The Latest From The Foundation

Michelle Kleinert, a Wexner Heritage alumna from Los Angeles,.  “We are prone to judge success by the index of our salaries or the size of our automobiles, rather than by the quality of our service relationship to humanity.” –Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King’s quote could have been written with Hollywood in mind.  Even with the best of intentions we get caught up in our own insular world. 

Naomi Katz-Lulav is Senior Deputy to the State Attorney in the Israeli Ministry of Justice, and an alumna of the Wexner Israel Fellowship Program. She is a participant in the Kolot program, aimed at bringing religious and non-religious Israelis together, and has given lectures abroad regarding Israel-Diaspora connections and the Jewish Identity of the Jewish state. She is currently on her first maternity leave, at home with her seven-month old son, Elisha

Evan Segal, a current Wexner Heritage Member from Pittsburgh, is the Chairman of the Florence Melton Communiteen High School, a member of Hillel Board of Governors & Directors,  and active with the UJF Pittsburgh, Community Day School & AIPAC. He is also an Executive-in-Residence at the CMU Tepper Graduate School of Business. He can be reached at evanjsegal@aol.com  One of the biggest issues confronting us today is Jewish Continuity. In

Hearing the Call of Torah By Howard Steiermann July 25, 2007 Howard Steiermann, a San Francisco Wexner Heritage alumnus, is motivated by his experiences as a son of German refugees, as a gay man, and by trying to find a great-tasting, low-fat, chocolate chip cookie. He is past Board President of the Brandeis-Hillel Day School, has served on numerous Jewish and Community boards and was the 2000 recipient of the

Rabbi Jordan Millstein, an alumnus of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship Program, serves Temple Emanuel of Worcester, MA. He can be reached at rabbijbm@aol.com “What should I call you?” It is among the most common questions a rabbi gets when he/she meets a congregant or visitor to the congregation for the first time. Invariably, when I am asked this question it triggers in my mind a series of old, bad jokes:

Israel at the UN: Because Words Matter By Hillel Neuer July 18, 2007 Hillel Neuer is executive director of UN Watch in Geneva, an organization that monitors the UN according to the principles of its charter and stands at the forefront of combating anti-semitism at the UN. Formerly with the law firm of Paul Weiss in New York, Hillel routinely testifies before the UN Human Rights Council and other UN

Rabbi Shira Stutman is an alumna of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship Program. She is a Rabbi at Congregation Kesher Shalom in Abington, PA. Shira can be reached at sstutman@gmail.com. In the beginning of Parshat Toldot, God is busy. Within the course of two chapters, God answers Isaac’s prayer for a child; gives Rebekah an answer to her question about her uncomfortable pregnancy (“two nations are in your womb…”); and twice

Michael Jacobs is a writer whose work has appeared on and off Broadway, television and film, including thirteen television series that have won Emmys and People’s Choice Awards. The shows include “My Two Dads” and “Charles In Charge.” He and his wife, Patti, also a Wexner alum, consider their Wexner experience one of the most rewarding of their lives. He can be reached at MSJ26@aol.com  As a writer, certain use

Rabbi Brett Krichiver is an alumnus of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship Program.  He is a Rabbi at Stephen S. Wise Temple in Los Angeles.  He can be reached at brett330@gmail.com. This week we begin with a beginning.  I’ve always found two particular things compelling about this most famous of all opening lines.  According to the Masoretic tradition, we begin chanting this most holy of holy books with… a grammatical error.  A vowel

Margaret Jelinek Lewis is a Houston 06 member of the Wexner Heritage Program.  She is a psychology professor at Tomball College who recently welcomed her new community to her home to celebrate the bris of her son, Ahron.  Margaret can be reached at msjlewis@mac.com. All of my adult life, I have lived in do-it-yourself Jewish communities: small congregations that depend on lay leadership to build the community. Recently, though, we moved