fbpx
[additional-authors]
July 14, 2016

Ayekah?  Where are You?  That is not just the first question ever asked – by G-d of Adam – but a question asked by my family, friends, and clients last month.  “In Utah” was my response.  Utah?  Really?  In the summer?  Without your kids?  For a Jewish conference . . . in Utah?  Yes.  My wife and I joined two hundred other leaders from Jewish communities around the country for the Wexner Foundation’s annual Summer Institute.  The Institute explored models of leadership informed by Jewish thought and text.  The twenty Wexner Heritage fellows from Los Angeles were challenged to return home with new skills and a commitment to implementing them to enhance the vibrancy of Jewish Los Angeles.

While there were breathtaking hikes with exquisite views, the Institute was far from a vacation.  We were challenged to delve into our cohort’s year of Jewish text study to deliver incisive dvar torahs.  (Believing that paraphrasing is the highest of scholarship, I riffed on a brilliant

Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

Craving Kitsch

Everywhere I turned was another kiosk selling either sticky sweet things or tourist trinkets. I was in tacky heaven and, somehow, it felt great.

Print Issue: Here He Is | February 6, 2026

Former Columbia Professor Shai Davidai became an unlikely Israel activist after Oct. 7, 2023. Now he has started “Here I Am” for Zionist activists who “choose action over outrage and substance over performance.”

The Charm of Shabbat Chamin

Ever since I was a small child, Dafina has been a favorite food. This Moroccan hamim (Shabbat stew) is the ultimate comfort food.

National Bagel and Lox Day

Of course, you don’t need a special holiday to enjoy this classic breakfast, brunch or post-fast holiday dish.

Shai Davidai: Here He Is

Former Columbia Professor Shai Davidai became an unlikely Israel activist after Oct. 7, 2023. Now he has started “Here I Am” for Zionist activists who “choose action over outrage and substance over performance.”

The Jewish Community Lags Behind on Disability Inclusion

As we honor Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month, the Jewish community must step up to support its members by making proactive, genuine commitments to inclusion – not because external pressure demands it, but because our values do.

Rosner’s Domain | The West, from Israel

Debates about the West’s collapse will remain muddled until we admit what we are really debating: not the fate of a civilization, but the meaning of its name.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.