DOCSLIB.ORG

Campus Life Today from the Editor

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Campus Life Today from the Editor THE STEINHARDT FOUNDATION FOR JEWISH LIFE WINTER 2013/ADAR 5773 VOLUME 15 NUMBER 2 THE JOURNAL OF THE STEINHARDT FOUNDATION FOR JEWISH LIFE CAMPUS LIFE TODAY FROM THE EDITOR WINTER 2013/ADAR 5773 VOLUME 15 NUMBER 2 Eli Valley n the Jewish world, the college years are sometimes viewed as a poten- Editor tial engagement vacuum. Freed from educational outlets such as day Erica Coleman schools or after-school programs and too young to fall in the crosshairs Copy Editor of young adult programming, college students are sometimes considered Yakov Wisniewski to be in a potential cul-de-sac on their Jewish journeys. College itself, in Design Director Iturn, is often painted as a vague, even somewhat dangerous place where Jewish THE STEINHARDT identity is in jeopardy of attenuating. FOUNDATION In fact, the college years offer amazing opportunities for exploration of and experimentation FOR JEWISH LIFE with Jewish possibilities. Sometimes it happens through Hillel, sometimes through a Jewish Michael H. Steinhardt studies course or a grassroots initiative, sometimes through peer networks and sometimes Chairman through a Birthright Israel trip and its aftermath. In an atmosphere in which multiple iden- Robert P. Aronson President tities are embraced and ongoing questioning is encouraged, the key is to offer options that Rabbi David Gedzelman are not heavy-handed and that speak to students where they are. With thousands of stu- Executive Vice President dents returning each year from their Birthright Israel experiences, there are seemingly limit- less opportunities for grassroots engagement among young adults and their peers whose Rabbi Irving Greenberg Founding President interest in Jewish history, culture, life and experience has been freshly piqued. Jonathan J. Greenberg z”l Articles in this issue of CONTACT explore the potential of the college years from a vari- Founding Director ety of perspectives, whether through peer networks, Israel engagement, grassroots initia- CONTACT is produced and tives or various forms of study. They reflect a commitment to reaching students on their distributed by The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life, 6 East 39th Street, own level, through their own peers, and on their own terms. The unifying message is 10th floor, New York, NY 10016. that if students are respected and given proper tools of exploration, they themselves will All issues of Contact are available for download at catalyze new and ongoing commitments to Jewish culture and life. www.steinhardtfoundation.org/journal.html Individual subscriptions are free of charge and are provided as a service to the community. Eli Valley To subscribe, please send your name and mailing address to [email protected]. Phone: (212) 279-2288 IN THIS ISSUE Fax: (212) 279-1155 Email: [email protected] “BIRTHING” JEWISH HABITS Website: www.steinhardtfoundation.org 3 Abi Dauber Sterne For media inquiries about The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life, please contact 5 ASKING BIGGER QUESTIONS Dan Gerstein at [email protected]. Sheila Katz and Rabbi Josh Feigelson Copyright © 2013 by ON FINDING PURPOSE IN THE MIDST OF A CRISIS The Steinhardt Foundation 6 Rabbi Mike Uram for Jewish Life. 8 JEWISH LEARNING ON CAMPUS: WHY I CARE ABOUT The Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life is RABBIS WHO DIED 2,000 YEARS AGO dedicated to strengthening and transform ing Lex Rofes Ameri can Jewish Life to ensure a flourishing, sustainable commu nity in a fully integrated 9 CAPITALIZING ON INNOVATION free society. We seek to revitalize Jewish Lisa B. Eisen identity through educa tional and cultural initiatives that are designed to reach out to 10 FOSTERING CONNECTIONS: all Jews, with an emphasis on those who are ON LEVERAGING SOCIAL NETWORKS on the margins of Jewish life, as well as to Jennifer Zwilling and Josh Miller advocate for and support Hebrew and Jewish literacy among the general population. 