What We’re Reading

“If nonprofits committed to understanding their true cost of operations and funders shifted to paying grantees what it takes to get the job done, the starvation cycle would end.”

“Jewish tradition encourages Jews to think of themselves as an extended family; by reaching into the most extreme and insular corner of the Jewish world to find universal themes, Shtisel sends the message that, despite everything, they still are.”

“Never before was there a civil, secular Jewish state. This is the first time we have had such a thing. One would expect that special circumstances such as these would result in a different type of Jewishness.”

“At a time when the word “alumni” is often reduced to banal jargon, what really is its value, and what is the purpose of the deep relationships between institutions, individual participants and visions that last?”

“Jewish communal service is a privilege and being CEO is a remarkable opportunity. But it’s not a right. While we should respect seniority, institutions function better as meritocracies. Our community deserves nothing less.”

“It used to be that most ultra-Orthodox, or haredi, men in Israel studied the Bible full time through adulthood. But that’s changing.”

“[The University] will be based on the illimitable freedom of the human mind. For here we are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it.”

“We each try to do our own investigation of not-for-profits before we part with our hard-earned money. Usually the more we give, the more we investigate. But before you write that next check, or consider volunteering or serving on a board, there is one more question you should add to your check list: Rich or King?”

“Israel education is as much about shaping character, personality, mind, and social connectedness as it is about “furnishing an empty room with facts.” It’s actually a part of what our tradition, thousands of years ago, asked us to love “with all your heart, soul, and might!”

“Israel was never meant to be a state of (only) its citizens, but a state that is, at its core, devoted to the entire Jewish people. That has been true from the very beginning.”

“How many people should I give to? How much should I give? To whom should I give? Discover answers to your questions about Tzedakah.”