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in
the

Mosaic United

Israeli initiative with Michigan connections promotes education and
engagement for young Jews worldwide.

SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

TOP: At a Mosaic
United-funded Knead To
Know cooking program:
Joelle Abramowitz of
Ann Arbor, Reva Berman
of Farmington Hills and
U-M students Kevin
Lieberman of Potomac,
Md., and Genna Miller of
Langhorne, Pa.

F

or decades, Israel has relied on
generous contributions from Jewish
organizations and philanthropists
in the diaspora to assist its educational
programs, social services and economic
development. But the roles have been
reversed through Mosaic United, a pro-
gram established by Israel’s Ministry of
Diaspora Affairs in 2016 to engage young
Jews worldwide.
“This is a historic joint venture part-
nership with the diaspora to strengthen
Jewish identity all
around the world and
connections to Israel,”
explains Rabbi Benjamin
Levy, Mosaic United’s
chief executive officer
based in Australia.
According to the
Mosaic United website,
Rabbi Benjamin
this is the first time
Levy
Israel has invested in
the diaspora to build “a thriving, plural-
istic worldwide Jewish community that
will ensure the future of our people.” The
nonprofit organization is a partnership
between the Israeli government, Jewish
philanthropists and Jewish organizations,
including Hillel International, Chabad
and Olami.
Mosaic United is a response to research
that indicated a growing number of
young Jews ages 13-35 are “unengaged
or under-engaged” with Judaism, Levy
explains. “We are looking for different
opportunities to connect them with a
first focus on university students.” He
points out that this “growing level of apa-
thy and loss of engagement is not exclu-
sive to Jews.”
Naftali Bennett, minister of the Israeli

Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, explained
the rationale for government involvement
in a recently published op/ed: “The great-
est danger facing the Jewish world in the
21st century is disengagement: Millions of
Jews, mainly in North America, are drift-
ing away from Judaism and, as a result,
from Israel …”
Bennett is the Orthodox leader of
Israel’s right-wing Jewish Home party,
and his initiation of Mosaic United has
drawn criticism from some Israelis and
Americans. According to an August
2016 Ha’aretz story about the recently
announced Mosaic United, critics were
concerned the program was a way to
expand the ranks of Orthodox Judaism
and further limit the role of more liberal
streams of Judaism in Israel.
The article claims that Mosaic United’s
initial allocations have included funding
for 16 Orthodox campus centers. Chabad
and Olami are Orthodox organizations;
Hillel International is not affiliated with a
particular stream of Judaism.
However, Levy says Mosaic United
has allocated $66 million, roughly split
between Chabad, Hillel and Olami for
two years of programming. “They are the
three largest providers operating in the
campus space that could partner with
us,” he says. “Mosaic United seeks out the
most effective organizations to partner
with, regardless of the denomination.
Naftali Bennett’s religious leanings are
not relevant to this process,” Levy says.
Each organization provides matching
support for the Mosaic United grants. To
date, Mosaic United has engaged nearly
400 campuses across all the continents,
according to Levy.
“It is tremendous to see their excite-

ment and enthusiasm. Through immer-
sive educational experiences, they con-
nect with each other,” he says.
Prior to assuming leadership of Mosaic
United, he was dean of Moriah College in
Sydney, Australia, a large Jewish school.
He was ordained following study at
Yeshivat Har Etzion, an Israeli education-
al institution that combines traditional
Orthodox study with military service.

CAMPUS PROGRAMMING
Hillel International reports it has received
$7.3 million in matching funds from Mo-
saic United during the past two years. The
funds have been used “to support pro-
grams that strengthen students’ Jewish
identity and expand Jewish engagement,
education and talent. More than 100
campuses have received funding through
Hillel’s partnership with Mosaic United,”
says Matthew Berger, vice president, com-
munications, and senior adviser to Hillel
International’s Israel Action Program.
Mosaic United funds have been used
to start or expand five Hillel programs:
Drive to Excellence Innovation grants to
involve more students; hiring of senior
Jewish educators and rabbis; Springboard
Fellowships for training college graduates
to engage students; Jewish Learning Fel-
lowships for previously unengaged Jewish
students; and internships to connect Jew-
ish students with their peers on campus.
In Michigan, Mosaic United has assisted
the University of Michigan Hillel.
“We receive funding through Hillel
International’s Drive to Excellence Grants
for our engagement and education work,”
says Tilly Shames, executive director of
U-M Hillel. “This work, funded in part by
Mosaic United along with other donors,

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July 5 • 2018

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