If the purpose of Tisha Be’Av is to warn us about the dangers of internecine hatred, it has failed miserably.

eJewish Philanthropy, June 12, 2017.

All that death and destruction could have been avoided with honest and timely feedback.

Every time you scan your purchases at the grocery store self-checkout line, you’re learning Jewish mysticism.

eJewish Philanthropy, May 2, 2017

At the recent Jewish Funders Network conference, I sat down with two living legends of philanthropy: Harold Grinspoon and Charles Bronfman. My job was to interview them and find a common thread between their charitable works.

Friends,

I generally use the Jewish holidays to share ideas and insights on Judaism and philanthropy. But this holiday of Yom Haatzmaut, Israel’s independence day, feels different for me, because my older son is celebrating it there, in a trip to Israel with his school. I never cease to feel gratitude for the undeserved privilege we have of being the first generation in 2,000 years to live with a Jewish sovereign state. I feel also the responsibility that this entails. As my son travels there, I wanted to share with you my words to him. 

My dear son,

You are going to Israel for the first time. Well, it’s not really the first time; you were there with me as a baby, but that was before your toddler memory hit the reset button. So, this is the first time you’ll remember and I wanted to write to you to tell you what this means to me, and to our entire family. Why I’m so moved by this trip of yours, and why grandma’s voice breaks when she talks to you about it. 

JFN President & CEO Andrés Spokoiny discusses what JFN does in the Insight series from m/Oppenheim Associates.

Frederick Nietzsche believed that the Egyptians were blond.

My apologies; I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start from the beginning: 

Andrés Spokoiny, President & CEO of Jewish Funders Network, addressed the 2017 JFN conference on March 20, 2017.

What if we are wrong about Purim? What if Purim is not the joyful holiday that we think it is, but a mordant exercise in self-criticism, a painful look at the mirror, a scathing self-deprecation designed to inspire shame rather than glee?

Lake Valencia in Venezuela was once a beautiful place. Nestled among mountains and sierras, and blessed by a humid and temperate climate, it developed a rich ecosystem that had sustained countless plants and animals, as well as human tribal societies.