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Aug 2013
We are all flying back from Israel with heads swimming and more thoughts than we can possibly sort out in a 594-word blog, but here are some of mine: Zionism is arguably as (if not more) relevant today than it was in 1905. The new Zionists are largely young Israeli 20-somethings with vision to change educational and social systems, protect our lands, change the way we use energy, technology, agriculture
Aug 2013
When my husband, Seth, and I, were dealing with the enormous challenges related to our daughter Ayelet’s illness, the outpouring of support we received from our community had a profound impact on my understanding of community. Upon receiving the tragic call from the Gift of Life informing us that no perfect match for Ayelet existed in the worldwide bone marrow registry, we immediately posted on Facebook information about our first
Aug 2013
JEWELS OF ELUL Craig Taubman has been compiling Jewels of Elul since 2005. His unusual mix of thoughtful contributors includes scholars, politicians and poets, as well as, many Wexner faculty and alumni. Click here to receive a Jewel a Day. PREPENT 5774 Amichai Lau-Lavie writes a 40 day blog with daily tools, tasks, and intentions to get you focused and ready for a new year. Get a daily
Aug 2013
(Pictured) Some of the most influential Jewish experiences are happening in the woods, on the lake, and in the cabin – so too are some of the most impactful professional development opportunities. Last Shabbat I danced Israeli rikkud with 300 teens on the banks of the Delaware River in New York. A week later I joined a different set of campers in song and prayer deep in the woods of
As Saeb Erekat and Tsipi Livni flew to Washington, 17 intrepid Wexner Heritage Members participated in the overnight trip “An Inconvenient Truth: Israel and the Environment,” where they learned how Israel grapples with some of its environmental challenges. 9 miles north of the Gaza strip, at the Ashkelon Desalination Plant, the cubic equivalent of 16 million one-liter plastic bottles are converted into drinking water every hour, supplying Israel with 17%
(Pictured) Rabbi Asher Lopatin (Orthodox) with Rabbi Michael Siegel (Conservative) and Rabbi Richard Jacobs (Reform) at Milt's BBQ for the Perplexed, a local kosher restaurant in Chicago. As an avowed pluralistic Orthodox Jew, I have long appreciated the different movements in Judaism who have contributed so much to the Judaism we observe and celebrate today. Recently, non-denominational Judaism has begun to come into its own, with creative services on Friday
Jul 2013
What a relief! Finally (and none too soon), I can stop brainstorming and thinking "out of the box" in order to be innovative in my work, in my society, and maybe in my private life as well. Guess what! Brainstorming doesn't work. For years we have been told that in order to innovate, to create something new, to create new paradigms and models for identifying solutions to public needs, for
Jul 2013
When I was growing up, it was a truism: apartheid would end, but not in our lifetime. And when it did end, it would be bloody, a civil war. I heard about the African National Congress and the Afrikaaners, learned about Stephen Biko, and listened to the music of Miriam Makeba. But I honestly don’t remember when I first heard the name Nelson Mandela. My parents had moved to the
Jul 2013
Israel’s 1.6 million Arab citizens represent an under-tapped engine for the country’s economic growth I’ve learned a few things during my decade at the helm of The Abraham Fund, an Israeli/international nonprofit dedicated to advancing a shared society of coexistence and equality among Israel’s Jewish and Arab citizens. One of them is to anticipate the most common objections posed to me by people who oppose our work; or, to be
Jul 2013
Most children are not enthralled about going to Hebrew school. Imagine my son’s reaction when I told him last year that he’d be going to not one, but two, Hebrew schools each week. To be fair, neither of the programs is actually called Hebrew school. The first is at our conservative synagogue and is called Machanei Shai because the program is structured much like a camp with activities such as