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Cultures of Belonging

Knowledge Topics
Human Resources, Mental Health, Professional Leadership, School Policies and Procedures, Teaching and Learning
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Fostering a culture of belonging imagines that every stakeholder within a school community has a sense of belonging, knowing that this is a place where they are included, respected as a human being, and honored with dignity. Cultures of belonging connotes a belief that each person’s divinely imbued spark deserves to be included, valued, and celebrated.

Many leaders strive to strengthen their own school’s cultures of belonging. Prizmah has gone deep into the work of building and strengthening cultures of belonging in schools, focusing on the human, curricular, policy, calendar, and philosophical implications.

Below you will find curated resources, blogs, articles, podcasts, and access to funded support for work to build or strengthen your school’s culture of belonging. Don’t hesitate to reach out to Prizmah’s Director of Network Weaving, Debra Shaffer Seeman, [email protected], for additional information about how we can support your school on this journey.

Strengthen Your School's Culture of Belonging

Grant funds available for schools

As a component of our initiatives supporting the work of day schools and yeshivas in race and school culture, Prizmah has designed subsidized consulting, ongoing learning, and microgrants available for individual schools.

Following is a list of vetted consultants and organizations that have experience working with Jewish day schools and yeshivas and are available to work with school teams. Each provider’s bio includes target audiences and areas of expertise. 

School leaders can identify the consultant, learning opportunity, or microgrant investment which best aligns with their goals. Prizmah will provide up to $5,000 to support that work. For access to funding for your school, please CLICK HERE. Funding is limited and will be distributed on a rolling basis.

Microgrants

Prizmah is proud to offer microgrants for schools interested in building or deepening the cultures of belonging in their school. This looks different in each school, based on the unique context of every community. Applications which focus on race, ethnicity, and diversity with long-term impact will be prioritized. More information about microgrants can be found here.

Consultants

If you are interested in moving your school’s culture of belonging forward and need a thought partner or trainer, a consultant is likely the right choice for you. The consultants below all have expertise working with Jewish day schools in developing their cultures of belonging, from strategic thinking through implementation. You will find a brief bio, recommended constituents, and the specializations of each consultant here.

Content Providers

In addition to offering access to microgrants and consultants, Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools is pleased to subsidize professional development for your teams. If you are interested in investing in your faculty’s training in specific content areas, please choose from the following list of providers.

Note: This is a fluid list, designed to create options for the field of Jewish day schools and yeshivas. If you would like to work with a different provider, or you are a provider interested in adding your name or organization to this list, please contact us at [email protected].

CLICK HERE TO REQUEST FUNDING

Spotlight on Race, Ethnicity, and School Culture

Resources

Blogs and Podcasts

Building Strength in Diversity by Stacey Aviva Flint Listen Here
DEI in Jewish Schools: What’s at Stake for Jews of Color by Heather Miller Read Here
Everything in this issue of Kaleidoscope (June 2022)  Read Here
Four Paths to Progress on Jewish Equity, Diversity and Inclusion by Rabbi Isaiah Rothstein Read Here
Making Diversity A Strength In A Polarized Age by Amanda Pogany Listen Here
Seeing Jews of Color by Riki Robinson Listen Here
Steps Towards an Inclusive School Community by Chavie Kahn Read Here
Taking a Deep Dive to Make the Implicit Explicit by Andrea and Regina Lulka  Read Here
The Jewish Imperative for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion by Beryl Bresgi and Steve Freedman Read Here

This work is made possible due to the generosity of Crown Family Philanthropies and Lippman Kanfer Foundation For Living Torah.

Cultures of Belonging in Jewish Day Schools and Yeshivas

For more information, please reach out to Debra Shaffer Seeman, [email protected].