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Mar 2015
On the Seder night, we have many textual and culinary contradictions that force us to hold opposing sentiments together in complex relationship to each other. We eat a peculiar sandwich of matza – the bread of our freedom – and maror with a small amount of haroset. The bitter and sweet, the slave and free human being, collapse into each other. We celebrate the release of our people from bondage
We asked our members, fellows, and alumni from all over the world to weigh in on the Israeli elections. Please feel free to add your responses and best visions for the future below. Mike Blass, WIFA (Class 14), Israel Now that the election campaign is over, and we know who will be the Prime Minister, it is a time to remind the new government that it will be the government
“Ladies and Gentlemen, the Prime Minister of Israel” and thunderous applause erupted. And thus Bibi Netanyahu entered the chamber of Congress directly beneath my gaze. It was a spine-tingling, tear-inducing moment for many of us in the gallery. Not because we were ardent Bibi supporters, kvelling over his reception. Goodness no. And yes, we chose to be present, unaffected by the regrettable Speechgate kafuffle which attended his visit. The pomp
WHA David Rudis (Chicago 3-99) comments on the win-win merger of JTA and My Jewish Learning. “The combined entity will touch more than 1 million readers monthly. Our board has made a priority of reaching and communicating with as many Jews as possible. We are a people who become a community with a minyan. 70 Faces Media (our new name) is a journalistic minyan.” David Rudis, a Wexner Heritage Alum
As the Wexner Graduate Fellowship Alumni (WGFA) Community continues to grow and evolve, colleagues are tackling more and more “Big Issues” in their local, national and international Jewish communities. As we endeavor to do so, extra resources have been developed to fortify our Wexner community’s internal health and strength. Thanks to The Wexner Foundation’s partnership with the Jim Joseph Foundation, a year-long mentorship program was launched two years ago to
Mar 2015
Reprinted with thanks to The Jewish Theological Seminary. Please feel free to post a link to your shpiel below. The Shabbat prior to Purim, known as Shabbat Zakhor, takes its name from the first word of the special maftir (additional Torah reading) for the day, which retells the story of the first post-enslavement attack against the newly freed Israelites: Remember (zakhor) what Amalek did to you on your journey, after
Feb 2015
I came home from the alumni institute this week feeling a small pit of sadness at saying good-bye to such a special experience, like it was the end of camp. I still find it a little incredible that I actually met people, made friends, and was able to participate in meaningful conversations despite my fears that none of these hopes would really materialize for me. But they did. I reconnected
Feb 2015
To be a rabbi in the small town of Waterville, Maine where 80 percent of children are on federal food assistance is a different kind of work than I was ever used to. I’ve had to get used to working in a congregation where families come to me and tell me that buying health insurance is going to break their family financially. Even though I’m paid less than many of
Feb 2015
Over the past week, pictures of Mardi Gras revelry have been popping up in my newsfeed. These are photos of dear friends, decked out in impossibly imaginative costumes, posing in front of colorful shotgun houses, bedecked with beads and smiles. I lived in New Orleans for more than two years, and left the city to attend rabbinical school in Philadelphia. The choice to leave was wrenching. Over the months and
Feb 2015
When the email came from my Wexner cohort member and friend Bryan Kort (Phoenix 09) about a gathering, I immediately placed the date on my calendar. Like many of you, I'm on too many boards to name and I'm overextended and burnt out and trying to juggle Jewish leadership with Jewish motherhood and family life. I am so caught up in the mundane (securing one last item for the shul