Young Adult Division | YAD

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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 Jewish, give Jewish, and lead Jewish.

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.

For more information about our Young Adult Division, please email YAD@JEWISHcolorado.org.

LIVE

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Whether you’re single, a couple, or a young family, YAD has a place for you. Check out our upcoming events and news:

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GIVE

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, YAD Director at JRaimist@JEWISHcolorado.org. 

LEAD

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 & explore collaboration opportunities.

Please contact us at YAD@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. 

Click here to learn more about our 2022-2023 Ambassadors!  

YAD Executive Committee

Adam Laarsen
YAD Chair 

Shaina Abrams-Kornblum
YAD Network & Nosh Chair 

Mordy Jacobson
YAD Volunteers Chair

Nikki Kitain
YAD Family Engagement Chair 

Sarah Knaster
YAD Jewish Life & Israel Engagement Chair 

Marisa Porter
National Young Leadership Cabinet Chair

Samantha Raizen Walsh
CJA Pros Chair

Carly Schlafer
Past YAD Chair 

Rachel Silvestain
YAD Ambassador Program Chair 

Jessica Strouse
YAD Shabbat Chair