Spotlight on CLAL Archive

Welcome to Spotlight on CLAL. Here you will find stories about what's happening at CLAL and about the work that CLAL is doing across North America. Sometimes we will focus on a program, or a special event, or upon a CLAL faculty member's work and interests.

Bookmark this page if you want to get to know us better.

To access the Spotlight on CLAL Archive, click here.

To join the conversation at Spotlight on CLAL Talk, click here.

Jewish Leadership in the 21st Century - a San Diego Story

By Judy Epstein, Director of Public Affairs

"Preparing new Jewish leaders in a time of transition remains key to building a vital, dynamic Jewish community," says Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, Director of Leadership and Communities at CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership. "But how to create the rituals and practices that speak to peoples' lives today is the challenge."

Hirschfield went to San Diego on April 24-25th to lead two leadership sessions hosted by the United Jewish Federation (UJF) of San Diego. The first, on April 24, focused on how to connect Jewishly in a more personal and spiritual way when survival and fear are not the motivating factors. Working with a senior round table of successful professionals in their late 30s to 50s largely unconnected to Jewish life, Hirschfield discussed ways of engagement that speak to work, family, voluntarism and other areas of life.

"The qualities that help someone to achieve, like openness, inclusiveness, creativity and commitment, are connected to how one lives Jewishly," said Hirschfield. "Recognizing that link opens up whole new conversations on what building a Jewish future may look like."

On April 25th, Israeli Remembrance Day, Hirschfield spoke with UJF's Young Leadership, a group of young professionals in their 20s to late 30s already involved in building a Jewish community for themselves. Group members also looked at the role Israel played in their lives, as well as in the broader community. Topics touched on how to connect personal meaning, Jewish intellectual and spiritual growth, and philanthropy.

"This is a wonderful example of people looking into the world and looking deep within themselves," said Hirschfield. "Social responsibility and personal growth are the touchstones, but ultimately it's about leaving the world in a better place than where you found it. This is a sacred expression of what it means to be Jewish, today or any day."

The leadership program is part of an ongoing series offered by CLAL. Through its Leadership and Community Development program, CLAL provides seminars, courses, consultations and lectures throughout the country, helping to create new models of leadership to enhance the quality of Jewish life.