Posted on Thursday, October 25, 2018 by Larry Greenfield
Kudos to the Wexner team for inviting balancing perspectives on Jews and politics as we approach the 2018 mid-term elections in the United States. The substantive content in Jewish text, history and contemporary ideas of our studies in the Wexner Heritage Program in Los Angeles inspired me and empowered my intellectual contributions as a speaker and columnist with the Jewish Journal. In addition to my service in U.S. Naval Intelligence Reserves, I have also worked in a senior capacity w…
READ MORE
Posted on Wednesday, October 24, 2018 by Alit Wiel-Shafran
The upcoming election for local authorities in Israel, something that occurs every five years, brings a female wind of change. Fifty-six women are running for mayor — an unprecedented number, including in the Arab and Ultra-Orthodox sectors. Currently six women serve as mayor, out of 256 local authorities. According to research conducted by the Institute for Local Government at Tel Aviv University, the last three elections show increasing numbers of women running for office in lo…
READ MORE
Posted on Tuesday, October 23, 2018 by Avi Narrow-Tilonsky
There have been a few moments in life when I have experienced déjà vu. It happened on a cool Saturday night last month in Jerusalem. I looked up searching for the moon so that I could recite kiddush levana, the prayer which sanctifies the new moon. Suddenly, I felt transported back to my childhood in New Jersey. I remembered standing outside on a cold Saturday night seeing and blessing the very same moon. In that moment of déjà vu, I reflected on how the moo…
READ MORE
Posted on Monday, October 22, 2018 by Nancy Kohn
Our Jewish Women’s Foundation (JWF) in Chicago has a pledged endowment of over $9.5 million. Our mission is to expand and improve opportunities and choices in all aspects of Jewish women's and girls' lives through strategic and effective grant-making. The Foundation empowers Jewish women as leaders, funders and decision-makers. For many years I was an agitator opposed to investing funds instead of spending it immediately. Why do we want an endowment that would sustain our work for…
READ MORE
Posted on Friday, October 19, 2018 by Elliott Robinson
I grew up with a modern orthodox “right leaning” Day School and Yeshiva education, attending Religious Zionist Camp Moshava, active in its Bnei Akiva Movement, where my interaction with less observant Jews was limited. The Torah learning in school was “mildly interesting,” but mostly boring and rote, with many unmotivating and non-dynamic teachers. Post high school, I spent a “gap year” on a work-study program (in 1970, way before it became popu…
READ MORE
Posted on Thursday, October 18, 2018 by Yelena Kutikova
When I was younger, I told myself that I would never visit Germany. Given my family history, it is not surprising why I chose this stance. My great grandmother was killed in Babi Yar, while many other family members died or greatly suffered by the hands of Nazis during World War II. However, victim-hood wasn’t the only war narrative my family passed on to me. As far as I can remember, my grandfather always told me stories about his experiences as a soldier during WW II and the to…
READ MORE
Posted on Tuesday, October 16, 2018 by Maurit Beeri
Wexner alumni in Israel recently hosted the Massachusets Executive Women's Mission to Israel for Shabbat Dinner. In addition to Maurit Beeri, WSL Network Member Michal Lebenthal Anderson (2015), WIF Alum Orit Farkash HaCohen (Class 18) and WIF Alum Rachel Benziman (Class 11) also hosted groups. One of our family's Shabbat pleasures is to host visitors from the U.S. for dinner. These are most often assigned to us randomly, by way of our affiliation with the Mevaseret Zion Reform Congrega…
READ MORE
Posted on Tuesday, October 16, 2018 by Graham Hoffman
One of the telltale signs of a brilliant facilitator is that their facilitation becomes nearly invisible to the participants. We saw this at the Wexner Field Fellowship Fall Institute in Aaron Henne, a pilot Wexner Field Fellow as part of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship Class 28 and Wexner Heritage faculty. Aaron focused on storytelling and organizational mission pitching. And yet, his unique gift is not limited to cloaking his facilitation in invisibility — rather, he thoughtfully and…
READ MORE
Posted on Tuesday, October 16, 2018 by Moshe Elad
Sometimes, one leader's decision can affect the shaping of an entire country. David Ben-Gurion, undoubtedly the greatest leader of the Jewish nation, made a decision that was not popular at the time, but his stubbornness and consistency in its implementation can serve as an example of how to lead a public and adhere to a goal. During Israel’s early days as a state, several Jewish intellectuals demanded that the government allocate a significant portion of the funds to research and…
READ MORE
Posted on Monday, October 15, 2018 by Lydia Colvin
The Wexner Service Corps is a program designed to inspire and unite Columbus-area Jewish teens to engage in service learning. The Service Corps is open to high school juniors and seniors to participate in a week-long service trip, followed by a year of monthly volunteering and Jewish learning. On September 9, Wexner Service Corps was scheduled to help at an event called the Buddy Box 6000, where we would pack boxes of food for kids in need. However, due to rain, this event was cancelled…
READ MORE