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Dispatches from the network and updates from the Foundation.
It has been reported that in 1914 Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaCohen Kook visited London’s National Gallery and became enamored with Rembrandt’s works of artistic genius. In Rembrandt, Rav Kook saw “a tsaddik, a truly righteous person,” whose works reminded him “of the legend of the creation of light.” Kook explained that this was a “light so strong and luminous that it lit up one end of the world to the
Aug 2016
Should leaders criticize their opponents and detractors? When is reprimanding other people legitimate — or even necessary — and when should castigating others be viewed as an impious act? This question weighed heavily on my mind after hearing Donald Trump’s insensitive criticism of Khizr Khan, a Muslim father of a slain U.S. soldier. In my recently published book, Pious Irreverence: Confronting God in Rabbinic Judaism, I discuss one such Jewish
Reposted with thanks to the blog of the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund. As a hospice volunteer with the Bay Area Jewish Healing Center and a chaplain intern at a local hospital, Rabbi “Yitz” Greenberg’s teachings from my Heritage Summer Institute more than 10 years ago, remain some of the most meaningful from my two years of study. So, I was delighted to find out that
Aug 2016
The trends and attitudes of American society pour down into every corner and crevice of the American Jewish community. This is both the marvel and the challenge of being a Jewish American. Whatever Jewish actions we take, they are significantly framed by American culture. Today, American culture is marching to the beat of a near-hysterical parade towards everything Millennial. And one of the results is that ageism, now against Boomers,
Jul 2016
Reposted with thanks to The Jim Joseph Foundation’s blog. During the summer of 2014, a recent graduate of our high school experienced one of the preeminent rites of passage of those pre-college months — learning the identity of his soon-to-be-roommate. The excitement of the moment wore off quickly, however, as our graduate looked up his roommate on Facebook and found that his page was full of virulent anti-Israel rhetoric. One might
I was privileged to spend five days last week in Snowmass, CO with the new Wexner Heritage Program classes — Philadelphia 16, New York 16 and New York RSJ 16 — the Wexner team and an amazing group of teachers. We arrived in Colorado excited and a bit nervous at the prospect of meeting so many new people. Too short a time later, we left having made deep connections with dozens of
It was an exciting, challenging and moving summer conference this year for Israeli Wexner Alumni and program participants, one in which we examined current problems and future opportunities for change in Israeli society. The underlying conference theme, “Directions Towards a New Israeli Cultural Identity,” elicited much curiosity, discussion, heated argument, engagement and especially a sense of responsibility among our WIF Alumni. What are the implications of our current national challenges
As Jews, we don’t agree on much. Two Jews, three opinions, or the old joke that two Jews stranded on a desert island build three synagogues — one for each of them, and one synagogue that no one will visit on principle. The one thing we do agree on is that we send our kids to college. There are roughly 400,000 Jewish undergraduate students in North America, with an additional
Jul 2016
I recently had the privilege of helping lead an Encounter trip to Bethlehem, East Jerusalem and Ramallah. I came away with the strong belief that all communal leaders should participate in one of these trips. Encounter is an organization near and dear to many Wexner alumni and, in fact, many alumni were on my trip. Started 10 years ago by two WGF Alumni, Rabbi Melissa Weintraub (Class 14) and Rabbi
Jul 2016
This is the patrol car of Sgt. Michael Smith who was laid to rest today. He was stationed at the North Central Command Station, which provides service to the vast majority of Jewish institutions in Dallas. Although you can’t see it, there are notes, drawings and messages from many Jewish organizations — day camps, congregations and community members. There is even an Israeli flag with a note attached declaring that