Today’s Perspectives. Tomorrow’s Possibilities.

SULLAM ISRAEL RESIDENCY

NOMINATE NOW
Location

Tel Aviv, and around Israel

Audience

Employed early-career community professionals in North America

Date

January 8 – February 4, 2024

What?

Taglit Birthright Israel Onward, in partnership with M², brings you the Sullam Israel Residency: a new professional development opportunity for Jewish community professionals in the early stages of their careers.

Why?

A deep understanding of Jewish history, culture, and traditions is essential for anyone who wishes to serve the Jewish community. Sullam offers participants the opportunity to engage with the land of Israel and its people, explore personal and professional paths, and strengthen ties to the global Jewish community.

How?

The multifaceted month-long curriculum focuses on Jewish and Israel education, as participants gain valuable new insights and knowledge to enrich their professional growth. Participants engage in deep learning and exploration with multiple educational and elective choices, all while living independently in Tel Aviv for a month.

Visit the Sullam webpage
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KEY Experiences

Experience, understand and grapple with Israel from within, in a program that integrates each participant’s individual journey with the group experience.

Immersive Deep-Dives

Select in-depth three day explorations offered by offered by expert partner organizations. Electives likely include: Environmental Issues, Arab-Israelis in Israeli society, Jewish Texts and Big Ideas, Contemporary Hebrew Culture, Palestinian Voices and Hopes.

Day-Long Seminars

Choose from a range of thematic day long experiences exploring topics such as arts and culture, politics and society, justice and civic responsibility, Israel and the U.S, economics and innovation, and much more.

Group Shabbat Experiences

Nurture your body, mind and soul on two group Shabbat experiences, with an opportunity to celebrate, learn and build relationships in a pluralistic and creative Shabbat atmosphere, in Jerusalem and the desert.

M²’s partnership with Onward Israel

Sullam offers a multi-disciplinary and exciting educational experience designed in partnership with M². The curriculum provides participants with a comprehensive understanding of Israel’s history, values, and contemporary challenges through multiple voices and a wide range of learning modalities. Participants will question, probe, listen, and develop their own insights and new approaches to the realities of contemporary Israel.
LEARN MORE
HOW 
YOU 
WILL GROW AT SULLAM

Throughout Sullam, you will….

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Foster Jewish Community Connection

Discover your place among Jewish professionals, and feel connected to the wider Jewish community.

long-term cohort programs
Cultivate Meaningful Professional Networks

Build a diverse Jewish professional network of other engaged and dedicated people to enhance your career.

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Deepen Understanding of Israel

Gain an appreciation for, and a deeper understanding of the inspiring and complex reality of modern Israel

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Discover Personal Jewish Meaning

Discover clarity and meaning in your connection to Judaism as you grow both personally and professionally.

Ask your supervisor to nominate you if…

  • You want to expand your professional network and reflect on your trajectory within the Jewish communal field
  • You want to connect or strengthen your daily work to Israel in some way
  • You’re in Jewish communal work, but now considering a focused career as a Jewish professional
  • You are curious about Israel and your own personal Jewish growth relating to Israel
  • You’ve been to Israel before and are looking for a new and enriching experience
  • You want to immerse yourself in the complexity and joy of Israeli living and learning
HOW YOUR 
EMPLOYEE 
WILL GROW

As a result of Sullam you can expect your employee to…

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Strengthen Organizational Commitment

Be more committed to your organization

long-term cohort programs
Master Contemporary Israel

Gain more knowledge about contemporary Israel, and be able to share their knowledge with team members and constituents

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Incorporate Israeli Voices

Be more motivated, confident, and capable of incorporating Israeli voices into their work

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Embrace Jewish Identity

Become more confident in their own Jewish or Jewish-adjacent identity

Nominate your employee for Sullam if...

  • You have an employee who shows promising talent and potential, initiative, and curiosity
  • Increasing knowledge and confidence in Israel enhances their professional efficacy and impact at work
  • They are curious about Israel and its relationship with the global Jewish community
  • You want to help facilitate their transformative journey of personal and professional growth
  • You want to play a memorable role in advancing their Jewish and professional journey
  • Bridge the diaspora-Israel gap, fostering communication and strengthening Jewish institutions’ connections with Israel

Eligibility and Nominations

We are thrilled you’re interested in the Sullam Residency Program! 

Applicants must have at least 18 months and no more than 5 years of experience as a full-time professional in a role dedicated to actively engaging with community members, with the intent to remain in the field. Non-Jewish applicants will be considered. Applicants must be available to live and learn in Tel Aviv for the full duration of the program in January 2024. 

The program will cover essential aspects of the experience, including accommodation in comfortable single bedrooms within shared apartments, round-trip airfare from select North American gateway cities, enriching educational programming and seminars, meals during educational sessions, Shabbat retreats, basic medical insurance, and ground transportation within Tel Aviv.

