The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute’s teen division has announced a partnership with a prominent consulting group. The firm will assist affiliates in engaging their local communities and maximizing their ability to facilitate student recruitment.
Dubin Strategy and Consulting, LLC, which has directed various political campaigns and causes in the US and Israel, will be working closely with staff in the JLI Teens office in developing field strategies and planning on-site training and initiation for the JLI Teens affiliate conference in August.
Since its launch in 2009, JLI Teens has offered courses in over 65 cities in a new initiative to connect with Jewish high school students. Equipped with texts, videos, and discussions of issues of relevance to teens, shluchim and shluchos have reached into the hearts and minds of more than 2,200 Jewish teenagers, enabling them to journey closer to Yiddishkeit.
While the main focus of JLI Teens in the past has been building a successful working model for developing an advanced Torah-based curriculum for secular teens, JLI Teens is now expanding its horizons, reaching out to those who have yet to experience the power of a JLI course. What about the Jewish teen who never showed up? The teen who is not affiliated? The teen who never heard of JLI?
Rabbi Benny Rapoport, director of JLI Teens, is passionate about using political strategists in the effort to expand the Chabad House borders. “We see the campaign to involve students — and their parents — very much in line with a political cause that needs a well thought-out campaign strategy,” he said. “The shliach and shlucha are more than just teachers – they are community organizers; they must be able to empower community-members to take active leadership roles — for teens and their parents to be the “surrogate” salespeople who should be rallying their friends to support the cause of Jewish learning for teens.”
This campaign is shaping up to be something unlike anything other campaigns have ever seen. Aligning the Rebbe’s mission of conquering the world through Torah-study with raw political field strategy is the marriage of two unlikely collaborators – but one that can revolutionize cities large and small and build support for Jewish learning for teens.
JLI Teens Program Director Gani Goodman explains, “Now that we have the formula for engaging students, our affiliates can dedicate time, effort and resources to getting them into the classroom. We believe that political field strategy on top of traditional sales techniques will gain community support, foster student enrollment, and create young Jewish leaders.”
Registration for the JLI Teens 5772 program is now open. The upcoming semesters offer shluchim the opportunity to work closely with Dubin Strategy and Consulting, LLC, and revolutionize their community impact.
To inquire further about the program or to submit an application for JLI Teens affiliate status, please email teensdesk@myjli.com
Nice seeing you. Regards from Toronto