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Dispatches from the network and updates from the Foundation.
Dec 2014
Sifting through the end of year barrage of fundraising appeals, one can lose sight of why we give and to whom we are giving. As Jewish leaders, we take tsedakah seriously. The initiative we lead, Ask Big Questions, put together a guide to help us have some meaningful conversations about who we give to and why. There are other resources as well, including a clever video by American Jewish World
As “Boomers” approach the end of their midlife careers and seek new paths to meaning while facing unprecedented challenges, Jewish leaders and communities should figure out how to engage them and their skill sets, resources, idealism, time and energy. For the past few years, David Elcott — of The Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at NYU — and I have worked to change the conversation about aging
Dec 2014
Our first encounter with the Aberdeen Hebrew Congregation was iconic: on our way toshul for Erev Shabbat services, thinking we might have taken a wrong turn, I suddenly saw two men on the other side of the street, walking with particular urgency. Both wore long dark coats and fedoras. “This is the right way!” I declared with renewed confidence. Sure enough, when we arrived at the small, barely-marked synagogue —
Dec 2014
(Pictured) Szarvas fellows from different countries having a discussion about Jewish identity I always had a pretty clear understanding and point of reference to the varied summer and school programs that our four daughters participated in. Szarvas was the exception! I never expected each of my very different daughters to come home from their summers in Hungary and say it was 110% fun! The Szarvas Fellowships, directed by Rabbi Seth
Dec 2014
(Pictured) Rabbi Jill Jacobs (WGFA, Class 11), Rabbi Shai Held (WGFA, Class 7), and Rabbi David Rosenn (WGFA, Class 5) moments before arrest, sitting down on 96th Street and Broadway Thursday evening, December 4, 2014, Jewish leaders and organizations called for a protest on the Upper West Side of Manhattan “to rectify the structural injustices that give rise to the daily violations of the dignity of our fellow citizens of
(Pictured) Amitai Bardach-Goldstein in his Hand-in-hand Bi-lingual Jewish-Arab school t-shirt. Amitai is cute. He is cuddly. He is sweet – with a smile that can melt your soul. He just turned six on November 8th. He lives in Jerusalem. He is a first grader. Learning to read. Learning to write. Learning that life is complicated. I am Amitai’s father. I am responsible for his well-being. I am responsible for his
Dec 2014
“The first thing we do is kill all the lawyers”- Shakespeare Why would we kill all the lawyers? Perhaps among the many reasons is that they make all those detailed rules. Rules that are hard for the rest of us to follow. Rules that complicate life, beyond the point of manageability for many other non-lawyers. In their defense, their actions may even have what they perceive to be our best
I’m proud and grateful to invite the Wexner community — and those in your communities — to explore Hadar’s new website: www.mechonhadar.org. This isn’t another brochure site: its heart is a pair of databases of durable, high-quality content. The site’s most ambitious and distinctive feature is a new tool for prayer-leaders, from beginner to experienced. At a glance, users can stream or download the standard (Ashkenazi) nusach for a prayer, communal melodies
Nov 2014
Pictured: US Supreme Court Justices Stephen G. Breyer and Elena Kagan had a lively conversation moderated by Nina Totenberg at the 2014 JFNA GA. The Wexner Foundation brought Wexner Graduate Fellow Classes 24 and 25 and Wexner Israel Fellowship Class 26 to this year’s JFNA General Assembly. As a group, we gathered for meals and to reflect throughout on the entire experience, from the plenaries to the individual sessions. Participants
Nov 2014
This photo is from the cover of the authors’ latest book, Leadership in the Bible: A Practical Guide for Today. Jacob acquires Esau’s birthright for a bowl of stew. Jacob, the home-body buys; Esau, the hunter, sells. Twin brothers — very different decisions. The story has a lot to say about what goes into making a good long-term decision. We can assume that as a good hunter Esau possessed a number