12 LEVERAGING BIRTHRIGHT FOR CHANGE Cheryl Aronson Unless otherwise indicated, photographs in this 14 CREATING A NEW CAMPUS SPACE issue appear courtesy of contributors and Hillel: Rebecca Silverman The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life. 2 CONTACT ere at Hillel, we have a mantra that we’re not interested in run- ning “one-shot” programs. Hour-long, day-long or even week- Hlong events are nice, but what impact do they really have? As our vision is to inspire students to make an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning and Israel, our work focuses on connecting Jewish students with consistent and ongoing Jewish opportunities. We’ve learned from important educational philosophers who assert that education is about building habits, or a set of routinized — almost intuitive — behaviors and thoughts. As Lee Shulman, President Emeri- tus of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, explains: to inculcate a person into a particular field of study or prac- tice, the individual must learn the “habits of mind, habits of hand, and habits of heart” (“Signature Pedagogies in the Professions,” Dædalus, Summer 2005). That is, good education helps students to learn content (mind), skills (hand) and values (heart). by ABI DAUBER STERNE We in the Jewish educational world need to think along these lines: Any endeavor that is meant to engage and educate must create habits. It cannot merely be a moment or even ten days of inspiration. For every great time-limited program we run, there needs to be a before and an We’ve learned from important educational after. A day or week of service is important, and can be inspirational to its participants. But imagine if we were serious about getting people in philosophers who assert that education is the habit of doing service, for example of being kind to others. We likely wouldn’t design an experience in a far-away place where doing about building habits, or a set of routinized good would be relegated. Instead, we would design ongoing programs in which people could participate locally, every month or every week, — almost intuitive — behaviors and and thus provide the opportunity for doing good to become a natural day-to-day habit. thoughts. This is just as true — if not more so — for a ten-day trip to Israel. As we know, the Taglit-Birthright Israel trip is an incredibly powerful Abi Dauber Sterne is Vice President for Global Jewish Experience at Hillel: The Founda- tion for Jewish Campus Life. WINTER 2013 3 educational tool. But it is just a tool, a campuses. Their roles are to build spark. Without the right material and networks or communities of learning, context, the spark doesn’t kindle into to engage in conversations with stu- a fire. If we are serious about igniting dents to inspire their Jewish growth, students’ interest in and commitment and to infuse Jewish content into the to Israel and Jewish life more broadly, activities of campus Hillels beyond ten days is not enough. We need a traditional religious services. before and after. We need to build And we have seen tremendous habits. We need to provide trip partic- growth and results. Through research, ipants with a clear sense of how their we have learned that multiple meetings trip connects with their values and between a Hillel educator and Birth- their day-to-day lives. right returnees multiply the “Birthright At Hillel, we are dedicated to effect.” As a result, these alumni dem- doing just that. We are one of the only onstrate increased levels of Jewish Taglit-Birthright Israel Trip Organizers learning. The more meetings or con- that requires its staff to meet with versations the students and educators each participant before and after the have, the greater the effect. Our trip. We expect the bus leaders to research shows that when an educator actively build personal connections meets with a Birthright returnee one to with students and to understand their five times, the student reports Jewish interests, so that when students return growth, while those who meet with an to campus there are obvious and intu- educator six or more times report their itive next steps. Most Hillels have growth to be significantly higher. In individual debriefing meetings with at other words, Jewish growth soars with least 80 percent of Hillel trip partici- more routine meetings. pants, and they hold Birthright To paraphrase a recent NYU grad- reunion events that reach a similar uate, “my weekly chevruta meetings percentage of students. Furthermore, with the rabbi motivated me to be we strive to seek out students who involved in Jewish life.” I believe that went on Birthright with non-Hillel this student’s motivation came not organizations, and we create opportu- only from the content of what she nities for them to have ongoing, regu- studied with the rabbi, but also from lar conversations with staff and with its regularity. Ongoing motivation ththeir peers. and engagement comes from habit — In addition, Hillel has paired two the habit of being in Jewish environ- oof its most effective student engage- ments and participating in Jewish mment activities: Taglit-Birthright Israel conversations weekly or even daily. aand our engagement internships. Over As part of Hillel’s new strategic ththe past five years, through Hillel’s plan, we will continue to cultivate the ppeer-to-peer engagement strategy, 