Young Adult Division | YAD

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.

Awards

YAD is currently accepting nominations for three awards: the Charlotte B. Tucker Young Leadership Award, the Warren & Ruth Toltz Young Leadership Award, and the first annual JEWISHcolorado Young Jewish Professional Award.

 Charlotte B. Tucker and Warren & Ruth Toltz Young Leadership Awards

The Charlotte B. Tucker and Warren & Ruth Toltz Young Leadership Awards recognize a young woman and a young man who have rendered outstanding service to the Colorado Jewish community. For these award winners, dedication, commitment, and support of the Jewish community is a fundamental piece of who they are, and we look forward to honoring those winners in early 2023. Please submit nominations by Thursday, January 5, 2023.

JEWISHcolorado Young Jewish Professional Award

Nominations are being accepted for JEWISHcolorado’s first annual Young Jewish Professional Award, celebrating a young adult (age 21-36) working at a Colorado Jewish agency who has demonstrated outstanding professional work and dedication to serving the local Jewish community. Please submit nominations by Thursday, January 5, 2023.

Get involved in YAD!

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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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. 

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!