The Latest From The Foundation

Love the “shtick” happening at G-dcast! #jewishisfun. TheLearningShuk.org (my project) is connecting you to good stuff! Virginie Polster (WHA, Phoenix 09) is a core contributor at her shul, serves on the board of the Jewish Tuition Organization, and is Vice-Chair of the Jewish Community Association of Greater Phoenix Local Funding Council. Her primary focus is experimentation and innovation to support families’ Jewish learning journeys. She is the Co-Founder and Chief

Nones Drinking L’Chaim to Purim, the celebration of the Jewish People Against All Odds As we approach the festival of Purim, we would like to mention an obscure study recently conducted by the Pew Research Group about the Jewish Community. Alas, as significant as the findings are, it has come to our attention that nobody in the Jewish communal world seems particularly interested in this study. For the purpose of

Most of us were in our early 20’s and 30’s when we walked through the gates of the Prime Minister’s Office, accompanying Ariel Sharon to his first days in office, in March of 2001. Those were difficult days for Israel, with the Second Intifada surging, and hundreds of dead in horrific terror attacks. Sharon’s Chief of Staff, who orchestrated an orderly transition of power from the previous administration, had two

The Thanksgivukkah train is about to arrive. By now, you do or do not have your Menurkey and you either love or absolutely hate this great American “mash-up”.   And if there is more to be said, let it be about making these days meaningful for all who experience them, rather than the fabulous coincidence of this occurrence this once in 70,000+ years. Despite the 20th century debates within American Orthodoxy

WGFA Stefanie Zelkind, Class 16, recently published this piece on eJewishPhilantrhropy, which we are reprinting, thanks to eJP and Stefanie.  Enjoy, as this unique holiday rolls around… From menurkeys to sweet potato latke recipes, there are many creative ways to celebrate this year’s unique overlap of Hanukkah and Thanksgiving. In an effort to move beyond the kitsch, I would like to offer some additional ideas for blending the Hanukkah tradition

I recently studied a teaching on aging with a group of six women (ranging in age from 49 to 70-something), who have been learning with me for several years.  Through the lens of Jewish text, we’ve grappled with many of the core questions of life, including the challenges of aging – both our parents, and ourselves.  But this particular text – a commentary by the Mei Hashiloach on the patriarch

Rabbi Alan Lew z’’l wrote that “when we put the charged words or phrases or sentences together with the charged moments , we may find a significant rhyme, we find that one instructs us about the other, and that both taken together are extremely significant for us, telling us something we really needed to know.” In his memoir Be Still and Get Going, Rabbi Lew

On Sukkot, we reap what we have planted. We celebrate community.  There is great potential in working together – whether cooperating, coordinating, or collaborating. Working together across agencies presents tremendous opportunities to leverage individual expertise into greater impact.  Why don’t we work together more?  Why do some collaborations succeed and others fail?  We know planting some fruits and vegetables together creates greater growth.  Similarly, there are planting practices that create

The following is excerpted from Michelle’s Presidential Address on Rosh Hashana to Congregation Anshai Torah in Plano, Texas. Here is a question for you to ponder as we enter the holiest time of the year, a time of soul-searching and teshuvah:   Have you EVER seen ME at a loss for words???!!! I know!  Many of you are hoping that it will happen right now and I’ll just sit down and

Elul 6: A Generational Plan for Prosperity, by Eric Garcetti   My family’s story in Los Angeles begins humbly. One side of my family crossed an ocean to flee persecution in Poland and Russia. The other half crossed a border to escape war in Mexico. Both sides were looking for a better life and they were able to find it in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. As I