900 next generation of Jewish leaders and sstudent interns have built vast net- learners around the world. We will wworks. Through mostly one-on-one continue to design creative opportuni- mmeetings, these interns have logged ties for students of all backgrounds to 335,000 relationships with uninvolved engage in Jewish values, ideas and JJewishe peers on more than 70 cam- actions daily and habitually. To para- ppuses, helping these students explore phrase Maimonides, positive character- aand connect to Jewish life on their istics are not acquired by doing a oown terms. Every year, about 30 per- one-time positive act, but rather ccent of these student interns are through the repetition of numerous TTaglit-Birthright alumni, because Hil- positive acts.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Challenge on the Campus
    Volume 10 • Issue 3 Summer 2015 URGENCY IN UKRAINE Under Siege and Displaced STRIVING TO PROVIDE Voices of Local Agency Heads SOLIDARITY AND SPIRIT Rock 3,000 at IsraelFest CHALLENGE ON THE CAMPUS Boca Raton, Florida 33428 Florida Raton, Boca Preparing Young People to 9901 Donna Klein Boulevard Klein Donna 9901 Step Up, Speak Out & Act 1 CHAILIFE We’re Saving you a Seat! JOIN US FOR OUR COMMUNITY MISSION TO ISRAEL! PASSENGER B OA R D I N G your naMe here PASS DATE NOVEMBER 13-19, 2015 DATE 11.13.15 - 11.19.15 DEPARTURE USA ARRIVAL TEL AVIV, ISRAEL MISSION CHAIRS KAREN & MARK DERN ADELE & HERMAN LEBERSFELD See the Innovation Nation Enjoy food, wine and culture Meet with security experts Experience outdoor adventures Attend sessions with Celebrate Shabbat in Jerusalem and more! government officials jewishboca.org/spirit For more information, contact Barbara Kabatznik at 561.852.6050 or [email protected]. PRICE: $3,200* per person – land only, double occupancy *$500 subsidy per person available A minimum individual gift of $500 to the 2016 UJA/Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County Annual Campaign is required to attend. C atCh the Spirit! We’re Saving 6 JOIN US FOR OURyou COMMUNITY MISSIONa STO ISRAEL!eat! 8 PASSENGER B OA R D I N G your naMe here PASS 16 DATE NOVEMBER 13-19, 2015 DATE 11.13.15 - 11.19.15 DEPARTURE USA 36 ARRIVAL TEL AVIV, ISRAEL MISSION CHAIRS KAREN & MARK DERN ADELE & HERMAN LEBERSFELD 44 FEATURES 4 AN URGENT CALL See the Innovation Nation Enjoy food, wine and culture Ukraine in Need Meet with security experts Experience outdoor adventures 6 JOURNEY TO IMPACT Attend sessions with Celebrate Shabbat in Jerusalem and more! Our 2015 Annual Meeting government officials 8 IN SOLIDarity AND SPIRIT CONTENTS IsraelFest 2015 14 THEY STRIVE to PROVIDE Voices of Agency Heads 14 Federation Partnerships 20 Campaign 2015 jewishboca.org/spirit 16 COMMUNITY OF unity For Naftali, Gil-Ad & Eyal 26 Men’s Division For more information, contact Barbara Kabatznik at 561.852.6050 or [email protected].
    [Show full text]
  • Religion and Geography
    Park, C. (2004) Religion and geography. Chapter 17 in Hinnells, J. (ed) Routledge Companion to the Study of Religion. London: Routledge RELIGION AND GEOGRAPHY Chris Park Lancaster University INTRODUCTION At first sight religion and geography have little in common with one another. Most people interested in the study of religion have little interest in the study of geography, and vice versa. So why include this chapter? The main reason is that some of the many interesting questions about how religion develops, spreads and impacts on people's lives are rooted in geographical factors (what happens where), and they can be studied from a geographical perspective. That few geographers have seized this challenge is puzzling, but it should not detract us from exploring some of the important themes. The central focus of this chapter is on space, place and location - where things happen, and why they happen there. The choice of what material to include and what to leave out, given the space available, is not an easy one. It has been guided mainly by the decision to illustrate the types of studies geographers have engaged in, particularly those which look at spatial patterns and distributions of religion, and at how these change through time. The real value of most geographical studies of religion in is describing spatial patterns, partly because these are often interesting in their own right but also because patterns often suggest processes and causes. Definitions It is important, at the outset, to try and define the two main terms we are using - geography and religion. What do we mean by 'geography'? Many different definitions have been offered in the past, but it will suit our purpose here to simply define geography as "the study of space and place, and of movements between places".
