News

A Rabbi Walks Into a Bar Mitzvah

December 17, 2024

Sometimes on ordinary mornings you meet extraordinary people.On a recent

As Our Children Grow

November 18, 2024

For the last 20 years, my mother and I have debated whether I was an

Is This the Year to Give Jewish?

November 12, 2024

The past year has deeply changed how American Jews relate to their

Do I Renounce Satan?

November 3, 2024

I've been getting a lot of hate mail lately. From people on the right

Are You The One Who Got Away?

October 29, 2024

A few weeks ago I got on an elevator and standing right there was an old

October 7, one year later

October 7, 2024

I was in our local synagogue in Los Angeles a year ago today, when the

Embracing Change in a Changing World

October 2, 2024

Every year as Rosh Hashanah approaches, I try to carve out time for deep

The Balancing Act Continues

September 4, 2024

Over the summer, we waited with bated breath to see to what extent, if

Front Row Seats

August 8, 2024

A few years ago I started noticing how the first two rows of every

?Nobody cares, work harder."

July 24, 2024

I'm a basketball junkie and much of my thought process happens in terms of

A Jewish Fourth

July 4, 2024

A few months ago I was walking to a meeting in Midtown, NYC and saw a

My Shtetl

June 28, 2024

The shtetl, those quaint little Jewish towns dotting the landscape in

JGO's Bar Mitzvah Speech

June 20, 2024

When we founded JGO with 15 UCLA MBA students back in 2011, we dreamed ?

Going to Shul with Taylor Swift

May 17, 2024

I recently passed a church here in Los Angeles and its sign caught my eye:

Coming from Campus

May 2, 2024

I'm reaching out to you from the heart of UCLA's campus, where the events

Our Students Need Your Voice on Campus, Now

April 25, 2024

These last few days have been an especially harrowing experience to be a

Passover: We Control Our Own Narrative

April 19, 2024

It's past 1:00 am on a random Saturday night a few weeks ago, and I got

Esther in the Workplace

March 22, 2024

In two weeks, I'll be meeting up in Chicago with an alumna from 9 years

Still a Piano Man at Heart

March 15, 2024

I recently listened to an interview with the legendary Billy Joel and

Saying Good Shabbos to Rambo

January 24, 2024

This past Friday night was a huge milestone for our organization. To kick

JGO Fall 2023 Semester in Review

December 20, 2023

With most of our students now headed home for winter break, our community

Keep on Spinning

December 10, 2023

It takes a lot to shock me, but on the first night of Hanukkah my teenage

Does Antisemitism Depend on the Context?

December 6, 2023

For the last eight weeks, our organization has engaged in hundreds of

Ignoring the Noise, Giving Thanks

November 22, 2023

A year ago, JGO ditched our expensive office lease and joined a coworking

1 Month Later: JGO Campus Update and How You Can Help

November 14, 2023

From the White House, to Wall Street, to Ivy League boardrooms, everyone

The On-Ramp: Our Vision Comes Together

November 12, 2023

This past week I attended our JGO Connect mixer in New York City. We

Jew vs. TikTok?

November 8, 2023

When I was a freshman in college, I took a debate class. The final debate

Re-evaluating Our Friendships

November 1, 2023

For the first time in most of our lifetimes, Jews in the United States are

My Classmate the Anti-Semite

October 27, 2023

For the first time in my 17 years as a rabbi in the field, every major

Dancing Through Our Tears

October 23, 2023

As many have, I've experienced a rollercoaster of emotions these past few

Meet the Grad Students Facing Antisemitism, and How You Can Help Them

October 20, 2023

I just got back from NYC this morning, where I spent time with our

Feeling Jewish

October 17, 2023

I first heard about last weekend's massacres in Israel while in synagogue.

We Won't Be Bullied

October 13, 2023

"Sticks and stones may break your bones but words will never hurt you."

