The Thanksgivukkah train is about to arrive. By now, you do or do not have your Menurkey and you either love or absolutely hate this great American “mash-up”.   And if there is more to be said, let it be about making these days meaningful for all who experience them, rather than the fabulous coincidence of this occurrence this once in 70,000+ years. Despite the 20th century debates within American Orthodoxy

Naomi Benatar from the Wexner Service Corps blogs about what it feels like to “do something for someone who isn’t you.” Some of her takeaways from last Sunday afternoon: be thankful for what you have; you can change the world; get to it. Click here to read more on Naomi's blog. Naomi Benatar is a senior at Upper Arlington High School who takes classes at The Ohio State University. In

“In my youth, I developed a habit of dating shiksas—and then I married one last year. I can understand why some people question my commitment to Judaism. However, my intimacy with non-Jews has led me to start wondering whether my pristine brethren (with Jewish spouses) are quite as Jewish as they think…” Current Wexner Heritage Member, Jeremy Derfner (Seattle 12), shared his own candid thoughts on the Pew Study on jewishstudies.washington.edu,

Last year, after having lived in San Francisco, I returned to my home town of Melbourne, Australia, with my wife, Jennifer, and our 5 small children (all aged between 2 and 9). Many of my friends from Wexner days wonder what it’s like living in Melbourne as a Jew, so I thought I would tell you a little bit about our lives. In Melbourne, Australia, 70% of the Jewish population

I am excited to be involved with the Global Day of Jewish Learning and invite you all to participate. It is taking place this Sunday, November 17, in more than 380 communities in 37 countries, with more joining every day. The Global Day of Jewish Learning is just one of the ways the Aleph Society furthers Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz’s mission – “Let My People Know”. This year, the Global

Nov 2013

Field of Dreams

So there I was, onstage, singing an extremely out-of-tune, “Tumbala, Tumbala, Tumbalalaika…” all while tickling the ivories in an enthusiastically amateurish manner. I was, thank goodness, the only one who sensed how bad it all was. In fact, my audience of seniors at the JCC in Northeast Philadelphia didn’t seem to notice. They were just happy I was there, and that for a few hours on a Friday they could sip chicken

WGFA Stefanie Zelkind, Class 16, recently published this piece on eJewishPhilantrhropy, which we are reprinting, thanks to eJP and Stefanie.  Enjoy, as this unique holiday rolls around... From menurkeys to sweet potato latke recipes, there are many creative ways to celebrate this year’s unique overlap of Hanukkah and Thanksgiving. In an effort to move beyond the kitsch, I would like to offer some additional ideas for blending the Hanukkah tradition

Pictured: Top Left to Right: Iris Wagner (Montreal), Lori Weitzman (Montreal), Eta Blitzer (Montreal), Lewis Dobrin (Montreal),  Helen Levy  (Montreal), Tina Apfeld Rosenthal (Montreal 09), Andrea Daniels Rosenbloom, (Montreal 09), Angela Lehrer.  Bottom Left to Right: Rabbi Ed Feinstein, Jonathan Goodman (Montreal 09), Joel Shalit, (Montreal 09), Lynn Garfinkle Etinsen (Montreal 09), Mark Kaplan. “Rabbi Ed Feinstein gave a talk last night in a public lecture at the Shaar Hashomayim

The Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards celebrates exceptional Jewish teen community service leaders. Hundreds of teens from across the United States apply each year.  Ten receive a $36,000 award from the Helen Diller Family Foundation to further their vision for tikkun olam and/or to support their college education. How do we go from hundreds of applicants to just 10 recipients? You, that’s how. Join other Wexner alumni already volunteering as

One of my favorite lines regarding the urgency of Big Data adoption in the Jewish community comes from Gordon Hecker, Executive Director of the Columbus Jewish Federation and former SVP of Marketing at Nationwide Insurance: “Big Data is the way all large businesses are going. The Jewish community can hop on this train now or get left in the dust.” How right he is. Fortunately, Jewish organizations across the country