Making a Difference Through Research: Myers-JDC-Brookdale 40th Anniversary Brochure April 2014

40 Yearsof Making aDifferenceThroughResearch

April 1974Dedication of JDC-Brookdale Institute, April 21, 1974

40 Years ofMaking a Difference

Through Research

Dear Friends, May 2014

I am honored and delighted to congratulate the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute on40 years as Israel’s leading center for applied research on social policy and servicedelivery, in Israel, the Jewish world, and the international community.

The Institute is a unique partnership between the American Jewish Joint DistributionCommittee, the Government of Israel, and the David and Inez Myers Foundation.

MJB’s founding in 1974 was a milestone in the efforts to promote the use of researchto improve the effectiveness of Israel’s social service system.

Forty years on, thanks in no small part to MJB, research, evaluation, and ongoing learning are now ingrained inmuch of Israel’s social policy and program development.

The Institute’s research makes a difference across the entire life cycle from children and youth at risk to the elderly,in every important dimension of life – education, employment, disabilities, health, immigration, and social welfare.

Internationally, its knowledge and expertise are increasingly sought after by Jewish organizations around the world,international organizations, philanthropic foundations, and others.

Looking ahead to the next 40 years, I am confident that MJB will continue to play a critical role addressing theimportant social challenges facing Israel and the Jewish world.

Martin PaisnerChairmanMyers-JDC-Brookdale Institute

The MJB Concept – MJB’s internationally recognized model links researchwith policy, practice, and action to enable more effective responses tosocial challenges.

We use research to create positive social change

Three Keys to Making a Difference1.Our multi-year research program focuses on

issues of national significance to make a long-term difference

2.Our objectivity and independence create aneutral meeting ground for evidence-baseddiscussions of issues and solutions

3.Our intensive interaction with policymakers,service developers, and professionals in the field promotes effective responses at all levels

Our organizational culture puts impact first

Our Mission is to increase the effectivenesswith which society addresses critical socialchallenges to enhance the well-being of,and expand opportunities for, its mostvulnerable members.


Through Research

Partnership with Independence – The Institute is a unique partnershipbetween government and the voluntary sector. This partnership isdesigned to promote the application and impact of the research whileensuring our independent voice.

The importance ofMJB's work is reflected inthe commitment of everyIsraeli government to our

partnership for 40 years. This is basedon the Institute's quality, objectivity,ability to integrate economic andsocial considerations, and itsdedication to providing accurate andtimely information to support bothpolicy planning and effectiveimplementation. The trust by allsectors is another valuable asset thatit brings to its engagement in ourmost important and controversialsocial reforms. Moshe Bar Siman Tov, Deputy BudgetDirector, Israel Ministry of Finance,and MJB Board member

Aninclusive,democratic

Israel is essential to the mission ofthe David and Inez Myers Foundation.The opportunity, therefore, tocontribute significantly to that Israelthrough the Institute has been of greatimportance to us. Our investment inMJB has been so richly rewarded bythe quality of the Institute’s work andits remarkable relationship with thegovernment, all for the purpose ofeffecting change. Lee Kohrman, President,David and Inez Myers Foundation,and former MJB Chairman

MJB is oneof the mostimportantpartnerships

between JDC and the Government ofIsrael. It serves as a crucial resource foraddressing the major social challengesconfronting Israel and works tostrengthen JDC’s activities in Jewishcommunities around the world. TheInstitute is a fantastic example of JDC'sglobal impact. I am so proud ofeverything that MJB has achieved overthe last 40 years. Penny Blumenstein, President,American Jewish Joint DistributionCommittee

A Revolution in Caring for the ElderlyIn the 1970s and 1980s, a period of rapid aging caught Israel unprepared. MJB’s analyses of theservice system and the first-ever national projections of the needs for long-term care catalyzed adecade of intensive service development. By the end of the 1980s, a new Community Long-term CareInsurance Law revolutionized home-based care for elderly with disabilities. MJB played a key rolein the development and passage of this law, which now benefits 160,000 elderly Israelis.