    [Show full text]
  • Orthodox Jewish Men in an Egalitarian World
    Th e Men’s Section HBI Series on Jewish Women Shulamit Reinharz, General Editor Sylvia Barack Fishman, Associate Editor Th e HBI Series on Jewish Women, created by the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, pub- lishes a wide range of books by and about Jewish women in diverse contexts and time periods. Of interest to scholars and the educated public, the HBI Series on Jewish Women fi lls major gaps in Jewish Studies and in Women and Gender Studies as well as their intersection. Th e HBI Series on Jewish Women is supported by a generous gift from Dr. Laura S. Schor. For the complete list of books that are available in this series, please see www.upne.com Elana Maryles Sztokman Harriet Hartman and Moshe Hartman, Th e Men’s Section: Orthodox Jewish Men in Gender and American Jews: Patterns in an Egalitarian World Work, Education, and Family in Contem- porary Life Sharon Faye Koren Forsaken: Th e Menstruant in Medieval Dvora E. Weisberg, Levirate Marriage Jewish Mysticism and the Family in Ancient Judaism Sonja M. Hedgepeth and Rochelle G. Ellen M. Umansky and Dianne Ashton, Saidel, editors, Sexual Violence against editors, Four Centuries of Jewish Women’s Jewish Women during the Holocaust Spirituality: A Sourcebook Julia R. Lieberman, editor Carole S. Kessner, Marie Syrkin: Values Sephardi Family Life in the Early Modern Beyond the Self Diaspora Ruth Kark, Margalit Shilo, and Galit Derek Rubin, editor Hasan-Rokem, editors, Jewish Women in Promised Lands: New Jewish American Pre-State Israel: Life History, Politics, and Fiction on Longing and Belonging Culture Carol K.
    [Show full text]
  • 75 Years and Beyond
    75 YEARS AND BEYOND BERNARD REVEL GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JEWISH STUDIES YESHIVA UNIVERSITY 75 YEARS AND BEYOND 75 YEARS AND BEYOND 75 YEARS AND BEYOND RICHARD M. JOEL President, Yeshiva University I have developed a keen interest in the remarkable legacy of the first president of Yeshiva University. Through his unique vision and untiring commitment, Dr. Bernard Revel made it his mission to build, sustain and grow Yeshiva into the first college of its kind in the world. When pondering the extent of his legacy, one must consider not only Dr. Revel’s profound rabbinic scholarship, but his academic Jewish scholarship as well. From the beginning, he proffered a vision in which the world of Torah in all its facets and forms of study could be explored and celebrated at this institution; how fitting, therefore, that our graduate school of Jewish studies everlastingly bears his name and imprint. The Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies, founded more than 75 years ago, finds itself in the midst of a spectacular renaissance. The quality of both our senior faculty, and a brilliant cadre of junior faculty, enables Revel to have an impact far beyond its boundaries. Our prestigious academic programs are simply unmatched. We’re seeing an extraordinary increase not only in students pursuing master’s degrees, but aspiring scholars who are working on their doctorates; so many of them have entered and enriched our communities with their immense knowledge and tremendous scholarly output. Within Yeshiva, Revel’s vertical integration throughout the Jewish studies programs at this university has further fostered the sacred Torah Umadda conversation in inestimable ways.
