Seeking a Common Fire

Seeking a Common Fire

By Rabbi Will Berkovitz, Schocken Family CEO  The full audio of this letter can be found here.  This may surprise you, but my family is not big into animal husbandry. Let me explain. My son, Idan, worked at a rodeo in rural Oregon earlier this summer. To my knowledge, he has never been close to…

Looking Up: Jewish Values in Action

Looking Up: Jewish Values in Action

By Rabbi Will Berkovitz, Schocken Family CEO The text below is edited from remarks given by our CEO, Rabbi Will Berkovitz at our 2024 Community of Caring Luncheon. The full audio of his remarks can be found here.  This has been an extraordinarily troubling time, with increasing division and polarization on so many fronts. It can…

In Times of Uncertainty We Need More Humanity

In Times of Uncertainty We Need More Humanity

By Rabbi Will Berkovitz, Schocken Family CEO Our world has transformed, and it feels like our humanity has been hijacked by extremists. Everything is off its axis. People are not thinking clearly. These are very painful and difficult days with no easy answers or simple solutions. It is a time of uncertainty. Many in our…

Rising Above the Darkness

Rising Above the Darkness

By Rabbi Will Berkovitz, CEO I have been hearing from many, many people in the Jewish community over the past few weeks and the words most repeated are sadness, fear, and isolation. I feel this as well. I have been fighting the urge to harden my heart. It is easy to do as a way…

A Worthy Legacy

A Worthy Legacy

By Rabbi Will Berkovitz, CEO Hear Will’s Message A reading of this message is available here. I am feeling nostalgic these days. It may be because I turned 55 this year or I am reflecting on my ten-year anniversary at JFS. I feel it in my bones. It has me thinking of the word “legacy.”…

Ten Spins Around the Sun

Ten Spins Around the Sun

By Rabbi Will Berkovitz, CEO Ten years ago, I started as CEO of Jewish Family Service. When I think back on the past decade I think primarily of people. What better way to measure time than through relationships? Their ebb and flow seemingly pulled by the gravity of some unseen celestial object orbiting our lives….

Jewish Family Service

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