Jewish Leadership

Marilyn Chandler, Executive Director of the Greensboro Jewish Federation, was today's SOAR speaker. "What does it mean to be a leader?" was her opening question to eighth grade students, followed by definitions of Jewish leadership to be discussed in "chevruta" - with a partner. First, students shared their definitions of leadership:

Sergey: To guide people by making rational decisions on what to do

Celia: To be strong and passionate

Jordan: To have innovative ideas that are beneficial to people

Sydney: To be brave and courageous (to take risks and not be afraid)

Marilyn summarized: "Someone who guides people to make decisions that are sometimes risky, requiring bravery and courage and possibly fighting against the mainstream - someone who can influence others."

The class generated a list of Jewish leaders: Moses, Golda Meir, Lou Reid, Fran Drescher, my mom, Herzl, my parents, teachers, head of school, Ben Gurion, and rabbis. Personal connections and guidance as well as bravery were the main reasons students made their choices.

The Hebrew root nun-hey-gimmel is the "shoresh" for "minhag" - custom, or practice - and "manheeg," which means leader. Leadership, said Marilyn, is the way we behave - what we do in a particular role.

Next, students worked on characteristics that describe a Jewish leader:

Celia: Someone who is active in the Jewish community, someone who attends services, helps to make decisions, serves on different boards, volunteers for different things

Liz: Someone who is pro-Israel, who does fundraisers and goes to AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee - a lobby group)

Jordan: Add Jewish values and philosophy to our general definition of leadership.

Marilyn talked about being Jewishly literate and knowledgeable, in order to operate as a leader in a Jewish context. Finding a mentor to learn about active Jewish leadership is a good idea, she said. Liz suggested that studying Torah would be a good idea. "Constant learning is critical for Jewish leadership," concurred Marilyn. She asked the students to consider the relationship of money to Jewish leadership. As an example, she cited the duffel bags that Greensboro Jewish community sends every year to the Moldova Jewish community.

Next, students studied the difference between lay leaders and professional leaders. Lay leaders are volunteers and professionals are paid. Both make an impact on the community. Do they add value in different ways to an organization? Liz offered that lay leaders added value by being part of the decision making on boards. Sydney said volunteers add value by their choice to volunteer, showing care for the organization. Both the lay and professional leaders have passion for their work, said Marilyn.

Marilyn differentiated between lay and professional leaders. Lay/volunteers are usually board members, committee members and professionals are "staff." Boards are responsible for making policy; the professional informs the board and implements policy decisions. Board members are also ambassadors to the community after a decision is made. Several examples were discussed in order to help students understand the different roles of board members and professionals.

The class put together a list of Jewish professionals: youth leaders, rabbis, teachers, Hillel directors, camp directors, cantors bar mitzvah tutors, shlichim.

As the time flew by, Marilyn touched on a number of other topics connected to Jewish leadership.
Students learned the difference between "for profit," "not-for-profit" and NGO organizations.

Marilyn also explained the role of the GJF in taking care of Jewish communities in the Diaspora and in Israel. She also discussed mitzvot such as bikur cholim that shape Jewish leadership roles. "Kol Yisrael Areyvim Zeh lazeh" - community responsibility - and tikkun olam is a key mitzvah shaping the work of the federation.

To sum up the session, the eighth grade supplied their ideas for a B'nai Shalom mission:

Celia: To make better Jews who can make better decisions

Zippy: Make Jewish leaders of tomorrow

Jordan: Create open minds

To learn about Judaism and secular studies.

Each student completed the sentence, "Continuing my Jewish journey I will:

• learn
• will be part of Jewish youth groups
• will go to Temple and read Torah
• always learn something new about Judaism
• will be a role model to others
• will help others and think about Jewish values
• will be a Jewish leader
• will help others
• will go to services and try to help the Jewish community
• set an example.

How does personality affect leadership style?

Johan Naude of the Center for Creative Leadership joined Kitah Chet as today's SOAR guest speaker. He started by asking students to name objects in the room from A to Z. As the alphabet progressed, student responses became more creative. Eli wrote an "x" on a piece of paper to fulfill the X category and the first to notice the randomness of the responses. Liz noticed that everyone cooperated in coming up with answers. Johan emphasized the diversity in the types of answers students came up with. If everyone had the same approach, he asked, would the exercise have been longer?

Earlier this morning, students completed a Myers-Briggs survey. Students briefly discussed the survey with Johan, trying to determine the purpose of the exercise. Before answering, Johan divided the students into two groups (based on the results of the survey, but the kids did not know that!). Students were charged with building a house with M and M's. One group built a very organized house, with students working together to plan colors and tactics. The other group called this house "clean, traditional and organized." The second group pointed out the "face" of the house, with windows acting as eyes, nose and mouth. The other group described this house as "cool." Each group appreciated the other's (very different) representation. They began to extrapolate characteristics of each group. Using an MBTI preferences sheet, students examined definitions of various preferences, particularly "judging" versus "perceiving." They quickly realized which group tended towards J (judging) and which towards P (perceiving).


