The Latest From The Foundation

Raquel Ukeles is an alumna of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship Program and a Golda Meir postdoctoral fellow at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She is the academic director of www.intellectualencounters.org, on philosophy and science in the world of medieval Islam. Raquel can be reached at rukeles@gmail.com. As a veteran participant in inter-religious programs, I’ve learned a tremendous amount by watching the successes and mistakes of others. For example, the most

Rachel Alexander is an alumna of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship/Davidson Scholars Program, Class XIII.  Rachel is currently the Director of Development for the New York Campaign of Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life.  She can be reached at ralexander@hillel.org. “Leadership is about making a positive difference for and with others.  Leadership is about the integrity of one’s character, the caliber of one’s capabilities, and the effectiveness of one’s collaboration

Emeri S. Handler is an alumna of the Wexner Heritage Program, San Francisco 08. She currently serves on the boards of the Oshman Family JCC and Moving Traditions, an organization inspiring teens to look more deeply at Judaism using gender as the framework. She can be reached at emeri@thehandlerfamily.com. My grandmother Goldie, zichrono l’vracha, was 98 when she passed away last fall, erev Rosh Hashanah. She was widowed soon after

Jill Levy is an alumna of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship/Davidson Scholars Program. Jill is a fifth year rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. She can be reached at jillrlevy@gmail.com. I had the privilege of serving as the Legacy Heritage Rabbinic Intern this year at the Southwest Orlando Jewish Congregation.   In recent years, the synagogue has experienced diminished membership due to budgetary and other issues.  The current

Even Kresin Steinber is Executive Director of the Beth Tfiloh Congregation and a Wexner Heritage Program Alumna from Baltimore.  Eve can be reached at ESteinberg@BTFILOH.org. It was 20 years ago that I boarded the plane for Snowbird, Utah as a new participant in the Wexner Heritage Foundation program.  I was young, and my children were young.  I was just establishing myself as a committed (and hopefully valued) member of the

Jacob Labendz is an alumnus of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship/Davidson Scholars Program.  He is a PhD Candidate in the History Department of Washington University in St. Louis.  Jacob is writing his dissertation on Jewish-state relations in Communist-led Czechoslovakia, and spent four years working in and alongside the Jewish community in Prague.  He can be reached at labendz@hotmail.com. We had won. After fruitless negotiation with leaders whom we felt to be

Skip Vichness is an alumnus of the Wexner Heritage MetroWest group.  Skip is the Chair of the Foundation for Jewish Camp and is the Managing Partner of GreyPine,LLC which is involved in the operation of day, resident and special needs camps in the Northeast. He can be reached at skipv@nyc.rr.com. Over the years, mostly with the help of the Wexner Heritage program, I have thought long and hard about what

Daniel Aronson is a Wexner Graduate Fellowship alumnus and director of congregational learning at Ohev Shalom of Bucks County in Richboro, PA. He can be reached at daronson@ohev.org In February 2008, well into my fourth year as director of annual giving at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, I found myself at a crossroads. I had been feeling unsatisfied in my position for some time when, quite unexpectedly, an opportunity appeared, like

Shira Hammerman is an alumna of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship/Davidson Scholar Program.  She is a doctoral student in Education and Jewish Studies at NYU.   She can be reached at shirahammerman@hotmail.com  “The angels are peeking, peeking through the window, as Ima lights the candles and Abba goes to shul…”  My little Shabbat Ima was having the time of her life as she sat next to her Shabbat Abba at the head

David Goldberg is an alumnus of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship/Davidson Scholars Program and a fourth year rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary. He is presently on a leave of absence as a fellow at Yeshivat Hadar.  David can be reached at dmgoldber@gmail.com  I am not a very patient person: when I eat, when I wait in lines, and also when I am in school. Before I began my studies