Several Denverites have been invited to speak at the Jewish Federation of North Americas 2011 General Assembly which will be held in Denver from Sunday, Nov. 6-Tuesday, Nov. 8:
David Merage, philanthropist and chairman and CEO of Consolidated Investment Group, will speak on the topic, Making Ben-Gurions Dream a Reality: The Negev from Now to 2020, 11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7.
His fellow panelists for this presentation include former Colorado Governor Bill Ritter Jr. and Russell F. Robinson, CEO of JNF.
Phyllis Adler, executive director of Denver-based Stepping Stones, and Rabbi Steven Foster, Rabbi emeritus of Temple Emanuel, Cynthia Ben-Ezra Heller and Saundra Heller will serve on a panel, The Great Frontier of the 21st Century: Welcoming Interfaith Families, also 11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 7.
Sarah Indyk, Jewish initiatives manager for Rose Community Foundation, will serve on a panel, Next Gen in the Shark Tank, 10-11:15 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Lisa Farber Miller, senior program officer at Rose Community Foundation, will speak Beyond Seed Funding: What Does Sustainability Really Mean? Tuesday, Nov. 8, from 11:45 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Barbara Raynor, managing eirector of Boomers Leading Change in Health, will participate in a panel, Hidden in Plain Sight: Sustaining the Involvement of 50- and 60-Somethings, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 11:45 a.m-1 p.m.
Rabbi Hillel Goldberg, executive editor of the Intermountain Jewish News, will participate on a panel at Do the Write Thing, a workshop for young Jewish journalists, Monday, Nov, 7, 1:45-3:30 p.m.
Raynor stated:
This years GA will feature several presentations that focus on baby boomers, which is appropriate since it is believed that, statistically speaking, Denver is the Baby Boomer capital of the US.
As the largest single generation in American history, boomers have a great deal to offer their local communities as philanthropists and as volunteers.
In general, they are highly-skilled, well-educated, and most importantly, possess the desire and the drive to make a difference in so many meaningful ways.
Communities across the US are currently mobilizing Boomer volunteers to address prevailing social issues on a local level issues like healthcare, homelessness, and literacy with great success.
Though much of the Federation movements focus over the past decade has been on engaging young adults, we believe that Boomers truly are the hidden treasures in our local communities and have much to contribute nowand for many years to come.
Farber Miller stated:
I am really excited to be speaking about innovation, creativity and change in the Jewish world, and how we can create a better capital structure to support expansion of new approaches to Jewish life.
In recent years, a Jewish renaissance has been catalyzed by Jewish social entrepreneurs through both start-up organizations and established communal institutions.
Denver and Boulder are playing a critical local role in this global phenomenon.
With 60% of our Jewish population totally uninvolved in our Jewish community, we need new ways to engage people.
Rose Community Foundation has invested $9 million in new programs within and without institutions, such as Limmud Colorado, Ekar Farm, Jewish Student Union, Storahtelling, Moishe House, Hazon and many innovation grants to synagogues and agencies.
As these programs grow, they need new sources of funding so they can go to scale. Isaac Shalev, Nina Bruder and I will be discussing the opportunities and challenges of growing and nurturing new ventures.
