The Latest From The Foundation

Hirsh is an alumnus of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship Program, Class 2 and is a LGSW, MSEd. He is the Education Director of ZEHAYOM, the Jewish National Addiction Recovery Network, connecting Jewish addicts and their families with resources for recovery. He also recently founded Minchas Yitzchok, a Chassidic/12 Step Shul. Hirsh and his wife Chayie, live in Silver Spring, MD. He can be reached at rabbihirsh@zehayom.org. Keeping the flame alive in

Rabbi Akiva Herzfeld is a Wexner Graduate Fellowship alumnus (Class 16) who serves as rabbi of Congregation Shaarey Tphiloh in Portland, ME.  Akiva recently attending the Wexner Heritage Alumni and Wexner Graduate Fellowship/Davidson Scholars Alumni Study Day in Philadelphia which was held at the National Museum of American Jewish History. He can be reached at rabbiherzfeld@gmail.com.  PORTLAND — The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah begins this year at nightfall today and

This article originally appeared in The Los Angeles Jewish Journal and www.jewishjournal.com Lorin Fife is an alumnus of the Wexner Heritage Program, Los Angeles. He is a recovering attorney, former waiter and accomplished artist, serves on the Jewish Agency for Israel’s Board of Governors and its Committee on the Unity of the Jewish People. He has co-chaired the Israel and Overseas programming of L.A.’s Jewish Federation as well as its Tel

Lewis Dobrin is a Wexner Heritage Alumnus from Montreal. Lewis is a member of the Quebec Bar and Law Society of Upper Canada and since 1991 has been an investor in a family office. Lewis can be reached at lewis@dbrn.ca. The story of Joseph and his Brothers is prominent in the biblical narrative because of its length, its beauty and its incredible depth.  It initiates the chain of events that

Wendy Amsellum is a teacher at the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education, and  she directs the Dr. Beth Samuels Drisha High School Programs. She is completing a PhD in Rabbinic Literature at NYU and is an alumna of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship Program.  Wendy can be reached at: wamsellem@yahoo.com. Towards the beginning of this week’s parsha, parshat B’shalach, Pharoh is told that the people of Israel had fled: ויהפך לבב

Deborah Housen-Couriel is the, Director of the Wexner Israel Fellowship Program and an alumna of the Wexner Israel Fellowship Program (Class 12).  Deb can be reached at dhousencouriel@wexner.net. This coming Shabbat our identical twin sons, Yair and Ely, will become bnei mitzvah, helped through the process by the wisdom of Parashat Shemot (“Names”). There’s always a lot to say about names and their meaning in any tradition, and it’s not

Harry Nelson is a Wexner Heritage alumnus from Los Angeles and an attorney at Fenton Nelson, a healthcare law firm, in Los Angeles. Harry can be reached at harry@fentonnelson.com.  “Vayeishev Yaakov B’Eretz Megurei Aviv …”  “Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojourning….”  (Gen. 37:1)  Buried in the opening verse of this week’s parsha are two competing ideas of how we, as children of Abraham, live. First:  “Vayeishev” –

David Abramowitz is an alumnus of the Wexner Heritage Program. He is the Executive Director of Jewish Leadership Institute, a Jewish identity-building and leadership creation program for college and graduate students. He can be reached at jli18@juno.com. Jacob is a complex character.  We like “complex.”  It denotes an intricacy that leads us to use our best analytical skills.  The problem is that Jacob is also complicated.  “Complicated” leads to, well,

Dr. Jennie Rosenfeld is  an alumna of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship (Class 14). Jennie made aliyah last year and is currently a Junior Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute where she is writing a book on sexual ethics for Orthodox singles, and a Talmud teacher at Havruta, the Bet Medrash for students of the Hebrew University. She can be reached at eishlavan@hotmail.com I didn’t anticipate linking my thoughts on the

Allan Finkelstein is President and CEO of the Jewish Community Centers Association of North America.  Allan can be reached at JCCAL@jcca.org. At the end of Ha’azinu, this week’s Torah portion, Moses comes down from the mountain and concludes his instructions to the Israelites and says,” Take to your heart all the words that I have warned you this day.  Enjoin them upon your children that they may observe faithfully all