For Noreen Shcolnik and daughter Kelly Pile, fitness is not only a shared passion, it is their profession. Noreen says it all started about 20 years ago when Kelly came home from college, and they both started going to the Christown YMCA to work out. They enjoyed it so much and were there so often that…
If one poses the question “Why do Jews always ask so many questions?” the quick response from a fellow Jew might be “Why not?” We are a people of questions: secular and Talmudic scholars, great philosophers and, well … yentas. We all ask questions all the time, from the sublime “What is the meaning of life?”…
Another season is peeking around the corner and you know what that means … It’s time to shop. Once the essential back to school shopping for erasers, backpacks and socks is complete, it’s time to start thinking about packing up the tank tops and shorts and digging out your favorite comfy sweater and pair of…
Younger donors first support causes they are passionate about – rather than institutions. It is up to organizations to inspire them and show them that their support can make a tangible difference on the wider issues. For years, many in Jewish communal service have raised the issue about the future of Jewish philanthropy. They ask,…
When Rebecca Light was in high school, she was heavily involved in BBYO, a national youth group dedicated to “delivering to the post-bar/bat mitzvah audience fun, meaningful and affordable experiences that inspire a lasting connection to the Jewish people.” She served as her chapter’s s’ganit, or vice president of programming. It was this early experience that gave her “a little taste…
One key component to becoming a b’nai mitzvah is the infamous “mitzvah project.” To some young people this challenge can feel daunting. There are a multitude of opportunities for a b’nai mitzvah student to begin his or her work of tikkun olam (repairing the world). Finding a project to which one can devote 10 to 20 hours of community service…
Marcus Blassingame, a bar mitzvah student at Temple Beth Sholom, is a proud Afro-Latino Jew whose dad is a fashion stylist and editor. So it seemed a natural fit that his mitzvah project would start at donating his time to The Clothes Cabin in Chandler. Then he wanted to take things to a different level. “I love the idea of…
