Photos by Scott Saltzman Calligraphy literally means “beautiful writing.” It’s no wonder Linda Coppleson—a soferet STaM who is one of the growing number of today’s female scribes—was attracted to this meticulous art form that blends beauty, proportion, and posture. A Soferet STaM is a Jewish scribe who, governed by thousands of Halachot, or Jewish laws, copies sifrei Torah (Torah scrolls), tefillin (phylact...
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Yuval Ben-Ami, the son of an Israeli army spokesman, and Husam Jubran, who spent a year in a wheelchair as a teen after being shot by Israeli soldiers, are friends. The two share Israeli and Palestinian perspectives with tourists traveling Israel by tour bus. Theirs is just one of the compelling and often complicated stories that have been told by The Branch, a podcast presented by Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organi...
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Alex Golub and Mathew Sgan of Congregation Sof Ma'arav share their journey of being Jewish in Hawaii, and how it led them to collaborate as research partners in writing a new book. Alex Golub When most of us imagine centers of American Jewish life, we are more likely to think of Manhattan or Los Angeles than the middle of the Pacific Ocean. So for us, and the other members of our Conservative shul in Oahu, Hawaii,...
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Rabbi Kevin Hale, a trained sofer STaM scribe and member of the Rabbinical Assembly whose work focuses on evaluating and restoring Sifrei Torah, shares a special journey with his scribal mentor: It is an exquisitely beautiful day in the middle of Elul in Western New England, and I am in my studio, hunkered down over an unusually tall 250-year-old Torah scroll with quill in hand and inkwell safely to one side, quietly ...
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Brad Kolodny One night in March 2015, I spent about 20 minutes inside the sanctuary at my synagogue, Midway Jewish Center in Syosset, New York. I was alone with my Canon T5i capturing images of the pews, the bimah and overall room configuration that in less than 12 hours would never be the same. Funds had been raised for a million-dollar renovation and demolition would begin the next day. I wanted to have a photo...
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Bob Leventhal, USCJ Kehilla Leadership Specialist, reflects on a road taken, answering the question:
What’s the most profound journey you’ve been on and how did it change you? Bob Leventhal When we sold our Springfield, Ohio-based family cleaning products business in 1993, I had the opportunity to consider a new path. I had been a driven businessman for 23 years. After five years with the new owners, and 23 years as a driven businessman, I began to consider the meaningfulness of my work, asking what is next and wh...
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Michael Landau, AIA Michael Landau, AIA, who has more than 50 years of experience in the planning, design and construction of worship facilities and whose design work has been recognized nationally through awards, publications and exhibitions, answers the question: What’s a journey you’re on right now and what excites you most about it? The design of synagogues has been an integral aspect of my 50-plus years long c...
Read MoreStephanie Weinstein, preschool teacher at Beth El Nursery School in New Rochelle, resource teacher at Shorashim Hebrew School at Temple Israel of White Plains and graduate student at Hunter College in New York, answers the question: What’s a journey you are on right now and what excites you most about it? As many college students and recent college graduates know, being asked, “What do you want to do for a living?” can ...
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Rabbi Steven Wernick, Chief Executive Officer of USCJ, answers the question: What’s a profound journey you’ve been on and how did it change your life? Last month, I rode my bicycle 120 miles in two days from Mitzpe Ramon to Eilat. I rode the Israel Ride to support two great organizations: Hazon, the largest Jewish organization in the world working on the environment and sustainability; and the Arava Institute, an enviro...
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