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Dispatches from the network and updates from the Foundation.
The annual AIPAC Policy Conference held in Washington, DC this past March was the first AIPAC Conference attended by a current cohort of the Wexner Israel Fellowship. Cohorts usually go to Washington over our Spring Break to meet with politicians and policy makers, which gives Israeli Fellows powerful insight into how the US Government works. This year was special because we decided to time the trip to overlap with the
Pictured: Elisa Spungen Bildner (WHA, Metrowest) and Rob Bildner (WHA, Metrowest) receiving the Shapiro Prize At its annual conference in March in Miami, The Jewish Funders Network awarded Foundation for Jewish Camp the inaugural Sidney Shapiro Prize for Excellence in Philanthropic Collaboration, which acknowledges partnerships of forward-thinking Jewish funders. The award recognizes FJC’s founders, Elisa Spungen Bildner and Robert Bildner, The Wexner Foundation, and The Samuel Bronfman Foundation as the
From Left to Right: Avi Narrow-Tilonsky (Class 20); Esther Reed (Class 9); Elana Paru, (Class 7); Ami Hersh (Class 19); Lucy Tannen (Class 1). The following remarks were given at the 2014 Wexner Graduate Fellowship Alumni Institute Opening Session in Glen Cove, NY. I met Phil Miller (WGFA Class 2), just a year ago, when the Wexner Mentoring Program commenced. I had no idea what to expect from him, or
Apr 2014
HEARD ‘ROUND WEXWORLD I am inviting people from the embassy community to my seder in Islamabad — plus a Pakistani academic who researches perceptions of the Holocaust in Pakistan and Iran, and a Pakistani Jew I read about through a posting of Jeremy Bandler’s (WGFA, Class 10) and reached out to via twitter @Jew_Pakistani. I got matzah via Amazon.com, and the USAID Mission Director supplied me with matzah meal for
Apr 2014
“In every generation all of us are obliged to regard ourselves as if we ourselves went forth from the land of Egypt” Exodus 13:8 These words we read on Passover ring especially true to me through my work on human trafficking as the Chair of the President’s Advisory Council on Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Most of us believe that slavery is something of the past, or happens in lands
Apr 2014
With Passover on my mind, it’s worth contemplating that expressing oneself through generosity is an ultimate manifestation of liberation. The Biblical command to have tithing obligations taken care of before Passover could be a concretization of that generous impulse. I’d like to briefly explore what a contemporary, universal tithe might look like, but first a story. In 1965, I was eleven years old and living in Canton, Ohio. We had
Apr 2014
If increasing avodah for jewish people is key to future success, how does one explain the rise of Christianity and Islam which got rid of most of the obligations?
Apr 2014
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks held a conference call exclusively for our constituents yesterday, to give them some deep material for their Passover seders. In a close reading of the “Rasha” (the wicked child), Rabbi Sacks explored 4 different interpretations and ideas. Rabbi Sacks has agreed to answer questions posted by April 7, so please post them below once you listen to the recording. Click below to listen: A global
From left to right: Avi Moshe Miller (Class 23), Avi Narrow-Tilonsky (Class 20), Eitan Bendavid (Class 20), Mark Goldfeder (Class 20), Noah Cheses (Class 21), Michael Cooper Emerson (Class 23). Not pictured: Shlomo Zuckier (Class 24). “On Sunday March 23rd, I participated in Yeshiva University’s quadrennial rabbinic ordination celebration. The ceremony was filled with uplifting words of Torah that inspired us to take responsibility for the future of the Jewish
As a parent, I value giving my teenage daughters autonomy over their down time. I believe that they need space to relax, reflect, and develop interests outside of school that will help them grow as individuals. My children attend a Jewish day school; one that is rich with profound Jewish experiences that enhance their lives and help them solidify their Jewish identities. So what is the balance between giving them