Avi Chai

By: Yossi Prager As Chanukah draws to an end, I have begun to think about the takeaways from the holiday that I hope will inspire me well into 2012.  Rather than focus on the traditions of the holiday, my thoughts drift to the underlying events and the sense of pride and purpose they give me as a Jew in the modern world.  I hope you, too, will find meaning in these reflections. 1.  The Jews … Read More »

By: Deena Fuchs Back in March, I wrote a blog post about the power of storytelling and the importance of being able to share the WHY – why do we do what we do? At the foundation there is a growing interest in how stories can and should be used in communications and how they can further the WHY message. We are funding the Jewish Day School Video Academy which has built into it a … Read More »

By: Dan Perla If you ask a large group of parents whose children attend a Jewish day school to name the most pressing school issue on their mind, they will almost certainly utter the same word—AFFORDABILITY. Simply put, for a large group of parents, a day school education in the U.S. and Canada has become unaffordable.  The average day school tuition nationally is approximately $14,000 and has increased at a 3%-6% percent annualized rate over … Read More »

The question raised frequently in the press and around day school tables across the country has been how the recent and lingering economic crisis is affecting day school enrollments, with widespread predictions of significant enrollment decline, including in the Modern Orthodox sector. As he has done annually since the economic decline in 2008, Dr. Marvin Schick has collected and provided enrollment data for schools outside the yeshiva world and Chassidic sectors. Group # Schools 2010 … Read More »

We have a winner! Thank you to everyone who participated in our Name4Talks contest.  The response was better than what we could have hoped for, demonstrating once again the power and creativity of our networks. There were more than 200 submissions, and to be honest, we had a difficult time choosing our winner – there were just so many great entries.  But, we did have to choose. ELI Talks: Inspired Jewish Ideas And, it won … Read More »

By: Abby Mintz Think back to a story you recently heard that really made you laugh. Now think of one of the most inspiring stories that you’ve been told.  What makes these stories meaningful and memorable?  The content, absolutely. But it is more likely how they are told that makes you think of them time and time again. Day schools are full of funny and moving stories.  Often they remain untold.  And those stories that … Read More »

By: Leah Meir “Jewish geography” is a favorite game among Jews who meet up anywhere – conferences, social gatherings, work meetings, street corners. You know the game questions: “So where are you from?” “No kidding, New Jersey! Do you know my brother (son, daughter, sister), who went to school (camp, college) there?” “Sure, I know your brother (son, daughter etc.) – We were really friendly at school (camp, college etc.)! I actually just connected with … Read More »