Roben Kantor
Roben Kantor
August 25th, 2010
Still Connected: American Jewish Attitudes About Israel

In June, journalism professor Peter Beinart re-ignited a long-simmering flame when he wrote about the widening schism between American Jews and Israel, particularly among young adults, for the New York Review of Books. Beinart wrote that the younger generation of American Jews is becoming increasingly alienated from Israel because its perceives the Jewish State as “a regional hegemon and occupying power”.

A new study from the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies and the Steinhardt Social Research Institute, however, shows that empirical evidence suggests otherwise. Read More »

View Comments
CLSFF National
CLSFF National
August 23rd, 2010
What We’re Learning: What Are Jewish First-Year Students Thinking?

Hillel is constantly changing to keep pace with college students. With the advent of the annual Beloit College Mindset List, Hillel offers the following unscientific survey of Jewish cultural influences that have helped shape the identities of this year’s freshman class. Read More »

View Comments
Michael Rabkin
Michael Rabkin
August 18th, 2010
Emory Alum Produces Israeli Music Video

The following is cross-posted from the Hillel at Emory blog. Michael Rabkin is the director of Hillel at Emory.

Russell Gotschalk (C’07), an Atlanta-born musician, filmmaker and producer, is taking the Atlanta Jewish cultural scene by storm. A Hillel-organized Birthright Israel trip in winter 2006-07 inspired Russell to get more involved in the Jewish community. During his senior year, he began to work for the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival and continued working there post-graduation. A die-hard music lover, Russell noticed a major cultural gap in Jewish Atlanta: where was the music? Read More »

View Comments
Idit Klein
Idit Klein
August 17th, 2010
Seven Jewish Values: Guidelines for Inclusive Community

Idit Klein is the executive director of Keshet, a national grassroots organization that works for the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) Jews in Jewish life.

“As a shul, we need to do everything we can to be inclusive,” says Rabbi Robyn Fryer Bodzin.

That’s why you’ll soon see a framed copy of Keshet’s “Seven Jewish Values: Guidelines for Inclusive Jewish Community” poster when you walk into the Israel Center of Conservative Judaism in New York, where Bodzin is the rabbi. Read More »

View Comments
Sandy Cardin
Sandy Cardin
August 16th, 2010
The Need for Followership Programs

Sandy Cardin is president of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. This article was first published on JTA on Aug. 16, 2010.

“Another leadership development program? Don’t we already have enough of them in the Jewish world? What I think we need are some ‘followership’ programs. Go find me some of those to fund.”

When Charles Schusterman spoke those words to me in 1999, he had a good point: back then, most Jewish organizations and foundations seemed more interested in producing leaders than in building inspired communities.

If Charles were alive today, however, I think he would feel otherwise. Read More »

View Comments
CLSFF National
CLSFF National
August 12th, 2010
What We’re Reading: Letter Stirs Orthodox Debate on Gays

This summer has seen a flurry of activity within the Jewish LGBT community. The leading Jewish LGBT organizations, Keshet and Nehirim, convened the first-ever Jewish LGBT Movement-Building Conference, while our chair, Lynn Schusterman, published an op-ed announcing that we will only consider funding organizations that have in place non-discrimination policies covering sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. Many articles were written in response to both occasions, with Rabbis David Ellenson and Steve Greenberg showing support for CLSFF’s stand and Nathan Diament of the Orthodox Union writing in dissent.

Now, just as a California judge’s ruling has called into question the constitutionality of Proposition 8, 90 Orthodox rabbis have joined the conversation by issuing a statement of 12 principles that attempt to create a more welcoming community for LGBT Jews but do not go so far as to advocate for a change in Jewish law that governs sexuality. Read More »

View Comments
Roben Kantor
Roben Kantor
August 11th, 2010
Project Interchange Israel-at-a-Glance Maps Booklet

Recently Project Interchange, an institute of AJC that has brought over 5,000 influential figures to Israel from more than 60 countries, produced a powerful new reference guide for participants of its programs.

The featured Israel at a Glance Maps Booklet, available under Resources and Links, includes maps of Israel alongside significant dates and interesting facts. For example, did you know that … Read More »

View Comments
Dena Propis
Dena Propis
August 6th, 2010
In Israel’s Corner

AIPAC’s Saban Leadership Seminar is held twice each year in Washington, D.C., where more than 400 top student activists from over 140 campuses participate in three days of intense grassroots advocacy training. During this seminar, students meet with top Washington policy makers, elected officials and Middle East experts.

The 2010 summer seminar was held July 25-28. Dena Propis, a senior at Northwestern University who attended the summit, reflected on how this experience has inspired her and how she hopes to translate that inspiration into action back on campus.

As a rising senior in college, I am beginning to realize that as graduation approaches, I will be entering the real world. I can no longer hover in the blissful realm of childhood ignorance. “I have too many papers to write” no longer holds water as an excuse not to read the newspaper. Read More »

View Comments
Roben Kantor
Roben Kantor
August 5th, 2010
Featured Change Maker: Elliot Singer

In 2009, Elliot Singer participated in the first-ever REALITY Israel Experience for Teach For America Corps Members trip. A partnership between CLSFF, the Samberg Family Foundation, Teach For America and the Center for Leadership Initiatives, REALITY brings corps members to Israel for 10 days of touring, exploring the Israeli educational system, self-reflection and learning.

These days, Elliot can be found cycling the TransAmerica Trail—a 4,262-mile ride from Astoria, Oregon to Yorktown, Virginia—with his college friends David Drabkin and Jonathan Mahler. Together they started Miles for Meals to raise awareness about the domestic hunger epidemic, draw attention to communities in need and donate funds to alleviate hunger throughout America. Read More »

View Comments
Adam Simon
Adam Simon
August 2nd, 2010
Where Relevant Meets REALITY

The first time I had a serious conversation with Lisa, a Teach For America (TFA) corps member in her early 20’s, was when I walked by and noticed her crying.

She told me her story of having two Jewish parents but being raised with no religion. Of always seeking something spiritual but hating synagogues and other Jewish experiences because she felt judged and belittled for her ignorance. She was crying because, for the first time in her life, she felt welcomed by the Jewish community.

So what did we—the Jewish community that she felt rejected her for so many years—finally do right? Read More »

View Comments