Birnbaum Among Fourth Cohort for The Catalyst

Repair the World and Jewish Federations of North America launched the fourth cohort of The Catalyst, a professional development initiative that equips Federation professionals with the skills to design and deliver engaging Jewish service programs for young Jewish volunteers. Service in support of social change is vital to flourishing Jewish communities and inspired Jewish lives, and The Catalyst empowers professionals to bring that vision to life.

The latest group includes 11 Federation professionals from across the United States and Canada who are committed to making Jewish service a powerful entry point into Jewish life in their communities. Over five months, the fellows will explore Repair the World’s best-in-class curriculum led by Repair educators, engage in community building, participate in an in-person Jewish service and learning experience at Jewish Federations’ FedPro conference, and receive microgrant funding of up to $7,000 to pilot a new service initiative or expand an existing one.

Carla Birnbaum, director of community engagement for Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta, is one of the 11 professionals who will participate in this program.

Birnbaum shared, “Being part of The Catalyst feels very personal to me, both because of my role at Federation and because of what I believe Jewish community should look like. My work is centered on helping people find connection, belonging, and meaning in Jewish life, and learning more about the history of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta has given that work an even deeper sense of purpose. It reminds me that what we are doing today is part of something much bigger and much older than any one program or initiative.”

Birnbaum continued about her work at Federation and what that work means for her.

She said, “Working at Federation means I see every day how our five impact areas come to life in real people’s stories. Through caring programs that support seniors, families in crisis, and Holocaust survivors, through education initiatives that strengthen Jewish learning and identity, through engagement efforts that build relationships and micro communities, through leadership development and Israel connections that deepen peoplehood, I see how Federation is actively shaping what Jewish life looks like in Atlanta. Being part of The Catalyst helps me step back from the day-to-day and think more intentionally about how these impact areas work together to create a strong and connected community.”

The newly launched cohort includes:
Carla Birnbaum, director of community engagement – Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta
Alyssa Deggan, associate director of philanthropy and engagement – Jewish Nevada Young Leaders Division
Isabella Silberg, director of development – Jewish Federation of Tulsa
Jenna Gerstner, PJ Library and NextGen OC manager – Jewish Federation of Orange County
Karin Lester, director of engagement and campaign – Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas
Leah Kaplan, engagement manager – Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga
Merit Pinker, volunteer coordinator – Jewish Federation of Greater Portland
Oxana Pasternak, senior philanthropic officer – Federation CJA (Montreal)
Sarah Abrams, senior program associate – TOV (Jewish United Fund of Chicago)
Tamara Janowski, manager, community mobilization – UJA Federation of Greater Toronto
Tamara Zishuk Lerner, senior manager of programs and development – Young Leadership Division (Jewish Federation of Greater Raleigh)