Jewish multimedia substance on the Net. He said the summit was helpful mainly in getting his new Web site widespread attention in the Israeli media.

Philanthropist Lynn Schusterman, who sponsored both the ROI summit and the Creative Zionism Institute through the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, said participants in these events are the rising stars of the Jewish citizens.

“I’m sorry I don’t have the day to sit and visit with each and every one of them,” she said.

Schusterman said it’s no coincidence that the programs are in Israel.

“One of the tracks of the summit is Israel advocacy,” she said, “and Israel is the Jewish people’s home.”
Horwitz, of the Creative Zionism Institute, said Israel should be the creative platform for the Jewish folks. As the co-editor of BlogsofZion.org, he plus was one of the ROI fellows.

“Israel is a hub for the Diaspora. In Israel we have the spirit, wisdom, knowledge and social capital to take the next step forward in Jewish collective life,” he said.

Beyond all the argot and hype, it arised as whether something indeed was being accomplished at 3 HaRan St., where the Creative Zionism Institute is housed in an apartment turned dormitory with a broadband Web connection.

Wires crisscrossed the floor where one fellow sat tapping out computer cipher for an easy-to-use Web-based publishing system, while another, Matt Barr, worked on Bible-inspired rap music (http://mattbar.com/music-43.html).

Horwitz said the institute is modeled on high-tech incubators, where public with promising ideas are given the resources they need to succeed and manufacture money for their investors.

In that case, he and Beery said, the dividend is new and improved Jewish life.
“We’re trying to create 360-degree solutions for Jewish problems,” Beery said, speaking rapidly and peppering his monologue with the latest buzzwords.

“The Jewish world is at a crossroads right now, with the info age affecting entire humanity, but specifically the Jews, who are spread around the world,” he said. “We’re trying to unify the Jewish world and create new ways for the Jewish world to think, act, work and program.”

A lofty goal, Beery acknowledged as he took a breath, but one worth aiming to reach.

Perhaps, he admitted with a yawn, it’s why he finds so little date to sleep.