Creating a council that represents the diversity of the global Jewish community is no small feat. This ambitious goal requires an intricate selection process powered by a custom-built algorithm.
Leading this effort is Tanya Harati, VOP’s Chief Operations & Finance Officer, who brings over 15 years of expertise in business strategy and process building. Originally from South Africa and now based in Netanya, Tanya’s career includes transformative roles, such as COO of CAP Security in South Africa and global leader of the Shabbat Project. Her dedication to building inclusive systems and innovative processes has been instrumental in shaping VOP’s approach.
Tanya’s work will ensure that the council reflects the diversity of the Jewish world through a thoughtful, data-driven selection process. Here’s how it all came together.
From Vision to Blueprint: The Need for an Algorithm
When VOP set out to form a council, we anticipated a high volume of applications and knew that manually reviewing each would be impractical. Tanya explains, “We needed a method to efficiently narrow down applicants without sacrificing diversity. The solution? An algorithm that would handle thousands of applications while ensuring each applicant’s unique background was represented.”
The goal was not just to select qualified candidates but to build a council that mirrored the entire Jewish community, from major urban centers to remote regions, and from secular to religious perspectives.
Crafting the Criteria: A Hundred Lines of Inclusion
Developing the algorithm began with creating a comprehensive guideline of criteria, which Tanya and her team called the “must-have” guide. This was no ordinary guide—it was a 100-line document outlining every factor they needed to consider to ensure diversity. Tanya shares, “We went through many rounds of updating and refining, consulting with partners and experts to make sure we weren’t overlooking any aspect of representation.” Some of the key conditions included:
“Each line in the algorithm represents an essential piece of the community,” Tanya explains. “We wanted to make sure every voice was reflected in some way, so no single type of candidate dominated.”
Building the Algorithm: A Collaborative Process
To bring the algorithm to life, Tanya and the VOP team collaborated with a data analyst, recommended by an admissions expert with over 30 years of experience. This analyst worked closely with VOP to custom-build the algorithm, translating their vision and criteria into a functional system. “We weren’t just handing off the criteria; we were part of the process every step of the way,” Tanya says. “Our team was deeply involved in shaping how the algorithm would interpret each criterion.”
The algorithm was more than just a filter; it was designed to be adaptable as applications rolled in. “It gave us real-time insights,” Tanya shares. “Each day, we could see where we were lacking in representation and make adjustments to our outreach strategy. This flexibility allowed us to pivot quickly, ensuring we reached communities that might otherwise be overlooked.”
It’s adaptability also extended to a “quality score” that rated applicants based on their responses to non-mandatory questions. This score, combined with additional insights, enhanced the selection process by ensuring that applicants with exceptional qualifications and unique experiences were prioritized.
Balancing Algorithmic and Structured Evaluations
Despite the algorithm’s extensive role, Tanya emphasizes that it was just one part of a multi-layered process. “We didn’t want to rely solely on data points,” she says. “So while the algorithm did the heavy lifting of sorting and filtering, we still incorporated structured evaluations through a detailed interview process for our top 400 candidates.”
This combination ensured that the algorithm’s selections were validated through systematic evaluation, adding a level of accountability and a thoughtful touch to the process.
For Tanya, developing the algorithm wasn’t just a technical challenge—it was a mission to build something truly inclusive and transparent. “It’s exciting to see a tool that so accurately reflects our vision of diversity,” she says. Looking ahead, VOP plans to use and refine this algorithm for future cohorts, confident that it has set a new standard for inclusive selection.