40 Years at the Forefront of Israel’s Most Important National SocialPolicy Initiatives – MJB has played a decisive role in major social policyand service reforms. Among them:• National mobilization to absorb, integrate, and expand

opportunities for immigrants from Ethiopia and theformer Soviet Union

• Universal national health insurance• Sweeping reforms to promote the employment of people

with disabilities• The landmark National Program for Children and Youth

at Risk• National initiative in support of Holocaust survivors in

Israel

• Israel’s first-ever National Strategic Plan to AddressAlzheimer’s and Other Types of Dementia

• Modernizing the Ministry of Social Affairs’ nationalregulatory and quality assurance systems

• The Inclusion Law to mandate the integration of childrenwith special needs in regular education


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As Minister, I believed that policymaking mustrely on systematic research, especially in the hugeeffort to integrate the historic wave of Russian andEthiopian immigrants. Therefore, I increased ourresearch budget seven fold and the Institute becameour main partner in this effort. I remain extremelygrateful for their help in identifying needs, developingnational plans, and assessing our effectiveness andprogress in real time. Yair Tzaban, former Israeli Minister of ImmigrantIntegration (1992-1996)

MJB is unique because it encompasses all ofthe social services in Israel. When I assumed officein 2007, MJB was the only place that could supplyus with reliable and objective information on theneeds of Holocaust survivors in Israel. Their path-breaking research formed the basis for ourrevolutionary national program for survivors. Isaac Herzog, Member of Knesset and formerIsraeli Minister of Social Affairs and SocialServices (2007-2009)

MJB researchers played a major role in shaping the recommendations of the Schmid Commission and translatingthem into an operative plan. The collaboration between the researchers and government policymakers contributedto the establishment of The National Program for Children and Youth at Risk and its successful implementation.The Institute should be commended for its contribution to advancing and developing applied knowledge. Prof. Hillel Schmid, Hebrew University and Chairman, Schmid Commission for Children at Risk

In my years as chairman, MJB expandedsignificantly into new areas in response to nationalsocial challenges, including the massive immigrationof Russians and Ethiopians in the early 1990s.Throughout its history, the Institute has successfullyintroduced innovative ideas, concepts, and insights,stimulating and guiding change, and promotingpolicies and programs that have led to socialbreakthroughs. Bert Rabinowitz, former MJB Chairman, andfounder of the Connie and Bert RabinowitzFund for Creative Breakthrough Research

• Supportive Communities for the elderly

• The PACT early childhood program for Ethiopian-Israeli children and families

• Network of emergency centers for children

• Cleveland Federation ISHA project for the advancementof women’s health in Israel

• Idud comprehensive treatment program for childrenwith ADHD

Promoting New Models for Arab EmploymentIn 2009, MJB, at the initiative of the Yad Hanadiv Foundation, carried out an in-depth study of Arabwomen’s employment, followed by an evaluation of five pilot initiatives promoting Arab employment.Our work contributed to the development of the national network of employment centers for the Arabsector, established by Yad Hanadiv, JDC-Israel, and the government. MJB is evaluating the program’snational roll-out.

I started my research career at the Institute when it was established, and, ever since, have partnered withthem to use research to assess needs and develop culturally appropriate responses for Arabs in Israel. As Chairmanof the new national effort to increase opportunities for Arab students in higher education, it was only naturalthat we turned to the Institute to evaluate this program. Prof. Faisal Azaiza, Haifa University and the Council for Higher Education in Israel

40 Years of Improving Program Effectiveness – We have evaluatedmany of Israel’s most important and innovative social interventions asthey have grown from small pilots into national programs. Among them:


Through Research

The Mandell Berman Fund for Research onChildren with Disabilities was established in1999 in response to the lack of objective dataon children and youth with disabilities and theservices available to them. The Fund supportedthe first national survey of children withdisabilities, which paid special attention toArab children, and later the first survey of thetransition to adulthood. It has supported theevaluation of significant initiatives to promoteinclusion in schools, support families, andenhance early childhood education.

From the outset, the Institute has been blessedwith the professional and lay leadership that hassuccessfully advanced its unique partnership withthe government and philanthropy. I am proud tosupport MJB and be a partner in its valuable workon behalf of children with disabilities and theirfamilies. Mandell “Bill” Berman, MJB Board member

MJB has expanded over time in rein the Jewish world and the growing

Organizational Growth of MJB

1974Center for Research on Aging

1986Center for Health Policy Research

1987Center for Quality Assurance in the Social Services

1990Program on Immigrant Absorption

1993Program on Middle East Cooperation

Center for Research on Disabilities

In the early 1970s, led by JDC’s visionary leader Herb Singer, we dreamed of creating an applied social policyresearch center to serve Israel, the Jewish world, and the international community. A professional advisorycommittee, including leading experts from Israel and abroad, deliberated for more than a year to make sure thatthis institute would emphasize applied knowledge and information as a force for guiding and informing policyand practice. Then, with a major grant from the Brookdale Foundation, we established the JDC-Brookdale Institute.Looking back, after 40 years I can say that our dream has been fulfilled beyond all expectations. Ralph Goldman, Honorary Executive Vice-President, and former World Director, American JewishJoint Distribution Committee