    [Show full text]
  • By Proxy: Arlington Arts Center’S First Online Exhibition
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Arlington Arts Center Media Contact: Laura Devereux 703 248 6800 [email protected] www.arlingtonartscenter.org BY PROXY: ARLINGTON ARTS CENTER’S FIRST ONLINE EXHIBITION BY PROXY On view: July 9 – September 7, 2020 Exhibition Launch: Thursday / July 9 / 6-6:30pm EXHIBITION WEBSITE arlingtonartscenter.org/exhibitions/current BY PROXY ARTISTS Gal Cohen, Maps Glover, Jeremy Hutchison, Mariah Anne Johnson, Ivetta Sunyoung Kang, and My Husband Gal Cohen, Sharon’s House of Dreams by Quarantine Dream House Machine ARLINGTON, VA – Featuring new and recently created work, By Proxy explores the tension between solitude and solidarity that has characterized public and private life for many people since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the experience of quarantine has brought on a heightened sense of isolation, at least for those who are in a position to stay home, the pandemic has also made strikingly clear the limitations of the individualist ethos that has long dominated the American imagination. This period of isolation from one another has only served as a reminder of our need for both direct personal contact and, on a broader scale, for social solidarity and mutual aid. The work in By Proxy exists along this spectrum, from the sense of isolation to the desire for connection and communication. Presented entirely online, the show can’t help but grapple with the mediated togetherness offered by technology. Several artists in the exhibition take advantage of social media and other technological platforms in order to engage with wider audiences and launch interactive projects. These artists reimagine the possibility of social practice for an age of physical distancing, collaborating and creating relationships with participants from afar.
    [Show full text]
  • Jerusalem on the Map Basic Facts and Trends 1967-1996 Maya
    The Jerusalem Institute tor Israel Studies Founded by the Charles H. Revson Foundation Jerusalem on the Map Basic Facts and Trends 1967-1996 Maya Choshen The Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies Founded by the Charles H. Revson Foundation, N.Y. Jerusalem on the Map Basic Facts and Trends 1967-1996 Maya Choshen Maps: Israel Kimhi Graphic design: Naama Shahar 1998 The Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies Founded by the Charles H. Revson Foundation, N.Y. Jerusalem on the Map Basic Facts and Trends 1967-1996 Maya Choshen Maps: Israel Kimhi Graphic design & production: Naama Shahar This publication was aided by a grant from the Charles H. Revson Foundation, New York The author assumes sole responsibility for all statements made © 1998, The Jerusalem institute for Israel Studies The Hay Elyachar House 20a Radak St., 92186 Jerusalem http://www.jiis.org.il ISSN 0333-9831 Acknowledgments I would like to thank Israel Kimhi for preparing the maps and making important comments about the text; Naama Shahar for graphic design and production; Esti Boehm for textual design; Michal Korah for research assistance and proofreading; and Ralf Mandel for the English translation. Maya Choshen Contents Introduction 1 Jerusalem as a National, Historical, and Religious Center 2 Area and Municipal Boundaries 4 Infrastructure and Economic Features 7 Economic Status of the Population 10 Tourism 13 The Educational System in Jerusalem 16 Higher Education 18 Planning and Construction 1. Introduction 19 2. Jewish Building 20 3. Arab Building 21 4. Housing Density 22 Population Trends in Jerusalem 24 1. Changes in the Size and Growth of the Population of Jerusalem 24 2.
    [Show full text]
  • Download WHOLE Journal in Adobe Acrobat Format
    The Edah Journal A Forum of Modern Orthodox Discourse The Mission of Edah is to express and deepen the values of Modern Orthodoxy, educating and empowering Jews to address Modern Orthodox concerns. Fully committed to Torah, halakhah, and the quest for qedushah, Edah values open intellectual inquiry and expression in both secular and religious arenas; engagement with the social, political, and technological realities of the modern world; the religious significance of the State of Israel; and the unity of Kelal Yisrael. The Edah Journal 5:1 Edah, Inc. © 2005 Tammuz 5765 The Edah Journal A Forum of Modern Orthodox Discourse Statement of Purpose The Edah Journal is a forum for discussion of Orthodox Judaism’s engagement with modernity. It is Edah’s conviction that such discourse is vital to nurturing the spiritual and religious experiences of Modern Orthodox Jews. Committed to the norms of halakhah and Torah, The Edah Journal is dedicated to free inquiry and will Statement of Purpose of Purpose Statement be ever mindful that, “Truth is the seal of the Holy One, Blessed be He.” Editorial Board Eugene Korn - Editor Naftali Harcsztark – Associate Editor Joel Linsider – Text Editor Moshe Halbertal (Israel) Richard Joel Norma Baumel Joseph Simcha Krauss Barry Levy Dov Linzer Tamar Ross (Israel) Directions for Submissions The Edah Journal invites submissions of original scholarly and popular essays, as well as new English translations of Hebrew works. Popular essays should be between 800-2000 words. The journal particularly welcomes halakhic, philosophic, and literary studies relating to qedushah in modern experience, the religious significance of The Edah Journal the State of Israel, Jewish ethics, emerging Torah conceptions of and opportunities for women, Talmud Torah as an intellectual and spiritual discipline, pluralism, and Judaism’s relation to gentiles and contemporary culture.
