The Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute (MJB) is celebrating its 40th anniversary of using research to create positive social change in Israel, the Jewish world, and globally. Over the past 40 years, MJB has played a key role in major Israeli social policy reforms and initiatives addressing issues like aging, immigration, employment, health, and children/youth at risk. It has also evaluated many innovative social programs to improve their effectiveness. MJB leverages its research expertise to support the work of partners like JDC globally and promotes knowledge exchange internationally. Looking ahead, MJB will continue addressing important social challenges through high-quality, objective research that informs policy and practice.

1. 40 Years
of Making a
Difference
Through
Research

2. April 1974Dedication of JDC-Brookdale Institute, April 21, 1974

3. 40 Years of
Making a Difference
Through Research
Dear Friends, May 2014
I am honored and delighted to congratulate the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute on
40 years as Israel’s leading center for applied research on social policy and service
delivery, in Israel, the Jewish world, and the international community.
The Institute is a unique partnership between the American Jewish Joint Distribution
Committee, the Government of Israel, and the David and Inez Myers Foundation.
MJB’s founding in 1974 was a milestone in the efforts to promote the use of research
to improve the effectiveness of Israel’s social service system.
Forty years on, thanks in no small part to MJB, research, evaluation, and ongoing learning are now ingrained in
much of Israel’s social policy and program development.
The Institute’s research makes a difference across the entire life cycle from children and youth at risk to the elderly,
in every important dimension of life – education, employment, disabilities, health, immigration, and social welfare.
Internationally, its knowledge and expertise are increasingly sought after by Jewish organizations around the world,
international organizations, philanthropic foundations, and others.
Looking ahead to the next 40 years, I am confident that MJB will continue to play a critical role addressing the
important social challenges facing Israel and the Jewish world.
Martin Paisner
Chairman
Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute

4. The MJB Concept – MJB’s internationally recognized model links research
with policy, practice, and action to enable more effective responses to
social challenges.
We use research to create positive social change
Three Keys to Making a Difference
1.Our multi-year research program focuses on
issues of national significance to make a long-
term difference
2.Our objectivity and independence create a
neutral meeting ground for evidence-based
discussions of issues and solutions
3.Our intensive interaction with policymakers,
service developers, and professionals in the
field promotes effective responses at all levels
Our organizational culture puts impact first
Our Mission is to increase the effectiveness
with which society addresses critical social
challenges to enhance the well-being of,
and expand opportunities for, its most
vulnerable members.

5. 40 Years of
Making a Difference
Through Research
Partnership with Independence – The Institute is a unique partnership
between government and the voluntary sector. This partnership is
designed to promote the application and impact of the research while
ensuring our independent voice.
The importance of
MJB's work is reflected in
the commitment of every
Israeli government to our
partnership for 40 years. This is based
on the Institute's quality, objectivity,
ability to integrate economic and
social considerations, and its
dedication to providing accurate and
timely information to support both
policy planning and effective
implementation. The trust by all
sectors is another valuable asset that
it brings to its engagement in our
most important and controversial
social reforms.
Moshe Bar Siman Tov, Deputy Budget
Director, Israel Ministry of Finance,
and MJB Board member
An
inclusive,
democratic
Israel is essential to the mission of
the David and Inez Myers Foundation.
The opportunity, therefore, to
contribute significantly to that Israel
through the Institute has been of great
importance to us. Our investment in
MJB has been so richly rewarded by
the quality of the Institute’s work and
its remarkable relationship with the
government, all for the purpose of
effecting change.
Lee Kohrman, President,
David and Inez Myers Foundation,
and former MJB Chairman
MJB is one
of the most
important
partnerships
between JDC and the Government of
Israel. It serves as a crucial resource for
addressing the major social challenges
confronting Israel and works to
strengthen JDC’s activities in Jewish
communities around the world. The
Institute is a fantastic example of JDC's
global impact. I am so proud of
everything that MJB has achieved over
the last 40 years.
Penny Blumenstein, President,
American Jewish Joint Distribution
Committee

6. A Revolution in Caring for the Elderly
In the 1970s and 1980s, a period of rapid aging caught Israel unprepared. MJB’s analyses of the
service system and the first-ever national projections of the needs for long-term care catalyzed a
decade of intensive service development. By the end of the 1980s, a new Community Long-term Care
Insurance Law revolutionized home-based care for elderly with disabilities. MJB played a key role
in the development and passage of this law, which now benefits 160,000 elderly Israelis.
40 Years at the Forefront of Israel’s Most Important National Social
Policy Initiatives – MJB has played a decisive role in major social policy
and service reforms. Among them:
• National mobilization to absorb, integrate, and expand
opportunities for immigrants from Ethiopia and the
former Soviet Union
• Universal national health insurance
• Sweeping reforms to promote the employment of people
with disabilities
• The landmark National Program for Children and Youth
at Risk
• National initiative in support of Holocaust survivors in
Israel
• Israel’s first-ever National Strategic Plan to Address
Alzheimer’s and Other Types of Dementia
• Modernizing the Ministry of Social Affairs’ national
regulatory and quality assurance systems
• The Inclusion Law to mandate the integration of children
with special needs in regular education

