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Melissa Balaban

Melissa Balaban was founding President and is now Executive Director of IKAR, Jewish a spiritual community in Los Angeles dedicated to the integration of spiritual and religious practice and the pursuit of social justice. Prior to taking on a professional role at IKAR, she was as Assistant Dean at the University of Southern California Law School. She previously served as Directing Attorney of Public Counsel’s Child Care Law Project. She was also a civil rights attorney in private practice and a senior consultant for a national human resources consulting firm. Prior to law school, Melissa worked for the Senate Judiciary Committee under Senator Joe Biden and interned for Representative Henry Waxman. Two years ago, she and her family took a “sabbatical” that included six months of travel and volunteering in Africa, Asia and Israel.

The Innovation Ecosystem: Values and Visions of the Emerging Jewish Community

Joshua Avedon, Melissa Balaban, Dov Gartenberg, Sam Yebri

Friday 9:00 PM–10:15 PM Emerald Bay 1

Identity and Responsibility, Teen Approved

The landscape of new Jewish organizations has multiplied the opportunities to build community and live Jewishly. They include new spiritual communities, social justice organizations, learning initiatives, and cultural collectives. The new organizations are not just important because they provide new entry points to Jewish life for individuals and families that otherwise would not be engaged; they are also the source of many of the ideas that will transform Jewish life in the 21st century. This session is about the strategies, principles and approaches of social entrepreneurs who have launched new organizations in both creative and systematic ways to develop a community that is innovative, engaging, fiscally responsible and sustainable. Meet emerging thought leaders and hear how they integrate their values and their vision to make a difference.