After a successful first year, the Avodah Institute for Social Change will present its second leadership development cohort for senior-level Jewish professionals: Leadership for Social Change, beginning in January. The program is facilitated by a set of diverse and accomplished Jewish educators from across the social justice sector, including: Catherine Bell, Caroline Rothstein, Yoshi Silverstein, and Yehudah Webster.

The cohort, a partnership of the Avodah Institute and Foundation for Jewish Camp, is an 18-month program for year-round staff leadership team members to deepen the work of social justice programming at Jewish camps across the country.

Catherine Bell: through coaching, facilitation, and training, Catherine Bell works with people and teams to lead from a place of wholeness and authenticity. Her expertise spans career development, executive leadership, power and privilege in the workplace, and navigating conflict. Her work centers on DEI training, particularly in relation to gender identity/sexual orientation, antiracism work for white people, and power/privilege.

Caroline Rothstein: an internationally touring writer, poet, performer, and educator, Caroline Rothstein, performs spoken word poetry, publicly speaks, facilitates workshops, and teaches year-round. Her work goes deep, offering narratives on the injustices of our time that are as heart-wrenching as they are inspiring. Her work has appeared in Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, The Guardian, BuzzFeed, NYLON, Narratively, The Forward, and elsewhere. Caroline and her work have been featured widely including in The New Yorker, MTV News, Chicago Tribune, CBS Evening News, BuzzFeed News, HuffPost, Mic, and Newsweek.

Yoshi Silverstein: In leading the Mitsui Collective, Yoshi Silverstein approaches Jewish education with a holistic lens that engages not only the mind, but also the body, heart, and soul. Recently awarded the prestigious Pomagranite Prize, his work seeks to nourish body and soul through meaning-making, purposeful connection, and creative expression. He was also selected as a 2021 “Grist 50 Fixer” for his work in building a more just and equitable future. A Chinese Ashkenazi American Jew, Yoshi Silverstein is also an active advocate and educator in the Jews of Color community. Formerly Director of the JOFEE Fellowship at Hazon, he is a Senior Schusterman Fellow, sits on the Board of Directors for Repair the World, and is an alumnus of Selah, the Dorot Fellowship, and the Jewish Pedagogies Fellowship with M²: The Institute for Experiential Jewish Education.

Yehudah Webster: As a faculty member for Inside Out Wisdom and Action, Yehudah Webster leverages Torah spirituality and Jewish wisdom in fostering collective anti-racist Teshuvah. As a community organizer for Jews for Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ), he led police accountability and transformative justice campaigns through grassroots efforts and legislative reform. Born as a Christian in Guyana, Yehudah’s Jewish journey began at age 8 in South Orange, NJ, where he and his family converted. Growing up in the face of white hegemony, he now facilitates workshops and speaks to audiences around the country to inspire and empower the Jewish community to commit to racial justice and make space for Jews of Color. He is a graduate of JFREJ’s Grace Paley Organizing Fellowship and Bend the Arc’s Selah Leadership Program.

Learn more about the Leadership for Social Change cohort program here.