The Hadassah Foundation wishes a hearty mazel tov to Moving Traditions and jGirls+ Magazine — two longtime grant recipients — on forging a strategic and feminist partnership.
Moving Traditions, a leading organization dedicated to engaging Jewish youth in meaningful experiences rooted in Jewish values, has acquired jGirls+ Magazine, an empowering online magazine and community for self-identifying Jewish girls and nonbinary youth. This partnership brings together two dynamic organizations with a shared commitment to inspiring Jewish youth to explore their identities, speak out on social justice issues, and develop as leaders.
jGirls+ is becoming an initiative housed within Moving Traditions, and Elizabeth Mandel, who was the executive director of jGirls+, is now Moving Traditions’ inaugural vice president of feminist programs. Mandel told eJewish Philanthropy, “Coming together in and of itself was a feminist act. To be able to say not ‘This is mine, and that’s yours, and I have to hold on to what’s mine and you have to hold on to what’s yours,’ but that by working collaboratively, which is such an important feminist ethic, it would be better for everyone.”
Shuli Karkowsky, CEO of Moving Traditions, made a similar point: “The actual negotiations felt feminist,” she said in the article. “There was no fear over, ‘If I give you power, I’ll have less power; this is a zero-sum game.’ It felt very much collaborative, and the more we work together, the pile will be bigger… which felt very, very novel in an industry that can have an attitude of scarcity.”
The Hadassah Foundation has been in communication with both organizations throughout the merger process and is fully in support of this strategic decision. The Foundation’s ongoing grant to jGirls+ (a three-year Core grant awarded in 2024) will become a grant to Moving Traditions, designated for the use of jGirls+. Our ongoing grant to Moving Traditions’ (a five-year Visionary Partner grant awarded in 2023) will remain for unrestricted use.
We look forward to seeing how much they accomplish together!