You don’t need to be enrolled in art school to know that the philosophies of green design and smart design are becoming, in many circles, the only acceptable way to build anything from an apartment building to a pair of shoes. With social and environmental responsibility at the forefront of the minds of most contemporary visual thinkers, design students at schools around the world are being challenged to promote positive change in societythrough their designs. The Neri Bloomfield Wizo Academy in Israel is a perfect example. Located in the ethnically and religiously diverse city of Haifa, the academy prepares students for careers in design and education, encouraging them to be responsible cultural communicators responding to social issues facing their communities, Israel and the world. The school was founded 30 years ago by the Women’s International Zionist Organization. Today it has a multiethnic faculty and student body with some 750 students including Jews, Christians and Israeli Arabs.

Vision / Action: Designers of the Next Generation is a multi-media exhibition of works by the academy’s students and faculty. The pieces on display, which include visual and digital communications, architecture, photography, video and computerized imaging, and fashion and textile design, reflect trends in cutting-edge graphic design in Israel.

Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion Museum, Brookdale Center, 1 W. 4th St. (between Broadway and Mercer St.); through Sept. 22; Mon.-Thu. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Fri. 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; free. (212-824-2205 or www.huc.edu/museum/ny)

"Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief"

You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.

And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.

That’s where you come in. Gifts of any size keep the Forward free and accessible to everyone and ensure we have the resources we need to power the Forward at this critical time for American Jews.

Don't just read the Forward - invest in it. That’s only possible thanks to the support of readers like you. Will you support our work today?

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$120 $180 $360 OTHER AMOUNT