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Dispatches from the network and updates from the Foundation.
Oct 2013
Can there be anything new about the Zionist dream? This question has troubled me for the 46 years that I have been living in Israel. As a student and lecturer of Modern Jewish History and an active participant in Israeli life, one is sometimes overcome by the conviction that dreaming just has no place in our contemporary world. The Middle East is in turmoil, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict only becomes more
Oct 2013
Some of the Wexner Mishpacha who attended the day. Top Row: David Rosenn, (Class 5), Marty Linsky (Faculty), Megan Goldman (Class 22), Jill Jacobs, (Class 11), Amber Powers, (Class 9), Cindy Chazan (Staff), Rafi Rone, (Class 10). Bottom row: Ruthie Warshenbrot (Class 23, Staff), Yehuda Kurtzer, (Class 15), Julie Finkelstein (Class 23), Justin Rosen Smolen (Class 23), David Bryfman, (Class 17) The energy and urgency was palpable as change-makers dedicated
Oct 2013
Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's passing last Monday caused a dramatic outpouring of public grief in Israel. With a deep sense of irony, it reminded me of another Israeli mass mourning, that of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, which took place 18 years ago. There is a world of difference between the assassination of a serving Prime Minister in midlife and the death of a 93-year old rabbi. Yet the similarity of the numbers of
Oct 2013
Rabbi Avi Weiss is my rav. While the terms rabbi and rav are often used interchangeably, a rav often denotes a personal spiritual guide. Rav Avi, a title widely embraced by his congregants and admirers, is my religious mentor, friend, and confidante. He inspires me as well as thousands of others by raising a voice of moral consciousness to individuals or governments that persecute Jews and other minorities. He is
Oct 2013
“Our son said there were over 750,000 people at the funeral and while he wanted to go, he and many of his friends decided it would be too difficult to get into Jerusalem logistically. How big a giant of Torah law and commentary was R. Ovadiah Yosef, z"l? Imagine for every person who went, 1-3 wanted to go. That equates to a quarter to a half of the Jewish people
I recently studied a teaching on aging with a group of six women (ranging in age from 49 to 70-something), who have been learning with me for several years. Through the lens of Jewish text, we’ve grappled with many of the core questions of life, including the challenges of aging – both our parents, and ourselves. But this particular text – a commentary by the Mei Hashiloach on the patriarch
Oct 2013
The Wexner Foundation convened a conference call yesterday, October 9, to discuss implications of the recent Pew Study for Jewish leaders. The call was chaired by The Wexner Foundation President, Rabbi B. Elka Abrahamson, and featured Dr. Sarah Bunin Benor (WGFA, Class 11) and sociologist Dr. Steven M. Cohen, who were all members of the Advisory Panel for the Pew Trust. Close to 200 Wexner members, fellows, and alumni participated.
Oct 2013
Funny story: Torah teaches this week that God was furious over human violence and morbid stupidity and decided to flood the world. The only way to survive was for Noah and Na'amah to build an ark and invite creatures from all walks of life aboard. We're all in the same boat, they realized. Congress, get the message? Rabbi Michael Adam Latz, is the Senior Rabbi at Shir Tikvah Congregation in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where
Sep 2013
“Having recently completed a two year leadership program that was funded by the Columbus Jewish Federation and the Wexner Foundation, I especially want to thank these two remarkable organizations for recognizing and investing in young leaders. Their investment in me and my peers is a gift, one that I hope to repay through my continued commitment to our community.” -Aaron Shocket, a Columbus 11 Wexner Heritage Alum, upon receiving the
“Shadow in Baghdad” is a new documentary film that traces the story of the Jewish community and its disappearance from Baghdad by focusing on the narrative of Wexner Israel Fellowship Alum, Linda Menuhin Abdel Aziz (Class 6), who escaped from Iraq to Israel in the 1970’s. Duki Dror, one of the most prolific documentary filmmakers in Israel, set out to tell the story of Iraqi Jewry through this film. On
Wexner Heritage Program nominations are now open for its upcoming cohorts in Northern New Jersey, Philadelphia, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Nominate a Jewish lay leader today!