Some people ask, "What would Jesus do?" Others, "What would Moses do?" We ask, "What would JEW do?"

If you could change one thing about the Jewish world tomorrow and could not fail, What Would JEW Do?

PresenTense is all about cultivating the next great Jewish ideas. We want to hear how YOU want to change the Jewish world for the better. Our Summer Fellows, staff, interns and co-workers have already shared some of their ideas. Now it's your turn to be a part of our viral new campaign!

Listen, Think, and Join the Campaign. We want to hear YOUR ANSWER. Sign in and post your own written or video responses here!

PresenTense Fellow Stands up for Refugees in Israel

Mollie Gerver is on a mission to establish an asylum-seeking process in Israel 

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL – July 11, 2010 – After lobbying in the Knesset for four years, Mollie Gerver, a Fellow at the PresenTense 2010 Global Summer Institute, is on a mission to transform Israeli public policy to provide asylum for African refugees in Israel through her venture, Advocates for Asylum.

Gerver remembers visiting the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C and wondering how so many countries could reject Jews fleeing Nazi Europe. Now, Gerver finds herself asking that same question about Israeli policy towards refugees in Israel, where government officials turn away Darfurians, South Sudanese, Eritreans, and other refugees attempting to apply for asylum as refugees.

Advocates for Asylum is creating short animated videos and graphic novels of refugee testimonials. These are both eye catching and, unlike video testimonials, protect the identity of refugees, whose lives and families’ lives would be threatened if deported back to their home countries. 

“The objective of Advocates for Asylum is to push the Israeli government to evaluate each asylum seeker on an individual basis. This way, proven refugees are not deported to Egypt where they are often imprisoned, killed, or deported to Sudan, Eritrea, and other countries of origin,” Gerver says.

Goodbye LeBron, Hello JCLE

PresenTense Fellow Creates Cleveland's New Hot Spot for Young Jews

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL – July 15, 2010 – Lebron James may be leaving Cleveland, but Madeline Bleiweiss is confident the Cleveland Jewish community isn’t going anywhere. Full of villages, culture, and entertainment, yet lacking a Jewish framework to appeal to cultural Jews, Cleveland, Ohio is Bleiweiss’ diamond in the rough. Bleiweiss, a Cleveland Fellow participating in PresenTense as part of the PresenTense Jewish Federation of Cleveland Fellowship Program is determined to promote her hometown in a youthful, trendy light for graduate students and young professional through her new initiative, Jewish Cleveland (JCLE).

Where assimilation is rampant and Jewish continuity is in question, Bleiweiss aims to utilize her creative talents and communications skills to plan cultural events targeting the young Jews in the Cleveland area.

After a brief stint in Washington D.C, Bleiweiss, a self-described “former suit,” returned home to Cleveland to find an absence of the cultural Jewish life she encountered on her college campus.

PresenTense Cleveland Fellow Initiates Traditional-Egalitarian Minyan

Jenny Kaufman brings the young zest for Judaism to Cleveland area

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL – July 13, 2010 – The medieval Jewish sages strongly emphasized the relationship between community and meaningful religious experience. For Jenny Kaufman,  a Cleveland Fellow participating in PresenTense as part of the PresenTense Jewish Federation of Cleveland Fellowship Program, Cleveland’s young community lacks both. Kaufman is bridging the social-religious divide with the Cleveland Young Professionals’ Minyan (CYPminyan), an independent traditional-egalitarian minyan for 20- and 30-somethings in the Cleveland area. Spirit and passion imbue the volunteer-led minyan to bring the young zest for Judaism back into Cleveland.

After experiencing the vibrant Los Angeles Jewish community while pursuing a degree there, Kaufman returned to Cleveland unable to find a community that really spoke to her passions. Memories of home-cooked Shabbat dinners, passionate singing, and afternoon talks in the park seemed distant.

Far from alone in today’s modern Jewish world, Jenny says, “I like activities that connect me to Judaism, but it’s hard when people are apathetic or unsure of what’s going on.”

Part of what fuels the distance of young Jewish adults today, Kaufman believes, is the pervasive idea that Judaism must be “your parent’s Judaism” and “sitting through long, tedious services.” Au contraire, she says, “Judaism can be fun.”

Not Your Typical House "Next Dor"

PresenTense Global Fellow develops Next Dor St. Louis, A home for all things Jewish

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL – July 11, 2010 –Yoni Sarason, a Cincinnati native and Fellow at the PresenTense 2010 Global Summer Institute, is reinvigorating the St. Louis Jewish community as Program Director of Next Dor STL, a post-denominational house that builds community among Jewish young adults by creating a vibrant center of activity and culture through community-driven, peer-led projects.

As the first house of its kind in St. Louis and only one of a handful in the United States, Next Dor has been instrumental in keeping an energetic youthful Jewish presence alive in St. Louis. It provides a forum for all interests, from yoga classes, guitar lessons, and art exhibits to Shabbat meals, Passover wine tastings, and Purim (Pour’em) Party Crawls. Next Dor is a place that aims to be run for the community by the community. 

South African Turns Political Statement Into Trendy Fashion Statement 

PresenTense Fellow David Kramer increases awareness of Israeli causes and charitable organizations through his new clothing brand. 

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL – July 7, 2010 – David Kramer is not afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve. Originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, Kramer, a Fellow at the PresenTense 2010 Global Summer Institute, is making political statements fashionable with the NU Campaign, an Israeli clothing brand dedicated to raising social awareness and funding for important Israeli causes and charitable organizations.

As a Summer Fellow at the prestigious six-week Institute, Kramer joins fifteen other budding Jewish social entrepreneurs from America, Israel, Australia, and the UK to gain the skills and connections necessary to launch their ventures to benefit the Jewish world at large.

"The 2010 Fellows represent some of the most innovative Jewish minds today.  They are embarking on projects that have the potential to transform Jewish life here in Jerusalem and around the world," commented Flo Low, Chair of the Institute Steering Committee.

A New Type of Jewish Sports Hero

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL – July 5, 2010 –David Lasday, a Maplewood, New Jersey native and Fellow at the PresenTense 2010 Global Summer Institute, is bringing the excitement back into Jewish learning with Bring It In Israel, an Israel-based program that empowers Jewish leaders to use sports to impart Jewish values, life skills, and a connection to Israel onto Jewish children.

As a Summer Fellow at the prestigious six-week Institute, Lasday joins fifteen other budding Jewish social entrepreneurs from America, Israel, Australia, and the UK to gain the skills and connections necessary to launch their ventures to benefit the Jewish world at large.

"The 2010 Fellows represent some of the most innovative Jewish minds today.  They are embarking on projects that have the potential to transform Jewish life here in Jerusalem and around the world," commented Flo Low, Chair of the Institute Steering Committee. Sponsoring Lasday’s venture is the iCenter, reputed for its dedication to Israel education.