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Dispatches from the network and updates from the Foundation.
The WIF alumni band led by Tsachi Mushkin (Class14). From left to right: Chava Erlich-Roginsky (Class 10), Eleanor Amid-Zabar (Class 10), Sharon Offer and Itamar Offer (Class 12). The annual Wexner Israel Fellowship Alumni (WIFA) Institute ended a few Fridays back (July 10th). I had the honor of chairing the Alumni Institute planning committee, and during those three days some two hundred WIFA and their partners were introduced to success
Jul 2015
Beneath the massive stone of the southwestern wall of what remains of the Second Temple, Rabbi Elka Abrahamson granted us permission to invite others into our personal prayer space by way of our imagination. I was joined by my late grandmother — for if I had found pleasure here, she would be rejoicing, and she never had the opportunity to delight in this magnificent country. I felt her presence. Lost
Jul 2015
With thanks to HaYideon, the Ravsak Journal, we reprint this article on leadership written by Wexner Foundation staff Or Mars, Director, Wexner Graduate Fellowship/Davidson Scholars Program, and Rabbi Jay Henry Moses, Director, Wexner Heritage Program. Both are Alumni of The Wexner Graduate Fellowship. Cultivating excellence in the next generation of Jewish leaders can be compared to the work of a casting director in Hollywood. Through the course of her day the casting
The annual Wexner Israel Fellowship Alumni (WIFA) Institute met last week in Haifa. It was a full program, including an in-depth look at municipal turnarounds in cities such as Akko, Karmiel, Yeruham and Hura. Another topic discussed, following Rabbi Elka Abrahamson’s opening remarks, was the fraying relationship of North American Jews and Israel. The new chair of the WIFA Council, Nadav Tamir, drafted this call to action in response. The
Jul 2015
Israeli President Shimon Peres met with the graduating Wexner Heritage Members at their Israel Institute last week. “Hear the whisper from the angel that compels you to grow.” Rabbi Elka Abrahamson, who helped lead our visit to Israel, and whose leadership and humanity I admire and adore, offered the advice above before we set out to explore this country. I took the advice, “to hear the whisper from the angel
I always felt passionate about living Judaism in a meaningful way, but following my graduation from the Wexner Heritage Program something shifted deeply within me. There was more to do, more to discover. It seemed that my experience, together with so many others I had until that point, were mere preparation. They had combined to focus me in a new way, toward a new pursuit in my life. The teachings
Jul 2015
The Wexner Heritage Israel Institute, entitles “Israel: Complications and Inspirations”, is off to an amazing start. Here are a few impressions from our first few days. Feel free to add your own posts below. From ISIS fighting and a drone landing next to us on the Syrian border today, to the brewery in the West Bank yesterday, this has been one crazy whirlwind. Danny Kates New England 14 Today,
Jul 2015
Last Thursday evening, the 25th of June, 2015, in Caesarea, 39 senior leaders from across the Israeli civil service were awarded two certificates – one from The Wexner Foundation and the other from the Harvard Kennedy School for Executive Education. The certificates will serve as an eternal reminder of an unforgettable and meaningful experience. As we look back at the amazing process that we have been a part of, culminating
Many thought leaders say the Jewish community is torn by dissension and that we should work on ways to build ahavat Israel and understanding across differences. The Shabbat Project, which coincided with Friday evening, October 24th, 2014 until sundown on Saturday evening, October, 25th, 2014 was the most profound example in recent history of Jewish unity. The concept behind The Shabbat Project, the brainchild of the Chief Rabbi of South
Jun 2015
JOIN for Justice is delighted to invite Jewish communities across the country to join us in the launch of our groundbreaking Online Institute, a virtual space where Jews across the country can learn organizing through various online opportunities. In the fall of 2015, the Online Institute will offer its first online course, Don’t Kvetch, Organize! A Master Class, aimed particularly at volunteer leaders who are inspired by their Jewish identity to have a real and meaningful