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Mental Health Summit 2024

Engage in high-level learning and collaboration around mental health challenges and opportunities in Jewish day schools and yeshivas. This year’s theme is “In The Moment: Navigating Difficult Times With Dignity, Empathy, and Growth.” Over the course of two days of interactive learning and discussion, you will gain skills, perspectives, and approaches to navigating difficult times in your school.

Mental Health Summit 2023

An interactive series of four workshops will enhance your understanding of the confluence of students’ social emotional and neurodiverse learning needs and will allow teams of learning specialists, school counselors, and administrators to learn to access and direct behaviors, and collaborate and communicate more effectively, ensuring that all members of the school community can thrive.
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Pau Bernstein, CEO

Paul Bernstein

Paul is Prizmah’s founding Chief Executive Officer. Learn more about Paul here.

A Tu Bishvat Message From Our CEO

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Tu Bishvat, amidst the kabbalistic traditions, delightful children’s songs, and dried fruit, has an important halachic role. To properly observe the biblically ordained laws of orlah (avoiding eating the fruit of a tree younger than three years old), we need to keep track of the age of trees. Enter the rabbinically decreed New Year for the trees, a date dedicated to tracking and marking time.

As we celebrate this day, we marvel at and rejoice in the growth and transformation of trees, which move from seeds and saplings to bearing fruit ever so quickly. Trees themselves mark the passage the time, each ring a sign of another year past. On Tu Bishvat itself, we track and celebrate growth.

A few weeks ago, my family in England had an unexpected brush with celebrity. My mother, a German refugee who survived the Holocaust as a hidden child in Nazi-occupied France, was photographed with my niece by the Duchess of Cambridge. Their photograph will be part of an upcoming exhibit of portraits commemorating the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

The Duchess published the moving portrait of my mother, together with photos of the two of them meeting at Kensington Palace, on her Instagram feed. After their initial meeting, my mother and Kate were again pictured together when the Duke and Duchess were guests of honor at the Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration event in London. Their voices and presence create headlines every day, and successfully shone a brighter light on the importance of this anniversary. Kate described my mother, together with a second survivor she photographed, as “two of the most life-affirming people that I have had the privilege to meet.” She described the purpose of the portraits as ensuring that “[their] memories will be kept alive as they pass the baton to the next generation.”

I keep thinking about the portrait she took and what it represents. The staging and lighting of the photograph were designed very specifically by the Duchess to capture this unique moment. A survivor of World War II with her 11-year old granddaughter, light streaming in from the hopeful east, wartime artifacts (my mother’s German identity card, marked with a “J” for Jude-Jew) shared across the generations. The photograph is very much a moment in time, a moment that marks time, bridging the past with the future. The image captures the gaze of a young girl learning through the shared experience of her grandmother, committed to re-telling that story in order to learn its lessons.

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks articulated a crucial lesson he learned from Holocaust survivors, when he said: “To mend the past, first you have to secure the future.”  The photograph of my mother does this, aesthetically and generationally. Our shared work in Jewish day schools also does this every day, child by child, family by family, community by community. By securing our Jewish future through vibrant and sustainable schools, in some ways we heal the tragedies of our collective past.

So this Tu Bishvat, while I still chuckle at the thought of my mother rubbing shoulders with royalty, I appreciate how the day’s focus on trees and marking time can catalyze a deeper appreciation for the relationship between past and future. And I give thanks, both for the trees which beautify our world, and the hundreds of Jewish day schools in which tens of thousands of Jewish futures are growing to fruition.

 

 

 

Photo by Casey Horner on Unsplash
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Pau Bernstein, CEO

Paul Bernstein

Paul is Prizmah’s founding Chief Executive Officer. Learn more about Paul here.

