Drawing Nourishment from the Tree of Life

A snow day! What could be more inspiring than witnessing the beauty of falling snow from the warmth and comfort of your home? While I marvel at the majesty of it all, I reflect on this week's Torah portion, B'shalach, from the book of Exodus, which describes the Israelites' journey from Egyp…

The Importance of Remembering

I am writing from the other Jewish homeland - southern Florida - where we have spent this week with many of our Greater Hartford friends. On Tuesday we hosted a lovely brunch that brought together over fifty people. They reconnected with old friends and made new ones, listened to an inspirat…

Joint Statement on President Trump's Executive Order on Immigration

Dear Friends,
 
Yesterday our Federation issued a joint statement on President Trump's Executive Order on immigration along with several other Federations across Connecticut, the Jewish Federation Association of Connecticut, and the Anti-Defamation League of Connecticut. The full text of th…

How Do You Mend a Heart of Stone?

What is that building? Last Sunday, along with 19 other men who participated in our Federation's Second Annual Men's Mission to Israel, I visited Kibbutz Nahal Oz on the Gaza-Israel border. We were moved by the sight of people tending to their gardens and children running and playing. We wer…

Growing Leaders: An Unexpected Journey

Friends, while I am away on our 2017 Men's Mission to Israel, I have asked Heather Fiedler, our Federation's Associate Vice President of Jewish Education and Leadership, to share her thoughts on this week's Torah portion, which is rich in leadership lessons. Shabbat Shalom. - Howard

"All jo…