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Aug 12, 2026, 8:23 PM

Four Languages, One Bunk and the Power of Jewish Experiences

As philanthropists, grant-makers, and communal leaders, we are deeply trained in the language of logic. We live by quarterly reports, analyze financial statements, assess key performance indicators (KPIs), and evaluate organizational capacity. We look at our funding through a...

Aug 7, 2026, 7:19 PM

Inches to Metric: Creating Sacred Spaces – Mercaz Kopin

Mercaz Kopin circa 2000. Photo Beth Kopin

Follow your inner voice. When I was a little girl, we lived on the South Side of Chicago in a modest (white box) home. My parents hired a designer. The transformation was magical. I was dazzled/hooked! By the age of...

Eric M. Leiderman

Jul 31, 2026, 1:11 AM

America’s Jewish Innovation

As America celebrated its 250th anniversary this month, American Jews rightly reflected on what this country has given us. Religious liberty. Economic opportunity. The freedom to build one of the most vibrant Diaspora communities in Jewish history. Those blessings...

Molly Livingstone

Jul 30, 2026, 10:04 PM

The shadow of the Hebrew U. bombing, 24 years later

The day Marla Bennett was murdered, I was waiting for her to return to our California summer camp and tell me all about her time in Israel. I am here because of her

Jul 29, 2026, 6:52 AM

The shared white Shabbat dress

(iStock)

Packing for camp seemed complicated to me; then, I saw my daughter and her friends unknowingly mimic Tu B'Av's ancient culture of generosity and I got it

Jul 27, 2026, 4:24 AM

Dancing in the summer rain

Photo credit - Getty Images

The day camp's young women staff splashed in puddles as I recalled other young dancers whose story makes me cry and prayed that this joyous day of rhythm would recur

Jul 20, 2026, 11:09 PM

Infinite Responsibility: In Memory of a Camper

Mural commemorating Michael Levin. (courtesy)

Twenty-six years later, I can still picture myself counting my campers on the bus. In the summer of 2000, I led the oldest camper division at Camp Ramah in the Poconos. Now 42 years old, many of my campers have...

Janet Bond Brill

Jul 20, 2026, 9:14 PM

Sleepaway Camp Oberlangen: The 10-Year-Old No One Came to Collect

This month, all over America, 10-year-old girls are packing bug spray, stationery, flashlights, and a stuffed animal smuggled past the “one comfort item” rule. They will sleep in bunks, sing after dark and cry a little from homesickness. Eight weeks...

Shanee B. Michaelson

Jun 16, 2026, 5:17 AM

The summer after my first year of college, I arrived at sleepaway camp for the first time in my life—not as a camper, but as a counselor. At nineteen, I was older than the campers and on the precipice...

Jaclyn S. Clark

Jun 8, 2026, 10:14 AM

Dave Matthews answered me from the stage. Now comes the hard part

Musician Dave Matthews reads a speech on stage at a concert in Raleigh, NC, on June 5, 2026. (Social media used in accordance with clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

The rocker read a message about antisemitism to 20,000 people. It wasn’t perfect, but those calling it a fraud are missing the point of why any of us write anything at all.

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