The Latest From The Foundation

The views expressed in this blog does not necessarily reflect those of The Wexner Foundation. Poland is complicated.  Since returning from a week in and around Warsaw and Krakow last summer, I’ve found that I can’t describe the trip without first establishing this basic fact. A few months ago, I was among eight Jewish leaders from Phoenix, Los Angeles and Seattle who travelled to Poland together as guests of the

Kislev.  Last shabbat and this shabbat — the two that come in the earliest in the year –just after 4 pm. Literally, the darkest time of year. The Torah begins with the creation of light, but the sun and moon were not created until the fourth day.   Our sages explain this discrepancy by suggesting that the light that was created with the first utterance was not the light of the

Feeling like strangers or outsiders isn’t a new experience for the Jewish people.  But when it comes to spending time in the developing world, navigating what makes us different as Jews – our religious or cultural practices, our identity and values – can bring with it unique challenges. What are these challenges – and what are the opportunities – of living Jewishly while serving in the developing world?  Rabbi Zvi

Reprinted with permission from URJ – Inside Leadership Blog. I have had endless words and feelings and thoughts going through me this past week.  None is more meaningful than the expressions from tens of thousands of you, from young children to older adults – sharing poetry and songs, prayers, stories and support from all over the globe.  They reflect several universal themes: deep loss and sadness, gratitude for what camp

On behalf of my WHP Greater MetroWest 15 cohort, I write this as a letter of thanks for this wonderful journey, the Wexner Heritage Program.  From Aspen, where it all began just over two years ago, through multiple learning sessions in New Jersey and fantastic Institutes in Israel and Utah, in this New Year we continue our Jewish leadership journeys, richer for the knowledge and wisdom you have imparted. To

Reposted with thanks to The Aspen Times When it comes to messianic visions, I prefer a smaller scale. Being raptured into the blinding glow of God’s heavenly presence sounds uncomfortable and, frankly, unsustainable. What happens the morning after the rapture? Brunch? The biblical prophets gave us a grand image of a glorious day when all the kingdoms of the earth will gather to march up Jerusalem’s holy mount, praising God

Reposted with thanks to the Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs  “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” The all-too-familiar opening of Charles Dickens’ nineteenth-century classic A Tale of Two Cities could not have better encapsulated the current state of the Jewish world. As the international community is rocked by political and economic turbulence, the Jewish People—an international people if ever there was one—has not been