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Dispatches from the network and updates from the Foundation.
Jan 2009
Evan Muney, a Wexner Heritage alumnus from San Francisco, is a partner in Camp Kimama, an international Jewish camp in Israel. He also volunteers his time with the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation’s “Israel and Jewish Peoplehood Commission,” which works with Israelis on projects that connect the two communities with each other and promote Jewish Identity and Pluralism and help provide equal opportunity for all Israeli citizens. He is planning
Jan 2009
Tricia Hellman Gibbs, MD, is a member of the 2008 San Francisco Wexner Heritage group and co-founder of the San Francisco Free Clinic, a clinic providing free care to the medically- uninsured. She is also a former member of the United States Ski Team and, along with her husband, Dr. Richard Gibbs, 1998 California Family Physician of the Year. She can be reached at triciagibbs@comcast.net It was February of 1977,
Jan 2009
Robb Mann is an alumnus of the Wexner Heritage Program. He is President of Henry-Lee and Company, a Chicago based apparel design and sourcing company. He is the former Chairman of United Jewish Communities’ National Training Department. Rob lectures throughout North America teaching others how to share their passion for Jewish communal involvement. He can be reached at robm@henry-lee.com As Chairman of United Jewish Communities’ National Training department I’ve taught
Jan 2009
A few weeks ago on a snow day when school was canceled, I was home with my kids “What to do? What to do?” I asked myself before popping in the DVD of “The Ten Commandments.” Yes, those Ten Commandments directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Charleston Heston. I hoped that at a running time of 220 minutes it would keep them busy for the entire morning. To my
Jan 2009
Rabbi Andy Koren, an alumnus of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship Program, is Assistant Rabbi and Director of Religious Education of Temple Emanuel in Greensboro, NC. He can be reached at AKoren@tegreensboro.org It hit me when I was on the phone with a high school senior. I was calling to recruit him for a Mitzvah- work trip to New Orleans. His response: “Definitely. I hear so many of my friends at
Jan 2009
Michael Jordan (Meir Yaacov) Halbert is a leader in Toronto's Orthodox community and sits on Boards of various Jewish educational institutions, including a counter-missionary organization called Jews for Judaism. He has led successful US public school literacy initiatives and is currently focused on Canadian counter-terror legislation. He can be reached at mjh@timberlineq.com My wife Iris and I recently returned from a trip to Israel with another couple. They’re friends; he
Joel Alperson, a Wexner Heritage alumnus, is the United Jewish Communities’ National Interfaith Campaign Chair and president of Omaha Fixture International in Omaha, NE. He can be reached at joel.alperson@omahafixture.com. So often, when I come across a Jew who has questions about Judaism or the Jewish community, my first instinct is to suggest a book. The problem is that the person I’m talking to has to remember my suggestion and
Jan 2009
The sacred story of Hanukkah reads like a mystery. Unlike Purim, Hanukkah has no biblical book and no tractate in the Talmud. There is the apocryphal book of Maccabees which documents much of the historical scene, but it fails to record the miracle of the menorah. Thus, we approach Hanukkah as we would a mystery. We collect the clues – the narrative fragments scattered throughout rabbinic literature. We compare and analyze them, formulate
Dec 2008
Marc Suvall, a Wexner Heritage alumnus from New York, sits on the Boards of the JDC, Yemin Orde, and UJA, and is Chair of the Integration and Absorption Cluster of the Peoplehood Commission at UJA. He can be reached at mksuvall@aol.com This week's Torah portion, Miketz, reflects clearly on the times in which we are living. The portion begins with Joseph, who was wrongfully incarcerated, being released from prison due
Dec 2008
As a teacher of negotiation, I work with students to strengthen their interpersonal effectiveness at the table. My classes offer students a number of key skills as well as the opportunity to engage in systematic preparation. Together, we try to frame opening arguments, figure out where to anchor within the zone of possible agreement, and exercise process leadership. We work to manage the pattern of concessions and to recalibrate in