The Latest From The Foundation

Little did I know when I began working in the education department at the Columbus Museum of Art (CMA) in 1985 that my life as a Jew would be so greatly enriched by my burgeoning career path. This was the same year that I was a participant in the first-ever Wexner Heritage program. My identity as a Jew blossomed and grew exponentially through the Wexner experience. Simultaneously, I had opportunities

This post originally appeared on JOFA’s blog, “The Torch,” and is reposted with permission.  “Imma, I want an upsherin!” My daughter revealed this mid-way through her first year at a Chabad preschool, where she had attended several of her classmate’s upsherins. A party and a first haircut (upsherin literally translates to shearing) was what she saw for those little boys, whose families were upholding a centuries-old chasidic custom that grew

What’s the most deadening environment you can think of that can transform a generally happy, outgoing and energetic disposition into a depleted, antisocial being?  In two simple words — a conference.   With the New Year upon us, do you notice all the new work and volunteer leadership conferences starting to populate your calendar? I am trying to think through how I might cultivate a

The Wexner Foundation mourns the passing of Gerald Bubis, z”l, who died on August 21. As the founding director of the School of Jewish Communal Service at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Jerry, as he was fondly known, pioneered and shaped the field of Jewish communal service.  He was an activist for peace in the Middle East.  Jerry was a mentor to many professionals, myself included. In the early ‘70s,

The Wexner Graduate Fellowship Summer Institute entitled “God, Spirituality and Belief” took place August 16-21, 2015 in Stowe, VT.  The institute was planned by a committee of Wexner Graduate Fellows and Davidson Scholars in a yearlong process around a theme selected by the entire WGF community.  Below are reflections from current Graduate Fellows from three different classes. My approach as we headed into Summer Institute this year fluctuated between personal trepidation

My husband Bill and I graduated from the Wexner program in Pittsburgh in 1988. Nearly thirty years, nine children and many grandchildren later, well, let’s just say, I care a lot about G-d and Torah. I will always be grateful to the Wexner Foundation for the pivotal role it played in my life! In response to 2013’s Pew Study detailing Jewish America’s distancing from religious observance, I began to write a

Reposted with thanks to Craig Taubman and Jewels of Elul  I was young and earnest with a dream summer internship at the Justice Department, living in dorms crowded with college kids from around the country. My roommate was coming a week late and I anxiously awaited her arrival, certain we’d be best friends forever. Way too early one morning, there was a knock on my door. “Hi. I’m your roommate”

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

This article originally appeared on JOFA’s blog, “The Torch.” It is reprinted here with permission. I grew up 100 percent Camp Ramah and United Synagogue Youth (both Conservative movement institutions), but after marrying a Modern Orthodox man, my husband and I decided to raise our family Camp Stone, Bnei Akiva and NCSY (all Orthodox). We belong to a Modern Orthodox synagogue, and my kids went to a Modern Orthodox day school. I

On August 19, 2008, at a Wexner institute in Stowe, Vermont, an aneurysm ruptured in my brain. I was 28 years old. Instead of dying, I had some brain surgeries, lost vision in one eye, my sense of smell and a portion of my skull, and went home. I had just finished the third year of a PhD program in Jewish literature when I got sick. It would take months