Kol HaOt Report of Activities – 2014-2015

Young adult olim & native Israelis, in a Kol Haot program with co-founder David Moss . Kol HaOt helps bring the arts to southern Israel.

‘A Prayer for Peace’ Sukkot exhibit. Interactive arts for all ages at Kol HaOt holiday events.

Wow! What a year! As you may

remember, during the past year we

have significantly upgraded our staff

commitments, which has led to a

major expansion in activities and

impact. We are so excited to present

you with this Report of Activities,

which reflects our vision and growth

during the past year. Our goals are

now becoming widely recognized

realities, as Kol HaOt integrates the arts into both formal and informal Jewish educational

frameworks. Watch an interview with our executive director, Elyssa Moss Rabinowitz, on the Voice of

Israel, about Kol HaOt’s unique approach to Jewish education.

For your convenience, we’ve divided this report into various sections (see below), based on activity

type. We look forward to your comments and reactions, as well as your continued support and

partnership, in our endeavors.

Kol Tuv,

Elyssa, David, Matt and Yair

Groups & Workshops ................................................................................................................................................... 3

• Leichtag-Sponsored ‘Collage’ Program Strengthens Diaspora-Israel Bonds .................................................................... 3

• Torah V’Avodah Students Explore Dimensions of Creativity ........................................................................................... 3

• Reflections on an Unforgettable 2014 Summer................................................................................................................ 4

• Kesher Tefilin: Tefilin-making Workshop .......................................................................................................................... 4

• JCC Global Conference ....................................................................................................................................................... 5

• Groups of Note ................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Educating Educators: Entering Jewish Day Schools ........................................................................................................ 6

Events ......................................................................................................................................................................... 6

• Kol HaOt Illuminated Haggadah Fair: ‘From the Wicked to the Wise: The Four Sons’ .................................................... 6

• Kol HaOt at Start South & the Daroma Festival ................................................................................................................ 7

• ‘A Prayer for Peace’ Exhibit & Events Awe Visitors .......................................................................................................... 7

Online Visual Jewish Content ....................................................................................................................................... 8

• Rosh HaShanah Seder Kit ................................................................................................................................................... 8

• Shavuot Infographic ........................................................................................................................................................... 8

Kol HaOt News ............................................................................................................................................................ 8

• LA Federation Grant Renewal............................................................................................................................................ 8

• Kol HaOt in the Media ....................................................................................................................................................... 9

• Kol HaOt at IMTM Conference .......................................................................................................................................... 9

Donations: Partner with Us, to Expand Our Mission ...................................................................................................... 9

Groups & Workshops

Kol HaOt has made several inroads to expand its clientele base and provide quality programs that

combine the arts with Jewish texts, history and ideas.

• Leichtag-Sponsored ‘Collage’ Program Strengthens Diaspora-Israel Bonds

Kol HaOt’s educational art workshops were a powerful way to foster interpersonal connections

between young Diaspora Jewish adults and their Israeli

counterparts, who were selected

for the Collage initiative in

Jerusalem. The six-week

collaborative initiative this past

winter, between Kol HaOt, the

Jerusalem Village and Beit Prat

organizations, was funded by a

micro-grant from the Leichtag

Foundation, and focused on the deep interaction between 20 young Israeli and Olim participants.

Our “Mentschmaker, Mentschmaker Make Me a Mentsch” workshop on Jewish values (view their

imaginative works) and our “Mapping the Journey” program contributed to a relaxed, informal

atmosphere in which the young adults were able to strengthen their social connections, while

exploring ways to intensify their joint social activism in Jerusalem.

• Torah V’Avodah Students Explore Dimensions of Creativity Is there a formula for solving problems creatively? That question was the focus of a Kol HaOt

“Leadership and Creativity” seminar for students at Yeshivat and Midreshet Torah V’Avodah. During

the week-long seminar in November the students, who are in Israel for the year, experienced new

dimensions of the creative process as they tackled

issues of effective communication, as well as

positive ways to overcome negativity.

The post-high school

teens turned to classical

Jewish sources to ignite

their imaginations. The

results were stimulating

and moving, and included

a dramatic video on

conflict and peace.

Watch the video here, and view photos of this inspiring seminar.

• Reflections on an Unforgettable 2014 Summer The Summer 2014 tourist season, which was adversely affected by Operation Protective Edge, won’t be

easily forgotten by those who came to Israel despite the hostilities in Gaza and the barrage of missiles

directed at the home front.

Kol HaOt met this crisis by contacting tour operators, informing

them that our staff could bring our programs to other parts of

the country, where tour operators had relocated their groups

(mainly the Kinneret area and the Dead Sea).

Some tour operators were

also seeking secure, indoor

venues in Jerusalem, and

Kol HaOt’s underground

center at the Martef

Theater, with its thick,

Templar walls, was an

attractive option. Hamas,

missiles and sirens were

new themes that participants dealt with during our “Mapping the Journey” program, as participants

processed a truly unforgettable Israel experience.

