T’ruah is seeking a part-time (10 hours/week) Israel Program Coordinator, based in Israel, who will help plan and carry out our programs for American rabbinical and cantorial students in Israel, as well as for visiting North American rabbis and cantors.

 

The ideal candidate is organized, a team player, excited about planning and implementing programs so they run smoothly, and committed to the safety and dignity of Israelis and Palestinians.

 

Who We Are

 

T’ruah brings the Torah’s ideals of human dignity, equality, and justice to life by empowering our network of over 2,300 rabbis and cantors to be moral voices and to lead Jewish communities in advancing democracy and human rights for all people in the United States, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories.

 

To learn more about our work, visit www.truah.org or find us @truahrabbis on social media.

 

What You’ll Do

 

T’ruah’s work in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories includes work with rabbinical and cantorial students spending part of their academic year in Israel as well as tiyyulim (trips) for rabbis and cantors.

 

Since 2013, T’ruah has offered nearly 300 American rabbinical and cantorial students spending the academic year, semester, or summer in Israel, the opportunity to develop their moral voice on human rights in Israel and in the occupied Palestinian territories. Core to this program are on-the-ground opportunities to both experience human rights crises and to form relationships with Israeli and Palestinian human rights and civil society leaders who are working to improve their society. Since October 7, T’ruah has adjusted to meet the needs of the students who remained in or returned to Israel, including programs that addressed the impact of the war on both Israelis and Palestinians. In the past, this program has consisted of monthly field programs, along with a more intensive fellowship for a small group of students. This year, we anticipate the program consisting of a smaller number of two-day seminars including field visits and processing time. 

 

The Israel Program Coordinator reports to the Rabbinic Educator in Israel and is a member of T’ruah’s program team. 

 

They are responsible for:

 

  1. Systems and relationships: Creating and maintaining the systems of logistics and relationships with organizational and activist partners that make our programs in Israel successful, including rabbinical student programs and programs for North American rabbis and cantors.

  2. Specific logistics, including: 

  1. Keeping calendars and ensuring T’ruah programs do not conflict with other institutions that are programming for rabbinical students.

  2. Co-creating schedules for tiyyulim.

  3. Arranging buses, food, room rentals, honoraria for speakers, registration forms, materials, and all other logistical matters for each tiyyul.

  4. Maintaining records of program participants in our database, Salesforce.

  5. Communicating with participants in advance of programs; collecting feedback at the end of the program and tabulating.

  6. Participating in all programs: trouble-shooting and problem-solving any issues that arise with a particular eye towards safety.

  1. Relationship maintenance: Maintain existing relationships with human rights partners on the ground in Israel and help develop new relationships with Israeli, Palestinian, and other organizations so the program can respond to emergent developments and can continue to grow and improve.

 

Who You Are & Keys to Success

To be successful in this position, you are most or all of the following:

  • Fluent in Hebrew and English. Arabic would be a nice plus but is not essential.

  • Extremely organized. You are committed to excellence and have a track record of planning in advance.

  • Able to work flexible hours, including evenings and Fridays on a regular basis.

  • Able to be in Jerusalem for all programs.

  • A team player: You have experience working as part of a team, collaborating with others toward a collective goal. You view your work as supporting the whole, and integral to the team’s effectiveness.

  • Committed to the safety and dignity of Israelis and Palestinians. You feel comfortable representing T’ruah’s positions, which include support for a swift end to the current war, including the return of hostages and a cessation of violence in Gaza, as well as massive humanitarian relief there; a political solution that ends the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and that resolves the status of Jerusalem and its residents; and the future of Israel as a Jewish democratic state side-by-side with a State of Palestine.

A (Small) Sample of Projects You’ll Be Responsible for or Support Through Your Work

  • Tiyyulim to the Ofer military court, Hebron, unrecognized Bedouin villages in the Negev, African asylum seeker communities in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem.

  • Shabbatons (weekend retreats), seminars, or day trips for students to Al Walaje, South Hebron Hills, or other places.

  • Planting trees with Palestinians, Bedouin, and/or Israeli Jewish activists.

  • Seminars or day trips for rabbis and cantors from North America. 

 

 

What Else You Should Know

 

Eligibility

Both U.S. persons and Israeli citizens are eligible to apply.

 

Status

This position is 10 hours per week. However, week-by-week, hours will vary; the week of a tiyyul will be heavier, with off weeks making up for that.

 

Salary

This position is in T’ruah’s $50,000-60,000 salary band; since this position is 10 hours per week, the annual salary will be between  $12,500-15,000. We set salary within this band through a collaborative process using a standard rubric based on years of experience.  

 

Location

The Israel Program Coordinator will be located in Israel.

 

Travel

The Israel Program Coordinator  will be expected to travel to on-the-ground programs in Israel, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank. All work-related travel expenses are paid for by T’ruah.

 

Benefits include:

  • 32 vacation hours a year in your first year of employment, increasing to 40 hours a year at the start of your second year of employment

  • 34 holidays a year, which includes Jewish holidays, Summer Thursdays, and a floating holiday

  • Unlimited sick leave

  • Paid leave of up to 12 weeks for the birth or adoption of a child

  • Salary deferral contributions to T’ruah’s retirement savings plan

 

Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)

T’ruah is committed to DEI at every level of our organization, including our Board of Directors. For the past several years we have been actively working on becoming an antiracist organization. We published a set of organizational values reflecting this commitment. 

 

Equal opportunity employer

T’ruah isn’t just an equal opportunity employer. We are actively seeking to build a diverse and inclusive team with a wide range of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. T’ruah does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, personal appearance, family responsibility, political affiliation or any other status protected by applicable law. Women, transgender people, veterans and people of color are encouraged to apply. 

 

Compliance with eligibility verification laws

In compliance with U.S. federal law, all U.S. persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire.

 

In compliance with Israeli law, all Israeli persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in Israel and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire.

Our Timeline

Applications will be accepted, and interviews will be conducted, on a rolling basis. Applications received before February 3 will be given priority status. Our ideal start date for this position is as soon as possible.