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Dispatches from the network and updates from the Foundation.
Jan 2009
Robb Mann is an alumnus of the Wexner Heritage Program. He is President of Henry-Lee and Company, a Chicago based apparel design and sourcing company. He is the former Chairman of United Jewish Communities’ National Training Department. Rob lectures throughout North America teaching others how to share their passion for Jewish communal involvement. He can be reached at robm@henry-lee.com As Chairman of United Jewish Communities’ National Training department I’ve taught
Jan 2009
A few weeks ago on a snow day when school was canceled, I was home with my kids “What to do? What to do?” I asked myself before popping in the DVD of “The Ten Commandments.” Yes, those Ten Commandments directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Charleston Heston. I hoped that at a running time of 220 minutes it would keep them busy for the entire morning. To my
Jan 2009
Rabbi Andy Koren, an alumnus of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship Program, is Assistant Rabbi and Director of Religious Education of Temple Emanuel in Greensboro, NC. He can be reached at AKoren@tegreensboro.org It hit me when I was on the phone with a high school senior. I was calling to recruit him for a Mitzvah- work trip to New Orleans. His response: “Definitely. I hear so many of my friends at
Jan 2009
Michael Jordan (Meir Yaacov) Halbert is a leader in Toronto’s Orthodox community and sits on Boards of various Jewish educational institutions, including a counter-missionary organization called Jews for Judaism. He has led successful US public school literacy initiatives and is currently focused on Canadian counter-terror legislation. He can be reached at mjh@timberlineq.com My wife Iris and I recently returned from a trip to Israel with another couple. They’re friends; he
Joel Alperson, a Wexner Heritage alumnus, is the United Jewish Communities’ National Interfaith Campaign Chair and president of Omaha Fixture International in Omaha, NE. He can be reached at joel.alperson@omahafixture.com. So often, when I come across a Jew who has questions about Judaism or the Jewish community, my first instinct is to suggest a book. The problem is that the person I’m talking to has to remember my suggestion and
Jan 2009
The sacred story of Hanukkah reads like a mystery. Unlike Purim, Hanukkah has no biblical book and no tractate in the Talmud. There is the apocryphal book of Maccabees which documents much of the historical scene, but it fails to record the miracle of the menorah. Thus, we approach Hanukkah as we would a mystery. We collect the clues – the narrative fragments scattered throughout rabbinic literature. We compare and analyze them, formulate
Dec 2008
Marc Suvall, a Wexner Heritage alumnus from New York, sits on the Boards of the JDC, Yemin Orde, and UJA, and is Chair of the Integration and Absorption Cluster of the Peoplehood Commission at UJA. He can be reached at mksuvall@aol.com This week’s Torah portion, Miketz, reflects clearly on the times in which we are living. The portion begins with Joseph, who was wrongfully incarcerated, being released from prison due
Dec 2008
As a teacher of negotiation, I work with students to strengthen their interpersonal effectiveness at the table. My classes offer students a number of key skills as well as the opportunity to engage in systematic preparation. Together, we try to frame opening arguments, figure out where to anchor within the zone of possible agreement, and exercise process leadership. We work to manage the pattern of concessions and to recalibrate in
Dec 2008
From Vayeshev to HaTikvah They call me Anatol. In prison I do lie. My little window looks out on the Russian sky. I’ve been arrested here for crimes they have not named. But all my people know the charge will be a frame. What do these lyrics from the song “Leaving Mother Russia” by Safam have to do with this week’s Parshah? How do the mournful laments of Anatol,
Leslie Ginsparg, a Wexner Graduate Fellowship alumnus (Class 16), is a Professor of Jewish History at Touro College. She can be reached at Ginsparg@comcast.net When I announced to family and friends that I was going to Germany as part of a Germany Close Up/American Jewish Committee student trip, I kept hearing the same response: don’t spend any money there. The reasoning behind and the implication of that imperative was obvious.