8000 Walton Parkway, Suite 110
New Albany, Ohio 43054
614 939-6060
Dispatches from the network and updates from the Foundation.
Sep 2010
Rachel Alexander is an alumna of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship/Davidson Scholars Program, Class XIII. Rachel is currently the Director of Development for the New York Campaign of Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life. She can be reached at ralexander@hillel.org. “Leadership is about making a positive difference for and with others. Leadership is about the integrity of one’s character, the caliber of one’s capabilities, and the effectiveness of one’s collaboration
Sep 2010
Josh is is the Campus Rabbi at Fiedler Hillel at Northwestern University and an alumnus of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship Program. Josh can be reached at rabbijosh@northwestern.edu. Recently I co-chaired a conference sponsored by Hillel with funding from the Jim Joseph Foundation called Toward a Third Space: A New Dimension in Jewish Education for Emerging Adults. While Hillel and JJF were the official conveners of the gathering, many of us
Sep 2010
Emeri S. Handler is an alumna of the Wexner Heritage Program, San Francisco 08. She currently serves on the boards of the Oshman Family JCC and Moving Traditions, an organization inspiring teens to look more deeply at Judaism using gender as the framework. She can be reached at emeri@thehandlerfamily.com. My grandmother Goldie, zichrono l’vracha, was 98 when she passed away last fall, erev Rosh Hashanah. She was widowed soon after
Sep 2010
Margaret Jelinek Lewis is an alumna of the Wexner Heritage Program from Houston and a professor of psychology and human sexuality at Lonestar College – Tomball in Tomball, Texas. She can be reached at msjlewis@me.com Last night at Open House in my child’s Jewish day school, parents listened intently as the teachers talked about math and social studies, but when they mentioned that this was the year the kids would
Sep 2010
Rabbi Joseph Berman is an alumna of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship/Davidson Scholars Program. Joseph received ordination in June from the Hebrew College Rabbinical School in Newton, MA. In the Fall, Joseph will become the Rabbi of Temple B’nai Israel in Revere, MA. He can be reached at joseph.berman@gmail.com. “Youth Force, the teen organizers from Dorchester who led a class about restoring funding for youth jobs, have requested your help,” I
Sep 2010
Rabbi Marion Lev-Cohen is a Wexner Heritage Alumni from NYC. She is currently the Director of Adult Education at Central Synagogue. Marion was the former chair of the Commission on Jewish Identity at UJA Federation and on its Executive Committee. She served on the boards of the JDC, the Jewish Agency and the Foundation for Jewish Camp. She currently serves on the boards of American Jewish World Service, Synagogue 3000,
Gary Aidekman is President of United Jewish Communities of MetroWest, New Jersey and a MetroWest Wexner Heritage Program Alumnus. Gary can be reached at gaidekman@ujcnj.org. Sometime after the publication of the National Jewish Population Survey of 1990 a sense of dread spread over many American Jews. The survey revealed a steep increase in intermarriage and Jewish leadership grew fearful that Jewish identity would weaken and with each new generation American
Aug 2010
You would imagine, for a Jew, living in Israel, being Jewish is a non-issue. Israel, the birthplace of our ancestors, the land they walked upon, lived out our biblical stories - just breathe the air, feast your eyes on the scenery and tread upon the land. You speak and read the newspapers in Hebrew, the street signs are the names of heroes, biblical characters, famous sages and rabbis; your kids
Aug 2010
Jill Levy is an alumna of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship/Davidson Scholars Program. Jill is a fifth year rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. She can be reached at jillrlevy@gmail.com. I had the privilege of serving as the Legacy Heritage Rabbinic Intern this year at the Southwest Orlando Jewish Congregation. In recent years, the synagogue has experienced diminished membership due to budgetary and other issues. The current
Aug 2010
Ramie Arian is a a consultant who works with Jewish camps, youth movements and other agencies concerned with building Jewish identity and commitment. He was a senior member of the Wexner Heritage Foundation staff for nine years, ending as Vice President in 1998. He can be reached at ramie.arian@gmail.com. The reordering of priorities which was recently approved by the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) has
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!