Take Your Leadership to the NEXUS Level
NEXUS 2023 is an seven-session program designed to develop rising Jewish leaders in their 20s and 30s who seek to build community, explore their Jewish values and philanthropy, and gain exclusive access to Federation’s network of established community builders and resources.
NEXUS participants are empowered in their efforts to better engage the Jewish community in Greater Washington.
Selection Process:
- Candidates will submit their application through the NEXUS website and will be evaluated based on the level of thoroughness and thoughtfulness in their response to the application questions.
- Selection priority for candidates who:
- Were actively recruited by a NEXUS staff member/co-chair (via NEXUS recruitment short list)
- Were nominated by a staff member or lay leader
- Are currently employed by or involved with our partner agencies
- Participated in JFNA’s Changemakers Summer Fellowship program in 2020, 2021, or 2022
Applications for NEXUS 2023 are now closed.
Program Fee
$100 (due upon acceptance)
Application Deadline
Friday, March 3rd
Session Dates and Descriptions
Program are on Tuesdays from 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM unless otherwise noted.
Meet your fellow NEXUS participants at our kickoff happy hour! We can’t wait to get to know you and start the program as a community. In honor of Good Deeds Week, we will be collecting non perishables to be donated to the Capital Area Food Bank. Please bring at least one item to donate.
Welcome to NEXUS 2023! We will conduct an overview of the program, and then start digging into the topic of “How Big is Your Story” as a way to open conversation, form connections, and start the threadline of “Telling Your Federation Story.
Federation’s mission is to inspire, build, and sustain vibrant Jewish life in a changing world by mobilizing our community in common purpose, intentional innovation, and effective action. This work is impossible without our lay leaders, partner organizations, and ever-growing Next Gen community. Together we will deep dive into Federation’s work and all of the partner organizations that we support, plus the inspiring world of Federation lay leadership. We will hear from key active members from Federation’s leadership community who will inspire NEXUS participants with stories of their Federation journey.
This session is designed to put empathy into action. On the heels of Yom Hazikaron and Yom Haatzmaut the NEXUS cohort will use Israeli culture and society as a focal point for engaging in nuanced dialogue. The NEXUS cohort will have the opportunity to be in conversation with Israelis as they share their experience with diverse perspectives, religions, and cultures in Israel. This session is not designed to solve the conflict, or to provide a history lesson. Together, participants will put humanizing stories to complex topics.
Grounded in the Jewish value that all human beings are created “b’tzelem elohim” (in God’s image), Federation is using our resources, platform, and influence to build a culture of inclusion and equity in Greater Washington. Building on our guiding principle of empathy, we will have an expert-led discussion on diversity, stereotypes, and inclusion in the workplace and beyond. We will recognize the role we have as leaders to strengthen and empower our diverse, beautiful, and vibrant community. We will address the current hurdles in today’s environment and work together to address how to be inclusive leaders. We will work as individuals and as a cohort to embrace authenticity, encourage diverse voices, create a sense of belonging, and empower ourselves and others as advocates and allies to those around us.
Over the last few years, we have seen more and more frustration around trying to converse with those with opposing views and ideas but end up arguing instead of engaging in discussion. Through the lens of engaged empathy, we challenge ourselves to find a way to break through the strife with empowered conversations that can help us all learn from each other’s perspectives. We will work together to be the leaders of tomorrow, bringing change and building bridges through the use of empathy.
We will be participating with Next Gen’s Flash Philanthropy event. More details to come!
Congratulations to the NEXUS Class of 2023 who are now educated and empowered leaders, armed with the tools needed to have a voice and make change in their own lives and the Jewish community at large. Together we will break bread, celebrate our successes, and set intentions for the year ahead!
For more information, please contact Jeremy Frisch at [email protected].