7. 40 Years of
Making a Difference
Through Research
As Minister, I believed that policymaking must
rely on systematic research, especially in the huge
effort to integrate the historic wave of Russian and
Ethiopian immigrants. Therefore, I increased our
research budget seven fold and the Institute became
our main partner in this effort. I remain extremely
grateful for their help in identifying needs, developing
national plans, and assessing our effectiveness and
progress in real time.
Yair Tzaban, former Israeli Minister of Immigrant
Integration (1992-1996)
MJB is unique because it encompasses all of
the social services in Israel. When I assumed office
in 2007, MJB was the only place that could supply
us with reliable and objective information on the
needs of Holocaust survivors in Israel. Their path-
breaking research formed the basis for our
revolutionary national program for survivors.
Isaac Herzog, Member of Knesset and former
Israeli Minister of Social Affairs and Social
Services (2007-2009)
MJB researchers played a major role in shaping the recommendations of the Schmid Commission and translating
them into an operative plan. The collaboration between the researchers and government policymakers contributed
to the establishment of The National Program for Children and Youth at Risk and its successful implementation.
The Institute should be commended for its contribution to advancing and developing applied knowledge.
Prof. Hillel Schmid, Hebrew University and Chairman, Schmid Commission for Children at Risk
In my years as chairman, MJB expanded
significantly into new areas in response to national
social challenges, including the massive immigration
of Russians and Ethiopians in the early 1990s.
Throughout its history, the Institute has successfully
introduced innovative ideas, concepts, and insights,
stimulating and guiding change, and promoting
policies and programs that have led to social
breakthroughs.
Bert Rabinowitz, former MJB Chairman, and
founder of the Connie and Bert Rabinowitz
Fund for Creative Breakthrough Research

8. • Supportive Communities for the elderly
• The PACT early childhood program for Ethiopian-
Israeli children and families
• Network of emergency centers for children
• Cleveland Federation ISHA project for the advancement
of women’s health in Israel
• Idud comprehensive treatment program for children
with ADHD
Promoting New Models for Arab Employment
In 2009, MJB, at the initiative of the Yad Hanadiv Foundation, carried out an in-depth study of Arab
women’s employment, followed by an evaluation of five pilot initiatives promoting Arab employment.
Our work contributed to the development of the national network of employment centers for the Arab
sector, established by Yad Hanadiv, JDC-Israel, and the government. MJB is evaluating the program’s
national roll-out.
I started my research career at the Institute when it was established, and, ever since, have partnered with
them to use research to assess needs and develop culturally appropriate responses for Arabs in Israel. As Chairman
of the new national effort to increase opportunities for Arab students in higher education, it was only natural
that we turned to the Institute to evaluate this program.
Prof. Faisal Azaiza, Haifa University and the Council for Higher Education in Israel
40 Years of Improving Program Effectiveness – We have evaluated
many of Israel’s most important and innovative social interventions as
they have grown from small pilots into national programs. Among them:

9. 40 Years of
Making a Difference
Through Research
The Mandell Berman Fund for Research on
Children with Disabilities was established in
1999 in response to the lack of objective data
on children and youth with disabilities and the
services available to them. The Fund supported
the first national survey of children with
disabilities, which paid special attention to
Arab children, and later the first survey of the
transition to adulthood. It has supported the
evaluation of significant initiatives to promote
inclusion in schools, support families, and
enhance early childhood education.
From the outset, the Institute has been blessed
with the professional and lay leadership that has
successfully advanced its unique partnership with
the government and philanthropy. I am proud to
support MJB and be a partner in its valuable work
on behalf of children with disabilities and their
families.
Mandell “Bill” Berman, MJB Board member

