Rabbi Named American Jewish World Service Fellow
Rabbi Ariella Rosen of Temple Adath Israel in Merion Station was named one of 14 2017-18 Global Justice Fellows by American Jewish World Service (AJWS).
The fellowship program trains American Jewish leaders “to advocate effectively in support of international policies that advance the human rights and well-being of the world’s poorest and most oppressed communities,” according to an AJWS release.
The program begins with a January trip to Guatemala to meet with those fighting poverty and advancing human rights there. Fellows also “will engage in six months of education and action that includes learning directly from advocates in Guatemala and from AJWS staff,” the release said.
AJWS works to realize human rights and end poverty in developing world countries.
Philadelphia Native Whose Lawsuit Led to Same-Sex Marriages Dies at 88
Edie Windsor, who was the plaintiff in the landmark Supreme Court case that led to marriage equality, died Sept. 12 in New York City, according to The New York Times.
Windsor, who was born Edith Schlain in Philadelphia in 1929 and earned a bachelor’s degree from Temple University, married her brother’s friend Saul Windsor despite her sexual orientation, but the marriage only lasted a year.
She moved to New York and met her eventual first wife, clinical psychologist Thea Spyer, in 1963. Spyer proposed marriage in 1967, leading to a 40-year engagement and years of LGBT activism. Windsor and a seriously ill Spyer married in Canada in 2007; Spyer died in 2009. Windsor later married Judith Kasen, a banking executive she met at a gay rights event.
New York state made same-sex marriage valid in 2011 and a Windsor lawsuit led to a 2013 Supreme Court victory and a 2015 ruling that constitutionally guaranteed same-sex marriages.
Archbishop Offers High Holidays Greetings
Archbishop of Philadelphia Charles J. Chaput offered High Holidays greetings in advance of the High Holidays.
“Our times demand much prayerful reflection and a renewed commitment to justice and charity. Sadly, in our nation and world today, there are so many challenges to justice and charity which we are obligated to address,” he wrote. “Often in our endeavors to improve the lot of those in need or in distress, we find ourselves divided and our discourse ever more difficult.
“How do we unite? How do we properly serve our neighbor? May the Most High enlighten us along the path to authentic love. … As Pope Francis recently said to a group of rabbis visiting him in Rome: ‘Shanah Tovah’!”
Athletes, Coaches and Volunteers Sought for Maccabi Youth Games 2018
Maccabi USA put out a call for Jewish athletes, coaches and volunteers to represent the United States at the first Maccabi Youth Games in Israel from July 22 to Aug. 1, 2018.
Six days of competition are planned, as well as three days of touring.
Boys and girls born between 2002 and 2004 are eligible, with teams formed in basketball, ice hockey, soccer, volleyball and futsal, a soccer variant.
Applicants will be accepted on a rolling basis, with a priority application deadline of Dec. 1. Visit maccabiusa.com for more information.
Penn TAMID Chapter Honored for Innovative Fundraising
The University of Pennsylvania’s TAMID Group chapter was honored for its fundraising at TAMIDcon 2017 Sept. 3 and 4 in Newark, N.J.
Tamid is a national organization connecting American students to Israel via programs related to stock picking and business consulting.
The Penn chapter was founded in 2012; there are about 40 Tamid chapters in colleges across the United States.
