Service learning is more than an academic exercise designed to link experience and education. It is an ethical exercise intended to build character. Service learning assumes a sacred dimension when doing good work is also understood as doing God’s work, when the moral and the spiritual domains converge. In order to assess the impact of a service learning project for…
Month: December 2015
Leading from Within
As Jewish professionals, we strive to infuse our leadership styles with Jewish wisdom. But, with so many texts, both written and living, and with pressure to help our organizations find success, what does it mean to lead Jewishly in real life? Throughout my service-learning experiences, I have searched for an answer to this question. As a fellow, I have made…
Continuing the Conversation
Interfaith dialogue can be tricky in two ways. In everything we say and in everything we don’t. To put it another way, should we focus on what we have in common and attempt to build bonds based on our similarities? Or do we focus on what divides us and attempt to navigate those aspects of our traditions that stand in…
A Season of Change
There is something fresh and wondrous about the fall here in Ohio. We get lovely tree color, the oppressive humidity is finally blown away by a cool breeze, and with all the kids back in the rhythm of school, there is a kind of humming excitement in the air. It’s no wonder that Sukkot, the holiday where we spend the…
For You Were Strangers in the Land of Egypt
Turning on one’s television and watching the news for a few minutes is enough to get acquainted with the tragic situation in Syria. More than 200,000 people have been killed. More than three million (!) have escaped the atrocities of a multi-front war and are simply trying to seek refuge, mainly in Europe, where they are not welcome. Thousands, among…