Experience

Union for Reform Judaism

• United States
• Religious Institutions
• 100 - 200 Employee

• Executive Director of Strategic Innovation and Program, Camps, Youth, and Immersives

  • Dec 2021 - Present

  • Supervise over $9M annually in grant and program budgets• Develop grant funded programs and manage relationships with organizations and individual funders including Legacy Heritage Fund, Ministry of Diaspora Affairs of the State of Israel, Avi Chai Foundation, Shards of Light, Covenant Foundation, and RootOne• Supervise two core teams (Israel Immersives and Youth Organizing) to create innovative and strategically aligned approaches to program and engagement• Build partnerships between the URJ and other mission aligned organizations• Create, implement, and evaluate multiple level professional development for educators and youth leaders in the field• Thought leader for synagogues, camps, and youth programs in the development of program and strategy• Advocate for and support youth voice and relationship based community organizing strategies within the larger Reform movement Show less

• Director of Learning and Innovation, Youth

  • Aug 2016 - Dec 2021

  https://urj.org/press-room/urj-youth-department-announces-new-leadership-role-michelle-shapiro-abraham-promoted

• Director of Program Development, Youth Department

  • Sep 2014 - Aug 2016



Self-Employed

• Jewish Camp, Organizational and Education Consultant

  • 2005 - Present

  As a consultant I have worked with congregations, camps, and community organizations across the Jewish world to help them reimagine their approach to Jewish life, articulate their vision, and align their programming. As a consultant I have worked with congregations, camps, and community organizations across the Jewish world to help them reimagine their approach to Jewish life, articulate their vision, and align their programming.



Foundation for Jewish Camp

• Non-profit Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Jewish Education Consultant, Specialty Camp Incubator

  • Nov 2008 - Dec 2021

  As the Jewish Education Consultant for the Specialty Camp Incubator, I worked in partnership with the Incubator leadership team to support new Jewish summer camps (Reform, Conservative, JCCA and unaffiliated) to successfully launch, grow and sustain their program. My specific work focused on creating a framework to enable camps to imagine new approaches to Jewish living and learning and coaching the camp directors through utilizing this framework to build their own unique approach. As explained in the five year report for the first Incubator titled: "Jewish Specialty Camps; From Idea to Reality":"All Jewish camps have some degree of impact, but these camps had greater impact thanks to the advance work they did identifying key Jewish values that coordinated with their camp specialty and philosophy. The Incubator provided a framework, a Jewish education consultant, and opportunities to discuss plans and concerns with peers. The process was intellectual, requiring reflection and values clarification activities with skilled facilitators. But by the time the camps opened, having the values in place made it easier for camp leaders to integrate Judaic teaching with more and different aspects of camp, as well as to innovate and deviate from traditional camp practices." Show less

• Hiddur Mentor

  • Jan 2016 - Jun 2019

  As a Hiddur Mentor I was part of a consulting team that works with camps to become more effective at delivering Jewish educational experiences to their campers and staff, in ways that align with each camp’s unique Jewish mission..

• Nadiv Project Mentor

  • Aug 2011 - Jun 2016

  The Nadiv project created experiential Jewish educator positions to be shared by nonprofit Jewish overnight camps and Jewish day or synagogue schools. I served as the mentor to the three partnerships, working together with the camps, congregations and educators.



URJ Camps

• Olim Fellows Project Manager

  • Jul 2013 - Sep 2013

  The Olim Fellows program brought together first and second year counselors from five of the URJ Camps for an intensive two year program including off-season retreats, leadership development and mentoring. This position has become part of the Senior Program Manager for URJ Camping position The Olim Fellows program brought together first and second year counselors from five of the URJ Camps for an intensive two year program including off-season retreats, leadership development and mentoring. This position has become part of the Senior Program Manager for URJ Camping position



URJ and Ramah National Camping Movements

• Kivun Project Manager

  • Jan 2011 - Sep 2013

  The Kivun program was the first joint grant of the Union for Reform Judaism and the Ramah National Camping Movements and delved into the impact that intentional integration of Jewish learning could have in camp specialties (arts, theater, waterfront...) In this role I worked closely with the URJ and Ramah leadership to help them articulate their vision and then created and implemented a training experience for camp specialists, as well as a framework for how to evaluate their impact. The Kivun program was the first joint grant of the Union for Reform Judaism and the Ramah National Camping Movements and delved into the impact that intentional integration of Jewish learning could have in camp specialties (arts, theater, waterfront...) In this role I worked closely with the URJ and Ramah leadership to help them articulate their vision and then created and implemented a training experience for camp specialists, as well as a framework for how to evaluate their impact.



Temple Sholom of Scotch Plains/Fanwood, NJ

• United States
• Religious Institutions
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Director of Education - part time

  • Jul 2001 - Sep 2013



Jewish Teen Funders Network

• Lead Author, summer camp materials 2013

  • Jan 2013 - Jun 2013

  Working with JTFN leadership to reimage and write their Summer Camp materials for their innovative teen funders network program. (in partnership with Alyson Bazeley) Working with JTFN leadership to reimage and write their Summer Camp materials for their innovative teen funders network program. (in partnership with Alyson Bazeley)



Union of Reform Judaism

• Consultant on the Moral Education Initiative

  • Aug 1999 - Sep 2001

  utilized materials and ideas generated by the Moral Education Task Force to create curriculum and learning materials for pre-school through adults utilized materials and ideas generated by the Moral Education Task Force to create curriculum and learning materials for pre-school through adults



Reform Temple of Suffern

• Director of Education

  • Jun 1996 - Jul 1999