    [Show full text]
  • Tel Aviv, Israel – a World City in Evolution: Urban Development at a Deadend of the Global Economy
    Dela 21 • 2004 • 183-193 TEL AVIV, ISRAEL – A WORLD CITY IN EVOLUTION: URBAN DEVELOPMENT AT A DEADEND OF THE GLOBAL ECONOMY Baruch A. Kipnis The University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, Haifa, 31905, Israel e-mail: [email protected] Abstract Tel Aviv was mentioned as a world city for the first time by Kellerman (1993) who empha- sized the existence of leading economic functions typical for the late 20th century city. This paper extends the notion of Tel Aviv as a world city in evolution, using up-to-date world city literature and indicators. Greater (metropolitan) Tel Aviv with 2.6 million population in 2000 (Tel Aviv City had 350000) has been Israel`s primate urban agglomeration since the 1920s. Since the 1990s it has evolved into a hard core of Israel`s post-industrial, globally orientated economy, and has displayed a post-modern physical ambience and social and cultural lifestyle. Tel Aviv evolved into a global city in spite of the fact that it is located at a frontier in its own region, the Mideast, and at the cul-de-sac site relative to the mainstream global economic centers with which it maintains most of its network links. In addition to common attributes of a world city one of the main assets of Tel Aviv is its high R&D inten- sive industry, acting as a growth pole for the local and national economies. Future research avenues are an in-depth analysis of Tel Aviv`s social inequalities and the linkage patterns that Tel Aviv maintains with other urban centers of world city caliber.
    [Show full text]
  • The Contribution of Historical Geography to the Historiography of the Establishment of Israel
    Yossi Ben-Artzi The Contribution of Historical Geography to the Historiography of the Establishment of Israel Historiographic Background A century of Zionist strivings to create a Jewish polity in Eretz-Israel and half a century of Israeli statehood have spawned a stratified histori- ography.1 The events, typically enough, were recorded in both real time and after the fact. The first instance produced a literature of memoirs and diaries; the second resulted in volumes of documentation and the devel- opment of research by both a founding generation and a generation of critics representing historiographic revisionism. As might be expected, the historiography of the State of Israel, es- pecially as regards its early years, is still in its incipient stages, given that the archives were opened and documents released for the 1950s and 1960s only recently. This access to primary sources permitted Israeli his- tory to be written by a generation removed from its making and com- mitted to its research. In this sense, the term New Historians reflects nei- ther a New History, methodologically, nor New Historians, as concerns changing generations, but simply the beginning of professional history. It signals a transition from a generation of writers who were themselves involved in the historical events or who relied on secondary sources to a generation of writers laying the foundations for a historiography based on primary sources. In effect, historical revisionism per se is still a few years down the road, although its thrust can already be seen in the present historiogra- phy. This thrust, evident in the public furor sparked by researchers of the past decade, may be attributed to the relatively short time that has passed since the period under study and the lingering impact of those days on Israel’s current events and problems.
