Blog
Bleary Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose (Or Deal With The 120 Degree Heat)
Waking up at 3:30 am isn't normally as exciting as it was today. But today, in Israel, we not only woke up to 80 degree weather, but we knew we were going to hike Masada. Bleary eyes looked up the Roman Ramp with trepidation, but with an encouraging shout from two...
Guest Blogger: Leigh McDonald
Our journey in Jerusalem wrapped up today as we left our hotel and headed to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial and museum. There we were lead by Mordechai, who shared personal stories from his family's experiences as he led our group around the extremely emotional...
Jerusalem, if I forget you….
Can’t We Just Take Our Rafts All The Way To Jerusalem?
Waking up this morning, we boarded our bus for a very full day. Our first stop, an overlook of the Syrian border provided us with a realistic understanding of the proximity of Israel to its border countries. After a drive past Israeli soliders in training, we saw two...
To Infinity and Beyond (ie The Galilee)
After a night of much needed rest at our hotel on the banks of the Kinneret, we got up bright and early to go to Tzfat to learn about Kabbalah and the generations of students who have studied there. Our first introduction to the mystical side of Judaism was through...
From the Heartland to the Holy Land
Nothing gets the juices going like hearing Hebrew even before you arrive in Israel, but as we sat at JFK in, surrounded by three other birthright groups set to depart on our plane, the Hebrew language was all around us. From the other passengers to the EL AL security...
Unclaimed Property Older Missourian Education Initiative
Carolyn Epstein was researching the cost of an emergency response system. “I’m getting older and I have a disabled son,” she says. “If I fall, he might not be able to get me help.” So the 75-year-old member of Jewish Federation of St. Louis’ Naturally Occurring...
Andrea Kass
Andrea Kass has been giving since she had her first paid job. “My family has always been involved in giving,” she says. “I felt good about being able to contribute myself, not just through my parents. It was significant to me.” It is also important to Kass, a student...
Spring 2013 STL Community Birthright Trip Itinerary
It's already less than one week to go before we leave for Israel!!! I cannot believe how quickly May 27th got here. For the last couple weeks, we [staff and participants alike] have devoted a lot of time to pre-trip orientations, packing lists, flight booking...
Disabilities & Our Community
Disabilities support is essential to the creation of decent and just communities. Since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1991, all aspects of American society have been sensitized to these issues. Our sidewalk curbs are cut to allow...