MJB Director Jack Habib with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin


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response to emerging challengesing recognition of our contributions

1995Center for Children and Youth established with a grantfrom the Atlantic Philanthropies

Program on Arab Population in Israel

Program on Learning from Success as a Lever for OngoingCollaborative Learning

2002Program on Manpower Evaluation and Social Planning

2003Center for Employment of Special Populations

2004Institute renamed the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute, asthe David and Inez Myers Foundation becomes a fullstrategic partner

Health Policy Research Center renamed the Smokler Centerfor Health Policy Research

Center for Children and Youth renamed the EngelbergCenter for Children and Youth

2013Program for Outcomes-Oriented Planning and SharedMeasurement

When my colleagues at Atlantic Philanthropiescommissioned the late Prof. Harold Richman to adviseus about the greatest needs of Israel’s children, he madetwo unequivocal recommendations: Israel desperatelyneeded an evidence-based think-and-action tank onpublic policy for children, and the JDC-Brookdale Institutewas the most appropriate home for that Center. Wehelped found the Center in 1995 and salute it on itsextraordinary achievements! Prof. Joel L. Fleishman, Professor of Law and PublicPolicy, Duke University

From the start, MJB has assisted Israel and the Jewish world in addressing the challenges of an agingsociety. In recent years, it has also focused on the challenges of integrating disadvantaged groups into anever-changing Israeli economy. The capacity and flexibility to respond to social issues as they emerge is a keyfactor that makes MJB such an important resource for Israel, the Jewish world, and the JDC. Nora Barron, Chairperson, MJB Subcommittee on Adulthood

2004 Dedication of Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute, SmoklerCenter, and Engelberg Center

40 Years of Contributing to JDC’s Work in Israel and Around theWorld – The combination of MJB’s research expertise and JDC’s programdevelopment capacities significantly enhances the ability of both tomake a difference.

Four elements are at the heart of the successful40-year relationship between MJB and JDC-Israel:the ability to challenge and support each other, theInstitute’s intellectual independence and integrity,the mutual interest in expanding into new areas, andthe shared ability to bring new thinking to an issue.This tremendous partnership has benefitted hundredsof thousands of Israel’s neediest citizens. Arnon Mantver, Director, JDC-Israel

MJB supports JDC-Israel’s strategic partnershipswith the government to affect the way socialneeds are addressed. We are a source forcomprehensive and reliable data on the manyvulnerable populations served by JDC-Israel, andassist the development of strategic, multi-yearplans for JDC-Israel’s divisions. Our systematicevaluations of JDC-Israel programs identifyproblems and successes in the implementationprocess, help to make mid-course corrections, andare essential to government and philanthropicdecisions to take the programs to national scale.


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We leverage our experience to benefit JDC’s global operations - In 1999, MJB began our researchprogram on the Jewish community in the former Soviet Union, in cooperation with JDC-FSU. Since then,our studies on children, the elderly, and people with disabilities are providing the basis for strategicplanning and program evaluation in this region. MJB currently serves as the professional resource forthe development and implementation of JDC’s Global Policy on Impact Measurement and Evaluation.This policy is designed to strengthen impact-oriented program design and management and sharedmeasurement across the entire JDC, enabling the global organization to work more effectively.

Since 1974, the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institutehas become Israel’s leading center for appliedresearch on social policy and services. For 40 years,MJB has informed social policy and servicedevelopment, enhancing Israel and the Jewishworld’s ability to address the social challenges oftoday and tomorrow. It was founded to make adifference – and it has. Alan H. Gill, Executive Vice President and CEO,American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee

A central element in JDC's work in the former SovietUnion was the development of communal services fornascent Jewish communities where none existed. Thisrequired partners who knew how to identify needs, plan,advise on implementation, and evaluate. MJB put itsbest minds at our disposal, and today, thanks in largemeasure to that partnership, those communities servehundreds of thousands of Jews. Asher Ostrin, former Director, JDC-FSU

40 Years of Exchanging Knowledge Globally – We promote theexchange of professional knowledge, experience, and best practicesbetween Israel and the international community. We help the globalJewish community to understand Israel’s social challenges and to developeffective partnerships to address them.

