September 14, 2020
Dear Friends, In decades to come, we will look back on 2020 as a watershed moment. The COVID-19 pandemic has already changed so much. We are in the midst of a public health crisis, an economic crisis, a race crisis, a law and order crisis, the ripples of which have been felt around the world. To rebuild what we have...
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September 13, 2020
As a child in Madison, Wisconsin, Bob Schuckit grew up in a Conservadox household where his Jewish heritage was extremely important. His parents were immigrants and valued the strength and support of their local Jewish community. Eventually, he left Wisconsin and attended Brandeis University. Here, he had a wonderful time and credits the school for keeping his passion for Judaism...
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September 13, 2020
A dangerous misconception exists; the Jewish people are oriented to the past. Our collective age, deep connection to ancient traditions, our lived memory of events centuries before our time, the image of Tevye singing, “Tradition!” and more sometimes belie the truth: We are not a people of the past. We are a people of the future. In our tradition, we...
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September 11, 2020
Each year as the summer winds down, the Jewish community prepares to observe the High Holy Days. The evening breeze, the anticipation of fall, are all part of the build-up to Rosh Hashanah. We enjoy the last minutes of summer, we prepare our children and grandchildren to return to school, we shop for dresses, ties, and shoes to add to...
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September 10, 2020
Rosh Hashanah is first referred to in our texts as Yom HaZikaron - the Day of Remembrance. It is not until the Talmud that the idea of the “new year” is even associated with the day, and liturgically speaking, many of our prayers describe Rosh Hashanah as one of memory - a reflection on the past rather than an aspiration...
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September 10, 2020
Like hundreds of thousands of other Jewish parents, Rob Clarfeld first learned of Birthright Israel when his son went on a trip. He remembers his son Larry, then a student at the University of Vermont, informing him: “I’m going to Israel with a group called Birthright Israel.” Within a few weeks, Larry and his girlfriend (now wife) were in Israel;...
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September 10, 2020
Staffing Birthright Israel trips are the most rewarding aspect of my job. My desire to pursue Hillel work stems from prodigious positive memories formulated during 13 years of attending a Yeshiva day school. Over the course of ten days Birthright Israel trips are able to successfully create more positive memories and enable growth for students in ways in which Jewish...
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September 8, 2020
As a mom, it is important that my son Jonah achieve special milestones throughout his life. When Jonah was diagnosed with high functioning autism at a young age, I wasn’t sure if he would have the same opportunities as other kids. This included the chance to experience Jewish milestones. Our family belongs to Temple Sinai in Atlanta, Georgia. Jonah went...
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September 1, 2020
Throughout the last twenty years, Birthright Israel Foundation has changed tens of thousands of young Jewish lives in Philadelphia. This is in large part due to the incredible local lay leadership, proving Philadelphia is truly the City of Brotherly Love. We must thank our local lay leaders Margie Honickman, Gail Norry, Susan Schwartz and the late Madlyn Abramson z'l who...
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August 27, 2020
In 2014, when Courtney and Shahriar both boarded planes to Israel, they never imagined they'd met their future spouse. Courtney was living in Phoenix and Shahriar was living in Encino when they signed up and despite Operation Protective Edge going on in Israel, they both knew this trip was too important to pass up. After falling in love on Birthright...
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