While we have you in a 'California frame of mind', don't forget, in just a few short days, the Jewlicious fest in Long Beach, "It’s basically the Woodstock of Judaism". Ladies and gents, believers and gentiles: Once again, it’s time for the Jewlicious Fest in Long Beach, so mark Feb. 29 through March 2 on your calendars. If you haven’t heard of Jewlicious, it’s basically the Woodstock of Judaism, with three days of music, food and Kiddush Wine. A festival for the artist and the curious college student. for more information, click here. Parental rating: Slingshot approved.

Describing Taglit participants as such, Israeli Minister Isaac Herzog, led off a session early this afternoon at the Herzliya Conference. Joined by Gideon Mark of Birthright, Professor Leonard Saxe of Brandeis University and Knesset member Professor Menahem Ben-Sasson for a session titled, 'Trends in the Connection of the Diaspora's Young Generation to Israel', the focus was on the young demographic being called, the Birthright Israel Generation. We did learn a few facts. While 3/4 of all participants to date are from North America, a total of 44 countries have been represented since 1999. Bringing 160,000 to Israel so far, an additional 100,000 have been left behind due to lack of space. According to Professor ...

According to an article this past week in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, " a generation of young Jewish donors is increasingly opting not to give to the causes supported by their parents and grandparents but are instead creating charities and foundations that are directly relevant to their lives." "A recent report by United Jewish Communities, a network of 155 Jewish federations throughout North America that distributes money to charities, found that federation giving among Jewish people under 50 years of age had sharply decreased." (see the complete Boston Globe article The Chronicle based their report on)

A name coined by the UJC. Yet, as was mentioned to rounding applause at one of the sessions, perhaps a poor choice. For using the word 'next' we are not concentrating on who they are but rather on who they will become. If this GA showed us anything at all, it is they already are. It did not matter where you turned during these few days. From the Academy Award winning film, West Bank Story to Ethos Water; from talented and accomplished Israelis like Miri Ben Ari to Pnina Gaday, this demographic is already leaving their mark. BTW, while Miri turned in a stellar performance Monday night at the GrandOleOpry, virtually nothing was said about ...