by Lynn Schusterman As I sit on my balcony in Jerusalem, looking out over the “city of peace” just before the start of Shabbat, I am filled with both pain and hope - the pain of witnessing yet another senseless conflict and the hope for a better future I take from the acts of humanity and solidarity of the remarkably resilient people I see all around me. Like everyone here, I have been following the news closely, wishing that Israel was not called upon to defend itself once again and that families were not forced to mourn their children. And yet, even in these trying times, I am determined to focus on helping others find the rays of inspiration and caring that will shine light in the darkness. I find hope in the stories of families, struck by incomprehensible tragedy, buoyed by the … [Read more...]

by Smadar Bar-Akiva The simple answer: Because JCCs, perhaps more than any other institution, have members ... Jews who are a natural constituency for the work we do and whose lives are changed by their involvement in our work. Therefore, when we recruited the senior leadership of 27 JCCs from 12 countries - Canada, England, France, Hungary, Israel, Mexico, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, USA and Venezuela - serving more than 300,000 Jews annually and managing a total budget of close to $200,000,000 - we knew that the potential for impact was enormous. A month ago, JCC Global (formerly known as the World Confederation Jewish Community Centers) brought together almost 100 Executives Directors, Presidents, Senior Lay Leaders, Board Members and representatives of JCC regional networks - CDI, … [Read more...]

How should Jews in the Diaspora (those who themselves are not under threat, as in some cities in Europe) respond to Israel’s needs, and what specific activities should they engage in? by Stephen G. Donshik This time, just like every time there is an armed conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbors or the indigenous Palestinian community, there has been a strong response from Jewish communities around the world. In some cases, as in a number of European cities during the last two weeks, the Jewish community is being forced to defend itself. We have witnessed stronger displays of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel behavior than we have seen in years. There is a thin line between anti-Semitism and the anti-Israel sentiments expressed by Moslem citizens and Arab and Palestinian expatriates … [Read more...]