13-year-old Gabe Vinnick is a student at Pine Lake Middle School and celebrated his Bar Mitzvah at Herzl-Ner Tamid in February. We wanted to learn more about Gabe’s special mitzvah project that benefited the Polack Food Bank. What was your project? I used money I was given for my Bar Mitzvah to purchase food at…
A Day in the Life Of…
…Emergency Services Case Manager Lauren Fabella 9:00 a.m. Checking messages is always first on my list when I get into the office. JFS is a referral given by the 211 Crisis Clinic program, and the housing line I monitor from that referral source is critical. People calling the housing line are looking for shelter vouchers and…
What Does the Word “No” Really Mean?
The right to self-determination is sacred in our culture; the law protects a person’s “right” to be homeless, to be mentally ill without treatment, or to live in a home that is dangerous and uninhabitable if that person refuses help. Because these legal and cultural protections parallel our continuing lack of adequate services, I worry…
A Babushka’s Wish for Her Family
I am from Russia. My husband and I were born in Ukraine. We finished the school and the university in the city of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. I became a teacher of mathematics. I worked mainly in high school. My husband was a naval officer. Therefore, he worked at the places near the water….
Holiday Celebrations for All
People living with developmental disabilities or mental illness often face the challenge of social isolation, and at holidays, that isolation can feel even more pronounced. Sha’arei Tikvah: Celebrations for All holds four annual gatherings to make sure all people have a way to celebrate the Jewish holidays in community. These events are designed to be…
Are We Morally Failing Our Kids? Part 2
Kids emphasize achievement and personal happiness over kindness and fairness because we do. So exactly how are we faking our kids out — claiming we care about certain values that support the common good but instead prizing other values that benefit the individual first and foremost? Researchers say it’s in not-so-subtle and more subtle ways:…
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