In times of grief and in times of crisis, we turn to community. Communities give us strength, they comfort us, and they provide for us. At a time when it is easy to lose oneself in devastation and fear, Prizmah is so proud of our Jewish day schools for leading their communities with love, chesed (good deeds), and resilience. Our schools are clear on their message and mission: We support Israel. We are proud Jews. We are there for each other. We are strong.

At Prizmah we are grateful to be able to leverage the power of our network to strengthen schools and their communities throughout North America. Through Reshet (network group) discussions, meetups and webinars, we have gathered together to facilitate peer connection and support. We are overproviding resources to school professionals around managing crisis and talking to students about violence. And, as the concerns about in-person and online safety arise, we are helping them address these urgently as well.

The Prizmah Network is the community for schools right now, as it has been before in times of great need, and we are here for you. School leaders are invited to join Prizmah’s Reshet groups to take part in job-alike meetups and connect with your peers regularly.

• Israel Resources
• Thought Leadership on Community Partnerships and Engagement
• Educator and Student Letter Writing Campaign
• Upcoming Learning Opportunities
• Mazel Tov Moments

• Curated Resources for Schools on Violence and Terrorist Attacks in Israel (Prizmah’s Knowledge Center)
• Join Blue Ribbons for Israel, a global unity campaign in solidarity with hostages and their families #BlueRibbonsforIsrael. Prizmah is partnering in this campaign with JFNA and many others - you can join here.
• Prizmah Network schools are experiencing inquiries from Israeli families, looking for access to our schools while they remain in North America - read resources from the Prizmah Knowledge Center, and join Prizmah Reshets to learn how to respond to this and other issues in schools.
• UnitEd has made resources available on Israel at War, including a slideshow on the war, suggested activities, and guidelines for consuming information on the war.
• Prizmah's partners at Unpacked for Educators have prepared thoughtful and intentional resources to use with students. Help students unpack the extremely difficult situation that continues to unfold in Israel.
• Global Day of Loving Kindness. This Sunday, October 22nd, join Jewish organizations across the world in a Global Day of Loving Kindness.
• For the next two months, Ulpan-Or is making their weekly newspaper E-Tone, designed to accelerate Hebrew learning, available for free.
• Resources for Educators About the War Between Israel and Hamas (NAIS)
• How to Lead in Times of Terror (eJP)

advancement of our day schools and yeshivas necessitates strategic community engagements and collaborative initiatives. Many of our educational institutions have embraced this approach, recognizing community engagement as a cornerstone for effective retention and recruitment strategies for both students and donors. Read more.

seriously discussing how to move forward. While we are going through a tough period, we believe that we can make a positive impact and reinforce the bonds of belonging between the State of Israel and its citizens, as well as between the students, parents and greater community. Read more.

rooted in collaboration, we saw the marketing and branding of our schools—after a pandemic-related enrollment surge—as a valuable area for experimentation. Read more.

non-financial support from Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP), Boston’s local Federation. Read more.

between Miami’s Center for Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE) and MindCET, a world leader in the edtech ecosystem based in Yerucham, Israel. Read more.

one in Phoenix, one in Atlanta, and one in New Orleans, created meaningful engagement opportunities through Prizmah’s Engage partnership with PJ Library. Read more.

federation’s conference room to learn about endowments and endowment building. Over the course of the day, the convening, organized by Prizmah and the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, provided the schools with some of the information and tools they need to begin or to renew their endowment building campaigns. Read more.

The Jewish Agency for Israel, in cooperation with their partners at the Ministry of Education, have invited North American day schools to show our support and solidarity by sending messages of deep caring.

There are two sets of letters being requested: Educator to educator and student to student.

We suggest typing your letters so that they are easily read. If writing in Hebrew is possible, that would be wonderful. If writing the letter in English by hand, please write in block letters, rather than in cursive script. As you can imagine, Israeli educators are under tremendous pressure at this time. The Jewish Agency requests that we please prioritize writing to them first.

Please upload all the letters and drawings into these folders. They will be shared directly with educators and students in Israel.

Educators
Students

For admission professionals, development professionals, marketing and communications professionals

Attracting families who are willing to pay the full tuition to your school requires a blend of strategic marketing, highlighting the distinctive value your school offers, and delivering top-tier educational programs. Discover effective strategies for enticing full-pay families to enroll in your institutions. Learn more and register here.

For admission professionals

This three part-series is an in-depth exploration to reshape admission strategy. This comprehensive deep dive goes through every facet of the recruitment journey, helping harness the power of tradition and innovation to create a truly remarkable admission experience for families. Learn more and register here.

For alumni professionals, admission professionals, development professionals, heads of school

This webinar will focus on seeding alumni engagement in your school through partnership with The Jewish Future Pledge. The Jewish Youth Pledge, founded by philanthropist Mike Leven, asks Jewish teens and young adults from around the world to commit to being active, contributing members of the Jewish community. Learn how this partnership could be a great opportunity for your school to connect with and enhance your alumni engagement. Learn more and register here.

For development professionals

This three-part series will help lay the foundation for determining types of data to use to compel donors and tell your story. The sessions will dive into how data supports fundraising strategy and effective data reporting, and is relevant for both new development professionals and veteran fundraisers. Learn more and register here.

School mission statements articulate a hope that through our educational programs, students will gain the knowledge, skills and inclinations needed to make positive change. By putting Tikkun Olam at the core of K-8 programs, we can help students learn to connect their actions to Jewish values. Learn how and why the Tikkun Project at Toronto’s Leo Baeck Day School came to be and hear examples of the powerful learning that emerges when students think critically about themselves and their responsibilities to the world around them. Learn more and register here.

In this moment of crisis in the Jewish world, day schools are strong communities of hope and support. Day school leaders must lean on each other to learn and grow together, now more than ever.

Prizmah is proud to announce our 2023-2024 cohort of YOU Lead, where day school leaders participate in Prizmah’s nine-month leadership development program. We honor the strength and dedication of leaders in our communities who lead and guide during these most difficult times, now and always. Please join us in congratulating these exceptional school leaders and educators.

Ensure your Prizmah Network affiliation is up to date to continue enjoying the benefits and connections of the entire Jewish day school and yeshiva network.

To view the full list of current Prizmah Leadership Searches, or to learn about the Prizmah search process, click here or reach out to [email protected].

Explore resources, templates, and videos curated and created for Jewish day school professional and lay leaders in Prizmah’s Knowledge Center.