Dear Friends,

So many people we know are living with uncertainty this year — in the world, in their communities, and in their own lives. In moments like this, we believe one of the most important things we can cultivate is creative capacity: our ability to draw on our inherent creativity to meet life’s challenges and opportunities.

2026 was the year we named that capacity clearly. Our new Creative Capacity framework articulates eight dispositions and five modes that grow when people make art, study, reflect, and witness together. It’s rooted in the Torah’s opening teaching that every human being is created b’tzelem Elohim, in the image of the Creator. Naming these capacities helps individuals, leaders, and institutions cultivate them with intention, and it helps us see what changes when they do.

This year, we saw them take root. More than 32,000 people engaged with JSP, through 150 partner organizations and a network of more than 300 educators, clergy, and facilitators. In Boston, our studio at Hebrew College led 52 programs with 17 partners. Among the leaders who came through Educator Studio, 84% told us they are better able to navigate moments of uncertainty. The stories in these pages show what that looks like up close: someone who had long felt unsure of her place in Jewish life finding a way in, teens who now see themselves as builders of Jewish life, a congregation in Baltimore and a network of campuses making creative practice part of how they gather.

We also saw this work join a wider conversation. At We The Process, voices from beyond the Jewish world, including Susan Magsamen, Krista Tippett, and Bayo Akomolafe, affirmed what we see every day: creativity is essential to health and human flourishing.

In 2027, we’ll [build on our regional hubs, including laying the foundation for a Bay Area Creativity Hub; bring the Creative Capacity framework to more partners; and grow our national network of facilitators — confirm priorities].

Thank you for being part of this process with us.

With gratitude,