Three projects founded by The Jewish Week are launching anew this week.

First is this web site, which now includes more content ­ from videos to exclusive blogs to unique features ­ than we are able to publish in print each week. We hope you will keep coming back to the site as it continues to grow in quality and quantity, and we welcome your suggestions.

A second project is Write On For Israel, our advocacy through journalism program for high school students, starting its sixth year this Sunday. Created at the height of the intifada, with funding from the Avi Chai Foundation, Write On is committed to teaching high school students a mix of modern Zionist history and skills in journalism and communication so that when they get to college, they will have the knowledge and moral confidence to become the leaders of pro-Israel advocacy activities on campus.

Each year about 30 high school juniors are chosen for the two-year program from about 100 applicants. The group is made up of students from public, private and Jewish high schools in the metropolitan area. They will spend one Sunday a month during the school year in instruction and discussion, hearing from educators, journalists, Mideast experts and media analysts.

The first year culminates with a 10-day free trip to Israel where the students meet Israeli political leaders, journalists and military and diplomatic experts while touring the country.

In their senior year, the group will take on a special project of its own. One of the things we have learned in keeping in touch with graduates of the program is that they become leaders of pro-Israel programs even as freshmen in college.

Also this Sunday, The Jewish Week will sponsor the third annual conference known as The Conversation, a two-day meeting of 65 American Jews who are leaders or emerging leaders in a variety of fields, including the arts, business, journalism, philanthropy and science. Held this year at a retreat near Atlanta, The Conversation is focused around the theme of “being Jewish in America in the 21st century,” giving participants 48 hours to meet, network, discuss, debate, dream together and inspire each other.

Our primary partner in this exciting venture is CLI (Center for Leadership Initiatives), with core funding from philanthropist Lynn Schusterman. Several other foundations are sponsors as well.

What is unique about this conference is that there are no plenaries or panels, no keynote speakers and no planned outcomes. Rather, the participants are invited to propose the topics ­ on the spot ­ that they want to talk about, and then they do.

The program is off the record so that participants can speak openly without concern about being quoted directly. But I hope to report on the themes and points of view that emerge, so stay tuned.

And here you thought The Jewish Week was "just" a newspaper.

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