Jewish Sages of Today

Yosef Abramowitz

I actually feel a special responsibility to say, ‘Well that was great, what are we going to do next? And what's the purpose of the Jewish people in the twenty-first century and moving forward?’

A selection of articles, interviews, and video clips

  1. “Israeli Solar Power: Renewable Light to the Nations,” JewishPress.com, February 24, 2012

    In this interview Abramowitz and his associates at Arava Power, where he is co-founder and president, discuss their project Ketura Sun, Israel’s first commercial solar power field, which became operational in June 2011.
    (video, 9:36 min)

  2. “Israel’s Negev Great for Solar Energy: Arava Power’s Ketura Sun Generates Renewabe Electricity,” JewishNewsOne, January 31, 2012

    This interview is another overview of the solar power field and plans for future expansion.
    (video, 4:54 min)

  3. “A Renewable Light Unto the Nations,” Sh’ma, June 9, 2008

    Abramowitz writes about global survival, the Jewish people and the connection between peoplehood and solar energy efforts.

  4. “South of the Border: Talking Peoplehood with Yossi Abramowitz,” Zeek.net, November 2006

    A thought-provoking Q & A in which Abramowitz reflects on his life and work.

  5. “Tzimtzum and Executive Leadership,” Sh’ma January, 2010

    A personal look at leadership challenges and lessons learned while at the helm of Jewish Family and Life, using the framework of tzimtzum (contraction or letting go).


  6. An Insider’s Perspective on the Significance of the Soviet Jewry movement, interview with Refusnik movie director Laura Bialis, segments
    Abramowitz discusses how he got involved in social activism, his involvement with the World Union of Jewish Students, his work with refusniks and Ethiopians and more. Presented in a series of selected segments (see links to three of the parts below).

  7. Part I (7:59 min)
  8. Part II (9:00 min)
  9. Part IV (9:15 min)

Book co-written by Abramowitz and his wife

  1. Jewish Family and Life: Traditions, Holidays, and Values for Today's Parents and Children

    by Yosef Abramowitz and Rabbi Susan Silverman
    (Golden Guides from St. Martin's Press, 1998)

Founded by Abramowitz and/or related to his work

  1. Peoplehood

    Abramowitz’s blog and website.

  2. Arava Power

    Abramowitz is co-founder and president of Arava Power. The company, which launched in 2006, is currently Israel’s leading solar company and a pioneer in the solar field.


  3. Jewish Family and Life (JF&L)
    Abramowitz founded Jewish Family and Life Media in 1996 and served as CEO and president until 2006. A not-for-profit publishing and web company, JF&L promoted Jewish publications and projects ranging from a colorful magazine and website for middle schoolers, BabagaNewz, to the Koret Book Awards. It also ran the intellectual journal Sh’ma and created a distance learning website for Jewish educators, Jskyway.com. The company closed in 2009. Initiatives of JF&L still operational are:

  4. JBooks
  5. Sh’ma: A Journal of Jewish Ideas
  6. BabagaNewz
  7. Jvibe: A magazine for Jewish teens and an online Jewish teen community
     

  8. MyJewishLearning.com

    Abramowitz is co-founder of the leading trans-denominational website of Jewish information and education, which offers thousands of articles on all aspects of Judaism and Jewish life.

  9. InterfaithFamily.com

    Abramowitz is co-founder of InterfaithFamily.com, the premier web-based resource for interfaith couples exploring Jewish life, providing in-depth, easy-to-access resources that empower couples to make Jewish choices and help their families embrace the choices that make.

  10. Ritualwell.org

    Abramowitz is a co-founder of Ritualwell.org, a unique resource where you can find, create, and share Jewish ritual of all kinds. Ritualwell is a project of Kolot: The Center for Jewish Women’s and Gender Studies of RRC and was created in partnership with Ma’yan, the Jewish Women’s Project.

  11. Taglit-Birthright Israel

    Abramowitz was the co-executive producer with Marcella Kanfer of the first Taglit-Birthright Israel program, which provides free, peer group, educational trips to Israel for Jewish young adults ages eighteen to twenty-six who are visiting the country for the first time on an organized tour.

  12. Jewish Social Action Month (JSAM)

    Abramowitz is the founding co-father of Jewish Social Action Month (JSAM), a global initiative promoted by Kol Dor to promote both social action (tikkun olam) and Jewish Peoplehood. Kol Dor is a global network of emerging Jewish leaders who are committed to shifting the existing paradigms in the Jewish world.

  13. Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union (UCSJ)

    Abramowitz was president of the Union of Councils for Jews in the Former Soviet Union (UCSJ) and remains an ex-officio member of the board. UCSJ was founded in 1970 as a coalition of local grass-roots "action" councils supporting freedom for Jews of the Soviet Union.

Honors, awards, and more

  1. Most Influential Jews

    Abramowitz was named the twenty-sixth most influential Jew in the world by the Jerusalem Post in June, 2011.

  2. Covenant Foundation Award in 2004

    Abramowitz won this award for excellence in Jewish education—the linked text describes his accomplishments and includes his statements of motivation and purpose along with excerpts from letters of support.

  3. Images: View Abramowitz’s activism with a selection of images.

  4. “The Birthday of the World: Rosh Hashanah”

    by Yosef I. Abramowitz and Rabbi Susan Silverman, from Jewish Family & Life and Beliefnet websites. Abramowitz and his wife discuss the significance of Rosh Hashanah and how to make it a family-friendly experience.

  5. “Bringing Bedouin into the Solar Tent,” Ha’aretz: February, 2011

    This article, by Kher Albaz and Yosef Abramowitz, discusses the issue of the Bedouins living in the Negev. This article communicates how an entrepreneurial association can enable Bedouins to contribute to the environment through growing and using solar energy in Israel, while strengthening their economic standing, educating their children, and fully participating in a pluralistic society.

  6. “Of Passover, Peoplehood and the Sun, Jerusalem Post, April 8, 2009

    Abramowitz’s article, a cover story for the Jerusalem Post, discusses the solar system, the Talmud, Passover, and death cults. This link is to the first section of the article.

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