Our Blog

A Community Update & Call to Action

By Steven Roth
Board Chair, Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg

As I enter my third month as Board Chair of the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg (JFGH), I want to share a transparent and hopeful update on where we are as an organization, the progress we are making together, and h…

A Dispatch from Israel and the Gaza Envelope

By Zach Benjamin

Last month, I was privileged to spend ten days in Israel on a JCC Association of North America-hosted and funded series of leadership workshops for a cohort of thirteen newly-hired JCC CEOs. While the stated purpose of the experience was to use Israel and its remarkably res…

This Passover, Let us Dwell in the Common Ground of our Joy

By Zachary Benjamin

As I write this month’s reflections, we sit midway between the celebrations of Purim and Passover, two of the Hebrew calendar’s most profound observances of Jewish perseverance over challenges to our very existence. Our Jewish identities are forged, in large part, by…

Reflections on the Tragedy of the Bibas and Sharabi Families

By Zachary Benjamin

 

Last month, I reflected on the excruciating price of—and the rightly incalculable value that we place upon—Jewish life. At that moment, the Jewish world awaited with mixed emotions the release of the first October 7 hostages to be freed under “Phase I” of Isr…

Mixed Feelings on Day 471

By Zachary Benjamin

As I write this on Day 471 since Hamas committed the crimes against humanity of October 7, 2023, I feel compelled to confess an uncomfortable personal reality. The agreement struck between Israel and Hamas—a veritable deal with the devil to gradually exchange a handful…