Applicants must be nominated by their supervisors. Nominations will be subject to a competitive selection process. 

Tuition:

Fully subsidized

Residency:

Free of charge

Refundable Security Deposit:

$375 paid by participants
* Employers are expected to pay participants their regular salary for the duration of the program

18 months to 5 years of relevant field experience

Full-time professional in a role dedicated to actively engaging with community members

Non-Jewish early-career professionals may apply

Availability to participate in January 2024

Staff and Faculty

Welcome to the Sullam Israel Residency team! We are a passionate group of individuals deeply connected to the Jewish world and with a genuine love for Israel. We are looking forward to meeting you on this incredible journey.

Sarah

Tuttle-Singer

Media Coordinator

Sarah Tuttle-Singer, author of Jerusalem Drawn and Quartered and the New Media Editor at Times of Israel, She was raised in Venice Beach, California on Yiddish lullabies and Civil Rights anthems. She now lives in Jerusalem with her 3 kids where she climbs roofs, explores cisterns, opens secret doors and talks to strangers, and writes stories about people. Sarah also speaks before audiences left, right, and center through the Jewish Speakers Bureau, asking them to wrestle with important questions while celebrating their willingness to do so. Sarah is a work in progress.

Sarah
Tuttle-Singer
Media Coordinator

Justin

Korda

Managing Director

Justin is a social impact entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience globally. Growing up in Montreal as an active member of its Jewish community, Justin became a leading force behind the launch of Birthright Israel in Canada. His experiences building young Jewish leadership through Birthright sowed the seeds of what later became ROI Community – a global Jewish leadership network under the auspices of the Schusterman Foundation. Justin co-created ROI and served as ROI’s Executive Director from its inception in 2005 until 2019, and then managed the Schusterman Foundation’s philanthropy in Israel. More recently, Justin has been consulting for various for-profit and nonprofit clients, including a stint at the Jewish Agency for Israel where he served as the organization’s first emissary to the UAE and Gulf States in the wake of the Abraham Accords. Justin is an activist and social impact professional. Father of three children and living in Jerusalem, he holds a Masters of Business Administration from the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya, and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from McGill University.

Justin
Korda
Managing Director

Lena

Kushnir

Young Adult Programs Manager at Birthright Israel Onward

Lena is a passionate facilitator of inclusive Jewish and Israel experiences. Originally from Ukraine, she worked in Development with the Jewish Agency for Israel in Ukraine, completed a one-year program at the Paideia Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden, and co-founded a thriving Moishe House in Kyiv. After completing a one-year fellowship in Israel with JDC Entwine, where she helped empower young Israeli immigrants in Jerusalem and Lod, Lena relocated to NYC in 2015 and received her Masters in Public Administration and Non-Profit Management at CUNY Baruch College. Prior to joining Onward Israel in 2021, she served as a Planning Executive in the Jewish Life Department at UJA-Federation of NY. Lena lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and 7-year-old daughter.

Lena
Kushnir
Young Adult Programs Manager at Birthright Israel Onward

SHLOMIT

NAIM NAOR

Position

Clare Goldwater is a Jewish educator and leadership coach with expertise in professional and organizational development and experiential education. As Vice President of Education, Clare develops advances and disseminates M²’s approach and ideas about experiential Jewish education as widely as possible, through consulting projects to Jewish organizations, publications, curricula materials and more. Clare has a BA in English Literature from Oxford University, an MA in Jewish Education from Hebrew University and a Certificate in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University. She also holds passports from those 3 countries and lives in Jerusalem with her family. Clare can be reached at clare@ieje.org.
SHLOMIT
NAIM NAOR

Clare

Goldwater

Chief Strategy Officer, M²

Clare Goldwater is a Jewish educator and leadership coach with expertise in professional and organizational development and experiential education. Working in close partnership with a wide range of organizations,  Clare oversees the development, dissemination of M²’s approach and ideas about experiential Jewish education, through consulting projects to Jewish organizations, publications, curricula materials, and more. Clare has a BA in English Literature from Oxford University, an MA in Jewish Education from Hebrew University, and a Certificate in Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University. She also holds passports from those three countries and lives in Jerusalem with her family.

Clare
Goldwater
Chief Strategy Officer, M²

Ayal

Beer

Israel Program Director, M²

Ayal Beer is the Israel Program Director at M². An experienced Jewish educator, Ayal has been managing a pre-Army leadership educational program focused on Jewish Israeli identity and social change since 2017. Prior to that, he participated in training educational staff for a variety of Jewish organizations in the U.S and Canada for over 5 years. Ayal earned a B.A in Social Work at Bar Ilan University and a Masters degree in Talmud and Religious Law from Shechter Institute. A licensed tour guide, Ayal lives with his wife and four kids in Kibbutz Hannaton in the Lower Galilee and is a graduate of SEC 1.

