It is hard to believe that ONLY two and a half weeks ago, our world was turned upside down following the brutal attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians. As the days have passed and our eyes have been glued to all of the news coverage, social media posts, and the like, many in our community are …
With each passing day, more and more stories and reports are coming out of Israel. And it is hard to feel like we need to get as much information as possible, while at the same time not feeling like it is consuming our every moment or that we are feeling overwhelmed. These feelings are norma…
There are moments in my life where I have been left speechless. You know that feeling… when you either don’t feel you have the right words to say or that there are so many thoughts swirling in your head that you just don’t know how to begin? I suspect many of us have experienced that f…
In his 1963 book Strength to Love, a seminal collection of sermons, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. shared the following message – “Returning hate for hate multiples hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.…
As I sat in services for Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur, I was reminded of how incredible the High Holy Days are. It is not because, as our Machzor says, “The days are awesome and full of dread.” It is more about the fact that there is no other time of the Jewish year that people feel more Jew…
Shana Tova, and I hope that 5784 is already off to an incredible start.
Throughout the year, I schedule meetings with our local county and state elected officials to update them on the work our Jewish Federation is doing and learn how we can support and share what they are doing with ou…
Adults, especially those of us who are parents, have many…many responsibilities. This is why people often say that "adulting" is no joke. It takes smarts, charisma, a good attitude, a solid work ethic, strong commitment, and determination. As a parent, this goes even further when you bring…
The first time I traveled to Israel was when I was 16, and I spent six weeks touring the country with 45 other teens from the San Francisco Bay Area. Before that trip, the only connection I felt to the country was through the education I received from Religious School. In fact, I was the fir…
I have a confession, and now is the perfect time to share it. I am a sleepaway camper drop-out. Growing up, I was afraid to do sleepovers at other people’s homes because I got homesick. So my only sleepaway experience was a one-week session at Camp Swig when I was an entering 4th grader. I…
Below is the most recent Op-ed I have written to update the community on the Jewish Federation’s effort to combat antisemitism locally. I encourage everyone to pay close attention to the cities that have responded to our request and if you do not see your city listed, PLEASE contact them a…
Growing up, I dreaded hearing my teachers say, "Your next assignment will be preparing a speech that you will give next week in front of the entire class." The anxiety I would feel as the days drew closer to that moment when I needed to stand before my classmates and deliver a speech that…
Each year, around this time, I think back to one of my fondest childhood memories. No, it was not on a trip to Disneyland or being on the baseball field. It was actually at my grandparent's house in Oakland. We are sitting around their dining room table. My grandfather, the family's patriarc…
Between the emails, the phone calls, the challenges of running a nonprofit, and the targeted hatred that confronts the Jewish world every day, I always enjoy getting out of my office to talk and interact with people. In my position, there are some extraordinary people whom I get a chance to …
Over the years, I have spent a lot of time thinking about, analyzing, and even critiquing the American Jewish community. I learned and studied it as a Religious Studies undergrad, with a minor in Jewish Studies, and in grad school at Hebrew Union College, where I earned my master's degree in…
When I was a kid, today was the day I both dreaded and looked forward to each year. Traditionally, today was the first day of a new school year, unlike today, when students seem to return to school in the middle of summer. The day after Labor Day was the official end of summer for most famil…
