Newsroom

September 6, 2016 -     Ten years ago, I was both an Israeli and an American. Now, I’m an Israeli-American. Embracing this unique hybrid identity makes all the difference in the world for more than a million people living in America. A decade ago, Israeli-Americans were, at best, afterthoughts within the Jewish American community. Even though we had US passports, bu Read More…

August 18, 2016 -     The Talmud tells us: “More than the calf wants to suckle; the cow wants to nurse.” For people who are actively involved in philanthropy, this makes a lot of sense. They know that the donor often ends up receiving as much, if not more, than the people and organizations that they support. Jewish laws of charity, or Tzedakah, obligates us Read More…

August 3, 2016 -     What Israeli-Americans can learn from American Jews. Israeli schoolchildren hold the Israeli and American flags. (photo credit:REUTERS) Over the past decade, American Jewry has emerged as perhaps the strongest Jewish community in the history of the Diaspora. Their story of success is nothing short of inspiring. Jews began arriving in large numbers Read More…

July 30, 2016 -     Pirkei Avot teaches us to “קנה לך חבר” — “acquire a friend.” This Talmud verse is counter-intuitive. Friendship is a unique kind of relationship that money could never buy. When you look deeper, you come to appreciate that the true meaning of “acquire a friend” is the importance of investing in frie Read More…

July 20, 2016 -     When you read this, you might realize this story is about you. Please forgive me. I have the utmost respect for you and your work. However, this lesson is just too valuable not to share. Last month, I was approached by a group of professionals who had a simple yet brilliant idea: They needed $150,000 in order to create a high-quality program that w Read More…

July 18, 2016 -     Seventy years ago, in the wake of the Holocaust, the Jewish people took a vow: Never Again! After the Nazis murdered six million Jews, we came to recognize that we only have ourselves to rely upon for our defense. In today’s tumultuous world, the sole guarantor of Jewish safety is a strong Israeli military. Jews around the world facing mortal Read More…

July 8, 2016 -     Never again. That was the sacred vow made by the Jewish people over the past 70 years in the wake of the Holocaust. Following the murder of six million of our brethren by the Nazis, the Jewish people have come to recognize that we have only ourselves to rely on for our defense. When the going gets tough, no one else will come to fight for us. And i Read More…

June 17, 2016 -     Like many with hyphenated identities, Israeli-Americans have proven to be uniquely capable bridge builders. In recent years, the Israeli-American Council (IAC), and its partner advocacy organization, the Israeli-American Nexus (IAX), have been able to tap into our community’s unique fluency in both the Israeli and American cultures to build Read More…

May 27, 2016 -     Written by Hadas Sella, MBA, Executive Director of The Adam & Gila Milstein Family Foundation. My job is to say “no” about 90% of the time. It’s not that easy — there are so many great projects out there: projects that help diverse communities in Israel; projects that are tempting to support because they have s Read More…

May 24, 2016 -      This month (May 2016), I authored a piece in the Jerusalem Post focused on one of the most pressing challenges facing the Jewish people in America today: how to connect our next generation to their Jewish heritage, instill in them a sense of pride in their Jewish identity, and connect them to their Jewish homeland. In recent years, Read More…