“Television has the ability to not only to entertain but to educate and helps raise the curiosity of those viewing about different cultures, religions, rituals, and history. And nothing is better than knowledge—it brings people together and helps dispel misconceptions, stereotypes, and prejudice.” —Danna Stern There’s much to celebrate at yes Studios—not only because production has resumed in Israel following the ...
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As USY international president, Austin Kaufman is leading USCJ’s youth movement during truly unprecedented times. By drawing on his personal experiences, creativity, and faith, he’s embracing the silver linings the COVID-19 pandemic presents and finding innovative ways to keep Jewish youth connected. Here, he shares his love for USY and his peers who supported him through his most recent health journey (he successfully ba...
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By Samantha Brody “You should be a rabbi!” For the last several years, this has been the immediate response to my Jewish experience. I grew up in my synagogue’s Hebrew School and spent most of my free time bouncing between the sanctuary and the youth lounge. While most people dreaded going to Hebrew School, to me, it was a place where I could see my closest friends. Learning Hebrew, prayers, and Jewish history ...
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The visually impaired are active, accomplished, and independent members of our community. But can they play lacrosse? Now they can, thanks to an inclusive invention by one Jewish teen with a passion for the popular sport and tikkun olam, repairing the world. A Rising Student and Athlete Gabrielle Kiewe is a senior at Schechter School of Long Island in New York, a K-12 Jewish Day School powered by T-STEAM curriculum...
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“Community is such an important Jewish value, and this is a way for people to gather, create, and celebrate.” —Jessica Siskin What happens when a Jewish artist meets crispy rice cereal and melted marshmallows? Oodles of edible creations emerge—from spot-on servings of bagels and lox to seder plates to a portrait of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. “I’ve always loved creating,” says Jessica Siskin...
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Two cantors give their take on this month’s question: What are your “silver linings” coming out of this quarantine experience? Cantor Natasha J. Hirschhorn of Congregation Ansche Chesed in New York, New York “Our new reality presented us with some of the most difficult trials we may have ever experienced: the staggering loss of life, illness, isolation, economic hardships, and uncertain future. With so m...
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Louie Kemp Author Louie Kemp shares how Judaism helped shape his life and friendship with legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan in his book Dylan & Me: 50 Years of Adventures. It begins, “It was at summer camp in northern Wisconsin in 1953 that I first met Bobby Zimmerman from Hibbing. He was 12 years old and he had a guitar. He would go around telling everybody he was going to be a rock-and-roll star. I was 11 a...
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When 5-year-old Eli Gerston wanted to wear a dress to preschool, her mother Jodi worried whether Eli would be accepted by the teachers or bullied by other children. To calm those fears, staff at Yavneh Day School in Los Gatos, California, participated in a training led by Keshet—a Jewish organization dedicated to equipping institutions like this day school with skills and knowledge to build LGBTQ-affirming communities. ...
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The freshman year of college is life-changing for most young adults, who are suddenly out in the world on their own and making new discoveries about themselves every day, but for Justin Rosen Smolen it was particularly so. In 2004, the former USYer was attending a joint undergraduate program through Columbia University and Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS). He made the decision to come out that year. “W...
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In the weeks leading up to Charli Goldstein’s Bat Mitzvah this spring, the family was busy finalizing all the last-minute details, from the photographer to the dresses. The year leading up to this moment had been incredibly trying for the Goldsteins, with Charli’s younger brother suffering a pediatric stroke from a head injury. He had finally recovered, and the Bat Mitzvah not only represented Charli’s transition int...
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