The Marshall Weinberg Fund for ProfessionalCollaboration and Development was establishedin 2001. As part of its mission, the fund supportsinternational exchanges to develop new appliedknowledge to benefit the people of Israel andthe international community. Over the years, theWeinberg Fund has supported MJB collaborationswith organizations such as the United Nationsand international academic institutions, and ourProgram on Middle East Cooperation.

I have been involved with the Institute sinceits beginning. As I learned from the governmentrepresentatives on our Board, no research centerin Israel has had more influence and leverage onpolicies for the disadvantaged. I will never forgetwhen my dear friend, Ralph Goldman, said, ‘If yousupport one thing in Israel, support Brookdale.’ Imade the right choice. Everything I have supportedhas had an important impact. Marshall Weinberg, MJB Board member

MJB enables us to learn and develop throughsharing knowledge and experience across the globalJewish community. In addition, the partnership withMJB has given us the opportunity to share ourexpertise in dementia care, helping shape policyand care provision in Israel. We congratulate youon your 40th anniversary and look forward toworking with you over the next 40 years. Simon Morris, Chief Executive, Jewish Care, UK

China Youth University - MJB Collaboration, 2010

As a member of the Smokler Center’s InternationalHealth Advisory Committee for more than a decade,I have been most impressed with the quality andobjectivity of the research generated by the Centerand that it is respected and used by all the differentcomponents of the Israeli health system. I know ofno other policy research group in the world that hasaccomplished that goal within their country. Prof. Stuart H. Altman, former Dean, Heller School,Brandeis University


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MJB's Long-term Partnership withthe Jewish Federation of Cleveland

Sixteen years ago the team at JDC-Brookdaleworked with our Federation to strategize how wecould more directly assist Israel. The result of thatengagement was transformative for Cleveland. Whenthe Myers Foundation added its name and support,creating Myers-JDC-Brookdale, our relationship onlydeepened. The professional quality of the Institute'swork is extremely high and yet totally understandableand, thus, incredibly valuable to any serious playerseeking to understand the impact of social policyand interventions in Israel. Our association is one ofthe most satisfying in my professional career. Stephen H. HoffmanPresident, Jewish Federation of Cleveland

The Smokler Center for Health Policy Researchwas initially established to help launch national universalhealth insurance and has continued to address Israel’smost pressing healthcare issues. Together with itsinternational committee of health policy experts, MJBhelps Israel learn from and contribute to internationalexperience – influencing the critical decisions that arechanging the face of healthcare for Israel's populationand beyond. Dr. Irv Smokler, former MJB Chairman

The Institute touches on almost every socialservice issue we address. We draw on MJB’s researchand expertise to plan and evaluate our most strategicministerial and inter-ministerial reforms. It hassupported the shift towards community-based careand is a strategic partner in our efforts to introduceongoing outcome measurement and betterregulatory systems within the Ministry. Yossi Silman, Director General, Israel Ministryof Social Affairs and Social Services

MJB is extraordinarily committed to the integrationof Ethiopian immigrants, and has long been thesource of relevant information on the challengesand achievements. In my work as Director of theENP, the Institute’s ongoing evaluation and consultationwas critical to the program’s success and to the supportof the government and the Federation system. Dr. Nigist Mengesha, Founding Director,Ethiopian National Project (ENP)

The Institute is a key resource for addressing the most serious challenges facing Israel’s health system.For example, we are in the midst of a rapid increase in the elderly population and in the rates of dementia.Israel’s new national dementia strategy, developed with the Institute, is fundamentally shaping how we addressthis issue. We couldn’t have done this without MJB.

Prof. Ronni Gamzu, Director General, Israel Ministry of Health, and MJB Board member

While Israel has become known as ‘the startupnation’ in technology, it is also a leader in appliedresearch for social change. The Institute is at theforefront of addressing Israel’s social issues andchallenges, and MJB’s findings have contributed toprograms for the vulnerable in many countries, as wellas in Jewish communities around the world. Annie Sandler, Chairperson, MJB Subcommitteeon Children and Youth


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MJB has long been a partner in the effort tointegrate people with disabilities into Israeli society.From carrying out Israel’s first-ever national surveyof disabled children to helping us develop andimplement a landmark national reform of disabilitybenefits that is dramatically expanding employmentopportunities, we work closely with MJB to ensurethat all people with disabilities have a fair opportunityto access benefits. Prof. Shlomo Mor Yosef, Director General, IsraelSocial Security Administration, and MJB Boardmember

MJB is a vital resource for helping the Ministryaddress some of its most important goals, includingexpanding opportunities for disadvantaged studentsand working with minority groups such as newimmigrants, Arabs, and the ultra-Orthodox. TheInstitute’s national studies are providing us withessential information as to how schools areimplementing policy and addressing thesechallenges. Michal Cohen, Director General, Israel Ministryof Education, and MJB Board member

