There’s a Jewish proverb that says “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, who am I? If not now, when? Temple Beth-El Rabbi Michael Knopf takes the adage to heart and recently returned from an international trip that examined and embraced this concept of …
Read MoreB’reishit bara Elohim, in the beginning, God didn’t create the Land of Israel or the Jewish people. No, God created a wondrous universe, teeming with beauty, complexity, and possibility. Within this incomplete world, God created human beings to partner with God in shaping a world of justice and compassion. The sphere of divine concern includes …
Read MoreThe Rohingya are facing a “lost generation” as children both in Myanmar and in the refugee camps of Bangladesh struggle to get an education, a new report has warned.The Rohingya youth who remain in Myanmar’s Rakhine State have faced serious restrictions on access to schooling since the outbreak of violence there in 2012, with children often kept in separate facilities and …
Read MoreRobert Bank discusses his work in promoting Jewish values around the world in an attempt to positively influence public policy, thoughts, and the way the American Jewish community interacts with the world around us.
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An entrepreneur is a person with an idea, whether that idea launches a tech startup or a social change movement. But if you’re a venture capitalist or a philanthropic funder, how do you know which fledgling enterprises to back? From our perspectives from years in the California tech world (Terry and Jocelyn) and in social change philanthropy (Robert), we see four basic principles that guide successful investing in both situations.
Read MoreSome of the first Central American migrants to make it to the U.S. border were a breakaway group of about 80 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals. Many are fleeing violence and discrimination in their home countries because of their sexuality. Erick Duran of Honduras and Pedro Pastor of Guatemala made a public display of their love …
Read More“Diversity” might not be the first word that comes to mind when we think about living a Jewish life—but it should be. Our heritage’s creation story—human beings created in the image of the Divine—makes an unequivocal statement that all people, whatever our race, ethnicity, class, culture, language, ability or identity, are infinitely valuable and equal. Our history of oppression …
Read MoreIn the wake of the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, many in the Jewish community have invoked the language of tikkun olam in their response to this tragedy. These Hebrew words are typically translated as “repair the world,” or “mend the world,” — or as those who knew one of the victims that day put it when describing …
Read MoreYou need only look at today’s deeply personal and widespread debates about sexual harassment and gender discrimination to understand that our society is at a crucial inflection point. In light of painful and courageous #MeToo revelations, people in all sectors are calling, unequivocally, for change.
Read MoreAs Jewish women continue to share personal accounts of sexual harassment by sociologist Steven M. Cohen and philanthropist Michael Steinhardt, I am struck by how some leaders in the Jewish community resist examining the links between the personal behavior of Cohen and Steinhardt and their shared investment in Jewish continuity, defined by marriage and child-bearing. …
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