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Sep 2015
This post originally appeared on JOFA's blog, "The Torch," and is reposted with permission. “Imma, I want an upsherin!” My daughter revealed this mid-way through her first year at a Chabad preschool, where she had attended several of her classmate’s upsherins. A party and a first haircut (upsherin literally translates to shearing) was what she saw for those little boys, whose families were upholding a centuries-old chasidic custom that grew
Last March I teamed up with an Israeli classmate to take our MBA peers on an innovation and entrepreneurship trek to Israel. To incentivize students, we fundraised $75,000 toward subsidizing the 8-day trip and designed an itinerary based on student interests. Of the 31 travelers, 28 were not Jewish and 25 were international participants representing 15 countries. The majority of their views on Israel were based on biased media. Some students
Sep 2015
Reposted with thanks to the new JTS series of short videos entitled Sound Bytes of Torah for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. WGF alum, David Hoffman (Class 6), gives us a teaching and some koach to continue our work in 5776. Rabbi David Hoffman, a Wexner Graduate Fellowship alum (Class 6), is the Vice Chancellor and Chief Advancement Officer at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City. He can be
Sep 2015
Dear Pope Francis, I’m sure your much-anticipated visit to the United States was not timed to coincide with our season of holy days, a time of personal renewal and return to God, all in celebration of the world’s creation. But we are delighted to share this special season with you, since you are a religious teacher who so deeply appreciates its meaning. It is becoming increasingly clear that the most
Pictured: Andrea Pino and Annie Clark used phone, email, in-person visits, and every social media platform available to empower young women across the country who previously felt marginalized: "No one connected the dots before." We did not expect that before the age of 25, either of us would be making headlines, let alone headlines for taking on a major educational institution, and we certainly did not expect these headlines
I grew up in a small suburb of Los Angeles where we were one of the only Jewish families, and always yearned to experience a sense of Jewish community. I found my Jewish community two weeks ago at the New Member Institute. I have never experienced such a level of warmth, openness and acceptance as I did that week, no matter how different our backgrounds. Having lost both of my
What’s the most deadening environment you can think of that can transform a generally happy, outgoing and energetic disposition into a depleted, antisocial being? In two simple words — a conference. With the New Year upon us, do you notice all the new work and volunteer leadership conferences starting to populate your calendar? I am trying to think through how I might cultivate a
Aug 2015
Definitions of peoplehood remain terribly outdated and ineffective precisely when they are more necessary than ever. The recent Pew survey about the changing American religious landscape provided some important news for American Jewish leaders — young Jews are not alone in rejecting religious categories of identity. We now know that the category of “JNR” (“Jews of No Religion”) — an acronym that brought great consternation to the American Jewish community
Aug 2015
The Wexner Foundation mourns the passing of Gerald Bubis, z”l, who died on August 21. As the founding director of the School of Jewish Communal Service at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Jerry, as he was fondly known, pioneered and shaped the field of Jewish communal service. He was an activist for peace in the Middle East. Jerry was a mentor to many professionals, myself included. In the early ‘70s,
The Wexner Graduate Fellowship Summer Institute entitled “God, Spirituality and Belief” took place August 16-21, 2015 in Stowe, VT. The institute was planned by a committee of Wexner Graduate Fellows and Davidson Scholars in a yearlong process around a theme selected by the entire WGF community. Below are reflections from current Graduate Fellows from three different classes. My approach as we headed into Summer Institute this year fluctuated between personal trepidation