Cleveland’s African American and Jewish community leaders are invited to apply for this transformative experience of learning, connection, and action
The Rekindle Fellowship is seeking applications for two new cohorts that will begin this Fall, the fourth and fifth cohorts since the program began in Spring 2021. Mid-career professionals from Cleveland’s African American and Jewish communities who are passionate about making social change are invited to apply through the deadline of June 15, 2022.
The program aims to rekindle the strong relationships and collaborative action between Cleveland’s black and Jewish communities, starting with intensive dialogue and meaningful conversations among leaders from both groups. Its goals are to make change locally while creating a model that can be used in other communities nationally; to empower emerging leaders to become racial equity change-makers; and to inspire action, both individually and collectively. Benefits to participants include expanded local networks; a broader perspective about different cultures and religions, and a heightened passion for leadership, collaboration, and equity that will produce real steps towards racial and social justice.
“My favorite aspect of the Rekindle Fellowship was the opportunity to meet and dialogue with people of different backgrounds but similar values, people who want to bridge divides and foster relationships that will help make Cleveland (and the world) a better, more just, and more understanding place,” said Kate Kaput, a graduate. “So many of the people in the group, both black AND Jewish, were individuals I never would've crossed paths with otherwise, and I am grateful for the opportunity to not only meet and connect with them but to go deep on serious, important topics that help us to better understand one another, ourselves, and our society at large.”
Co-founded by social entrepreneur Matt Fieldman and inclusion expert Charmaine Rice, Rekindle facilitates four three-hour sessions in which Fellows engage in intensive, structured dialogue, including reflecting on a variety of readings representing a diversity of Jewish and secular thought.
Rekindle co-chair Matt Fieldman says that increased demand has led the program to offer both a weeknight cohort (August 10, August 24, September 7, and September 22) and a Sunday evening cohort (September 11, October 2, October 23, and November 13). All meetings in both cohorts are scheduled for 6pm-9pm at EDWINS Restaurant on Shaker Square.
Each Fellow commits to joining a Rekindle Action Project, which directly helps a local nonprofit or initiative. Rekindle’s Cohort 3 Fellows are currently helping Seeds of Literacy with a tutor recruitment project; an initiative to share a new documentary about policing in Cleveland widely; and the Nehemiah Project, a community clean-up initiative in the Buckeye-Woodland neighborhood. While the projects run just a few months, the goal is to create intergroup collaborations that last well after the projects end.
Says Rekindle Fellow Ronald Crosby, “It was an amazing, soul-searching Fellowship, and I would truthfully recommend it to everyone that I know.”
Rekindle Fellow David Miller stated, “I'm grateful for the opportunity to connect with amazing individuals who value working together to repair our world. The readings and honest discussions illuminated the connection between the Jewish and black communities and our action plans developed during the Rekindle Fellowship empowered me to take concrete steps to strengthen these bonds.”
Co-founder Fieldman has been active in Cleveland’s Jewish and social justice communities since moving to town in 2007. He was on the founding team of EDWINS Leadership and Restaurant Institute and is founder of the Cleveland Codes software development bootcamp. He has been an executive at MAGNET: The Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network since 2015, where he currently serves as Executive Director of the America Works program.
Co-founder Rice has spent over 20 years in learning, development, and diversity operations. A graduate of the Cleveland Bridge Builders class of 2020, Charmaine earned a master’s degree from Cleveland State University in Psychology with a specialization in Diversity Management and Organizational Leadership and a bachelor’s degree from Wright State University in Communications with a specialization in Public Relations.
The following persons comprised the recently completed third cohort:
- Pat Bennett, Pat’s Granola
- Daniel Blakemore, Cuyahoga Valley National Park
- Alyson Fieldman, MARCUM
- Chase Foster, JHUB
- Alethea Ganaway, Cuyahoga Community College
- Ilanit Gerbich-Kalir, Jewish Federation of Cleveland
- Paris Lampkins, Horizons Youth Services
- Lindy Lurie, University Hospitals
- Devorah Phillips, ReVision Proofreading
- Adam Rosen, Trzaska Rosen Faller LLC
- Jamil Sanders, KeyBank
- Marty Shankle, Infinity Power Partners LLC
- Derrick Speights, EDWINS
- Shirley White, University Hospitals
- Demetrius Williams, Beat the Streets Cleveland
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