Turn Inwards, Turn Outwards, Turn to the Future by Avi West, Director of the Partnership for Jewish Life and Learning’s Shulamith Reich Elster Resource Center in Rockville, MD
As is written in the biblical book of Ecclesiastes, “To everything there is a season and a time…”  The Byrds added an important phrase “Turn, turn, turn.”  (Go ahead, listen again here.)   Both phrases are important as the seasons change and the High Holidays approach.  The idea of changing seasons actually gives the first of the High Holidays its name.  Read more.

A Vacation…. But Not From Learning by Avi West
I have always been intrigued by the tale told about Sir Isaac Newton, “discovering” gravity when an apple fell on his head while sitting under a tree.  Taken as a universal midrash/metaphor on learning, we can appreciate the way daily living experiences can confirm ideas dreamt up in laboratory environments. Read more.

Party like it's 1812!
Are you thinking of saving money by planning a “stay-cation” this year? The mid-Atlantic region is rich in historic sites with much to experience and learn for individuals of all ages. There are also interesting Jewish footnotes to many of these sites and celebrations.

You’ve Got a Friend in Israel! by Avi West
States are complex entities.  Through headlines we may get to know some aspects of a foreign country.  We can analyze the political system, evaluate the economy, assess their security, and still not really understand a country’s essence.  Is there a tool like Google Earth to get a street view of the people’s everyday life? Read more. 

The Jewish Spring by Avi West
In his introduction to "The Gates of the Forest," Elie Wiesel tells a story of "generations."  "When the great Rabbi Israel Baal Shem-Tov saw misfortune threatening the Jews, it was his custom to go into a certain part of the forest to meditate.  There he would light a fire, say a special prayer, and the miracle would be accomplished and the misfortune averted.  Read more. 

Why “B” Jewish? The PRIDES of March by Avi West
The month of March will bring our community multiple ways of expressing our Jewish identities.  Days of celebrating, learning and doing, of believing and behaving, can add up to a true sense of belonging. Judaism is a state of B-ing. Belonging, Behaving, and Believing.  Read more.

Who is Listened to with Respect? A Heavy Lesson: Parashat Yitro, Exodus 18-20 by Avi West
I love word play and puns.  They build castles of meaning on a deceptively simple foundation.  Some even appreciate the humor or irony that they can generate.   The Hebrew language is particularly rich with potential word play because most words are built on a three letter root to which prefixes and suffixes are added.  Read more.

When Words are King by Avi West
On a rare free Sunday afternoon, my wife and I caught up on our downtown DC touring.  Our primary destination was the newly dedicated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the Tidal Basin.  It sits on a direct axis linking the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson memorial.  This is a brilliant location, creating a triple testament to the power of words.  Read more.

Gelt Without Guilt: Lighting the Candle of Righteousness by Avi West
It is a new tradition at Chanukah to give gifts.  The real tradition was that it was a time to give out coins (gelt), because coinage was a sign of autonomy and freedom.  When the Maccabees rededicated the Temple in Jerusalem, they also minted coins with pictures of their Chanukah heroes and words that celebrated their values, as opposed to those of the Hellenists.  Today we can add to this tradition by using coins to help bring freedom and autonomy to people in need.  Read more.

Tov Ba Teva:  Discovering the Good in Nature
After last year's Early Childhood Jewish Education Conference held by the Partnership, Temple Rodef Shalom Nursery School decided to put what they learned from the conference into practice by building a natural playscape for their children. Watch the video here.

Redecorating and Rededicating with Detective “Sure-Look Homes” by Avi West
Before any holiday, we are busy preparing, making lists and gathering everything we need for the celebration.  One way to prepare for Hanukkah this year (which means both education and rededication) and bring life to the themes of the holiday so that it will last beyond eight days is to become “Sure-Look Homes,” master detective. Search your home for signs of meaningful Jewish identity and educate yourself about how to rededicate it to important Jewish values.  Read more.

 A Square Peg In a Round Hole by James Hyman
Israel, and the role it can or should play in American Jewish identity, has been a challenge since the creation of the modern state. However, for at least the first 20-30 years of the existence of Israel, it held a cherished place in the hearts of most American Jews and certainly in the institutional Jewish community. Israel was seen as the miraculous, and to a significant degree, mythological Jewish state created in the shadow of the Holocaust and it could do no wrong. Read more.

Is Jewish Identity in America Half Full or Half Empty? by James Hyman
A recent study by the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University found that there are over 6 million people who self identify as Jews in the United States. This is a lot more than we would have predicted there would be in 2011 thirty years ago. But we also know that their identity is thin, in the sense that they don’t know very much about their heritage.  Read more.

The Tapestry of Judaism by James Hyman
A tapestry is defined as a "richly and complexly designed cloth." Colors, patterns, textures, and material can all be woven together in myriad ways to make breathtakingly complex scenes and experiences. The weaver as artist is both in control of the designs that are created, and also allows the creation to take on a life of its own. If you look very closely at any one point, it is unlike any other point on the tapestry. But stand at a distance and you see a remarkably complex, rich and fully integrated artistic expression. Read more.

A Column about Columns and Pillars
Walk around the National Mall area in downtown Washington and you will see many buildings and memorials built with classic pillars and columns.  The Jewish tradition recalls that same architecture when it reminds us that the world and each community rest on the three pillars of torah (instruction and learning), avodah (service), and gemilut chasadim (deeds of loving kindness).  Read more.