Birthright Israel recently marked its 10th anniversary, and we can only hope that it will be around for at least another decade. It is widely acclaimed as one of the most successful innovations to hit the American Jewish scene in decades. The program, which offers free 10-day trips for young Jewish adults in the Diaspora, was the brainchild of mega-philanthropists...
The images emerging from Haiti are staggering; the statistics mind-boggling. While it would be easy to be struck with paralysis by the depth of such death and destruction, this is not the Jewish way. And so, from day one of a crisis of incomprehensible proportions, Israel and a host of Jewish organizations have rushed to join -- and, in many...
You don't have to be a Jewish policy wonk to be struck by the findings of the new Jewish population study of Greater Philadelphia. Commissioned by the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia and released this week, the study provides a telling snapshot of who we are, how we live and how we connect Jewishly. As a window into our health,...
Amid all the recent end-of-year/end-of-decade reflections, President Barack Obama took the presidential prerogative to take to the airwaves -- and also go online -- to share his assessment of his first year in office. Not surprisingly, he touted his accomplishments and downplayed his missteps. He focused on signs of economic recovery by emphasizing what he considers his administration's success in...
It is widely accepted as a truism that you can't move ahead with confidence without first reassessing the past. We American Jews are at a significant crossroads: These difficult economic times have been remaking the look of the community and the manner in which it is run in significant and fundamental ways. When we look out into the world, we...
Sivan 17, 5773