Ayal
Beer
Israel Program Director, M²

Shuki

Taylor

CEO, M²

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.

Shuki
Taylor
CEO, M²
For more information
Contact us
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FAQs for Supervisors

As a result of this program and your investment in your employee, you can expect them to be:

  • More committed to your organization
  • More knowledgeable about contemporary Israel, and able to share their knowledge with team members and constituents
  • More motivated, confident, and capable of incorporating Israeli voices into their work
  • More confident in their own Jewish or Jewish-adjacent identity

Nominate your employee for Sullam if:

  • They show promising talent
  • Becoming more knowledgeable and confident about Israel will benefit their role
  • They are curious about Israel and its relationship with the global Jewish community
  • You want them to have a transformative personal and professional growth experience
  • You want to play a significant, memorable role in advancing their Jewish and professional journey

Aside from a refundable security deposit of $375, which is covered by the participant (details below), the Sullam Israel Residency is free of charge for your employee and your organization.
Employers will continue to pay participants their regular salary for the duration of the program.

If you have questions about this, please contact sullam@onwardisrael.org.

Participants are required to submit a $375 participation and security deposit. Deposits will be refunded at the end of the program based on good standing.

Aside from the refundable security deposit paid by the participant, the Sullam Israel Residency is free of charge for participants and their employers. Employers will continue to pay participants their regular salary for the duration of the program.

The program will cover essential aspects of the experience, including:

  • Accommodation in comfortable single bedrooms within shared apartments
  • Round-trip airfare from select North American gateway cities
  • Enriching educational programming and seminars
  • Meals during educational sessions
  • Shabbat retreats
  • Basic medical insurance
  • Ground transportation within Tel Aviv

Israel has a wealth of Jewish expressions and we encourage you to experiment with the new, or find expressions of Jewish life that you feel at home.
Sullam takes a pluralistic, open approach towards Judaism and celebrates the multiple ways that Jewish life can be lived. We hope that Jews of all stripes will participate in the program.
Shabbat is an important part of the program, in which participants will be able to explore, learn and celebrate together. For the Group Shabbat there will be a range of different prayer options, although none will be mandatory. Technology will not be used publicly on Shabbat.

All food is kosher.

We hope that non-Jewish participants will also gain enrichment from the Jewish components of the program, even if they are not part of their own traditions.

The Sullam Residency is the bold initiative of a group of major funders in the Jewish community. They are motivated by a desire that the next generation of Jewish community professionals are inspired by and connected to Israel and the Jewish People.

FAQs for Candidates

As a result of this program, you, the participant, will gain:

  • A sense of connection to the wider Jewish community, and an appreciation of your place in the field of Jewish professionals
  • A professional network of diverse Jewish professionals
  • Appreciation for, and deeper understanding of, the inspiring and complex reality of modern Israel
  • Clarity regarding your own personal connection to Judaism and its meaning in your life

You should request to be nominated for Sullam if:

  • You are looking to expand your professional network and are thinking about your own professional trajectory within the Jewish communal field
  • You want to connect and/or strengthen your day-to-day work to Israel in some way
  • You found yourself in Jewish communal work, but now want to consider a focused career as a Jewish professional
  • You are curious about Israel and your own personal Jewish growth
  • You may have been to Israel before but are looking for a chance to return for a new experience
  • You want to immerse yourself in Israeli living and learning

Aside from a refundable security deposit fee of $375 (details below), the Sullam Israel Residency is free of charge for you and your employer. Your employer will continue to pay you your regular salary for the duration of the program.

Yes! If you have never visited Israel before you will find that the Sullam Residency will be a fantastic way to gain a deep perspective into Israel. At the same time, the program is not intended to provide an overview of the country and does not include basic visits to some of the most popular sites (Masada, Jerusalem’s Old City etc.,). You will have time on free Shabbatot to visit those sites, or we suggest you come a few days early.

Yes! The Sullam Residency offers a deep-dive into Israel with many choices for learning. If you have been on Taglit Birthright Israel, or even on a longer program (a Gap Year or Onward program), we are confident that you will see things you have never seen before, and dive more deeply into issues and topics you are not familiar with.

Yes! If you work for the Jewish community and are interested in exploring Israel and its relevance to you and your work you are eligible for the program. The program assumes a willingness to engage with Israel on multiple levels and you will have a choice of what is most meaningful to you. You will be expected to participate in the group Shabbat celebration and in your free time you will also have an opportunity to visit other religious sites if you choose.