The Power of Network

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As early as my second week at Prizmah, I saw first-hand the power of our Network of Jewish day schools. While getting to know a school leader, I was asked a question that reached to the core of the character of their school, and honestly was beyond my scope of knowledge. “I’ll get back to you on that,” I replied, thinking that our Prizmah team of experienced day school professionals would pull out just the right answer. But, when I shared the question with my Prizmah colleagues, instead of a “textbook” solution, their response was a list of five other schools who had recently grappled with the identical question. These peers provided that leader with better answers (gained through experience) than a single “expert” might offer. That is an example of the Network at work, and the knowledge of the field in action. There is no textbook, but there are plenty of solutions.

Being part of a Network means contributing and accessing the everyday “real-world” expertise that builds stronger schools, and a supportive, vibrant field.

In the past year, day school professionals and lay leaders have connected, shared, learned, created, and driven impact through the Prizmah Network at an astounding rate.  1100 field leaders, from over 230 schools, joined us at the March, 2019 Prizmah Conference and collectively Dared to Dream; 163 schools participated in a Prizmah Reshet group (which had 200 new members this year); 1305 resources were launched in our new digital Knowledge Center and have been accessed by thousands of page views.

Online, at in-person gatherings, through emerging partnerships with federations and national leaders in education, Prizmah’s focus on Network points us in a strong direction to support individual schools and the day school field.

We just celebrated Shavuot, acknowledging the enormous gift—matan—of Torah. When we call the holiday “z’man matan Torateinu” or “time of the giving of our Torah,” we are actually celebrating a collective experience, as Torah is referred to in the plural possessive. Rashi teaches that both the Written Law and the Oral Law were transmitted to Moshe at Sinai. While the Written Law—Torah she’bichtav--speaks in one Divine voice, the Oral Law--Torah she’be-al peh, including the Mishnah, the Talmud, Midrashim--contains multiple voices across generations. There is an inherent intricate network of diverse voices and opinions offering insight, advice, and instruction.

The Oral Law provides a model for understanding our world and addressing the challenges we inevitably encounter. When we gain access to the experience of others, when we draw on past examples to inform present action, when we debate—even loudly—about our differences, we strengthen our ability to deliver on our mission. The Prizmah Network is predicated on just such a philosophy.

For our Network to fulfill its potential demands that we create space for the myriad voices to be raised, that we construct pathways for connection among practitioners, and that we encourage portals and access to other providers of expertise.

“Do what we do best and connect to the rest” was a kind of informal mantra we used in talking about Prizmah right from launch. Convening the Network means sometimes being in the center and sometimes stepping aside so that people can connect directly.  Oftentimes it means connecting to experts, providers or resources throughout the Network. Primarily, being the Network convener means making it easy to both access and provide knowledge for each other.

In the coming months, we will be concentrating our efforts on strengthening the Prizmah Network with the voices of even more day school leaders and practitioners. School leaders will be receiving information shortly about renewing or establishing their Network affiliation, while others in the field can engage by sharing resources, asking questions, and supporting the day school field. Together, we can ensure that the day school field has a living network that supports and creates tangible impact for individuals, schools, and communities, all working toward a vibrant Jewish future.

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Barb Gelb

Barb is Prizmah's Senior Director of Major Gifts. Learn more about her here.

April Investor Newsletter: Blue Diamond Spotlight

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Jonathan Ross Goodman wants Jewish grandchildren. The Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist believes that sending your child to a Jewish high school is like stacking the deck with aces. “The research is clear - attending a Jewish high school is the second-highest predictor of marrying someone Jewish. Day school alumni have a better chance of pulling an ace and sustaining the Jewish community.” 

Jonathan loves learning and reminds us that in the shtetl, the first thing they built were schools. “We are the people of the book.” His mother, Rosalind Goodman, of blessed memory, was his role model. “She loved life. She was a professional volunteer — the chairperson of everything Jewish: Hadassah, Federation, Jewish National Fund. She even dressed up as a blue box for JNF!” She taught him that, “You’re not put on this earth just to take up space; you’re here to make a difference.” 

