January 16th, 2012

On the occasion of Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, I am honored to share an article of mine that ran in The Huffington Post. It looks at the connection between Martin Luther King’s call to action and the Jewish narrative, suggesting that at a time when our country and our world are so polarized, it is the passion and idealism of the next generation who will return us to the sense of purpose and values inspired by both MLK and Jewish tradition.

In the spirit of the challenge I issue in the article, I am also making a pledge. In the coming year, I will create and support more opportunities for young people to serve real needs in meaningful ways. I am looking at a variety of models, including partnerships with secular service and Jewish organizations, expanding service-learning experiences and supporting innovative efforts, like Repair the World’s Campaign for Jewish Service, focusing on literacy and educational equity in the United States and Israel. I welcome your input and suggestions on experiences that interest you.  Read More »

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December 22nd, 2011

Liv Anderson is a Teach For America alumna and is currently living and working in New Orleans. She participated in the 2011 REALITY Israel Experience for Teach For America corps members program. Liv recently used a Make It Happen Project micro grant for REALITY Israel alumni to host a latke-making party.

The first International Baccalaureate unit I taught this fall was organized around a theme: although people are different, they are also alike in many ways. My students explored the similarities and differences in traditions celebrated around the world. By the end of the unit, my students had formulated a working definition of tradition. To them, a tradition is when you get together with your family and friends and eat special food. Read More »

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December 21st, 2011

Cross-posted from eJewishPhilanthropy.

“There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.”
Albert Einstein

“Daddy, how do we know it REALLY was a miracle, not just that somebody counted the oil the wrong way?” 
Morgan Cohen, age 9

For the serious adult student, Chanukah presents interesting questions about Jewish history, the challenge of heroic narrative and the complexities of a Jewish authority. But for a nine year old, a simple question belies its profound impact: was it really a miracle that the oil burned for eight nights? This question, asked last week by my daughter Morgan, has been burning in my head ever since, especially as I prepared my annual list of predictions for the coming year. Read More »

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December 20th, 2011

When Ambassador Itamar Rabinovich published his book, “Waging Peace: Israel and the Arabs, 1948-2003,” in 2004, the title conveyed the optimism he felt about the prospect of achieving normalized Arab-Israeli relations. The book focused primarily on the 1990s, during which Rabinovich—who served as Israel’s chief negotiator with Syria from 1992 to 1995 and Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. from 1993 to 1996—had high hopes for the peace process.

With the release of his new book, “The Lingering Conflict: Israel, the Arabs, and the Middle East, 1948–2011,” it is not difficult to infer that the Ambassador—one of the foremost experts on the Middle East and a distinguished global professor at New York University—has a decidedly more pessimistic outlook. Focusing primarily on the past decade, during which he lost much confidence in the peace process, Ambassador Rabinovich bears witness to the dispiriting 2000s and recent social and political turmoil in the Middle East, including the Arab Spring uprisings.

Prior to a reception launching the  new book, hosted by our Foundation at the Brookings Institution, Ambassador Rabinovich sat down with Lisa Eisen, our National Director, to talk about the impetus for writing the book, trends among young people in their views of Israel and what gives him hope for the future. Read More »

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December 14th, 2011

Philanthropy goes online in Tulsa! Just in time for the holidays, our colleagues in Tulsa have launched an incredible new program that will enable 50 local nonprofits to benefit from Tulsa’s spirit of kindness during the giving season.

Unleashing Generosity Tulsa awarded 50 nonprofits dedicated to strengthening the Tulsa community a one-year subscription to Network for Good. Founded by AOL, Yahoo and Cisco, Network for Good is an online donation and volunteer system that allows people to engage in philanthropy by supporting their favorite nonprofit organizations with just a few easy clicks of a mouse. Read More »

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December 14th, 2011

A month ago, I sat in a classroom with 60 kids in Mumbai, India. I was on a site visit as part of the Teach For All annual conference, a gathering of 200 people spending four days deeply engrossed in discussing how to build a global movement that will end educational inequality in the next 50 years.