10. MJB has expanded over time in re
in the Jewish world and the growing
Organizational Growth of MJB
1974
Center for Research on Aging
1986
Center for Health Policy Research
1987
Center for Quality Assurance in the Social Services
1990
Program on Immigrant Absorption
1993
Program on Middle East Cooperation
Center for Research on Disabilities
In the early 1970s, led by JDC’s visionary leader Herb Singer, we dreamed of creating an applied social policy
research center to serve Israel, the Jewish world, and the international community. A professional advisory
committee, including leading experts from Israel and abroad, deliberated for more than a year to make sure that
this institute would emphasize applied knowledge and information as a force for guiding and informing policy
and practice. Then, with a major grant from the Brookdale Foundation, we established the JDC-Brookdale Institute.
Looking back, after 40 years I can say that our dream has been fulfilled beyond all expectations.
Ralph Goldman, Honorary Executive Vice-President, and former World Director, American Jewish
Joint Distribution Committee
MJB Director Jack Habib with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin

11. 40 Years of
Making a Difference
Through Research
response to emerging challenges
ing recognition of our contributions
1995
Center for Children and Youth established with a grant
from the Atlantic Philanthropies
Program on Arab Population in Israel
Program on Learning from Success as a Lever for Ongoing
Collaborative Learning
2002
Program on Manpower Evaluation and Social Planning
2003
Center for Employment of Special Populations
2004
Institute renamed the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute, as
the David and Inez Myers Foundation becomes a full
strategic partner
Health Policy Research Center renamed the Smokler Center
for Health Policy Research
Center for Children and Youth renamed the Engelberg
Center for Children and Youth
2013
Program for Outcomes-Oriented Planning and Shared
Measurement
When my colleagues at Atlantic Philanthropies
commissioned the late Prof. Harold Richman to advise
us about the greatest needs of Israel’s children, he made
two unequivocal recommendations: Israel desperately
needed an evidence-based think-and-action tank on
public policy for children, and the JDC-Brookdale Institute
was the most appropriate home for that Center. We
helped found the Center in 1995 and salute it on its
extraordinary achievements!
Prof. Joel L. Fleishman, Professor of Law and Public
Policy, Duke University
From the start, MJB has assisted Israel and the Jewish world in addressing the challenges of an aging
society. In recent years, it has also focused on the challenges of integrating disadvantaged groups into an
ever-changing Israeli economy. The capacity and flexibility to respond to social issues as they emerge is a key
factor that makes MJB such an important resource for Israel, the Jewish world, and the JDC.
Nora Barron, Chairperson, MJB Subcommittee on Adulthood
2004 Dedication of Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute, Smokler
Center, and Engelberg Center

12. 40 Years of Contributing to JDC’s Work in Israel and Around the
World – The combination of MJB’s research expertise and JDC’s program
development capacities significantly enhances the ability of both to
make a difference.
Four elements are at the heart of the successful
40-year relationship between MJB and JDC-Israel:
the ability to challenge and support each other, the
Institute’s intellectual independence and integrity,
the mutual interest in expanding into new areas, and
the shared ability to bring new thinking to an issue.
This tremendous partnership has benefitted hundreds
of thousands of Israel’s neediest citizens.
Arnon Mantver, Director, JDC-Israel
MJB supports JDC-Israel’s strategic partnerships
with the government to affect the way social
needs are addressed. We are a source for
comprehensive and reliable data on the many
vulnerable populations served by JDC-Israel, and
assist the development of strategic, multi-year
plans for JDC-Israel’s divisions. Our systematic
evaluations of JDC-Israel programs identify
problems and successes in the implementation
process, help to make mid-course corrections, and
are essential to government and philanthropic
decisions to take the programs to national scale.

13. 40 Years of
Making a Difference
Through Research
We leverage our experience to benefit JDC’s global operations - In 1999, MJB began our research
program on the Jewish community in the former Soviet Union, in cooperation with JDC-FSU. Since then,
our studies on children, the elderly, and people with disabilities are providing the basis for strategic
planning and program evaluation in this region. MJB currently serves as the professional resource for
the development and implementation of JDC’s Global Policy on Impact Measurement and Evaluation.
This policy is designed to strengthen impact-oriented program design and management and shared
measurement across the entire JDC, enabling the global organization to work more effectively.
Since 1974, the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute
has become Israel’s leading center for applied
research on social policy and services. For 40 years,
MJB has informed social policy and service
development, enhancing Israel and the Jewish
world’s ability to address the social challenges of
today and tomorrow. It was founded to make a
difference – and it has.
Alan H. Gill, Executive Vice President and CEO,
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
A central element in JDC's work in the former Soviet
Union was the development of communal services for
nascent Jewish communities where none existed. This
required partners who knew how to identify needs, plan,
advise on implementation, and evaluate. MJB put its
best minds at our disposal, and today, thanks in large
measure to that partnership, those communities serve
hundreds of thousands of Jews.
Asher Ostrin, former Director, JDC-FSU