Students were then asked to think about how their preferences played out at school and at home. Johan emphasized that there was no right or wrong, but that different approaches would be effective in different situations. Eli pointed out that in doing projects, a more organized approach was beneficial. Johan mentioned that in certain situations, you may want to use your natural preferences, but that in others, you may need to expend energy to do something different. Jordan said that this was helpful to know in understanding why it might be easy to procrastinate and put off work.


After studying the key to MBTI preferences, students attempted to mark their choices and then compared them to their test results. Several were quite accurate in predicting their MBTI choices - a marked change from last year, when students roared with laughter as Johan shared their preferences!

Turning Ideas into Products

Innovative ideas, new products and return on investments...it all starts with an idea, said Michael Kaplan, engineer - and today's guest speaker for SOAR. Using a simple soap dispenser as an example, students contemplated all the parts needed to put together a new invention.

Michael asked if anyone had ever had an idea for a product to invent, noting that very little of what students saw around them was invented without engineering.

"Engineering and invention are intimately connected," Michael pointed out to the eighth graders.
"Necessity is the mother of invention," he noted. Maxx said, "If you feel like you need something, you invent it." Sergey added, "If you're going to sell it for a million a day, you have to make sure it's something people want."

When customers come to see Michael at ABCO, he wants to make sure that his product can improve quality, save time and save labor. One way to save labor, he said, was to improve technology. A few manufacturing slides were used to illustrate his points. Examples included a compact case, deodorant container, a toothpaste tube.

Turning ideas into functional and manufacture-able products is Michael's definition of engineering. The products have to work, he pointed out. You want to make sure that you have not violating a previous patent. It must be possible to put the product together with existing technology, and the process must be cost-effective and safe for the consumer and the manufacturer.

Students gave examples of dangerous industries: coal mining, fishing. Michael spoke about the ethical implications in making decisions what to produce.

Quality control must be consistent and supply and demand must be balance in order for the product to be successful. If a company does not produce enough, the customer will be upset - even though demand on many products is cyclical. Michael used freeze pops as an example. Freeze pops are made in January and stored so that they may keep up with the high summer demand beginning in May - a good example of supply and demand balance.

Money, cost, labor costs, time costs, size, speed are constraints in making a product, noted the students. Michael was amazed that students came up with all of his points!

"Time to market" - the sooner one can get the product to market, the sooner it can be sold, said Michael. This was an important concept for students to absorb. He further explained some of the upfront investments before a product is created and then produced.

Michael asked if there was anything unsafe in the room. Using the door as an example, he noted that one can walk into a door, pinch fingers in the hinges or in the doorway. We accept the inherent dangers of doors because the alternatives are not acceptable for aesthetic or cost reasons or practicality. Known hazards are acceptable, because we know how to handle them. Are doors a dangerous product, he queried - or is a door a compromise product. Child-proof containers are another example of a compromise. ABCO discusses these issues all the time when making its products. Time, material and safety are all issues considered in compromises.

Design-Build-Test is a loop his company uses. They start with a concept and then use a computer program to draw it up and model it. Next, they build it, which costs a great deal in labor and materials. The last stage is to test the product, and redesign, rebuild and retest until the product works.

In the design phase, designs are put on paper: hand sketches, CAD/CAM software, programing software. A concept is developed and problems are identified and refined (risk assessment), and feasibility is checked. They concentrate on the hardest part of the project first.

Students handled the inner parts of a soap dispenser to try to come up with the information they might need to produce the product. They came up with questions they might ask a potential customer, including how the products will be packed and shipped, how many parts per minute can be made, how will incoming materials be supplied, what variations of parts are acceptable, what chemicals are being handled. They discussed processes required for assembly, determination of quality, delivery, floor space required for machinery, budget constraints, time constraints, preferred suppliers of components. After students handled the soap dispenser parts, Michael showed them videos of the first trials of producing them - including mistakes made.

In the test phrase, engineers compare the function of finished products to the original goals. Redesign and rebuilding may be required, as well as determining areas of required improvement, whether they be manufacturing efficiency, purchased component selection or additional functionality. A discussion of patents and legal ownership of ideas (intellectual property) ensued. "You can't patent it unless you're the owner," said Michael. Who owns the design may depend on how a contract is written. That's why people keep invention journals and protect their inventions. To own a patent, one must create the product with one's own resources. If a product already exists, a patent search may be required. Patents clearly establish legal ownership, establish professional reputations and allows for temporary "cornering of the market" said Michael, It is, however, an expensive process and requires public disclosure, allowing companies to find "work arounds."

Jordan asked what would happen if the design-build-test loop did not work after several iterations. He explained that the answer often depended on budget and time. She and Celia suggested a new product: caffeinated gum. No spills, no mess...Michael suggested to figure out on your own how to take the product to market in a small batch. Make enough to sell at the next Israel trip fundraiser and sell it locally. While you are doing that, he said, keep notes, a video diary, and have witnesses to your design notebook. By bringing the product to market, you have documentation for your use if you choose to patent - or sell it to a company.

I could see the students buzzing about potential products as they left the session. Thanks to Michael for putting the gears in motion!