Israel has a wealth of Jewish expressions and we encourage you to experiment with the new, or find expressions of Jewish life that you feel at home. Sullam takes a pluralistic, open approach towards Judaism and celebrates the multiple ways that Jewish life can be lived. We hope that Jews of all stripes will participate in the program. Shabbat is an important part of the program, in which participants will be able to explore, learn and celebrate together. For the Group Shabbat there will be a range of different prayer options, although none will be mandatory. Technology will not be used publicly on Shabbat.All food is kosher.We hope that non-Jewish participants will also gain enrichment from the Jewish components of the program, even if they are not part of their own traditions.
The Sullam Israel Residency is based on the foundational belief that the State of Israel is the historical home of the Jewish People, which holds special meaning for Jews around the world today. Sullam upholds the legitimacy and the values of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state that is interconnected with global Jewry. Beyond this core conviction, the program does not have a particular agenda or ideology regarding Israel and how the State should address its challenges or realities today, nor does it aim for participants to adopt a particular approach or set of opinions. We also recognize that every presentation of Israel contains bias and underlying assumptions and we strive to make our biases and assumptions as transparent as possible. We will do this by offering multiple perspectives and attitudes, through the range of speakers, texts, and experiences that will be included. Participants across the political spectrum – including those who may not be sure where they stand – are welcome. In fact, participants will be expected to engage with one another, with the program, and with current events in a spirit of curiosity and learning, even (and especially) as people may have diverse personal and/or organizational priorities with respect to the People and State of Israel.
Sullam’s approach to addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict involves fostering a community of Jewish communal professionals who are prepared to engage with the intricate narratives, individuals, and locations central to this complex issue. The program will include multiple opportunities for participants to learn about the Israel-Palestinian conflict, always through multiple perspectives from a position of curiosity and empathy. There will also be opportunities to hear from a variety of people with direct experience with the conflict, including Palestinians. The program will open with a specially-designed introductory course exploring Israeli history and contemporary issues. For those who want to dive more deeply into issues related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there will be elective programming opportunities to continue learning through site visits and meetings facilitated by local experts in the field. Participants who choose to participate in these elective program options can expect to hear from a broad range of perspectives from both Palestinians and Israelis about the current state of the conflict, as well as insights and opinions about various potential future scenarios.

Yes. Trip itineraries are approved daily with the “Situation Monitoring Room” administered by the Society for the Protection of Nature. The Situation Monitoring Room works closely with Israel’s security forces including the IDF, Israel Policy, and local security and reservation authorities.

Yes, meeting Israelis and having the opportunity to have formal and informal conversations with them is an important part of the program.

Sullam Residency is not a touring program and has a residential feel, ensuring that participants can feel settled and at home during the month in Israel. The primary living arrangement, for two and a half weeks of the program, is apartment living in Tel Aviv. The program has rented a block of apartments in several buildings all together in the center of Tel Aviv, which house up to 4 people, in single rooms. Apartments will contain kitchen and laundry facilities.

When participants leave Tel Aviv for electives or Shabbat programs, they will be able to keep this Tel Aviv base. During those short-term visits to other venues, for up to 3 nights, participants will be in hotel-level accommodation in double rooms.
In addition, for the first and last few days of the program, participants will be accommodated in single rooms in hotels.

All hotel accommodation will be at a 4-star level.

Yes. The program contains two free Shabbatot (Friday-Saturday), as well as other informal evening times when you can visit friends and family.

Absolutely. While people from all backgrounds and walks of life are encouraged to apply to Sullam, observant Jews will find the program accessible. All the food provided by our program will be Kosher and Saturday programming will also be Shabbat-friendly in public spaces. For those who want to pray in an orthodox minyan every day, there are plenty of accessible options in Tel Aviv. However, we cannot guarantee that a minyan will be accessible three times a day and participants are responsible to find their own minyan.

The Sullam Residency is designed so that participants take a break from their regular work, and focus on immersing in Israel. Therefore it is recommended that participants not make significant work commitments during this time and there will not be regular times available for working. At the same time, there are free days, evenings, and weekends throughout the program, and the time difference between Israel and the US is helpful if you wish to make periodic check-ins with work colleagues and projects.

The program in its current, pilot, form is designed only for Jewish community professionals to participate, without their partners and children. Talk to us individually if you have specific needs around this.

While we recognize that it is hard to commit a full month, it is also important that participants be fully present for the whole program and so we cannot have participants coming and going in the middle. If there are special circumstances, please talk to us about what is possible.

The Sullam Residency is the bold initiative of a group of major funders in the Jewish community. They are motivated by a desire that the next generation of Jewish community professionals are inspired by and connected to Israel and the Jewish People.

Seed funding for the Sullam Israel Residency pilot program is generously being provided by the Maimonides Fund, the Jim Joseph Foundation, and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies

Sullam Israel Residency
What? Why? How?
Information Sessions
Key Experiences
M²’s partnership with Onward Israel
How you will grow at Sullam
How your employee will grow
Eligibility and Nominations
Staff and Faculty
FAQs
Our Supporters