One need only scan the headlines or listen to the news to know that waves of fear, anger and backlash have been sweeping the country. Change is too hard and too difficult for many people. Rather than adapting, building coalitions or finding coping mechanisms, many people wish to reset the clock and stop the inevitable. […]
Gift-giving can be a psychological land mine. There are therapists who specialize in the meaning of gifts. Some people are essentially paralyzed in selecting gifts, so they simply don’t give any. Their fear of rejection is too great. Is no gift worse than the “wrong” one? Some folks find a gift that resonates and that’s all […]
Brenda Gevertz, JPRO Network Executive Director I am writing on New Year’s Day and from where I sit it is overcast, damp and cold. Hardly a cheery start to the New Year, although perhaps a fitting conclusion to 2015. Good riddance to a violent and turbulent year! January 1st has always been an ambivalent celebration for me—not that […]
by Erica Brown A CFO asks a CEO: “What happens if we invest in developing our people and then they leave us?” CEO to CFO: “What happens if we don’t, and they stay.” I saw this on the website of leadership coach Peter Baeklund, who is interested in peak professional performance and how to grow […]
By Arthur Sandman, Executive Vice President, The Jewish Agency for Israel, International Development The January cycle of Torah readings begins with the parasha of Shemot and ends with Yitro. And in these portions is the story of Moses’ marriage, from beginning to, I think, end. I’ve been thinking about marriage as portrayed in the Torah, […]
by: Arthur Sandman, Executive Vice President, International Development, The Jewish Agency for Israel As December approaches its end, we will conclude the book of Bereishit, וַיָּמָת יוֹסֵף, בֶּן-מֵאָה וָעֶשֶׂר שָׁנִים; וַיַּחַנְטוּ אֹתוֹ, וַיִּישֶׂם בָּאָרוֹן בְּמִצְרָיִם And Joseph died; he was one hundred twenty years old; and they embalmed him and placed him in a coffin […]
For even the most selfish reasons, it is time for the Jewish community, each of us — individually and collectively through our institutions and organizations–to act in support of refugee immigration. “ You shall not wrong nor oppress a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 22:20) From Biblical times through […]
By: Brenda Gevertz, Executive Director, JPRO Network “I feel that the greatest reward for doing is the opportunity to do more.” — Jonas Salk JPRO held its annual “Academy Awards” ceremony during the recent JFNA General Assembly. This program is the culmination of a careful process during which nominations are submitted along with substantive support […]
By: Rabbi Arthur Sandman Birthright. The most disruptive, transformational Jewish communal innovation of the past quarter century or more. Consider. What other Jewish activity has become normative and pervasive for young Jews? What other new cause attracted funding widely from across the federation system? What brand name has achieved wider recognition in the Jewish community? […]
By: Brenda Gevertz, Executive Director, JPRO Network Did you make a New Year resolution? Are you planning to exercise more? Disengage from social media and read some books? Spend more time with family? Did you make a similar pledge last year and fall short? You’re in good company! According to Forbes Magazine, only 8% of […]