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Dispatches from the network and updates from the Foundation.
Aug 2013
Pictured: Wexner NY I “kids” Sara Waxman (daughter of Spencer and Bettina Waxman); Ben Gargano (son of Laura Spitzer and Michael Gargano); and Benjamin Perla (son of Danny and Valerie Perla); at the JDC/Lauder Camp Szarvas, outside of Budapest, Hungary. Camp Szarvas, founded in 1990, offers a unique international experience for 1500 youth each summer, including 75 U.S. Fellows, with campers hailing from over 25 countries. Szarvas, central to Jewish
Aug 2013
The expression “Rosh HaShana” never appears in the Torah. Instead, the Torah refers to Rosh HaShana as “Yom Truah” or “Zichron Truah”. “Truah” – the broken blast of the shofar – is the essence of the day. Maimonides writes that the blast of the shofar comes to wake us up, a shock forcing us to engage more fully with reality. What is the shofar waking us up to? The wake-up
Aug 2013
The following thoughts were shared last week in Stowe, Vermont, at the 2013 Summer Institute for Current Graduate Fellows and Davidson Scholars. Here we are deep into Elul – the month of introspection, reflection, and contemplation. We hope, as we inch closer to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, that we will be able to gain clarity, say what we need to say to others, say what we need to say
Elul 6: A Generational Plan for Prosperity, by Eric Garcetti My family’s story in Los Angeles begins humbly. One side of my family crossed an ocean to flee persecution in Poland and Russia. The other half crossed a border to escape war in Mexico. Both sides were looking for a better life and they were able to find it in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. As I
This post is adapted from an article published by the Jewish Journal in Ethical Imperatives: A Blog by Rabbis and Scholars of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. As pervasive as is the influence of Wexner alumni in North American Jewish life, one finds volatility, frustration, and/or avoidance in talking about Israel. So many of us are losing by this fact, whether we serve as rabbis, lay leaders, or professionals,
We all expect social good from our philanthropy, but can we also achieve positive social impact from our investment capital as well? Impact investors (families, foundations, endowments, pension funds) are pushing investment capital to do just that – meet financial goals while also aligning with values to achieve positive outcomes for society. With the introduction of modern socially responsible investing in the 1970s, concerned investors began obtaining data on the
Aug 2013
Pictured: Washington DC 13 in Utah at the 2013 New Member Institute. The wildflower-dotted mountains of Snowbird, Utah were the perfect backdrop for the 2013 Wexner New Member Institute, but as I gazed out the clear glass expanse of the large windows to marvel at the mountains’ majesty, I couldn’t shake the woozy feeling in my head. Probably the altitude, I told myself as I heeded the urging of the
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