Services for Organizations
Values in Action
Why?
Today’s learners are confronted with so many issues, from climate change, social pressures, increased antisemitism, and more. What they most need are educators and role models who can help them navigate these issues with clarity and wisdom.
What?
The Values in Action initiative equips Jewish educators to support their learners in navigating the complex challenges of our time and inspiring them to take positive action – all through the lens of Jewish values.
How?
At this time, Values in Action is delivering training through partnerships with organizations.
The Values in Action Approach
The Values in Action approach contends that examining challenging issues through the lens current and contemporary educational approaches which are grounded in Jewish values can help us push past buzzwords and soundbites, to consider new narratives or perspectives, and prioritize what truly matters to us.
M²’s Values in Action initiative developed a wide variety of resources, supporting educators to:
Frame the issue
Offer a guiding value
Pose the conflict question
Anchor in Jewish wisdom
Lead an experiential activity
Prompt meaning-making and action
The VIA course
M²’s Center for Values in Action Course equips your organization to address many of today’s challenging issues using a values-based facilitation approach rooted in Jewish ideas and wisdom.
Through a 4-session course, facilitators will learn how to meaningfully examine values and use them as a lens to better process the contemporary issues they are facing.
THE VIA RESOURCES
The Values in Action resources help learners move through a compelling values-based experience grounded in Jewish wisdom. Each resource is centered around a particular issue and an animating value; is grounded in an engaging activity and a Jewish anchor, enabling learners to consider how they might take action.
staff and FACULTY
Our experienced and innovative faculty will support and guide your organization through its unique challenges, leveraging the resources of the Values in Action initiative
Mollie
Andron
Facilitator, Values In Action
Mollie has over 10 years experience teaching in a variety of Jewish educational settings – from formal classroom teaching to nature education, theatre education to collaborative philanthropy education. She enjoys being in the field, as well as building programs and trainings to support others. Mollie holds a double Masters in Midrash and Jewish Experiential Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary, a BA in Religion from Bard College, and is a graduate
of M²’s Senior Educators Cohort. She lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband and children.
Dasee
Berkowitz
Facilitator, Values in Action
Dasee Berkowitz is an executive facilitator, educator, and coach. With a Certificate in Executive Facilitation from Georgetown University combined with her book Becoming a Soulful Parent: A Path to the Wisdom Within, she has been honored to guide hundreds of leaders, volunteers, and parents to find their own genius so that they can lead their organizations, communities and families with integrity and love. She brings that wisdom and experience to you and your team to help you grow in insight and focus as you take steps to create a work culture that helps you and your team thrive.
She is originally from Boston, MA. and currently lives in Jerusalem with her partner, Leon, and their three very active and extroverted pre-teen kids. In her downtime, she can be found doing laps at the pool in the morning, on the couch with a cup of tea in the evening or asking her kids open-ended questions that they prefer avoiding.
Debbi
Cooper
Senior Director, Values in Action
Debbi Cooper is the Senior Director of M²’s Values in Action initiative, a JCRIF-funded initiative that aims to equip educators with training and resources to navigate contemporary challenges through a lens of Jewish values. Previously Debbi served as the Director of Engagement for PJ Library and Associate Vice President, Community Outreach & Engagement of the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago. She is the immediate past Chair of the Board for Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, a pluralistic Jewish Day School in Chicago. She is a graduate of M²’s Senior Educators Cohort and a current 18×18 fellow.
Debbi graduated from Washington University in St. Louis and has a Master’s in Public Administration/Non-profit management from George Mason University. Debbi lives in Chicago with her husband, Aaron, and their three children: Gabe, Judah, and Noah. She schleps her family on hikes and bikes, makes big dinners upon their return and can often be found hiding out with a good book.
SHIRA
HECHT-KOLLER
Education Director, Values in Action
Shira is an educational entrepreneur, attorney, and writer. She brings with her over fifteen years of experience teaching Jewish Studies and designing interdisciplinary curricula in the classroom and immersive learning environments. Prior to her career in Jewish education she practiced corporate law at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. She is the author, together with Hanoch Piven, of Dream Big, Laugh Often: And More Great Advice from the Bible (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2023). Her written work appears in both scholarly and popular publications and she lectures widely on topics of creativity, family life and Jewish texts. She holds a JD from Cardozo School of Law, and is a graduate of the Advanced Talmud program at Midreshet Lindenbaum. She is an avid tennis fan and loves exploring the world with her partner Aaron and children Dalya, Shachar, Amitai and Aiden.
