Art and in particular, dance, has the power to educate and effect change. That’s the mission behind the Keshet Chaim (Colors of Life) Dance Ensemble, which draws from timeless themes of Jewish culture to preserve tradition and bring stories alive on stage worldwide. Founded in 1983 by Artistic Director Eytan Avisar, Keshet Chaim, under the creative direction of Choreographer Kobi Rozenfeld, develops original ...
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In a few short weeks, we will gather around seder tables with family and friends to retell our story of freedom from slavery—a story that has shaped our Jewish community, consciousness, and values for generations. However, there are still millions of people who have no such story of deliverance because slavery is unfortunately still part of their everyday reality. The International Labor Organization reports that 21 m...
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By Naomi Kennedy It all started by lighting Chanukah candles with a homemade Chanukiah in downtown Jerusalem while participating in Nativ (USY’s Gap Year program in Israel). The experience was an extension of what I had always done during this holiday, but it was also the beginning of a new phase of my life—one that would have me living away from my family permanently. Skype and FaceTime calls were an indispensable...
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Loved and respected by everyone around him, Benjamin Beezy seemed to have the world at his fingertips. After attending Milken Community High School, Ben graduated summa cum laude from the University of Southern California, completed law school and was working at a high-caliber law firm—all while still being involved in the Valley Beth Shalom community in Encino, California. Still, all this wasn’t enough to overcome the h...
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College Students, Young Professionals, Couples and Seniors Are Tuning in Faithfully This past Yom Kippur, Jeffrey Solomon’s daughter was away at grad school. She longed to be there with her family for the service so she texted her father, who is president of Temple Etz Chaim in Thousand Oaks, California, in the days leading up to it asking if the service could be livestreamed so that she and other college students coul...
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By Rabbi Yael Hammerman As a child, I imagined a mikvah to be like the pit into which Jacob’s sons threw their brother Joseph—bur rayk, an empty pit—dark and deep underground. Ironically, my image of a mikvah was waterless—ayn bo mayim—born out of touristy Israel trips to see the ancient mikva’ot on Masada and the Burnt House in Jerusalem. These mikva’ot may be archeological wonders and historical goldmines, but as a c...
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