Generosity, caring, giving, helping — tzedakah in the full and profoundly moving meaning of the word –- are embedded into the deep DNA structure of the Jewish people. From the modest “pushka” into which regular attendees at synagogue drop their…

Anna Pava, Chair of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) Office of Education and Engagement published an instructive, important article this past week on the eJewishPhilanthropy website. Entitled Redefining Jewish Education: Federations’ Goals for a New Century, Pava writes…

As most of the readers of this weekly update know, CIJA–The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs–is a non-partisan, non-profit advocacy agency of the Jewish Federations of Canada. Its broad mandate is to be a voice to government and other…

Even as we ponder ways to make Jewish education more affordable for middle-income families, it is also worthwhile from time to time to reflect upon aspects of that education from a broader perspective. To that end, we bring readers’ attention…

Rabbi Philip Graubart, Chief Jewish Officer & Director, Advanced Institute for Judaic Studies at San Diego Jewish Academy has posted an article for eJewish Philanthropy in which he reflects upon the deeply lasting achievement of Jewish education in an American…

The advent of a new calendar year is an appropriate moment to restate “first principles”. The community’s mission – indeed the mission for every Jewish community throughout the long history of our people – is to strive to make Jewish…

There is reason to feel optimistic as the last page of 2018 falls off the calendar and we greet 2019. As we noted in last week’s update, the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto has publicly declared it will pursue an…

This week’s edition of The CJN (Dec. 20) featured an article about the recent Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto. The lead item of the story, indeed the key news from the meeting itself, relates…

In his discussion of this week’s parsha, Vayigash, Ephraim Mirvis, the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth provides a profoundly important insight. In a certain sense, it is effectively be the ner tamid, the permanent shining…

The Ontario government is currently holding public consultations into education reform in the province. The scope of the consultation is potentially quite broad. Eight questions have been put to the public for response. The questions suggest a narrow scope of…