Each Whizin institute will commission a program of research, offer training opportunities for professionals and lay people, and sponsor projects for the dissemination of effective programming. The first of the institutes, the Whizin Institute for Jewish Family Life, has developed rapidly into a major resource for the emerging field of Jewish family education.
Research projects are underway to assess the effectiveness of family life programming.
An annual Summer Seminar is held within the framework of the Summer Institute for Jewish Educators, a part of the Fingerhut School of Education. Supported by grants from the Shirley and Arthur Whizin Trust, the Nathan Cummings Foundation and Steven Spielberg's Righteous Person's Foundation, this project will develop resources and models for synagogues to meet the spiritual needs of congregants and communities. Special attention will be directed toward creating an ambiance of community and a climate conducive to organizational transformation.