The Yesod-Masad Initiative
The Yesod-Masad Initiative is an innovative model which provides real-time, holistic support to the full range of Jewish decision makers and influencers on policies and programs that impact the global Jewish collective. Founded in 2006 by Ahava Zarembski, The Yesod-Masad Initiative aims to create and implement realistic, effective and timely policies to improve relations between various Jewish communities in Israel and around the world and between Israel and the Diaspora.
The Yesod-Masad Initiative takes direct aim at the disagreements and divisions between Jews that exist today; those internal Jewish tensions that are disruptive and destabilizing to the sense of Jewish collectivity, both intra- and inter-communally. By targeting Jewish decision makers who are at the forefront of these tensions, and providing them with real-time, reliable resources to help them address and understand the impact of their decisions, Yesod-Masad aims to provide the informational foundation/groundwork necessary to improve relations between Jewish communities in Israel and around the world, and the ever-growing complexity of Israel and the Diaspora relations.
Our Mission
The Yesod -Masad Initiative is dedicated to creating an environment for a more responsible decision making process on Jewish Peoplehood issues by providing comprehensive strategic support to the various constituencies involved. It is focused on providing realistic, effective and timely support to enable decision makers to respond effectually in “real-time”.
Our Vision
We at the Yesod-Masad Initiative envision a balanced Israeli national security equation and the well being of the Jewish people as interdependent, with an understanding of and respect for the various Jewish communities that make up the collective - in Israel and around the world. We see the Jewish Peoplehood component as central to the decision making process at large.
Our Strategy
The innovative Yesod-Masad Initiative provides strategic support to Jewish leaders and policy makers on issues concerning the Jewish collective. We provide simultaneous decision making support that is operative, real time, practical, digestible, and holistic.
Our Staff
Our highly qualified executive staff comes from a broad variety of backgrounds and walks of life with wide ranging experiences and extensive professional relationships, thus providing comprehensive expertise tailored to our client’s need.
The Yesod – Masad Initiative encompasses two structures that function separately, yet cooperatively to provide support to the full range of leadership and decision makers in the Jewish collective, each of which is essential to the future of the Jewish people.
Masad: Real Time Policy Experts on Jewish Peoplehood Issues
Masad: Real Time Policy Experts on Jewish Peoplehood Issues (formerly “Yesod: The Center for Jewish Unity”) works with Israeli policy makers and influencers, their staff, and the Israeli media to provide a comprehensive understanding of how a particular policy or issue on the agenda can impact the global Jewish collective. Step by step strategic support is given to these influentials throughout the decision making process. Masad identifies key issues and frames their impact on relevant communities in our highly developed Matrix, which imparts the information in a digestible format, and our Index evaluates anticipated communal reactions. The result is a very clear visual of the policy’s significance to he various communities involved. Concurrently, Masad provides dynamic balanced policy alternatives aimed at minimizing internal Jewish tensions on this subject. This holistic process empowers Israeli policy makers, influencers, their staff, and the media to make more informed and more responsible decisions on issues of Jewish Peoplehood.
Yesod: Strategic Consulting Group on Jewish Peoplehood Issues LLC
Yesod: Strategic Consulting Group on Jewish Peoplehood Issues provides organizations, foundations and leaders with holistic strategic Jewish Peoplehood support on decisions and programs that potentially affect the Jewish collective. Its work is comprehensive, from creating a vision to implementation and practical action steps. Yesod supports its clients on idea processing, creating a strategic map, providing information on targeted communities with visual, interactive content tools, step by step implementation techniques, mapping of key contacts, and mapping of potential investors - all to maximize the potential for and impact of their activities on the Jewish collective. Yesod works to build long term relationships with its clients. We strive to provide our clients with the most effective information and insight, as a tool for the decision making process, enabling clients to achieve their goals.
Core services include:
- Generation of a strategic road map related to Jewish Peoplehood issues.
- Ongoing strategic support for Jewish Peoplehood issues and projects. Support is customized per client, and can include briefings, meetings, project design and strategies for implementation, conference attendance, etc.
- Application of our unique Matrix, which provides an easy to understand yet in-depth visual breakdown of the highlighted Jewish communities’ main characteristics both statistically and ideologically, and their focal points and perspectives (current or anticipated) on given policies and/or projects.
- Mapping of key contacts relevant to the issue on the agenda.
- Mapping of potential partners and relevant network of contacts in Israel and around the world to support the client's goals.
The Yesod - Masad Initiative provides in-depth understanding, fine tuned to the specific needs of policies, projects, and organizations that deal with and impact the global Jewish collective. This is provided with experience, expertise, and carefully tailored decision making tools. Work and services are carried out with the goal of minimizing internal tensions in the Jewish collective, an understanding and respect for the needs of various communities, and an eye toward the collective whole.
