Twenty years ago, I was in grad school, searching for community and feeling split at the root: I had my Jewish world and my gay world. But they didn’t meet. That’s when I founded JQ International.

Your rest ethic matters as much as your work ethic. Similar to how a work ethic is an expression of an institution or individual’s values around work, a rest ethic can help a team or person have an orientation towards rest and its integration with the work.

In 2023, R&R commissioned a research and strategy assessment to capture the existing picture of sabbaticals within the Jewish and secular nonprofit workplace.

It feels great to be back, following a three-month sabbatical. I can feel the passage of time acutely right now: as I stepped out of the Kavana office in the spring, we were still counting the Omer, and as I re-enter now, the New Year of 5784 is just around the corner!

The way we enter and exit breaks, vacations or any meaningful time that disconnects us from our day-to-day, is an important part of ensuring that time feels successful. A little planning can go a long way.

This week we mark the first birthday of R&R: The Rest of our Lives. So I am taking the opportunity to look back and share some reflections on starting and running a social enterprise. Here’s what worked…