The Varied Meanings of the Sound of Shofar

By Edith Blaustein K.

Each year, Yamim Noraim presents us with a text of enormous difficulty and depth, Akedat Yitzchak, the sacrifice of Isaac. The text, from year to year is the same, but our outlook may approach it from different perspectives. At this opportunity I invite you to look at it through a feminist lens.

A Cartis Bracha from JCCenters.org - 5769

Our wishes for 5769 are illustrated in this Cartis Bracha for our readers.

Yomtev* in Brownsville

By Sylvia Schildt

In its heyday, from the early 20th century through the 1950’s, Brownsville, a crowded working-class neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, was populated mainly by Jewish immigrants and their American-born children. If you were born or raised here, like myself and my four siblings, you had the impression that the whole world was Jewish. Or nearly.
* Yiddish for “holiday”

Do As I Say And As I Do: Part One

By Dr. Debbie Weissman
It is in the Rabbinic sources—especially the Mishnah (redacted in 200 CE) and the Talmud (200-500 CE)-- that we find what might be termed positive, accessible role models for modern Jewish leaders.
It was Rabban Yochanan's destiny to be one of the leading figures in the most dramatic event in Israel's history as a nation in its own land—the destruction of the Second Temple

See also “Jewish Insights into Leadership A Family of Leaders”:
- First installment: Aaron
- Second installment: Miriam
- Third Installment: Moses

Critical Thinking and Analysis for Effective Speaking and Writing

By Daniel Hirschhorn

Unclear, incorrect, overly emotional, and/or shallow thinking is counterproductive in effectively solving problems or addressing difficult issues. It leads to poor decision-making. Therefore, effective “critical” thinking must precede and accompany writing, speaking, reading, and listening. This is especially important for leaders and professionals, who must get results and have respect when working with other people.

This is the first of two articles on critical thinking for application in the workplace.

Happy 60th Birthday to the State of Israel

By Dr. Debbie Weissman

In this brief article, we will mention six areas of accomplishment, one for each of the decades of Israel's existence, with a seventh area—more of a hope, than an achievement—for the future. This can be compared to putting an extra candle on a birthday cake, for next year.

Mayn Yidishe Hagode

By Sylvia Schildt

The story of slavery in and the Exodus from Egypt was, and is, interpreted as a metaphor for subsequent situations involving humiliation and liberation experienced by the Jewish people throughout its history.
The author remembers the haggadot of her infancy, which were permeated with Yiddish language and culture, as she shares her messages following poetic and historical threads.

Ask! – The Significance of Asking Questions on the Seder Evening

By Sandra Anusiewicz-Baer

“Why do you Jews have to answer every question with another question?” “Why not?” This Jewish joke is frequently told. To apply this saying in reference to Pesach, we could slightly change the wording of the joke: “Why do you Jews always have to ask so many questions?” Consequently, this would be the answer: “Why do you want to know?”

Saving Budapest’s Jewish Quarter: Can It Be Done by Second Life?

By Julian Voloj

Purim is the festival that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people from imminent danger in the Persian Diaspora. Of all the Jewish holidays, Purim is the most boisterous, and its focus on dressing up in colorful masks and costumes and holding public parades leads some to characterize it as the Jewish Mardi Gras. At the moment, Attila Seres, a Hungarian Jew, is using a “virtual Mardi Gras” to bring about the rescue of Budapest’s Jewish Quarter.

How To Write and Create Effective Publicity Materials

By Sylvia Schildt

You just got stuck with writing the next publicity release or press alert for a major event for your organization. “Whoa!” you say, “I’m a (teacher, program coordinator, rabbi, volunteer … you fill in the appropriate designation.) No way is this in my job description.” But after several lame, ill-fated attempts to pass the burden on elsewhere in the organization, you realize resistance is futile.