    [Show full text]
  • MARLBOROUGH COLLEGE, June 2019
    MARLBOROUGH COLLEGE, June 2019 Krakow, Wieliczka, HATA IN POLAND the Eagles’ Nests, Auschwitz The Rynek, best in evening light: town hall tower and cloth hall, towers of the Mariacka, S-E corner with St Adalbert’s. SUNDAY 23rd June: We arrived in the late evening, checked in to our guest house (which was in a civilised 19th century area just west of the old city), and walked to the Rynek Glowny, the great market place in the middle of the old city. The square, with its super architec- ture and beautiful architecture, was the most popular thing all trip, and we returned here again and again. There were de- lightful cafes, excellent buskers, the hourly trumpet call from the Mariacka tower, and some terrific festival processions, dances and plays. LADY CAYLEY on the RYNEK: The week’s busy itinerary began, on Sunday late evening, and ended, at 6pm Friday, in the central market square in Krakow – the Rynek Glowny. At the hub of the Old City since the establishment of this historic district into a grid system of streets in the 13th Century, it was also a useful place to gather the group for ‘check in’ before heading back to our nearby apartments. The Rynek’s size is astounding; nearly 10 acres of square, bisected by a 16th Century Cloth Hall, now used by market traders to sell ‘typical’ Polish products to tourists, from embroidered shirts to wooden toys and carved nativities, from amber jewellery to ‘Krakovia’ t-shirts. The square is dominated by the Kosciol Mar- iacki, or Basilica of the Virgin Mary, with both a great Gothic spire and a shorter 16th Century Renaissance tower.
    [Show full text]
  • Israel in Bureaus of Jewish Education Dr. Daniel J. Margolis, Executive
    Israel in Bureaus of Jewish Education Dr. Daniel J. Margolis, Executive Director, Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Boston Shlomo Shimon, Executive Director, Jewish Education Council of Greater Montreal Israel in Our Lives is a project sponsored by The CRB Foundation, The Joint Authority for Jewish Zionist Education Department of Jewish Education and Culture in the Diaspora, and The Charles R. Bronfman Centre for the Israel Experience: Mifgashim. In cooperation with Jewish Education Service of North America and Israel Experience, Inc. Israel In Our Lives Online was funded in part through a generous grant from the Joint Program for Jewish Education of the Jewish Agency for Israel and the Ministry of Education and Culture of the State of Israel. The editors would like to thank all the authors, advisors, and consultants of the Israel In Our Lives series— educational leaders who have brought their considerable insights and talents to bear on this project. In addition to those already mentioned in these pages, we extend our appreciation to those who helped in shaping the project concept: Dr. Zvi Bekerman, Gidon Elad, Dr. Cecile Jordan, Rachel Korazim, Clive Lessem, Caren Levine, Dr. Zev Mankowitz, Dr. Eliezer Marcus, & Susan Rodenstein. Introduction: The Central Agencies and their Israel Agenda In most Jewish communities in North America, the Bureau of Jewish Education (BJE)* or Central Agency (CA)* is the planning arm and central service delivery agent for Jewish education, defined broadly. While they receive their mandate from the Federations and are clearly defined as Jewish communal organizations, they function in a curricular mode as distinguished from a social planning mode, more typical of Federations, behaving more like a centralized education system than like Federations.
    [Show full text]
  • The Self and the World
    A. Rzepa D. Drewniak K. Macedulska AGNIESZKA RZEPA The self and the world: aspects of the aesthetics and politics of contemporary North American literary memoir by women constitutes an attempt at a selective, but far-ranging analysis of the aesthetics and politics of memoirs written by Canadian and US women DAGMara DREWNIAK of different racial and ethnic backgrounds since 1990. The study focuses on memoirs by experienced writers, consciously deploying in their texts a number of literary, visual and KATARZYNA MACEDULSKA paratextual devices. The aim is to illuminate the ways in which they make sense of their experience and how they endow it with a particular narrative shape, with special focus on the implicit and explicit ideological baggage of the memoirs. An important aspect of the project is the critical reflection on the nature of memory that emerges from the selected texts in connection with both individual and collective history. Special focus falls on configurations of gender and race/ethnicity in the contexts of the two multicultural North American societies, and their influence on the process of self-fashioning. The self and the world Agnieszka Rzepa, Dagmara Drewniak and Katarzyna Macedulska are Aspects of the aesthetics and politics professors at the Faculty of English, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland. Agnieszka Rzepa has published widely on contemporary Canadian novel and short of contemporary North American story, Canadian life writing and Native Canadian literatures. Apart from numerous ar- ticles, her publications include the monograph Feats and Defeats of Memory: Exploring literary memoir by women Spaces of Canadian Magic Realism (2009) and the book Eyes Deep with Unfathom- able Histories: The Poetics and Politics of Magic Realism Today and in the Past (editor with Liliana Sikorska; 2012).
    [Show full text]