Carol Goodman Kaufman, at The Blogs

May 28, 2021, 4:58 PM

Hadassah Launches B’nai Mitzvah Project for At-Risk Youth

As I listen to the news from Israel with my heart in my mouth, my thoughts go to those I have come to think of as my adopted children there: the students at Hadassah’s Youth Aliyah villages. These at-risk youth,...

Feb 25, 2021, 7:46 PM

Purim: A holiday for heroes

The saying goes that the hero feels fear but acts anyway. I’ve been thinking about that a lot as we prepare for Purim. We at Hadassah love this holiday. After all, our organization was not only founded on Purim...

Jan 25, 2021, 10:50 PM

Honi the Circle Maker in Our Time

טו בשבט בשפיה🌺 הוא חג עם הרבה משמעות אנחנו מחוברים לטבע ולאדמה אנחנו מאמינים שחקלאות היא חלק בלתי נפרד מהעבר ומהעתיד שלנו. אז... חגגנו את ראש השנה לאילנות בכפר בדרך המסורתית עם שתילת שתילים, אכילת פירות יבשים ופעילויות בנושא.
Posted by ‎מאיר שפיה - בית ספר על אזורי‎ on Thursday, January 24, 2019

The story of Honi the Circle Maker came to mind recently when I was thinking about what to write for Tu B’Shevat. Because, of course, carob is one of the many fruits and nuts we consume on the holiday...

Dec 10, 2020, 5:17 PM

Dedication and Rededication at Hanukkah

The word Hanukkah stems from the three-letter root word ח*נ*כ, meaning dedication. As we prepare for the Festival of Lights this week, we recall the Maccabees’ rededication of the Temple following the defeat of Antiochus’ Seleucid army that desecrated...

Dec 9, 2020, 12:53 AM

Giving Tuesday and Everyday

The children in Hadassah’s Youth Aliyah Villages in Israel receive valuable help and support from the program. And it’s not just food and shelter they get. We provide vocational training, academic education, psychological counseling, tutoring, music, drama, and other...

Oct 12, 2020, 11:48 PM

Youth Aliyah: Our Children’s Future

“And all your children shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children” (Isaiah 54:13). Given that the words of the Tanach are written without vowels, the Sages were able to interpret this...

Sep 16, 2020, 12:41 AM

New Beginnings

The High Holidays are our Jewish way of making teshuva and then beginning anew with a clean slate. Many of the students in Hadassah’s Youth Aliyah villages come to us with a slate blank of Jewish knowledge. A full...

Aug 12, 2020, 3:34 PM

COVID-19 and Israel’s most vulnerable children

With the closing of Israel’s schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Amos (not his real name), a student at the Hadassah Neurim youth village, has gone home. But his home is a crowded apartment with a dysfunctional family. And that...

About Me

After earning a Ph.D. in psychology, Carol Goodman Kaufman pursued post-doctoral work in criminology, during which time she wrote the book Sins of Omission: The Jewish Community's Reaction to Domestic Violence. A few years ago, she changed direction and began conducting research on food history, and now pens regular columns for both Jewish press and the Worcester Telegram & Gazette as well as freelance articles for regional and national publications. Her volunteer life spans four decades, and includes leadership positions with local, regional, and national organizations.

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