Jaynie Levinson — Connecting Jewish Young Adults
The Jewish Community at the Forefront of Innovation
As we continue to write the story of the Jewish diaspora, one common thread is that Jews have always been on the forefront of entrepreneurship and innovation. Jews have won an insanely disproportionate amount of Nobel Peace Prizes to our population size, winning 22% of all Nobel prizes (and we’re .2% of the population worldwide). In America, companies from Warner Brothers to Starbucks to Google and Facebook were all founded by Jews. In Cincinnati, innovative Jews created Standard Textile, developed the polio vaccine, and created the Manischewitz Co.
The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, especially after the creation of the Becker Center,
wants to play a role in helping Jewish innovators get a project off the ground, whether that be in the for-profit or non-profit world. We want to be the source for a young Cincy Jew with any idea, whether a tiny seed or already in process, can come and find support. To celebrate this, we’re launching an event on April 29th, The Spark Behind the Change: An Evening of Storytelling and Networking.
Recently in Cincinnati, it is Jewish young adults who are leading the innovation charge. Fusian was created by Zach and Josh Weprin (Jews from the Dayton area) and Stephan Harmon, innovating how to make and deliver sushi to hungry Cincinnatians (now with 5 locations and more in the works). Nathan Sivitz and his husband Patrick Moloughney took a leap of faith last year and opened the Macaron Bar in Over-the-Rhine. Nathan told me over coffee last week that the macaron concept came out of his love for baking and Patrick’s desire to use his business skills outside of the corporate world. They were living in LA at the time they had this idea, but both agreed Cincinnati would be the perfect place to take this risk and open a business. Sales have been triple what they expected, and the pair plans to open a kiosk at Kenwood Towne Center this year.
The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati assisted the Macaron Bar in their creation by providing a Hebrew Free Loan, an interest free loan, to the business, which Nathan noted was a huge help in getting their business off the ground.
On the non-profit side of innovation, or often referred to as social innovation, local Jews have been leaders in this space. Since 1996, Tamara Harkavy transformed our city with her creation of ArtWorks, empowering creative people in our city, particularly youth, to make change through their art.
Tamara is joining Jordan Edelheit (creator of Tedx series in prison), Barbara Hauser (Red Door Project), Kim Popa (Pones Inc.), Derek Braziel, William Thomas, and Joseph Allen Woods (MORTAR, an entrepreneurship course for underserved populations), and Rabbi Laura Baum (creator of ourjewishcommunity.org), at The Spark Behind the Change. At this event, the innovators listed above will share a story about what sparked them to create their change-worthy project. It is our goal that something the audience hears on that evening will inspire, excite, or lead to the next major idea to change our city.
Not only are there other organizations in the city investing in social innovators with great ideas (Artworks and Fuel Cincinnati are two larger ones), the Jewish Federation wants to play a role as well. Whether it be investing money, time, pairing you up with mentors, connecting you to business support …we want to provide it for you!
Do you have an amazing idea? Even just at the beginning stage?! Call us, e-mail us, bombard our office, find me teaching cycling…whatever it takes! We want this city to be a place filled with innovation. We want to continue the tradition of Jews before us and around the world of breaking the mold, creating new, and forging us forward into the future.
Let’s create more sparks together!