I like to say that I was raised on bread and butter and Zionism. My father had died when I was only thirteen months old, but our single mom ensured that the importance of both tzedakah and Israel were imprinted very early on the consciousness of my brother Harry and me. Though our small fami…
Tzedakah has always been part of our respective upbringing. When we got married, we both knew that giving would continue to be a family value in our home.
Strong tzedakah role models for me were my (Aaron’s) maternal grandparents, Ben and Eileen Applebaum. Giving was in their souls. My gr…
Growing up in a small town a few hundred miles outside of Cape Town, South Africa, I did not live in a large community and I did not have opportunities to experience Judaism through programs, institutions and/or social/community groups, contrary to the incredible opportunities in the thrivin…
Giving is in my genes—it’s the way I was raised and the way I was determined to raise my own children.
I am originally from Amsterdam, and my grandfather and even my great-grandfather were Jewish community leaders in that city, so charity has always been an important part of my life. We…
The Book of Life has prompted me to think about what Judaism means to me. Simply put, it’s me; it’s who I am. I can’t separate myself from Judaism, but I can say that my own connection to Judaism and to the Jewish community has deepened over the years and still continues to grow.
I was…