14. 40 Years of Exchanging Knowledge Globally – We promote the
exchange of professional knowledge, experience, and best practices
between Israel and the international community. We help the global
Jewish community to understand Israel’s social challenges and to develop
effective partnerships to address them.
The Marshall Weinberg Fund for Professional
Collaboration and Development was established
in 2001. As part of its mission, the fund supports
international exchanges to develop new applied
knowledge to benefit the people of Israel and
the international community. Over the years, the
Weinberg Fund has supported MJB collaborations
with organizations such as the United Nations
and international academic institutions, and our
Program on Middle East Cooperation.
I have been involved with the Institute since
its beginning. As I learned from the government
representatives on our Board, no research center
in Israel has had more influence and leverage on
policies for the disadvantaged. I will never forget
when my dear friend, Ralph Goldman, said, ‘If you
support one thing in Israel, support Brookdale.’ I
made the right choice. Everything I have supported
has had an important impact.
Marshall Weinberg, MJB Board member
MJB enables us to learn and develop through
sharing knowledge and experience across the global
Jewish community. In addition, the partnership with
MJB has given us the opportunity to share our
expertise in dementia care, helping shape policy
and care provision in Israel. We congratulate you
on your 40th anniversary and look forward to
working with you over the next 40 years.
Simon Morris, Chief Executive, Jewish Care, UK
China Youth University - MJB Collaboration, 2010

15. As a member of the Smokler Center’s International
Health Advisory Committee for more than a decade,
I have been most impressed with the quality and
objectivity of the research generated by the Center
and that it is respected and used by all the different
components of the Israeli health system. I know of
no other policy research group in the world that has
accomplished that goal within their country.
Prof. Stuart H. Altman, former Dean, Heller School,
Brandeis University
40 Years of
Making a Difference
Through Research
MJB's Long-term Partnership with
the Jewish Federation of Cleveland
Sixteen years ago the team at JDC-Brookdale
worked with our Federation to strategize how we
could more directly assist Israel. The result of that
engagement was transformative for Cleveland. When
the Myers Foundation added its name and support,
creating Myers-JDC-Brookdale, our relationship only
deepened. The professional quality of the Institute's
work is extremely high and yet totally understandable
and, thus, incredibly valuable to any serious player
seeking to understand the impact of social policy
and interventions in Israel. Our association is one of
the most satisfying in my professional career.
Stephen H. Hoffman
President, Jewish Federation of Cleveland
The Smokler Center for Health Policy Research
was initially established to help launch national universal
health insurance and has continued to address Israel’s
most pressing healthcare issues. Together with its
international committee of health policy experts, MJB
helps Israel learn from and contribute to international
experience – influencing the critical decisions that are
changing the face of healthcare for Israel's population
and beyond.
Dr. Irv Smokler, former MJB Chairman

16. The Institute touches on almost every social
service issue we address. We draw on MJB’s research
and expertise to plan and evaluate our most strategic
ministerial and inter-ministerial reforms. It has
supported the shift towards community-based care
and is a strategic partner in our efforts to introduce
ongoing outcome measurement and better
regulatory systems within the Ministry.
Yossi Silman, Director General, Israel Ministry
of Social Affairs and Social Services
MJB is extraordinarily committed to the integration
of Ethiopian immigrants, and has long been the
source of relevant information on the challenges
and achievements. In my work as Director of the
ENP, the Institute’s ongoing evaluation and consultation
was critical to the program’s success and to the support
of the government and the Federation system.
Dr. Nigist Mengesha, Founding Director,
Ethiopian National Project (ENP)
The Institute is a key resource for addressing the most serious challenges facing Israel’s health system.
For example, we are in the midst of a rapid increase in the elderly population and in the rates of dementia.
Israel’s new national dementia strategy, developed with the Institute, is fundamentally shaping how we address
this issue. We couldn’t have done this without MJB.
Prof. Ronni Gamzu, Director General, Israel Ministry of Health, and MJB Board member
While Israel has become known as ‘the startup
nation’ in technology, it is also a leader in applied
research for social change. The Institute is at the
forefront of addressing Israel’s social issues and
challenges, and MJB’s findings have contributed to
programs for the vulnerable in many countries, as well
as in Jewish communities around the world.
Annie Sandler, Chairperson, MJB Subcommittee
on Children and Youth

