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Making Connections

ROI conference in Israel draws parallels
to local catalysts for change.

NOAM KIMMELMAN AND PERRY TEICHER I SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

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magine five days surrounded by
150 friends, all driven to contribute
to making the world a better place.
Each day gyrates around reflection
and action. Unlike most conferences,
there is no single goal. Rather, this
gathering is intended to inspire,
encourage and challenge each person
there to act on this inspiration.
In June, we were fortunate to attend
the annual ROI Summit in Jerusalem
sponsored by the Charles and Lynn
' • '!"
jeggiez9r.ft,—.
Schusterman Family Foundation. ROI
[return on investment] is an annual
gathering of 150 Jewish social
innovators from around the world who
are invited to collectively inspire and
work together to imagine and act upon
a more just, equal and sustainable
ROI participants had productive discussions about innovation and connections.
world.
Participants came from everywhere
it's clear you don't need to travel around
pair an intentionally diverse community
— from Brazil to South Africa to the
the world to see similarly amazing
of technology innovators in Mexico with
U.S. to the Philippines.
initiatives and meet similarly amazing
an intentionally diverse community of
The summit attracted
people.
food innovators in Detroit.
innovators in art,
Take Nora Feldhusen, a Joshua
Or to connect Feldhusen with Chaya
entrepreneurialism,
Venture Group Fellow and co-founder of Gilboa, founder of the Hevruta Gap-
food, social services
PeerCorps Detroit, an intergenerational
Year Program, which offers an intensive
and many more
service learning initiative that builds
social action component through which
themes. We were able
bridges between Jewish teens and
participants intern at local NGOs and
to take advantage of
b'nai mitzvah students and between
with public figures to acquire skills to be
this diversity through
the Jewish community and the city of
change agents.
Perry Teicher
creativity sessions that Detroit.
Or Aronoff with Daniel Freidlin, vice
challenged us to move
Or Elana Fox, creativity conductor at
president at PresenTense Israel, an
outside our comfort zones, forcing us to
Foodlab Detroit, a diverse community of
organization focused on catalyzing
move outside of our standard strategies
food businesses and allies working to
community-based entrepreneurship to
and frames of thinking.
make good food a sustainable reality for grow local economies, enrich community
But 150 people are a lot. To facilitate
all Detroiters.
life and solve critical issues.
deep, ongoing conversations, we had
Or Jeff Aronoff, the former executive
These examples are merely the tip
our five-person pods. Everyone there
director at D:Hive, who recently founded
of the iceberg. We are all part of one
had been to conferences before, and
Sidewalk Ventures, a platform to help
global Jewish community, and the more
forcing five people to sit together and
local businesses and their supporters
we create space for connection and
talk through specific themes felt forced.
build great places together by unlocking
collaboration, the more successful we
But we jumped right in, discussing
the power of community-based
will be in the effort to learn together,
challenging issues at our respective
investment.
challenge one another and create a
organizations. Great
Jewish Detroiters are immersed
world that constantly pushes us to do
conversation, but not 100
in work that is as inspiring and
better.
percent open.
cutting-edge as that of any Jews
Three pod meetings later,
around the world. But imagine
we didn't want to leave
Noam Kimelman is co-founder of Fresh
the multiplier effects of ideas and
each other. After the summit
Corner Cafe and Detroit Food Academy, two
experiences being reciprocally
ended, we continued to
social enterprises wielding the power of
shared with the global community
spend time together and
good food to further equity, improve qual-
— a two-way information and
continued to brainstorm and
ity of life and create opportunity. Noam
inspiration highway connecting
troubleshoot — even across Noam
has been an R01 member since 2015. Perry
Detroit and the rest of the world.
Kimmelma n
the world.
Teicher is co-chair of JDC Entwine, an ini-
They connect people like Fox to
The challenge is how to
tiative of the Joint Distribution Committee
people like Elias Shuchleib Cukiert,
sustain this high and bring it home to
that inspires and engages young adults who
founder of Dev.F. and StartupBus, who
our community. It's great to have the
seek to make a meaningful impact on global
is working to diversify the community
opportunity to spend an idyllic five days
Jewish needs and international humanitar-
of technology development in Mexico.
with outstanding people from around
ian issues. Perry has been an ROI member
Imagine the learning and shared best
the world. But when we look around,
since 2011.
practices that might occur when you

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July 23 • 2015