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Paideia – ROI Synergize in Vilnius

The stars clearly aligned last summer in Stockholm, when the Paideia Project Incubator invited Beto Maya of ROI to teach at its annual 10-day program. Beto returned to the offices of ROI, the Schusterman-funded world-wide network of Jewish entrepreneurs, and Paideia turned its attention to the One-year Jewish Studies Program, both convinced that Paideia and ROI was a match made in heaven.

Less than a year later, 2010, in a Vilnius on the verge of spring, a first joint, and very successful, effort to recognize, connect and empower young European entrepreneurs in their work of shaping a dynamic and meaningful Jewish future in Europe was made reality.

The packed five-day schedule in Vilnius included peer-led workshops, drawing from the expertise among the 30 participants, inspirational workshops with Mrs. Barbara Spectre, Director of Paideia and Mr. Clive Lawton, founder of Limmud, and practical workshops in how build Social Media networks and how to plan, evaluate and budget an innovative project.

Among the selected projects were: starting up Marom and Noam in Sweden, The Jewish Salons in Amsterdam and Vienna, a European online- and offline network for Jewish artists, the documentary film “The Second Medinah-Birobidjan and the Quest for a European Jewish Identity” and a Copenhaguen-based not-for profit coffee-shop in support of the local Danish community as well as an impoverished community in India

The group of participants and inspirateurs were kindly greeted in Yiddish by the heads of the Jewish community of Vilnius.

What ten years ago, when Paideia started, was merely a question: is there a potential for future Jewish life in Europe? is today a given – a proud and strong Yes! There is a vibrant Jewish European life that is growing stronger with every day.

The gathering was generously supported by Lynn Schusterman and Diane and Howard Wohl.