Assistant Directors 02.26.18

Mazel Tov to the Yitro IV Cohort!

Mazel Tov to the Yitro IV Cohort! 

לֹא־טוֹב֙ הַדָּבָ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַתָּ֖ה עֹשֶֽׂה׃

נָבֹ֣ל תִּבֹּ֔ל גַּם־אַתָּ֕ה גַּם־הָעָ֥ם הַזֶּ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר עִמָּ֑ךְ כִּֽי־כָבֵ֤ד מִמְּךָ֙ הַדָּבָ֔ר לֹא־תוּכַ֥ל עֲשֹׂ֖הוּ לְבַדֶּֽ

“The thing you are doing is not right; you will surely wear yourself out and these people as well. For the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.” –Exodus 18: 18-19

Upon learning that Moses, his son-in-law, was leading the Israelites on his own, Yitro shared the above advice. This lesson that Yitro shares with Moses is true for all leaders, especially in our ever-changing world and with the increasing complexity and sophistication of organizational operations.

Foundation for Jewish Camp is guided by the knowledge that talent development is the key factor in its ability to sustain, grow and enhance the field of Jewish camp.  FJC has long invested in field professionals, developing and implementing some of the most innovative professional development opportunities in the Jewish professional world.  We are pleased to announce the fourth cohort of one of our flagship professional programs for assistant and associate camp directors, the Yitro Leadership Program.

Yitro Leadership Program, aptly named for Yitro, the earliest of management consultants, invests in a diverse network of high potential middle managers, ensuring they too are not alone in the work of camp leadership and able to support their camp directors, those they supervise, and one another.

The Yitro Leadership Program, made possible by the generous contributions of the AVI CHAI Foundation, seeks to widen the lens of the participants’ perception of Jewish leadership in order to enhance the Jewish culture and experience at their camp, while also creating a strong network of peers that allows for collaboration and learning. Through the Yitro Leadership Program, FJC ensures excellent associate and assistant directors fill Jewish camp leadership roles today and that they have the skills, confidence and connections to become the next generation of executive leaders in the future. To date, nearly 60 participants have graduated from the program over three previous cohorts.

“I am so excited about the opportunity to be a part of Yitro,” shared Rachel Dobbs Schwartz, Assistant Director of Camp Ramah Darom, “and believe I will gain an incredible amount from the program and from working with other Assistant/Associate Directors from across the FJC world.”  Rachel will be joining 25 of her peers in the fourth Yitro cohort as it launches in April 2018.  Mac Linder, Assistant Director of Camp Tel Yehudah also shared, “I am very excited at the opportunity to learn and grow as a camp professional, Jewish educator, and lifelong learner through the Yitro Leadership Program.”

We are thrilled to welcome these 25 outstanding participants to the Yitro IV cohort!

Click here to see the full cohort list.