More Joy, Less Oy: CLI Participants' Lessons from Poland’s Jewish Community

The Jewish Leadership Academy’s Community Leadership Initiative (CLI) is a 12-month training and mentoring program for lay leaders who are expected to advance to senior level positions in their synagogue or local Jewish nonprofit. The program prepares participants with the skills and Jewis…

VP of Development Sherri Pliskin's Travels to Germany & Israel Post Oct. 7

Sherri Pliskin joined Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford as Vice President of Development in 2023. For six years prior, she served as Director of Development for Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Hartford. Last July, Sherri traveled to Germany and Israel as part of a special delegat…

Woman of Impact: Sharon Efron

Our Woman of Impact profile features a local woman making a notable impact in our community. For this issue, we spoke with Sharon Efron, co-chair of the Israel Engagement Committee at Beth El Temple and a member of the newly formed Women’s Philanthropy Cabinet at Jewish Federation of Great…

A Recipe for a New Life: An Israeli Family’s Journey to West Hartford

The sirens had always been a part of life in Beit Hillel, and like many Israelis, Roi Graber and his family had learned to live with them. Life in their moshav near the Lebanese border had found its own peace—Roi owned a popular restaurant (the "best pizza in the north," according to his p…

STEM and Stability for Israel’s Future Scientists

The Israeli nonprofit Ofanim, founded in 2004 by Dr. Chaim Dahan, promotes equal opportunities in STEM education for children in Israel’s rural communities. The organization has concentrated their efforts in the north of Israel, where many communities have been under the threat of attack, …