This past week, a Hillel parent and actively involved Hillel Board member, Josh Levine, won the Detroit Jewish Federation Frank A. Wetsman Award for his outstanding leadership, service and commitment to the Jewish community both here and beyond. At his … Read More
Character
To Be Good: A Challenge As Simple As It Is Profound
As a response to my last blog several weeks ago, I have a challenge for each one of us. While we may not be able to change the often mean-spirited tone that permeates our society, especially during this election season, … Read More
Hillel Applauds: “Turning the Tide” – A Must Read
Anyone who reads my blogs on a regular basis or has heard me speak knows that I focus passionately on the following topics: the need for Jewish day school education to ensure the vibrant future of the Jewish people, and … Read More
The Heart Knows What Data Can’t Tell Us
We are often asked to produce evidence that supports our educational claims that technology and learning spaces are powerful and necessary tools for the 21st century learner. According to our research, these tools foster curiosity and creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, … Read More
Soft Skills, Solid Values
Recently, in an nprEd article, “Nonacademic Skills Are Key To Success. But What Should We Call Them?” the author, Anya Kamenetz, wrote that more than ever before, people in education and in the workforce agree on the importance of learning … Read More
In Joy and Sorrow
This past Sunday was a day of joy and sadness. It was a moving day, filled with emotion, and a reminder of the power of relationships and community. I began the day by attending Jewish Senior Life’s “Eight over Eighty” … Read More
Je Suis Juif
This past Tuesday, thousands from around Israel attended the funerals of the Parisian Jews who were murdered last week at a kosher market before Shabbat. As I watched the news coverage, I was struck by the fact that the news … Read More
2058
I often imagine what it must have been like to be in the Detroit homes of Rabbi Jacob E. Segal and others, back in the 1950s, when a group of visionaries discussed the possibility of opening a Jewish day school. … Read More
If You Asked Your Children
If you asked your children what was most important to them, “achieving at a high level, happiness, or caring for others,” how do you think they would answer? How would you want your children to answer? A Harvard Graduate School of … Read More
Who Needs an IDEA Collaborative Anyway? (And Why It’s Jewish)
Why does Hillel need the Audrey and William Farber Family IDEA Collaborative? Simply put, we are determined to prepare our children for the 21st century world they will inherit, not the world of the 20th century. To teach them the way … Read More