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Todd S. Polikoff

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Oct 15, 2016, 12:06 PM

The Danger of Habituation

Habituation is defined as a decrease in response to a stimulus after repeated presentations. For example, when a car alarm on your street starts to wail at 2am, it may initially wake you up or even draw you to...

Oct 2, 2016, 7:20 AM

A few thoughts on Shimon Peres for the New Year

It has become my custom to write these emails earlier in the week. Usually, I don't have to change the subject or context as my topics are, by design, fairly broad. This week I had to make a change...

Jul 23, 2016, 2:18 AM

One Stone for Paris and One Stone for Sarona

In Judaism there are times when the most seemingly mundane objects carry a great significance (i.e. items on the Seder plate), so is the case with the simple stone. A closer look at stones shows their impact on both...

Jun 17, 2016, 10:53 PM

I Wish We Were Starbelly Sneetches

Like most other people my age, I grew up on Dr. Seuss books. There was nothing better than dreaming about playing with The Cat in the Hat and wishing that I had a Dynamic Industrial Renovating Tractormajigger to clean...

Jun 10, 2016, 9:57 PM

The Word You Are Looking For is Terrorist

I hate mosquitoes. They are blood sucking, disease carrying, irritating nuisances that should be eradicated. Yes, it's a harsh opinion, but look at all of the damage they have caused people over the millennia. I know that I am...

Jun 4, 2016, 8:26 AM

My Father the Role Model

As a father of three I look forward to Father’s Day, mostly because my kids look forward to Father’s Day. Truth be told, I also find the day frustrating as it reminds me that our pop culture doesn’t always...

May 23, 2016, 6:30 AM

We are all frogs in a pot

I have used the parable of the boiled frog throughout my career and, while I certainly didn't coin the phrase, I have become associated with it in certain nonprofit/community circles. For those who don't know it, the parable states...

May 13, 2016, 6:11 PM

Merely Surviving Is Not an Option

Lodgepole pine trees grow in areas that are prone to forest fires. These unique trees have a fascinating evolutionary characteristic in that their pinecones are tightly sealed with a layer of resin and woody tissue sticks that bind the...

May 7, 2016, 8:15 AM

Memorial Day Every Day

In the Jewish Community, being a personal example, or a דוגמא אישית (Dugma Ishit), is not a suggestion, it's an expectation. We are to serve as a light unto nations, we are to repair the world, we are to...

Apr 30, 2016, 1:12 PM

Never Again…and then some

I have visited Yad Vashem a number of times and always find it to be an inspiring place that makes me thankful for my life. At nearly every turn, with every sculpture, garden, and stone, the memorial teaches it’s...

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About Me

Todd Polikoff is the President & CEO of the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas, an avid writer, and die-hard Philadelphia Eagles Fan.