Goodman says that he feels blessed to be in a position to help. He agrees with Montreal’s real estate developing philanthropist Jonathan Wener’s statement, “Vision without financing is a hallucination.” He believes that anyone who wants a Jewish education should be able to get one and recognizes that affordability is a factor. When he set out to re-build and rebrand Montreal’s Herzliah High School as a no-compromise private secular school killer, he worried that an under-resourced school would not attract full-paying families critical to financial sustainability He helped raise $50 million to develop a state-of-the-art, Jewish high school. “It’s now the superstar of the Montreal Jewish community operating at full capacity churning out future Jewish grandchildren.” 

“People have to be taught to be generous,” Goodman states. “Gratitude is highly correlated to happiness, and tzedakah supercharges gratitude.” As Cofounder and Executive Chair of pharmaceutical company Knight Therapeutics Inc. (TSE:gud), he jokes that selling drugs pays for his addiction to tzedakah. He says, “You just have to begin to help others. No one ever said on their deathbed that they should have worked harder. They all say they should have spent more time with family and friends and giving back to the community.”

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Tal Ershler

Tal Ershler

Tal is passionate about Jewish education and hopes to bring his love of data analytics to the Jewish community. He was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. After graduating from Farber Hebrew Day School-Yeshivat Akiva, he studied at Yeshivat Har Etzion in Israel for two years. Tal has a BS in Data Analytics from Yeshiva University and is working on an MA in Jewish Professional Leadership and an MBA through the Hornstein Program in Jewish Professional Leadership at Brandeis University. He is also a Nachshon Project Graduate Fellow and has served as Rosh Moshava at Camp Stone.

The Nachshon Project and Prizmah Partnership: Data for Leadership

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This year, I along with thirty other graduate students am taking part in the Nachshon Project Fellowship, a program designed to increase the number of young adults considering careers in Jewish education and the rabbinate. Graduate fellows increase skills needed to serve as “top of field” upon graduation. In a collaboration with Prizmah, the fellows are engaging in a semester-long initiative to develop key leadership skills rooted in data-driven decision-making. Through the creation, implementation, and evaluation of parent satisfaction surveys in day schools, fellows are gaining invaluable experience in survey development and analysis while working directly with Jewish day schools. This initiative strengthens the skill sets of future Jewish leaders and also encourages us to consider meaningful careers within Jewish day schools.

Jewish day schools play a pivotal role in shaping the future of Jewish communities. For school leaders, understanding the needs and priorities of parents is essential to fostering thriving educational environments. As Nachshon Graduate Fellows, we are collaborating with six Jewish day schools to assess strengths, identify growth areas, and inform key decisions that impact educational excellence.

Throughout this semester, we are working closely with and learning from six heads of school, researchers, and experts in Jewish education to design, distribute, and analyze parent satisfaction surveys. These surveys provide valuable insights into how schools can better serve their students and communities. More importantly, the process of collecting and interpreting data gives us real-world experience in strategic decision-making, a skill applicable to any leadership role we may take within the Jewish community.

The project kicked off at a four-day seminar, held at the beginning of January. This seminar introduced fellows to the field of Jewish day school education, leadership opportunities, and the critical role of research and data in educational leadership. We toured Jewish day schools in South Florida and heard from heads of school and school admin teams about the intersection of their leadership and data-informed decision-making. At the end of the program, all of the fellows will present our findings to the school leaders with whom we are working. 

 

What I Have Gained from this Experience

Prior to my current role as an educator and fundraiser at OU-JLIC’s Yavneh On Campus, I worked at Camp Stone and Boston's Maimonides School. This Nachshon experience and Prizmah project has taught me how to weave my twin passions together: data and Jewish education.

A core mission of Prizmah is to strengthen and sustain Jewish day schools by cultivating a network of inspired and well-equipped educators and administrators. Through this collaboration, Prizmah has encouraged Nachshon Graduate Fellows to consider careers in Jewish day schools in various roles. By engaging in this project with Prizmah and individual schools, we are all able to see the impact that we can have on Jewish education.

