Vision & Practice: Don’t Lose the Trees for the Forest
The best leaders hold the long view and the present moment at the same time. Some organizations are caught in one. You’ve heard the saying: don’t lose the forest for the trees. Keep your eye on the big picture. Don’t get so caught up in the operational details that you lose sight of where you’re…
We Teach Who We Are: A Practical Guide for Classroom Educators
Teaching About Israel in Times of Crisis Table of Contents Introduction: The Educator at the Center Chapter 1: Understanding the…
The Global Jewish-Israel Syntheses Imagine: We Are All Israeli
I was thinking, growing up, my world was a tapestry of hyphenated identities. There was my Russian-American friend, my Italian-American…
Colonization vs. Decolonization
Historical Patterns of Conquest and Return in the Middle East The narrative of colonization and decolonization has become central to…
The Voice That Calls: Jewish Awakening in Our Time
Imagine being awakened at 4 AM by a voice calling you to something urgent, something that cannot wait for a…
The morning of October 7, 2023, marked a watershed moment in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Hamas militants breached the Gaza-Israel barrier in a coordinated assault that would fundamentally alter the strategic calculus for both sides and reignite the central question of Gaza’s governance: should Israel reoccupy the territory it evacuated in 2005? As Israeli and…
In an age when entire civilizations have risen and fallen, when empires have crumbled to dust and languages have vanished into silence, there exists a phenomenon that challenges our understanding of historical inevitability. Am Yisrael, The Jewish People, represent something unprecedented in human experience: a small nation that has not merely survived but has advanced,…
At a time when Jewish unity, Ahavat Hinam vs. Sin’at Hinam (baseless love vs. baseless hatred), and acceptance of Klal Israel must be pursued, the topic of self-hating Jews and loyalty to the land and people of Israel is on the minds of many. In my heart of hearts I pray, and in my day…
Teens across Israel and in Jewish communities throughout America participate in transformative encounters that shape their Jewish identity, their relationship with peoplehood, their relationship with Israel and their overall worldview. Yet despite the profound impact these cross-cultural meetings can have, a significant asymmetry exists in how these young people are prepared for their encounters with…
Today’s rising antisemitism follows familiar patterns previous generations would recognize. What’s different is the ending. For the first time in two millennia, Jews facing persecution don’t need to find another exile—they can go home. From Wandering to Coming Home Is a mass jewish migration on the horizon? Throughout history, Jewish communities have lived with an…
We’ve all heard the advice: “fake it till you make it.” It rolls off the tongue with the confidence of conventional wisdom, promising that pretending to be something we’re not will eventually transform us into that very thing. But here’s a radical question worth considering: Why fake it at all? Why not simply be you?…