Today is July 9, 2020 /
Today is July 9, 2020 /
There are few Jewish organizations today that don’t fret about changing demographics and lack of engagement among younger Jews. Data is gloomy as organizations leak members and struggle to find new ones. Busy families with small children are hard to get through the door, much less keep in the building for a program or service. Continue Reading »
I’m a Haggada hoarder. Over the years, our family has collected dozens of different Passover Haggadot, ranging from the highly traditional to the decidedly modern. We have classic Haggadot with commentaries by the Me’am Lo’ez (originally written in Ladino by Rabbi Ya’acov Culi in 1730), Rabbi Marcus Lehman of Mainz (late 1800s) and Efrat Chief Continue Reading »
Published in The Oklahoman, April 7, 2017 by Carla Hinton With Passover soon approaching, a group of men and women from the Oklahoma City metro Jewish faith community recently gathered to explore a new Haggadah whose author has Oklahoma ties. The Haggadah is a compilation of prayers, hymns and rabbinical literature that is read during Continue Reading »
Published in The New York Jewish Week, March 28, 2017 by Steve Lipman The most published book in the Jewish world, the Haggadah has witnessed a decrease in the number of traditional, commentary-based guides to the holiday’s readings and rituals, but an increase in individualized — and sometimes humorous — interpretations of the Pesach customs. Continue Reading »
I can ask my kids the most uninspiring questions. “How was school today?” is the classic one, which usually elicits the most tepid of responses: “Good.” Or this morning’s, “Why did you take so much cereal when you never finish it!?” Then, there’s this one, when things were getting really dicey around 7:30 a.m. and we are Continue Reading »
On a chilly winter evening in Tel Aviv, a group of women sit in a circle pondering a poem by Lebanese-American poet Kahlil Gibran: “Your children are not your children They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you, Continue Reading »
I applaud the incredibly generous gifts supporting Jewish education today. Tens of million of dollars have been directed to many institutions to enhance Jewish literacy and the educational skills of dedicated professionals. It is a landmark time for Jewish education in North America. My concern, though, is that it is not enough. Jewish literacy and better educational Continue Reading »
The favorite part of my week is our staff meetings. I wonder how other organizations begin their staff meetings. Do they jump into business? There is always so much to do. Do they begin with a D’var Torah? Is it pro forma or does the D’var Torah impact the staff meeting? Do they offer a heartfelt prayer to Continue Reading »
Published in The Jewish Week, January 11, 2017 by Hannah Dreyfus How do you keep today’s Jewish teens engaged? Keep them happy, urges David Bryfman, chief innovation officer at the Jewish Education Project. While in the past, Jewish education has stressed the transmission of knowledge, skills and literacy, that approach “no longer works,” said Bryfman. Continue Reading »
Several weeks ago, while visiting the US, I attended a Shabbat dinner of 15 very intelligent and kind adults, including Jewish professionals and rabbis. The conversation quickly moved to politics. Everyone assumed we were all voting for Donald Trump. Opinions were strong and unequivocal. I felt very unwelcome. Recently I attended several conferences in the Continue Reading »
