These and Those

Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem

‘Rodef Shalom’ Pilot Program for Hillel Professionals

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Leah Kahn

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Leah Kahn is a Campus Professional Fellow within The Pardes
Center for Judaism and Conflict Resolution, a current student
within the Pardes Center for Jewish Educators and former
Director of Engagement, University of Chicago Hillel from
2005-2011.

I know from firsthand experience that Hillel professionals are very busy managing multiple projects at once and don’t always have time to step back and think reflectively about the challenges they face at work. I created this Webinar to give them space and time to think about and improve their professional relationships. This ‘Rodef Shalom’ Program for Hillel professionals is currently a pilot project and we have 2 excellent professionals participating in this 4-part series. We are having very exciting and thoughtful conversations, and they are really enjoying combining classical Jewish texts with conflict resolution strategies.

PCJCR Campus Fellow and PCJE student in Experiential Education, Lea Kahn, facilitates an online training workshop for Hillel professionals.

Me facilitating an online training workshop for Hillel professionals.

I designed this four-part professional development training for Hillel professionals who work closely with supervisors, colleagues and students. The sessions combine traditional Jewish text with secular study to build conflict resolution skills specifically for professional settings, such as identifying personal communication preferences, principled negotiation, developing assertiveness, and receiving constructive feedback. We are exploring questions such as:

  • What do ideal professional relationships look like with students? Colleagues?
  • How do you maintain professional, productive working relationships with your supervisors, colleagues and students, while maintaining your sense of self?

Together, through these on-line sessions, we are creating an opportunity for the participants to think critically and reflectively about the status of the relationships within their professional lives and take concrete steps towards improving them. Our final session is tomorrow – we’re looking forward to our final Webinar!