Tour operators expressed relief and gratitude for our flexibility in bringing our timely, quality workshops to

their clients. Our efforts actually resulted in an increase in the number of groups that participated in our

programs during the summer.

• Kesher Tefilin: Tefilin-making Workshop For the second consecutive year, Kol HaOt and the

Kesher Tefilin organization co-sponsored a tefilin-making

workshop for bar-mitzvah-age youngsters.

This Spring, the youths spent several sessions with Rabbi

Noah Greenberg, fashioning, painting and assembling

their own set of tefilin, while also learning about the

special significance of putting on tefilin.

Watch them hard at work here.

• JCC Global Conference In June 2014, Kol HaOt co-founder David Moss traveled to Budapest to present a special Kol HaOt

session on Jewish peoplehood, to participants in the JCC Global (formerly the World Confederation

of Jewish Community Centers) conference.

More than 60 Jewish JCC Global leaders,

representing 30 Jewish community centers

from around the world, explored the

dimensions of Jewish values, and were able

to express their own understanding of

universal qualities in this evocative,

interactive, workshop.

• Groups of Note Additional groups that have participated in Kol HaOt programs in recent months include:

❖ A group of Reform rabbis from the U.S. learned first-

hand how Kol HaOt's dynamic programs can transform a trip

to Israel for their congregations into an expressive pilgrimage.

The Kol HaOt session was part of a Creativity & Innovation

Clergy Study Group in Israel.

❖ Participants in the 3rd cohort of Lekhu Lakhem: Jewish

& Educational Journeys for JCC Camp Directors, who

“translated” the 'Va'era' Torah portion into a colorful,

symbolic collage scroll, during Kol HaOt's "From Text to

Symbol" workshop.

❖ Participants in The David Project processed

their trip to Israel during a Kol HaOt

workshop. The David Project positively

shapes campus opinion on Israel by

educating, training, and empowering

student leaders to be thoughtful, strategic

and persuasive advocates. We also had the

pleasure of working with students from the Barnard College/Columbia University Hillel

Peoplehood Project, who similarly processed their memorable trip to Israel during Kol HaOt’s

“Mapping the Journey” session.

❖ Inroads in Australia: More than 100 high school students from Sydney’s Moriah College created

dramatic visual scrolls based on the three Torah portions that deal with the drama (and trauma)

of Joseph and his brothers.

View pictures and videos of all these groups on our Facebook page.

Educating Educators: Entering Jewish Day Schools

An anonymous national foundation committed to supporting Jewish education has contracted Kol HaOt

staff to train and enable Jewish day schools to broaden the integration of the visual arts into Judaic studies,

via an intense teacher-training and mentorship program.

The pilot program, launching this June, includes teams of Judaic studies and art teachers from eight Jewish

day schools across the United States. Kol HaOt co-founders – David Moss, Elyssa Moss Rabinowitz, and

Rabbi Matt Berkowitz – will facilitate the program, which will open with a week-long seminar, in an effort

to stimulate innovation, encourage new initiatives, and develop a cadre of teacher-leaders dedicated to

implementing combing the visual arts and creativity into the Judaic studies programs in their schools.

Participants in the June seminar will delve into the fundamentals of the creative problem-solving process,

and lay the groundwork for their school’s team projects.

During the 2015-2016 school year, Kol HaOt staff will continue to mentor the school teams, which will

involve on-site school visits and online webinars. Together, these will provide the teams with the tools to

integrate the arts into their school’s Jewish studies curriculum, as well as create and implement a creative

arts-based project.

In addition, in Israel, we have continued to make inroads with the Tali Educational System (Jewish

enrichment program), working with their early childhood educators, as well as school principals and

teachers, throughout the country.

Events

• Kol HaOt Illuminated Haggadah Fair: ‘From the Wicked to the Wise: The Four Sons’

Our annual Illuminated Haggadah Fair at the Inbal

Jerusalem Hotel, which featured a special exhibit

“From the Wicked to the Wise: The Four Sons of the

Haggadah”, attracted hundreds of viewers, who

streamed non-stop into the Fair.

Held on Chol HaMoed Pessach (April 6) viewers walked

through an exquisite exhibit of the Four Sons in

numerous ancient and contemporary haggadot, and

heard in-depth

explanations of the

artistic themes of these

four archetypes, in

special presentations by expert facilitators Noam Zion and Yael Unterman.

Renowned artists, such as Ya’akov Boussidan, Asher Kalderon, Ya’akov

Daniel, Ben Simon and Matt Berkowitz, manned special tables, where they

exhibited their unique haggadot and related Exodus artwork. The haggadot

of other world-famous artists, such as David Moss, Avner Moriah, Eliyahu

Sidi and Tamar Messer, were also featured at the Fair.