The partnership with MJB’s Unit for Learningfrom Success and Collaborative Ongoing Learning(LFS) made a sea change in our educational worldview and inculcated a culture of retrospectivereflection on our work. Through the use of the LFSmethod, we distilled the principles and developedthe Torah for disseminating innovative educationalmodels developed in the Division of EducationalInnovation throughout the education system andin social systems in general. Lilly Rousso, former Coordinator ofDissemination Centers, Division of EducationalInnovation, Israel Ministry of Education

MJB StaffThe professional expertise in applied social researchaccumulated at MJB since our founding in 1974 isunsurpassed in Israel. Our 110+ staff has backgrounds ineconomics, education, gerontology, health, psychology,public policy, social work, statistics, and more, reflectingthe Institute’s multi-disciplinary approach. Moreover, ourstaff has the specialized skills and commitment necessaryto link research, policy, and practice to achieve the greatestimpact.

Jack Habib, Institute Director

Previous Directors

Israel Katz

Michael Davies

Yossi Tamir

Division Directors

Jenny Brodsky, Center for Research on Aging

Sarit Ellenbogen-Frankovits, Learning from Successand Collaborative Ongoing Learning in Human Services(founding director, Jona Rosenfeld)

Denise Naon, Center for Research on Employment ofSpecial Populations

Miriam Navot, Engelberg Center for Children and Youth

Dori Rivkin, Center for Research on Disabilities

Bruce Rosen, Smokler Center for Health Policy Research

Tamar Zemach-Marom, Center for Quality Assurancein the Social Services

Yehonatan Almog, Program for Outcomes-OrientedPlanning and Shared Measurement

Sigal Asher, Finance

Suzanne Brown, Community Relations

Etan Diamond, International Communications

Irit Katsernov, IT Systems

Jenny Rosenfeld, Publications

Kobi Wirtzer, Human Resources


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SupportersThe Institute relies on the government, the JDC, andphilanthropists for our funding. We continue to be gratefulto the following donors for their generosity:

Founding Contributors

Government of Israel

American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee

The Brookdale Foundation

The David and Inez Myers Foundation

Atlantic Philanthropies

The Mandell L. and Madeleine H. Berman Foundation

Alfred and Gail Engelberg

Bert and Connie Rabinowitz

Carol and Irving Smokler

Marshall Weinberg

The Maurice and Vivienne Wohl Charitable Foundation

MJB Major Special Funds

Mandell Berman Fund for Research on Children withDisabilities

Connie and Bert Rabinowitz Fund for CreativeBreakthrough Research

Marshall Weinberg Fund for Professional Collaborationand Development

Harry Weinrebe Fund for the Advancement of Children

Major Donors

Nora and Guy Barron

The Dorset Foundation

Andrea and Michael Dubroff

Pat and Mannie Gantz, Eric Zahler and Karen Gantz-Zahler

Annie and Arthur Sandler

The Helen Bader Foundation

Chairpersons of the Board

Herbert Singer (founding chairman)

Bert Rabinowitz

John Colman

Robert Reitman

Irving Smokler

Alfred Engelberg

S. Lee Kohrman

Martin Paisner (current chairman)

The unique partnership between MJB and thegovernment of Israel significantly improves theeducational and social services for children on whichthe government spends hundreds of millions of dollarsannually. By endowing the research conducted bythe Engelberg Center for Children and Youth, wereceive a much higher and more sustained return onour philanthropic investment than would be possiblefrom supporting any individual program. Al Engelberg, former MJB Chairman

JDC Hill, P.O.B. 3886, Jerusalem 91037, IsraelTel. (972-2) 655 7400 • Fax: (972-2) 561 [email protected] • www.jdc.org.il/brookdale

Looking Back, Looking Ahead The 40-yearstory of the Institute is the story of howIsrael has faced its greatest social challenges.As the challenges have evolved, so hasMJB. More than ever, in a time of limitedresources, government and civil societyneed independent research and evaluationto plan and make effective decisions.And in an era of global connectedness,the Institute’s partnerships with thegovernment, civil society, the Jewish world,and the international community help allof us work together.We are ready for the next 40 years

Making a Difference Through Research: Myers-JDC-Brookdale 40th Anniversary Brochure April 2014

Government & Nonprofit

Transcript of Making a Difference Through Research: Myers-JDC-Brookdale 40th Anniversary Brochure April 2014