Topic: Judith

August 10, 2017 | 18 Av 5777 Dear All, We are more wired together – yet more disconnected from each other – than ever. It is hard to understand. A recent Atlantic article explored the sharp generational changes that are already surfacing. The first kids who are growing up with the power of a smartphone in the palm of their hand are physically safer, but may also be on the edge of a mental-health crisis. Israel strives to be a light unto the nations while the government is creating – or working to create – policies that seemingly push back on basic civil rights. David Lehrer, ED of the Arava Institute wrote a powerful piece about his concerns. The freedoms of speech, of protest, and of religion, which are covered by the First Amendment of the US Constitution, are not guaranteed in the Israel Constitution. And then there is healthcare, challenges to affirmative action, and all the other real issues that don’t surface because tweets are center stage. I find the humor of John Oliver to be my balm of Gilead these days. But my fleeting laughter just covers the pain of a confusing world. With this backdrop, Hazon strives to connect to Jewish tradition – particularly to […]

July 13th, 2017 | 19 Tamuz 5777 Dear All, On Tuesday, we began what is known on the Jewish calendar as “the Three Weeks.” This is a time of decreasing happiness which culminates in Tisha B’av, a commemoration of the destruction of Jerusalem, its Temple, and the expulsion of Jews from ancient Judea. It is accordingly a particularly poignant time to think about the sources of happiness and meaning in our lives. It is well-researched that we derive longer lasting happiness from our experiences than we do from our things. It turns out that we build up our store of happiness not only during an experience, but even in our anticipation of its arrival beforehand and in our reflections upon it long afterwards. Even a bad experience fills our buckets: we might laugh for years recalling that night the rain poured into our new tent. And yet the tent itself – that we were once so excited to buy – quickly grows old. My father knew this long before the psychology studies came out. When my siblings and I turned our allowance money into concert and show tickets, Dad approved. As we were growing up, he taught us that such purchases were an […]

June 13th, 2017 | 19th Sivan 5777 Dear All, I joined Hazon in July 2007 as the Associate Director of Food Programs. I was a vegan and my first day on the job, Nigel mentioned that I needed to organize our first-ever shechita (ritual slaughter) at the Hazon Food Conference. It was clear from day one that working at Hazon would be filled with growth and opportunities – both personally and professionally. Since then, my title has changed as our programs have grown. I launched our work on the west coast with a Food Conference at Asilomar, developed curricula, started regional offices in the Bay Area, Denver-Boulder, Philly, San Diego, and Detroit, launched Siach – an international social and environmental justice conversation, stewarded Seeds of Opportunity: The JOFEE Report, and now as Chief Program Officer, I lead an incredible staff of people who are creating powerful, transformative experiences that directly reach over 25,000 people a year. And, as of Monday, I’m Hazon’s Acting CEO, while Nigel’s on sabbatical. Over the next four months I’m not planning to write all of these emails myself. As Nigel does occasionally, I want to give voice and a platform to some of our other (amazing) staff […]