The event was highly publicized in the print and social media.

Read a special feature story about the Kol HaOt Fair, in The Jerusalem Post.

View our photo album of the Fair.

• Kol HaOt at Start South & the Daroma Festival Kol HaOt, under the leadership of executive director Elyssa

Moss Rabinowitz, played a major role in the educational

content and organization of the Start South project, and

Daroma Festival. These events brought together 100

passionate young leaders

from around the world, who

partnered with residents of

southern Israel at the end of

December, to celebrate

cultural expression and

community life.

During this unforgettable 10-day experience, sponsored by the Charles and

Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, participants collaborated with local

residents to produce the large-scale Daroma Festival, which showcased the

cultural landscape of southern Israel. In preparation, they designed and

facilitated peer-led workshops on film, photography, street theater, graffiti

art, sculpture, drumming circles and dance.

It was also an opportunity for the participants from Hillel, the ROI Community, Ayalim Association and

Birthright Israel Excel programs to experience life in the South, by assisting in city beautification projects

with local youth groups, and designing art workshops for school children. The participants were also able

to put this extraordinary experience in perspective during Kol HaOt’s “Mapping the Journey” workshop.

See all the action and creativity here.

• ‘A Prayer for Peace’ Exhibit & Events Awe Visitors

Hundreds of local and overseas visitors were visibly moved by the Kol HaOt art exhibit, “A Prayer for

Peace”, which showcased works by local artists this past Hol HaMoed Sukkot at the Achim Hasid Complex

in Jerusalem.

The various works, some of which were created in reaction to last summer’s war in Gaza, evoked tears, as

viewers absorbed the powerful expressions of hope for soldiers’ safety and the universal yearning for

peace.

The two-day event included interactive activities related to “Prayers for Peace”,

such as art projects for children and adults, spiritually moving musical

performances, and a compelling Bibliodrama. The exhibit was co-sponsored by

The Jerusalem Biennale for Contemporary Jewish Art.

View pictures of the exhibit and events.

Online Visual Jewish Content

While most of our activities have been focused on in-person, interactive, live

workshops and events, this year, Kol HaOt has begun to spread its impact to a

wider international audience by creating creative online resources, which are

freely accessible to all.

• Rosh HaShanah Seder Kit In preparation for Rosh HaShanah 5775, the

Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family

Foundation turned to Kol HaOt to produce a

free, downloadable Rosh HaShanah “Seder”

Host Kit. The kit was informative as well as

fun, and was used by hundreds of people

during the Jewish New Year. (Read more

about the kit here.)

This Rosh HaShanah project continued to

position Kol HaOt as a sought-after creative content provider for organizations seeking imaginative and

artistically interactive resources for their clients.

• Shavuot Infographic Prior to Shavuot, Kol HaOt produced a special holiday infographic for the Charles and Lynn Schusterman

Family Foundation. Information about the holiday, plus traditions and fun facts, were presented in a lively

design that both educated and entertained. The infographic was widely distributed via the Schusterman

Foundation’s and Kol HaOt’s social media channels. Take a look at this engaging Shavuot infographic.

Kol HaOt News

• LA Federation Grant Renewal We are delighted to announce that the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles has renewed its grant to

Kol HaOt, for the third consecutive year. Kol HaOt will continue to provide the Los Angeles Jewish

community, and its affiliated projects in Israel, with our quality programs.

• Kol HaOt in the Media Watch Kol HaOt’s executive director, Elyssa Moss Rabinowitz, being interviewed by the Voice of Israel,

about Kol HaOt’s unique approach to Jewish education. View it here.

• Kol HaOt at IMTM Conference Kol HaOt attended the February 2015 International Mediterranean Tourism Market conference in Tel Aviv,

meeting with tour operators, tour guides and media representatives, as well as scouting out the latest

trends in the Israeli tourism market. This led to an opportunity to present our programs to the

International Travel and Congresses company, a major player in the tourism industry.

Donations: Partner with Us, to Expand Our Mission

This past year, Kol HaOt has expanded in new and exciting directions. In addition to our work with a

spectrum of tourist groups, and our annual holiday events for the general public, we have become a

resource for major organizations seeking interactive resources replete with rich Jewish content. We are

tangibly seeing how the combination of the arts with Jewish ideas, texts and history is infusing Jewish

learning with a powerful vibrancy. Your continued support of Kol HaOt’s vision is crucial to enable us to

develop these innovative models, which are already having a significant impact on Jewish communities

throughout the world.

The Center for Jewish Culture and Creativity – our 501(c)3 fiscal sponsor – has moved! US Tax-

deductible donations to Kol HaOt should be made out to: The Center for Jewish Culture and

Creativity. Please indicate in the NOTES field that your donation is earmarked for Kol HaOt.

Please send your contribution to this new address:

The Center for Jewish Culture and Creativity

2576 Broadway

#292

New York, NY 10025

USA