The Latest From The Foundation

My Wexner certificate came in the mail, marking the formal end of my time in the Wexner Heritage Program.  Wexner changed my life, in more ways that one.  Wexner gave me the knowledge and tools I need to lead my community into a brighter future, but more importantly, it gave me myself. I prepared for the panel interview for what seemed like months.  During that interview, I hoped they could

Reposted with thanks to Malkah Binah’s Blog, Thriving Spirit. I spent this past Shabbat in Charlottesville with a small group of rabbis as part of a delegation from T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. The rabbis and other spiritual leaders who went to Charlottesville fulfilled many roles, some on the front lines of the protests, some as witnesses, and some as protectors and nurturers. There is much for us

Shmuly Yanklowitz (WGF Alum, Class 19) and Asher Lopatin (WGF Alum, Class 5).  We have just signed on to this statement, written by long-time Wexner faculty, Rabbi Dr. “Yitz” Greenberg,  initiated by the Orthodox Rabbinic Group Torat Chayim and signed by many Wexner alumni: The central teaching of the Bible is that every human being is created in the image of God.This means that every individual and group is unique and

Simply stated – the Wexner website has been an unbelievable resource for me. As I prepared for my upcoming trip to Israel, I felt it would be a good idea to connect with Israelis in a similar profession and also part of the Wexner network.  After speaking with Rabbi Moses, he encouraged me to us the new WEXCHANGE tool on the website, that was specifically built to help connect our

Reposted with thanks to the JFNA blog, where Wendy Verba offered a case study and take away: “The Power of Belonging:  Creating a Culture of Connection in the Bay Area Jewish World” “In our generation, the struggle of whether we connect more, whether we achieve our biggest opportunities, comes down to this — your ability to build communities and create a world where every single person has a sense of

Reprinted with thanks to Kveller. As I grow in the knowledge of my faith, my level of religious observation evolves and deepens. I love discovering the meaning and beauty inherent in the ancient practices of my beloved Judaism, the practices that nourish my soul. Recently at Shabbat service, however, I found myself altering the way I worship once again. I remained seated throughout the entire service, and did not rise

In photo (left to right): Danny Tal (WSL17), Tal Winbrom (Staff) and Ori Ilan (WSL17).  On May 10th, Wexner Israel Fellowship Alumni (WIF) and Wexner Senior Leaders (WSL) network/communities visited the Israel Prison Service which was made possible thanks to Talma Tohar-Cohen (WSL16), the Head of Planning and Budget Division of the Israel Prison Service.  We toured the Ayalon Prison and the Neve Tirtza prison, which is the only prison for woman in

Reprinted with thanks to eJewish Philanthropy In my early days of working at Hillel, I remember having a conversation with a campus professional about how to find the Jews on campus.  “You want to know who’s Jewish?” he asked, “Put up a sukkah on one side of the street and see who crosses to the other side to avoid you.  That’s how you’ll know who is Jewish.”  It was a

On my 1992 application for the Wexner Heritage Program, I wrote about Cantor Jerome B. Kopmar as the most influential person in my life.  Long before there was communal conversation about informal Jewish education, Cantor Kopmar was educating Jewish youth in Akron through the medium of Jewish choral music.  I only sang in the choir for one year and was brokenhearted when Cantor Kopmar left, knowing deep in my 11

On March 5, the first class of the newly expanded Wexner Field Fellowship (WFF), developed in partnership with the Jim Joseph Foundation, came together for their first ever Spring Institute at the Inn at Serenbe outside Atlanta, GA.  The fifteen Field Fellows spent most of the time getting to know one another and hearing each other’s Jewish Journeys, while also being oriented to The Wexner Foundation and the required components