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The inability to communicate productively across divides has become a defining national and communal crisis. In the Jewish world, polarization manifests most acutely vis-à-vis Israel, unraveling communities and institutions, alienating young adults, and undermining communal problem-solving and effectiveness.
RTT is the leading organization building healthy engagement across divides in Jewish life, opening up honest, critical conversations across differences surrounding Israel, red/blue divides, and other important issues facing Jewish communities and institutions. RTT’s toolkit enables Jewish leaders to heal communal fracture, engage the next generation, strengthen institutional decision-making, and address pressing dilemmas and threats more collaboratively and effectively.
RTT’s recognized programs reach a rare range of constituencies in the Jewish community—from B’nei Akiva to Avodah alumni; from Council of Presidents CEOs to OneTable participants; and from Yeshiva University to Union of Reform Judaism affiliates.
RTT’s alumni – including thousands of rabbis, Federation leaders, and Jewish educators – are building welcoming, nuanced discussion on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; strengthening intergroup relations to counter antisemitism and hate; and modeling “heavenly argument” in young adult networks, Hillels, synagogues, day schools, camps, and JCCs.
A recent external evaluation of RTT’s work with Research Success Technologies found: “Whereas regional and national [Jewish] organizations, foundations and federations were a decade ago reluctant to embrace communication across differences, today there is an increasing recognition that this work is a condition for the health of the community. “
On Campus, Hillel International
RTT has partnered with Hillel International for a decade, training Hillel professionals and facilitating the open, supportive dialogue across differences that students crave in the face of rampant campus tension, confusion, alienation, animosity, and fear.
Senior leaders at Hillel International have heard from the field that next to increased security, the tools RTT provides are Hillel professionals’ greatest need.
In Regional Jewish Life, Jewish Federations
We partner with local Federations and central agencies across the country to create regional waves of programs greater than the sum of their parts.
RTT’s partnerships with Jewish Federations—from NYC to Chicago to LA, and from Charlotte to Cincinnati to Seattle—have built benches of local, skilled, facilitators; forged intergenerational dialogue among Board members and next gen leaders; and multiplied productive engagement across divides in institutions from synagogues to young adult organizations to advocacy groups.
In Sector-Serving Organizations, Foundation for Jewish Camp
Many Jewish camps are seeking to support meaningful, respectful communication across differences among American Jewish and Israeli staff as well as campers in this volatile time.
RTT has trained camp staff at 20+ camps and camp-serving convening organizations from western Massachusetts to southern Illinois to San Diego. This year, we will offer a “Train-the-Trainer” cohort in partnership with Foundation for Jewish Camp for staff at Jewish summer camps across the country.
Heavenly argument is Judaism’s most sorely needed contribution to the U.S. public sphere.
In this moment in which polarization has become a defining national crisis, RTT is actualizing and disseminating the Jewish wisdom of machloket l’shem shamayim (embrace of sacred argument) and elu v’elu (listening to multiple voices) in both the American Jewish community and broader U.S. We are empowering Jewish leaders and institutions to build an exemplary culture of “heavenly argument” from which the greater American public can draw tools, models, and inspiration.
RTT’s toolkit feels more important and relevant than ever. In this moment of grief, compounded by fault lines crystalizing across our community, I’m beyond grateful for my RTT training. The ability to approach others’ perspectives with humanity and curiosity feels like a gift. Out in the wider world, there’s a lot of talking past one another—a lot of talking, but not much listening. Yet among those in my orbit trained in RTT’s methodology, I see what could be: spaces that are at once safe and generative, where people feel seen and heard, where community doesn’t require consensus. It gives me hope. I’m excited for the potential this unlocks for transformation in our community.”
This is a program that every leader in the modern Jewish space should take part in. RTT provides Jewish leaders with the tools they need to become the vessels for multiple views. We will all one day serve communities which are a kaleidoscope rather than monochromatic. Facilitating these hard conversations will be a large part of our jobs, whether we like it or not. Training this muscle before that time comes is essential to us growing as pastoral care givers and leaders in a splintered community. I wish very much that this program was a mandatory part of rabbinic training. We need to learn how to speak to each other... even at school. What could be more needed than this?”
Based on consistent rave reviews from campus professionals, my view is that every Hillel professional should be trained by RTT in a deep way.”
Resetting the Table is the single most useful Israel tool on college campuses today. In trainings with RTT, I've watched my students go from melting like ice cubes when things get tough to shifting in their mindsets and being ready for the toughest conversations. I've brought in RTT every year so my students learn tools for how to disagree and keep going. Now I have the tools to do RTT training with my students every year.”
I am among those who more frequently avoid conflict than actively engage in charged conversation. I also live in my own bubble—the majority of people with whom I interact share my perspective. My goal throughout RTT’s program was to increase my comfort level and broaden my connections. I believe the skills being built in this program extend far beyond just differing opinions about Israel—we are building the ability to have constructive conversations across many charged topics. Let’s not avoid these conversations—let’s embrace them with these tools.”
The work Resetting the Table does to help people be in honest and safe dialogue with each other over difficult topics is simply holy! Our world is plagued by our inability to sit at the same table and hear things we don't agree with, and getting to learn how to help people do that through RTT was invaluable to me as a rabbi, a Jewish educator, and as a human being living in contemporary America. I can't thank this organization enough for all it’s given me and countless others.”
I will use these skills on a regular basis with congregants, staff, and lay leaders in a variety of settings… The workshop will create a shared language for transforming the way our community communicates.”