The meeting brought together representatives from Teach For All affiliates in the two dozen countries that are replicating and adapting the well-known and highly regarded Teach For America model. I was privileged to be among the social entrepreneurs and funders in attendance from places like Mexico, Germany, Afghanistan, Israel, Lebanon, the UK and Columbia. Read More »

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December 2nd, 2011

Chris Harty is a Teach For America alumnus who taught first grade in the small town of Clinton, Louisiana. He is also a 2011 REALITY Israel Experience participant and part of the OTZMA Israel Teaching Fellows. You can follow his blog on JewishinStLouis.com.

Oliver Wendell Holmes said that “Language is the blood of the soul into which thoughts run and out of which they grow.” Blood of the soul?! That’s some pretty heavy language (excuse the pun) used to describe language. Although I’ve never thought of language in such terms I, like Holmes, believe that language is incredibly important.

“How am I going to learn the language?” This was one of the many questions racing through my head after I decided to move to Israel in August. Three months ago, I moved to Petach Tikvah to join the OTZMA’s Israel Teaching Fellows (ITF) program. As a member of this program, I am volunteering as an English teacher’s assistant at an Israeli public school, Amir Elementary School, where I help teach students (grades 1-6) how to speak, read and write in English. Read More »

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December 2nd, 2011

Cross-posted from AviChai.org blog and eJewishPhilanthropy. Leah Nadich Meir is a Program Officer at The AVI CHAI Foundation.

“Jewish geography” is a favorite game among Jews who meet up anywhere—conferences, social gatherings, work meetings, street corners. You know the game questions: “So where are you from?” “No kidding, New Jersey! Do you know my brother (son, daughter, sister), who went to school (camp, college) there?” “Sure, I know your brother (son, daughter etc.) We were really friendly at school (camp, college etc.)! I actually just connected with him (her) again through Facebook (Twitter, LinkedIn).”

Jews have been master networkers since the Babylonian exile 3,000 years ago—our survival as a people has depended on the ability to stay connected with fellow Jews wherever they were scattered across the globe. Our networking helped us hold fast to our shared values, texts, behaviors and religious traditions.

Jewish geography was just the jumping-off point at the recent “NetWORKS” conference in Boulder: “Exploring the Power and Possibilities of Networks in the Jewish Community.” Read More »

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November 21st, 2011

On a chilly Sunday a few weeks ago, I took my children to see the new Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial off the National Mall. As we walked across the Potomac River, seeking distraction from the biting wind, we discussed why Dr. King deserved such an honor.

At five and eight years old, their questions were poignant and telling: it was not the fact that someone had fought for equal rights and freedoms that bewildered them—it was that he had to fight for it as recently as when their grandparents were in college.

To my young children, equality is a given and diversity a cause for celebration. The prospect that someone might be treated differently because of the color of his skin does not exist. And the idea that someone might not be accepted because of who she loves is beyond comprehension. Read More »

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November 18th, 2011

Aviva Rosman is a 2011 REALITY Israel Experience alumna and a second-year corps member in Chicago, where she teaches 9th-grade literature and leads a pull-out reading class for special education students. Aviva recently used a Make It Happen Project micro grant to attend the 35th Day of Reading Conference, a day-long series of workshops dedicated to the informal and formal exchange of ideas related to literacy. Aviva’s experience not only gave her practical skills to improve her work in the classroom but re-invigorated her to do the important work she does every day.

“You’re all going to need to go undercover,” Dr. Jeffrey Wilhelm said to a room full of high school English teachers last Saturday at the Secondary Reading League’s Day of Reading Conference. “We are receiving reports that there is a drug being passed around the local high school that can make people fall in love. We need you to investigate this drug, and then report back on how it’s used, what are its advantages and any other possible side effects. Now, before I send you out on this mission, I will now accept any preliminary questions about this so-called love drug.”

Forty high school English teachers were suddenly on the edge of their seats. Read More »

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