Additionally, our time on this project has provided us with practical skills that we will be able to carry with us on any path we choose to take. The ability to design surveys, interpret data, and make informed decisions based on research is crucial. Whether we ultimately pursue careers in Jewish education, community leadership, or other professional paths in the Jewish world, I am confident that the lessons learned through this project will serve us well.

The Nachshon Graduate Fellows’ partnership with Prizmah is more than just an academic exercise; it is a forward-thinking initiative that empowers emerging Jewish leaders to make meaningful, data-informed contributions to their communities. By equipping us with the skills to evaluate and address successes and challenges in Jewish day schools, this collaboration ensures that the next generation of Jewish leaders is prepared to strengthen and sustain Jewish day schools for years to come.

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Odelia Epstein

Odelia Epstein

Odelia is Prizmah's Director of the Knowledge Center. Learn more about her here.

Creating Knowledge, Research and Data for The Day School Field

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My colleagues and I at Prizmah often receive calls and messages from school leaders, faculty, funders, and other day school stakeholders seeking critical research and data about Jewish day school trends. They are looking to understand trends happening in their own schools and to use data and research to inform critical strategic decisions for their communities. 

Data and research can help you make effective decisions to address challenges, support school stakeholders, and advance school excellence. Research and data are tools on your tool belt that can equip you to lead more effectively and address problems strategically with confidence and clarity.

The Prizmah Knowledge Center, Prizmah’s hub for providing knowledge, research and data for the field of Jewish day schools and yeshivas, has evolved to encompass four core areas to serve the day school community.

Data Driven Decision-Making for School Leaders

We seek to enhance school financial health and educational excellence through data and research like DASL, pulse surveys, and school benchmarking reports to enable strategic, data-informed decisions

Landscape Research for the Field 

We conduct and share field-wide research and trends to offer an informed understanding that enables thoughtful, critical interventions to help the field of Jewish day schools grow and thrive. 

Measurement and Evaluation of Prizmah’s Impact 

We use data to craft organizational strategy, define programmatic goals, and evaluate and measure impact to continuously improve and serve as a model to the field as an organization striving to be data-driven. 

Online Knowledge Center 

We curate an online resource center, full of robust articles, thought leadership, and research for day school leaders and stakeholders. 

This Kaleidoscope features the Knowledge Center’s newest research, programs, and resources. 

  • Listen to the podcast for a preview of findings from our latest unreleased enrollment census and learn more about the research we have conducted over the last year.
     
  • Read an article by Tal Ershler, a former student activities coordinator at Maimonides School in Boston, and now engagement manager at OU-JLIC. As one of 31 Nachshon Project Graduate School Fellows, he is partnering with Prizmah and a Jewish day school to develop and conduct a parent survey, gaining experience learning about Jewish day school leadership and data-driven decision-making. 

We encourage you to take full advantage of the resources highlighted that have been developed and created for you.

Finance and Operations 

Facts at a Glance: A field-wide report on Jewish day school finance and operations metrics that can be used to understand key metrics such as the median tuition and fees, fundraising, and cost per student. It includes a host of salary data for a wide range of positions. 

Finance and Operations Dashboard: A Jewish day school and yeshiva finance and operations dashboard where schools can view field-wide key metrics and filter to create custom benchmarks based on school size, region and grades served. This new resource is available only to schools that participated in DASL in 2024-2025. Login required. 

Data and Analysis for School Leadership (DASL): A data collection and reporting tool available to you to explore your school’s strengths and opportunities, set goals, and understand how you fit into larger educational trends. More than 130 Prizmah schools enter their information in this system annually.

 

Day School Impact Research 

Jewish Day School Alumni on Campus: A report demonstrating the difference that attending Jewish day school makes in the lives of young Jewish college students. This data provides us with more concrete evidence of what those of us in the field already know: Compared to peers who did not attend Jewish day school, Jewish day school alumni consistently report stronger ties to their Jewish identity, a deeper connection to Israel, and greater participation in Jewish life during their college years.

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