Abby
Mintz
Program Director, Values in Action
Abby is a relationally-driven leader who has designed her career around roles that allow her to help others bridge the gap between who they are and who they wish to be. She joined M² in 2022 as Program Director of the Values in Action initiative and spent her career prior to that working in a variety of settings including Jewish camping, academia, and as a clinical therapist. She spends her unstructured time thinking (often about human values and development), learning (she loves documentaries & interior design), and enthusiastically keeping up with pop culture!
Abby is a graduate of M²’s Camp Educator’s Cohort and the current community coordinator for M²’s Chicago Educator’s Cohort. Abby lives in Evanston with her partner Zach, her 3 adorable kiddos Max, Ayla, and Asa, as well as her mini shih-tzu Badger.
Kiva
Rabinsky
Facilitator, Values In Action
Kiva Rabinsky is the Chief Program Officer at M²: The Institute for Experiential Jewish Education, and lives in Jerusalem with his wife, Deb, and children, Nava and Yonah. Prior to working at M², he directed a range of Jewish Service-Learning initiatives and developed and taught in a series of Experiential Jewish Education training programs through his role at Yeshiva University. Kiva holds an MPA in Nonprofit Management and an undergraduate degree in Education and Archeology.
Tamara
Rebick
Facilitator, Values In Action
Tamara is the Founder & Chief Experience Officer of Coriphery Holistic Consulting Solutions. A strategic thought-partner and facilitator to Jewish organizations, she advises senior leadership on project optimization, reimagining priorities and designing transformative experiences. Tamara is most passionate about developing strategic learning spaces, bringing them to life and assessing their impact for scale. Engaging thousands in exploring Jewish identity, Tamara trains leaders to be peer-educators and consults on strategy and engagement. Serving in formal, experiential and informal settings for over 20 years, Tamara has worked closely with Jewish day and supplemental schools, youth movements, synagogues, summer camps, Hillels, federations and foundations.
Shuki
Taylor
Facilitator, Values In Action
As the CEO of M², Shuki helps provide educators and organizations in Israel, North America, and Europe with knowledge, tools, and skills to advance the theory and practice of experiential Jewish education. Previously, Shuki served as director of Service Learning and Experiential Education at Yeshiva University, where he founded the Certificate Program in Experiential Jewish Education and a range of programs mobilizing college students to serve underprivileged communities worldwide. A Schusterman Fellow, Shuki studied Jewish philosophy, education, and scriptwriting.
Heather
Wolfson
Facilitator, Values In Action
Heather Wolfson, the CEO and Lead Strategist at Maven Leadership Consulting leverages nearly two decades of senior-level leadership acumen. She specializes in scalable training, coaching, and strategic consulting for emerging leaders and teams, fostering a sustained impact. Heather‘s career features roles such as COO at M², Chief Program Officer at the Jewish Federation of San Diego County, Managing Director of the Avi Schaefer Fund, and Western Regional Director for Birthright Israel NEXT. Known for her insightful problem-solving and intuitive guidance, she’s a trusted facilitator for organizations internationally. Heather holds dual undergraduate degrees in journalism and communication, an MBA from Loyola Marymount University, and is a Board Certified Coach. Her commitment extends to serving on the boards of Congregation Beth Am, Force FC, and Impact Cubed while she resides in San Diego with her family.
Organizational Partners
Values in Action is delivered through large scale partnership with select organizations. To learn more and become a partner contact us here.
JCC Association
Hillel International
BBYO
Our Supporters
The M² Values in Action initiative is made possible through the support of the JCRIF Reset Grants.
We are grateful to Maimonides Fund, Jim Joseph Foundation, Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Supporting Foundation, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies and The Paul E. Singer Foundation for their generosity.
Our Impact
By 2025, VIA will have:
EDUCATORS TRAINED
RESOURCES SHARED
ORGANIZATIONS REPRESENTED