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October 2017 Mentor Newsletter


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Welcome back to the CLI Bi-Monthly Mentor Newsletter.

Empowering the next generation of Jewish community leaders is a top priority of the Federation — that’s why we hope you are connecting with your mentee and meeting other participants in the CLI community. This newsletter serves as an opportunity for you to learn more about past and upcoming events, mentor/mentee highlights, and CLI sessions. We look forward to seeing you soon!

UPCOMING EVENT
Mentor Night – November 7, 2017


STORIES


Mentor Welcome and Update

Written by Debi Graboff, Nancy Epstein, and Josh Feffer

A warm welcome to the new and returning mentors of the Community Leadership Institute (CLI)! We are excited to begin the third cohort of CLI, a premier program of The Jewish Federation of Los Angeles that has been extremely successful in producing young leaders to ensure the Jewish future. This 15-month program is designed for participants to discover their Jewish values and develop leadership skills, integrate these skills into their leadership practices, and ultimately become strategic, knowledgeable, and effective leaders in the Los Angeles Jewish community. The ultimate goal of CLI is to provide participants with the knowledge, tools, and experience to be effective and strategic lay leaders for Jewish non-profits and initiatives. Currently, more than 70% of our alumni serve on boards and committees throughout Las Angeles. As esteemed Jewish community leaders, your role is to mentor the participants to reach this goal. While each of you will be matched with an individual participant, you will serve as a role model to the entire class, which is made up of mentees who were  thoughtfully selected from a highly competitive applicant pool. Throughout the program, we expect you will meet with your mentee every 6 – 8 weeks and help them take full advantage of CLI by inviting them to committee or board meetings as appropriate, hosting them for Shabbat dinners, introducing them to other community leaders of interest, attending CLI programming designed for mentor attendance, and more. As our past mentors will attest, the mentor/participant relationship is a valuable one and often continues well past the 15-month program. Please plan on attending the first event on November 7th (time and place to be announced) at which time you will meet the other mentors and learn more about the program and its expectations. Mentor matches will be announced by the end of November and there will be a mentor/participant track dinner in either December or January. We look forward to seeing you on November 7th and to a fun and meaningful experience!

Our best,

Nancy, Josh, and Deb


Participant Story: CLI Opening Retreat Observation by Travis Guterman, Entertainment Leadership Track

CLI’s goal is to build a community of effective and strategic leaders who will contribute to the Jewish community and ensure the Jewish future. The program’s opening retreat laid the groundwork necessary to accomplish its goal. Participants arrived at the camp not knowing exactly what to expect. The weekend was filled with many knowledgeable speakers who authentically shared their experiences and passion for community service, as well as tools for finding and defining “your mission.” Dr. Zachary Green led an insightful session about the “now” of leadership, which focuses on the importance of the present moment. Lori Klein, the Federation’s Chief Program Officer, held an intimate conversation with each track. It was really beneficial because many participants knew little about how the Federation operates and the range of services and programs it offers. Another highlight of the weekend was Kira Soltanovich’s standup comedy show. She knew her audience well and delivered hilariously relatable jokes and observations.

The most amazing outcome of the retreat was the ease at which CLI was able to replicate the “Birthright effect,” which is the ability to make lifelong friends almost instantly. Some of the best memories from this weekend were the conversations with other participants during meals and free time. It’s a wonderful feeling to find a group of friends who share a similar interest and desire to make a positive impact in the Jewish community.


Two Action Photos from Opening Retreat