We live in complicated times where almost everything seems to be politicized. Israel is no exception, and is a lightning rod when it comes to political divisiveness both globally, and more concerning, within the Jewish community. It is not that … Read More
Blog Archives
Why We Tell Our Stories
Do you ever cuddle up with your children and share memories of your childhood – special moments, trips, or family traditions? Do you remember your parents doing the same with you? I clearly remember loving to listen to my parents … Read More
Who Are We Anyway?
When you ask your child to think of a story about a character taking off shoes, what do you want the association to be? Cinderella, or Moses at the burning bush? This is one of many poignant questions Avraham Infeld … Read More
What Makes Us Family
When I arrived at Hillel, in 2003, everyone loved calling Hillel a family. At the time, I did not like the concept of the “Hillel Family;” I preferred calling us a community. We were the Hillel community. Five years ago … Read More
A Way for Our Students to Remember: One Stone at a Time
Welcome to my first “vlog” – video blog, an interview with Mr. Alan Eidelman, Hillel’s 8th grade Holocaust Studies teacher. Watch and listen as he describes a powerful and personal project our eighth graders are creating that demonstrates their understanding … Read More
The Problematic Election and Our Children
Elie Wiesel said, “The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, its indifference…” As a Head of a Jewish day school, I can … Read More
The Future Is in Our Memory
One of my favorite twentieth century Jewish thinkers is Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. I found a poignant quote attributed to him as I read reflections in a Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Mahzor (prayer book): “The authentic individual is neither … Read More
The Theology of Hope: Embracing our Future on the Shoulders of our Past
If you are one who reads the news and is following the presidential primaries, then it is sadly easy to understand why so many people feel that we live in “the worst of all possible worlds!” Much of the collective … Read More