JEWWW in a Box
Submitted by: Batsheva
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The Big Idea
Jewish Education on the World Wide Web (JEWWW), which began in 2006 with the goal of making quality Jewish education accessible to everyone, will provide Jews from all backgrounds with the tools they need not only to be Jewish, but to do Jewish, - not just the what's of Judaism, but more importantly, the how's and why's of Judaism.
Combining exciting, tangible Jewish experiences at home using our monthly JBoxes, with on-line multi-media interactions through JEWWW.org, we will bring stimulating, multifaceted learning opportunities to a broad range of the Los Angeles Jewish Community. Whether a young, unaffiliated family shares and learns about Jewish holidays together for the first time, college dorm friends try to deepen their Jewish understandings and identity, or B’nai mitzvah students and their families want to create a more meaningful experience in preparation, JEWWW in a Box will provide the furnishings to meet all of their needs!
This idea affects the largest amount of Jewish people, influences the Jewish educational landscape in the most dramatic way and will, over time, provide the biggest and most exciting return on the Los Angeles Federation’s investment.
Why Is This Idea Unique or Innovative?
Some other ideas include the use of multi-media or the internet, but we take that one important step further with our interactive JBoxes, which include:
All of the ingredients for experiencing the mitzvah or theme.
A fun and meaningful activity that engages the whole family (or group of dorm friends!) with the mitzvah or theme.
Specially laminated cards that guide participants on a fulfilling journey through the how's and why's of each particular theme or mitzvah connecting each member in a deeper way. Additionally, JEWWW.org, will provide more interactive ideas, activities, one-on-learning opportunities, multi-media e-learning classrooms featuring guest teachers, as well as weekly courses that all supplement the contents of the Jboxes.
Imagine that a family gets their JBox and the topic is Tzedakkah. After going through the materials and enjoying their activity together, Joshua, an 8 year old boy, finds great games on the website that reinforce ideas that he and his family have been learning about and discussing. Melissa, a 12 year old girl, can use the web site to research meaningful Tzeddakah projects for her Bat Mitzvah. Danny, a 17 year old who practically lives on Facebook, can find an on-line community of Jewish teens from all around Los Angeles who have created a group to plan a fundraiser for Israel. And their parents can participate in an interactive lecture by an expert guest presenter who talks about the importance of giving Tzedakkah in Los Angeles, such as Federation president Jay Sanderson or PJ Library founder Harold Grinspoon.
Each member of the family benefits in the way that they need. Now multiply these benefits by thousands of families and we can sense the impact of this unique and innovative idea.
Why Is This a "Big" Idea?
This idea is a completely fresh and game-changing approach to Jewish education because of the combined use of 21st century technology and experiential hands-on learning. JBoxes bring families and friends together, which strengthens us as Jews but also builds up the Jewish community. The current approach to Jewish education from all streams of Judaism is leaving so many people underwhelmed and/or undereducated, and not really appreciating that Judaism is an active, vivacious religion.
JEWWW in a Box has the ability to completely reverse these trends. In addition to the countless unaffiliated Jews that we can reach, we will continue to involve families enjoying PJ Library books, giving them the next step in their Jewish journey. Building on and enhancing the continued success of the Los Angeles Hillels, Birthright Next and Jewlicious, we would facilitate the opportunities for college age and young adults continual exploration and enjoyment of their Jewish heritage by receiving monthly JBoxes and having an opportunity to take on-line classes in a variety of subjects or work one-on-one with an outstanding educator.
As Jewish educators we appreciate how amazing it is to inspire even one person. Now just imagine what would happen if we could directly influence and inspire even 25% of the over 300,000 non-affiliated Jews in Los Angeles. That would be more than 75,000 Jews who would discover and/or find meaning in their Jewish heritage and become closer connected to the Los Angeles Jewish community. The possibilities for changing the face of and reinvigorating Jewish education make this not only a big idea, but a really huge one!
The Impact
The goal of JEWWW in a Box is to reintroduce Judaism in a meaningful, dynamic way to unaffiliated or minimally affiliated Jews, as well as invigorate and deepen commitment, love of Jewish practice and level of understanding for Jewish families in a joyous, accessible way. Just as Jewish summer camps and Israel trips, have had a major impact on Jewish continuity because they focus on doing Jewish, not just learning about Judaism, our approach will bring families together to experience Judaism and all that it has to offer.
In a time when families are spending less and less time together, our JEWWW in a Box program can help bring families closer, which is also imperative for Jewish continuity. Additionally, in our JEWWW online communities, students from all over Los Angeles, of different backgrounds and from various locations will get a chance to meet and get to know each other. In this way, we hope to promote Ahavat Yisrael throughout all of Los Angeles. The long term success of JEWWW in a Box will leave its mark far into the future with increased Jewish involvement, more affiliation, less intermarriage (and more children raised Jewish in intermarried families), stronger financial commitments to Jewish causes and stronger ties to Israel. We will also achieve more immediate results.
One measure of success will be in the numbers of participants in our program. Additionally, we will be able to capture important demographic information of our participants augmented with surveys and questionnaires. As they go through the curriculum, we will be able to see what sparks their enthusiasm, and we will be able to do valuable research on what changes an unaffiliated person into becoming an affiliated member of the Jewish community.
