It’s Thanksgiving Dinner. The table is beautifully set and decorated. The meal has all the important elements, turkey, along with wonderful side dishes like sweet potatoes, cranberries, cornbread and….hummus. We’re in Israel after all, where allowances have to be made along with the opportunity to introduce this wonderful celebration to friends and family who may…
Dramatis Personae: Beth, Shutaf co-founder JENcO, Jewish education/community/non-profit worker JENcO: “Inclusion programs. That sounds really exciting, do you know Jay Ruderman?” Beth: “Yes, as a matter of fact, I do know Jay Ruderman.” JENcO: “Have you thought of applying for funding? I heard that they’re doing lots of funding in the area.” Beth: “Shutaf is…
In memory of Ha’Rav Tuvia ben Dov z”l “Hashem spoke to Moses, saying. Speak to the entire assembly of the Children of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for holy am I, Hashem, your G-d.” Experiencing holiness. What would it be like? Would we recognize its delicate and divine touch in our…
Each time I travel for Shutaf, the inclusion program that I helped found in Jerusalem for children and teens with disabilities, I learn about the face of disability awareness in the North American Jewish community as well as its generosity to programs serving those in need. I visit communities where people with disabilities are nurtured,…
Funders Debate Inclusion During Tour of Camps Philanthropists get an education in special-needs camping along twisting Pocono roads. Usually, eating is the fun part and cleanup is a chore. That’s not how they do it at Camp Nesher, an Orthodox overnight camp in the Poconos, where on any given day, lunch or dinner will turn…
What’s Next after Retirement? Baby Boomers find Volunteer Opportunities in Israel. Like many of her baby boomer generation, Marla Gamoran retired from a meaningful career, looked around and asked, “What’s next?” Since she and her husband spend four months out of the year in Israel, where they own an apartment, she wanted to do some…
My dad was ahead of his time. He chose to become a vegetarian in the 1930’s, no doubt influenced by Harav Kook’s philosophy of vegetarianism as an ethical way of life. My dad believed that being mindful of what we eat together with daily exercise was the path to a healthy body, mind and spirit.…
It’s not a day of work. Who can? Every 5 minutes or so, I check facebook or Haaretz, or many of the other online news sources showing glimpses of Gilad Shalit’s return. I tear up, blow my nose and attempt to get back to some semblance of work, in between helping Akiva figure out what…
Social justice. Caring for others. Equality. Inclusion. How does that connect to remembering the terrible events of 9/11? Working that through today, on this the 10th anniversary. The day was cloudless with an endless blue sky. Everyone talks about that but it’s such a memory of that day, a fall day in NYC. The garden…
Giving. It’s such a loaded term in today’s world. Give back. Give of yourself. Open up your pocketbook. Care for others. Pay it forward. We live in a hard-driving, information-technology maelstrom; we’re supposed to live our lives online, maintain our friendships and data in the cloud but still have the skill to make it personal,…
