Impact for Israel

At Jewish day schools and yeshivas, the future thinkers and leaders of the world learn to love Israel, advocate for justice, carry on our beautiful Jewish traditions, and invest in causes aligned with our Jewish values. Israel needs Diaspora Jews to support her on every conceivable level. By strengthening our schools, we are ensuring that Israel will remain vibrant for generations to come. At the end of this conflict, one thing must be true: the State of Israel and the North American Jewry must both be whole.

Day school students represent our future, and while words cannot truly capture the depth and breadth of the emotions brought forth when over 12,000 Jewish day school and yeshiva students proudly joined nearly 300,000 others who showed up in Washington, DC to support Israel, this short video will allow you to see and feel it for yourselves.

The relevance of Jewish day schools in this moment is clear, and because of your ongoing support, Prizmah played a major role in ensuring that our day school students, families, and communities could attend, participate, and create an understanding of what it means to be part of Am Yisrael. Read more in this op-ed, by CEO Paul Bernstein, appearing in eJewishPhilanthropy the day after the rally.

Because of your deep and continual support, Prizmah is uniquely positioned to work quickly and effectively to support Jewish day schools, and to pivot in moments of crisis—specifically where Israel is concerned. Prizmah remains the leading source for information, guidance, and support for our Jewish day school community, even as we all grapple with the trauma our people are enduring. To learn more about supporting Prizmah, please contact Hannah Olson, Senior Vice President of Development.

As an established connector, we:

Offer the time and space for leaders to express their own humanity, to seek comfort from a trusted network, and to be supported by the people who most understand their situation and needs.
Create opportunities for professionals and lay leaders to work together across schools, regions, and denominations, including meetups and a new Leadership Line for current heads and senior school leaders featuring complimentary coaching sessions with veteran school heads to help them navigate leadership in these difficult times.
Secured grants and funding that help schools cover the cost of transportation to the rally, including $100,000 that Prizmah is distributing as grants, courtesy of the Paul E Singer Foundation.
Offer counseling and support for Israeli students by providing Hebrew-speaking therapists in schools.

As a trusted resource we:

Distribute valuable, current information and guidance on enrollment, affordability and development through Prizmah Knowledge Center’s War in Israel School Resource Hub.
Create our own resources that speak directly to the pressing needs of running a day school during this crisis:
Field questions from school leaders who are asking questions about security, college visits, and continue to update curated resources in our Knowledge Center.
Support school counselors and other leaders by organizing professional development, such as Trauma Informed Schools 101, by NATAL, Israel’s trauma and resiliency center.

As an effective field-level leader we:

Emphasize the significant presence of Jewish day school students at the rally demonstrating the connection of our schools to Israel in this Jewish Insider article, appearing one day after the rally, and create an understanding of what it means to be part of Am Yisrael.
See the entirety of the network to create opportunities for working with funders, for understanding trends that are just emerging, and for supporting schools and communities.
Represent the experiences of Jewish day schools and yeshivas in local and national press such as: Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The Washington Post, and Jewish News Syndicate.
Gather data to publish field-leading research on enrollment and development:
- Enrollment Trend Report on Israeli transfers to Jewish Day Schools and Yeshivas During the War in Israel, identifying urgent needs such as Hebrew speaking mental health professionals, basic school supplies, clothing and food, and teachers who specialize in English language learning.
- Development Trend Report: Jewish Day Schools and Yeshivas Pivot Fundraising Strategies During the Hamas-Israel War to understand how fundraising strategy is shifting throughout the current landscape in Jewish day schools and yeshivas.

As a valued partner we:

Help our Network participate in community building efforts such as letter-writing campaigns and the #BlueRibbonsforIsrael campaign in solidarity with the hostages.
Showcase the solidarity of our school communities with Israel with the beautiful video Jewish Day Schools and Yeshivas Stand Strong with Israel, reaching over 35,000 people so far.
Engage in strategic conversations with partners such as JFNA and UnitEd, discovering ways to collaborate to serve Jewish day schools and their communities, bringing funding opportunities to schools doing critical work.
Partner with organizations like Gateways and Israel Unpacked to offer help to parents and teachers, providing guidance on children’s social-emotional well-being and offering resources for Israel education.
Plan and execute the incredible pre-show Youth Rally in Washington, DC with RootOne, Hillel International, the Jewish Education Project, Foundation for Jewish Camp, and the American Zionist Youth Council.

Even in this tragedy, Prizmah and our day schools are strong. As we look towards the larger impact of this crisis, Prizmah is taking the lead in guiding our day schools and providing tools, strategies, and leadership for the next chapter. Your generosity ensures that the entire field not only survives, but thrives, and that we emerge from this crisis strong and empowered to serve the Jewish people in Israel and across North America. To learn more about making an impact in day schools, contact Hannah Olson or visit our donation page to make a gift today.

Am Yisrael Chai!