17. 40 Years of
Making a Difference
Through Research
MJB has long been a partner in the effort to
integrate people with disabilities into Israeli society.
From carrying out Israel’s first-ever national survey
of disabled children to helping us develop and
implement a landmark national reform of disability
benefits that is dramatically expanding employment
opportunities, we work closely with MJB to ensure
that all people with disabilities have a fair opportunity
to access benefits.
Prof. Shlomo Mor Yosef, Director General, Israel
Social Security Administration, and MJB Board
member
MJB is a vital resource for helping the Ministry
address some of its most important goals, including
expanding opportunities for disadvantaged students
and working with minority groups such as new
immigrants, Arabs, and the ultra-Orthodox. The
Institute’s national studies are providing us with
essential information as to how schools are
implementing policy and addressing these
challenges.
Michal Cohen, Director General, Israel Ministry
of Education, and MJB Board member
The partnership with MJB’s Unit for Learning
from Success and Collaborative Ongoing Learning
(LFS) made a sea change in our educational world
view and inculcated a culture of retrospective
reflection on our work. Through the use of the LFS
method, we distilled the principles and developed
the Torah for disseminating innovative educational
models developed in the Division of Educational
Innovation throughout the education system and
in social systems in general.
Lilly Rousso, former Coordinator of
Dissemination Centers, Division of Educational
Innovation, Israel Ministry of Education

18. MJB Staff
The professional expertise in applied social research
accumulated at MJB since our founding in 1974 is
unsurpassed in Israel. Our 110+ staff has backgrounds in
economics, education, gerontology, health, psychology,
public policy, social work, statistics, and more, reflecting
the Institute’s multi-disciplinary approach. Moreover, our
staff has the specialized skills and commitment necessary
to link research, policy, and practice to achieve the greatest
impact.
Jack Habib, Institute Director
Previous Directors
Israel Katz
Michael Davies
Yossi Tamir
Division Directors
Jenny Brodsky, Center for Research on Aging
Sarit Ellenbogen-Frankovits, Learning from Success
and Collaborative Ongoing Learning in Human Services
(founding director, Jona Rosenfeld)
Denise Naon, Center for Research on Employment of
Special Populations
Miriam Navot, Engelberg Center for Children and Youth
Dori Rivkin, Center for Research on Disabilities
Bruce Rosen, Smokler Center for Health Policy Research
Tamar Zemach-Marom, Center for Quality Assurance
in the Social Services
Yehonatan Almog, Program for Outcomes-Oriented
Planning and Shared Measurement
Sigal Asher, Finance
Suzanne Brown, Community Relations
Etan Diamond, International Communications
Irit Katsernov, IT Systems
Jenny Rosenfeld, Publications
Kobi Wirtzer, Human Resources

19. 40 Years of
Making a Difference
Through Research
Supporters
The Institute relies on the government, the JDC, and
philanthropists for our funding. We continue to be grateful
to the following donors for their generosity:
Founding Contributors
Government of Israel
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
The Brookdale Foundation
The David and Inez Myers Foundation
Atlantic Philanthropies
The Mandell L. and Madeleine H. Berman Foundation
Alfred and Gail Engelberg
Bert and Connie Rabinowitz
Carol and Irving Smokler
Marshall Weinberg
The Maurice and Vivienne Wohl Charitable Foundation
MJB Major Special Funds
Mandell Berman Fund for Research on Children with
Disabilities
Connie and Bert Rabinowitz Fund for Creative
Breakthrough Research
Marshall Weinberg Fund for Professional Collaboration
and Development
Harry Weinrebe Fund for the Advancement of Children
Major Donors
Nora and Guy Barron
The Dorset Foundation
Andrea and Michael Dubroff
Pat and Mannie Gantz, Eric Zahler and Karen Gantz-Zahler
Annie and Arthur Sandler
The Helen Bader Foundation
Chairpersons of the Board
Herbert Singer (founding chairman)
Bert Rabinowitz
John Colman
Robert Reitman
Irving Smokler
Alfred Engelberg
S. Lee Kohrman
Martin Paisner (current chairman)
The unique partnership between MJB and the
government of Israel significantly improves the
educational and social services for children on which
the government spends hundreds of millions of dollars
annually. By endowing the research conducted by
the Engelberg Center for Children and Youth, we
receive a much higher and more sustained return on
our philanthropic investment than would be possible
from supporting any individual program.
Al Engelberg, former MJB Chairman

20. JDC Hill, P.O.B. 3886, Jerusalem 91037, Israel
Tel. (972-2) 655 7400 • Fax: (972-2) 561 2391
brook@jdc.org • www.jdc.org.il/brookdale
Looking Back, Looking Ahead The 40-year
story of the Institute is the story of how
Israel has faced its greatest social challenges.
As the challenges have evolved, so has
MJB. More than ever, in a time of limited
resources, government and civil society
need independent research and evaluation
to plan and make effective decisions.
And in an era of global connectedness,
the Institute’s partnerships with the
government, civil society, the Jewish world,
and the international community help all
of us work together.
We are ready for the next 40 years