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Dispatches from the network and updates from the Foundation.
I recently published a CD called, “May the Angels Carry You: Jewish Songs of Comfort for Death, Burial and Mourning”, designed as a companion to my husband Simcha Raphael’s book of deathbed prayers – “May the Angels Carry You: Jewish Prayers and Meditations for the Deathbed.” The Wexner community might want to know about this collection of traditional and newly created end-of-life prayer resources. Here is an example of the title
Our Inaugural Summit “Stronger Together: Imagining the Israel-North American Jewish Community Relationship” concluded today. This Summit was book ended by two gatherings: the first, a year ago in Princeton, NJ, with close to 100 alumni from all of our programs; and the second one, April 25 – 27th in Zichron Yaakov, Israel. This Wexner Summit empowered and mobilized a cadre of change agents who worked in teams over the
This article was inspired by a site visit that WGF alum Justin Rosen Smolen (Class 23) and I, WGF alum Miriam Heller Stern (Class 13), took as part of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship Alumni Mentoring program. The Wexner Foundation launched the Mentoring Program for Alumni of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship over four years ago, thanks to a grant from the Jim Joseph Foundation. This intense program was created with the understanding
I have been a TV producer for nearly 40 years. When my career began there were three networks: ABC, CBS and NBC. The only way to watch them was on a TV set, in your house, and if you missed a show you were out of luck. Those days are long gone. Today, TV arrives how you like it, when you like it and on any device you want to
“We are on the map and not only in basketball but in everything!” said the Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Captain, Tal Brody, in his American accented Hebrew as the mike was pushed into his sweaty, beaming face, immediately after the team’s miraculous victory in 1977 against the formidable and then Olympic world champion’s team, the Red Army’s basketball team. In life, each of us has an Exodus story, whether as
Apr 2017
Reprinted with thanks to The Times of Israel. The other day, among the relentless news stories, my eye caught the headline of an otherwise inconspicuous article: “German city puts traffic lights on the ground — for you phone gazers.” The sum of the story is that in Augsburg, Germany, city officials installed traffic lights on the ground near busy train stations so that commuters looking down at their phones wouldn’t
Apr 2017
Pesach is a story of the long journey from degradation to dignity and is a theme that continues to repeat itself throughout history. This year at my seder, and during this week when we tell the story and journey from then to now and from bondage to freedom, I am mindful that the journey is far from over. I recently went on a civil rights trip to Birmingham, Montgomery and
Mar 2017
WIF Fellows Yuval Ran, Eyal Jacobson, Yuval Laster and Mushira Aboo Dia (Class 28) meeting with US Representative for North Carolina’s 11th congressional district, Mark Meadows during their Spring Institute in Washington, DC last week. In the wake of the presidential elections, no place was more fitting to gain an understanding of the new political realities than the US capital. Over spring break, Class 28 of the Wexner Israel Fellowship
Mar 2017
Throughout so many classes, sessions and discussions, Wexner Heritage members and alumni spend a lot of time brainstorming ways to increase inclusion, affiliation and other vital issues relating to Jewish identity. One of my dearest friends has come up with an idea that I believe is brilliant in both design and execution. While my friend prefers to remain anonymous — we are both fans of the Rambam’s eight levels of
Bnai Bayit (“Bet Bet” for short) connects Israelis studying for advanced degrees in North America with members of the local Jewish community to create lasting friendships, foster mutual understanding and strengthen the bonds between Israelis and North American Jews. Check out the website. When challenged to dream about and take action on a new project through the Wexner Foundation’s inaugural Summit: Stronger Together: (Re-) Imagining the North American Jewish and