Author: Guest Contributor
Meet Marina, our Russian Speaking Grandparent Connector
Meet Marina Vugaftman (second from the left), our Russian-Speaking Grandparents Connector, whose energy, warmth and love of bringing people together make our community feel a little smaller and a lot more connected. From trivia nights to holiday concerts, Marina creates spaces where people feel welcomed, valued and inspired to show up as their full selves. […]
Meet Alyson, Purim Party Co-Chair
Alyson Friedman is our Purim Party co-chair who brings heart, creativity and a true love of community to the table. She is deeply passionate about creating spaces where people can come together, feel connected and celebrate Jewish joy. We’re excited to spotlight her and share a little more about what inspires her and why this […]
Purim, Already? Why This Holiday Deserves a Spot on Your Calendar – and in Your Kitchen
By Melissa Myslinski, Harford County Parent Connector Purim is almost here, and a lot of us are scratching our heads thinking, “Well, that was fast.” Between sports, dance, Sunday school, vacations, the occasional snow day and mountains of work, it’s tempting to let this Jewish holiday quietly slide by. We ask ourselves: Does my family […]
Meet the Rosenberg Family: PJ Library’s Mishpacha of the Month!
Meet Gabriella and Evan Rosenberg, and their children, Luna, age 8, and Scarlett, age 4. Gabby and Evan both grew up in Jewish households- Gabby was born in Pikesville and moved to Cockeysville with her parents when she was in Lower School, and Evan was born and raised in Silver Spring. Both attended Jewish day […]
Meet Yael Hamburger
Born and raised in Baltimore and now calling Canton home, Yael Hamburger is all about building community through movement, meaning and connection. Whether she’s running along the waterfront, planning gatherings with The Network or balancing nursing school at Johns Hopkins, Yael brings heart, energy and openness to everything she does. Her story is a beautiful […]
Being a GRANDparent… is GRAND!
By Sheri Stern (center in photo), Special Needs Grandparent Support Group Participant On the day before our first Seder in 2014, my daughter, Michelle, and son-in-law, John, told my husband, Jeffrey, and I that we would become grandparents that November. In that moment, we became Pop-Pop and Bubbe, our self-selected names, and we have been […]
The Trip of a Lifetime: Jewish DeafBlind Adults Explore Israel for the First Time
By Yael Zelinger, Jewish DeafBlind Experience, Coordinator For many members of the Jewish DeafBlind community, traveling to Israel as a fully accessible Jewish group has been a long-held dream. For years, participants in Jewish DeafBlind Shabbatons talked about what it might mean to experience Israel in a way designed specifically for their needs. In November […]
Reset and Refresh Reflection
For Tali and George, joining Reset & Refresh opened their minds to what Judaism can be and how it can weave its way through all aspects of life and family, even when not everyone in that family identifies as Jewish. Their experience is a powerful reminder that there is no single right way to build […]
Yolka: A New Year’s Tree; A Tree of Childhood Celebration
By Valery Viner, Jewish Connection Network’s Russian Speaking Parent Connector Yolka, the New Year tree As a child, born and partly brought up in the former Soviet country of Ukraine, Yolka played a significant part in my life and in every Soviet child’s life. It represented something magical because on the eve of New Year’s […]
Meet Dante Barboy
My name is Dante Barboy, and I recently became one of the new Baltimore City Jewish Young Adults (20s & 30s) Connectors. I was originally born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and came to the Baltimore region at age 6 with my family. I attended Jewish day school in Buenos Aires, and Hebrew School once here […]