Security Update

October 12, 2023

There are a million thoughts floating around in my mind about what to

Update: Israel Crisis Comes to Campus

October 10, 2023

The last few days have been harrowing for the entire Jewish community, but

JGSI/JGO Message on Situation in Israel

October 9, 2023

The events that have taken place in the last 36 hours in Israel are

The Shop Around the Corner Closes

September 14, 2023

For the last 99 years, my wife's family has owned a men's clothing store

Kobe Went Right Back to Work

August 30, 2023

There's a story about Kobe Bryant's legendary work ethic that always stood

Cardi B. and Her Jewish Lawyers

August 11, 2023

It seems like every week or so another celebrity gets in trouble for

AI vs. Rabbi

July 21, 2023

I recently read about a Rabbi who shocked his congregation by announcing

JGSI 2022-23 Update: A Year of Growth and Evolution

June 22, 2023

As our family packs their suitcases for our humid summer living experience

Uber for grad students?

June 8, 2023

Sometimes being a father to teenage daughters is very similar to driving

George the Piano Mover

May 24, 2023

I was recently driving down the highway when I noticed a truck alongside

Our Own Haggadah

April 5, 2023

Like many Jews around the world, these past few nights I've been up late

We've Got Depth!

March 17, 2023

As a Rabbi, I'm often consulted by our alumni about their relationship

Too Quick to Judge

February 28, 2023

One of my family's favorite things about Shabbat is hosting guests from

Finding Your Roots, or Rejecting Them?

February 16, 2023

On the treadmill recently, I came across a great show: "Finding Your

An Update on Our Progress

February 10, 2023

I am excited to update you on the remarkable growth and progress JGSI has

My Secret Admiration for Xmas

December 8, 2022

As the father to five daughters, I get dragged into shopping often. So for

Pardoning the Turkey

November 24, 2022

The annual ritual of the President of the United States pardoning a

From Startup to Scale Up

November 17, 2022

For the past 11 years, JGSI's growth has been miraculous. From one

Kanye and Jewish Vulnerability

November 7, 2022

I've been traveling a lot the last few weeks, visiting grad campuses,

Yom Kippur 2022: Never Stop Growing

October 4, 2022

Back in high school, I loved every second of playing for the school

A Home for Jewish Grad Students

September 9, 2022

I'm from Brooklyn, New York. When people today picture Brooklyn, they

Are We "Big Enough"?

August 2, 2022

I recently met with a foundation who, after hearing about JGSI's massive

Summer of George

June 29, 2022

When, in the classic Seinfeld episode "Summer of George", George Costanza

Not Just the CEO

June 10, 2022

Back in the 80s there used to be these commercials for Hair Club for Men,

JGSI End of Semester Update

May 24, 2022

I hope you are well! As the 2021-22 academic year draws to a close, we are

The Fresh Prince of Egypt

April 14, 2022

Like most Americans my age, I can rattle off all the lyrics to the Fresh

For a Time Like This

March 17, 2022

A courageous Jewish leader reaches the halls of power in the most unlikely

Elevating My Elevator Pitch

February 18, 2022

When JGSI launched in 2011, I was the only employee, and solely

Worst. Year. Ever? JGSI End of Semester Update

December 27, 2021

I saw a headline yesterday that according to some random survey, half of

The Light Back Home

December 1, 2021

I just returned home from an incredibly special trip to Israel with Shira,

My Retirement from Comedy

November 18, 2021

My entire life I dreamed about being a comedian. When we started JGSI 10

The Proof Is in the Pudding

November 10, 2021

How can we prove that a nonprofit is doing its job? In the old days of

My Stolen Tefillin and the Power of a Good Deed

October 27, 2021

About a month ago, I scheduled an in-and-out day trip to San Francisco

"The will must be stronger than the skill": JGSI Fall Update

October 15, 2021

As a nonprofit CEO I'm always thinking about what it takes for an

Growth Through Rejection this Rosh Hashanah

September 3, 2021

Every year before the High Holidays, I spend time thinking about the year

Where to Next?

August 10, 2021

Warren Buffet once said, "Someone's sitting in the shade today because

The Cost of Traveling Jewish

July 23, 2021

In 2017, I stopped wearing a yarmulke on airplanes. No, not because of

Mazal Tov from 1 to 100!

June 21, 2021

I wanted to share the good news with you that as of today, JGSI has just

The Last Man on Zoom

May 31, 2021

As the pandemic zooms away in our collective rear-view window (pun

Passover: Questioning Ourselves

March 26, 2021

It's hard for my wife and I to believe, but our eldest daughter will be