Live Jewishly. Give Jewishly. Lead Jewishly.
Serving ages 21-45
From Shabbats to young family programs, from Network & Nosh events to the Colorado Jewish Agency Professionals (CJA Pros), from the Ben Gurion Society to ELEVATE, YAD programs provide multiple pathways for young adult Jewish community members to live Jewishly, give Jewishly, and lead Jewishly.
YAD’s work encompasses a wide range of activities but, at its core, YAD is dedicated to empowering young adults to become active participants, leaders and philanthropists in our Jewish community, to connect with others like and unlike themselves, and to reinforce the core Jewish values and traditions that bind us all. YAD is committed to facilitating lasting connection, meaningful conversation, and genuine communal spirit to sustain and strengthen a strong Jewish future for the next generation.
Support this or any JEWISHcolorado program or initiative by using our Donation Form and choosing your preferred designation.
For More Info
For more information about our Young Adult Division, please email KPodolak@JEWISHcolorado.org.
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Want to get more involved in the Young Adult Jewish community in Colorado?
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YAD News
Meet the Colorado cohort for this year’s YAD Ramat HaNegev Exchange
Learn more about the giving circle ‘100+ Jews Who Care.’
Join Us in Celebrating This Year’s Honorees at the 2024 JEWISHcolorado Annual Meeting
Live Jewishly
Whether you’re single, a couple, or a young family, YAD has a place for you. Get involved in YAD!
Give Jewishly
Ben Gurion Society (BGS)
A prestigious group of emerging philanthropists ages 21-45 from across the country who make an impact on the Jewish world through their giving. The Ben Gurion Society’s mission is to cultivate a network of young adults empowered to deploy their knowledge, passion, and resources in order to create a vibrant and enduring Jewish community in Colorado and around the world.
National Young Leadership Cabinet (NYLC)
Jewish Federations of North America’s (JFNA) premier young leadership development program, NYLC is comprised of our most promising young volunteers, ages 30-45. Those young leaders participate in a five-year curriculum that builds on a series of Jewish values: hineni (call to leadership), achrayut (responsibility), kehilah kedosha (sacred community), klal Yisrael (Jewish peoplehood), and hazon (vision). Each year builds on the skills and knowledge acquired during the previous one, and members may enrich and strengthen their development on a global level, through premiere travel experiences.
Today, there are 4,000 Cabinet alumni working in their communities as leaders and change-makers, many of them in senior positions in Jewish communal organizations and agencies. Together, they raise over $2.5 M annually for Federations around the country.
To learn more about these giving societies, please contact Jenna Raimist, Director of Annual Campaign at JRaimist@JEWISHcolorado.org.
Lead Jewishly
Colorado Jewish Agency Professionals (CJA Pros)
Are you a young professional working at an organization in Colorado’s Jewish community? Join our group of Colorado Jewish Agency Professionals or CJA Pros! We meet on a quarterly basis to focus on professional development and explore collaboration opportunities.
Please contact us at KPodolak@JEWISHcolorado.org for more information.
YAD Ambassadors
Our Ambassadors serve as, well… ambassadors to the young adult Jewish community here in Colorado. They create programs to welcome and reach out to newcomers, help promote YAD activities, extend personal invitations to YAD programs, and welcome guests at YAD events. From hosting a Party of Eight at your favorite restaurant to visiting the Botanical Gardens to ski trips, YAD Ambassadors are the face and the future of the Federation. YAD is committed to facilitating the intimate gatherings, meaningful conversations, and lasting friendships that are hallmarks of this program and of community.
YAD Executive Committee
Adam Laarsen
YAD Chair
Tamara Berkman
Special Events Chair
Alan Bukrinsky
General Chair
Deborah Finestone
General Chair
Sarah Knaster
General Chair
Genna Morton
General Chair
Omer Shachar
Israel Engagement Chair
Rachel Silvestain
Ambassador Chair