Julie Platt is the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and immediate past Chair of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and serves as Chair of the Foundation for Jewish Camp.
.וְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י מִקְדָּ֑שׁ וְשָֽׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם
And they shall make me a sanctuary, and I will dwell in their midst.
We often speak of the Jewish people as a גוי קדוש, a holy nation. One supporting text for that characterization…
Tonight we light the full Chanukah menorah – all eight candles plus the shamash (the helper candle). Jewish homes everywhere will be filled with light.
We received so many beautiful Chanukah messages last week, and we are so grateful for all the words of Torah and good wishes from eve…
During the opening sequence of Fiddler on the Roof, as the cast sings Tradition!, one of the townspeople asks the rabbi of the small Jewish community of Anatevka “Rabbi, is there a blessing for the tsar?” Without missing a beat, the rabbi responds “may G-d bless and keep the tsar – f…
We commonly use phrases like “our community,” the “Jewish community,” or “am yisrael – the people of Israel,” when we refer to ourselves collectively.
One name for our community that used to be more common, but is less so today, is “amcha.” “Amcha” literally means “…
We write to you from the tarmac at the airport in Addis Ababa, about to embark to Israel with 209 Ethiopian soon-to-be-olim who have waited many long years to realize their dream of making aliyah. We are here with a delegation of dozens of senior leaders from across North America who have co…
