It’s Time to Get a Job

t=”152″ />Warning: This piece may be controversial. If you have trouble with an opinion that challenges conventional thinking about students’ learning full time well into their late 20’s and beyond, while being supported by the government through various welfare programs – stop reading.

My Bubby (grandmother) raised me from the day I was born until I made it through college and got married. She worked as a seamstress and at her peak, pulled in $110 per work (including overtime pay). With that income (our only source of income in the household), she paid off a mortgage, fed our family and put me through college. My Bubby never took a penny from the government or a dime of charity her entire life. Her work ethic was an example for me and all those who were fortunate to know her. I’m proud to say that I graduated from college with $50.50 to my name. I raised two children and now grandchildren and work very hard, without ever taking money from the government. My children also work hard to pay tuition, feed their children, etc. It feels good to know that my Bubby’s strong work ethic was not in vain.

My Bubby’s generation was just that way. It was considered a “shanda” disgrace to accept charity or not work to support your family. Men would go to Synagogue in the morning and then work 8-10 hours to earn a living. At night, they were home with their family. On the Sabbath, back to synagogue to hear the Rabbi speak. When possible, they would attend sudy sessions and special lectures by the Rabbi during the week.

Somehow today, things have really changed. Boys start out learning in Yeshiva (Religious School) and then go on to Kollel (advanced study) for married men. They learn for years, and at the same time, raise a family. At best, the mother may have a part time teaching job to bring in some money or the husband might give lessons to earn a few dollars. Most of the family “income” comes from the government in the form of public aid, food stamps, housing supplements, etc.  In the secular world, some “college students” are on the 5-8 year program taking government PELL money to pay for their education, welfare and food stamps, etc. – all while living at home and pursuing a prized degree in some “hot” area of study that employers are clamoring for. “Students” in their 30’s have yet to earn enough to feed themselves and still believe their status as a “student” is acceptable.

How can we come to terms with the fact that we have generations of people who have never held down full time employment and who rely on government and

charities to sustain themselves and their children?

Our greatest Rabbis throughout the ages have made it clear that while nothing comes close to education and dedicated study – there is a time to combine that study with the pursuit of livelihood.

Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) (O.H.#156): After a session

of study, go to work.

Rambam (Maimonides) (Hilchos Talmud Torah 3:10) Whoever decides that he will study and not have a job and therefore will be financed from charity causes a disgrace.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 45.4% of Americans had jobs in 2010, the lowest rate since 1983. Last year, just 66.8% of men had jobs, the lowest on record. The rate of welfare dependence is growing at an alarming rate. Do the math and you can see that an economic model of less people working to support more people receiving government benefits cannot be sustained. What will become of these “educated,” but unemployable adults when the government can’t pay out welfare any longer? It’s frightening.

In my opinion, it’s time to get a job – any job.

As parents, we must teach our children the importance of working for a living and to provide for our needs from the fruits of our own labor. As educators, we need to teach our students that while an education is important, it’s a means to an end. The purpose of education is to learn to be a productive member of society and to make the world a better place, according to the will of our Creator. For the vast majority of us – a basic education in our chosen field combined with hard work and a lifelong commitment to a healthy mix of work/learning is the proper path.

Fellowship offers Jewish social entrepreneurs tools to pursue social justice

There is no doubt about it–for decades we have seen a slide in Jewish engagement in America, particularly among young adults. Sociologist Steven M. Cohen remarks, “Fewer and fewer Jews see themselves as obligated to support the collec

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tive interests of the Jewish people, to feel attached to Israel, or even to relate personally to the very notion of the Jewish people at all.” (eJewish Philanthropy, Nov 24, 2009).

With these troubling trends in mind, the Jewish Community Center of Chicago (JCC) has launched JCC PresenTense Chicago. It’s an innovative program that resonates with young Jewish adults by offering an avenue for social justice activism, interpreted through a Jewish lens. JCC PresenTense Chicago provides a 6-month fellowship to young Jewish social entrepreneurs who wish to develop their socially responsible ideas into sustainable businesses.

Launched only nine months ago, JCC PresenTense Chicago accepted its first cohort of 12 fellows in December 2011. Each fellow has worked closely with at least one mentor and one coach- Jewish professionals who have volunteered their passion and expertise to provide guidance and support.

The fellows are developing social ventures that focus on many different social problems, but they all share an idealistic mission and an urgent desire to make our imperfect world a better place:

• Jill Zenoff is co-founder of The Gan Project, which serves as a hub for urban agricultural activity for the Chicago Jewish community and is housed on land at Bernard Horwich JCC. She is launching L’Dor V’Dor, an alternative organic food system. She says, “The conventional food system is broken in every way and is in gross violation of the cornerstones of our Jewish faith.”
• Menachem Cohen has served since 2003 as rabbi of Mitziut, an independent, non-denominational spiritual community in Rogers Park. Through his venture, he hopes to expand upon his work with Mitzuit, recognizing that many disenchanted young Jews will not seek connection inside the walls of synagogues. He wishes to find them where they are at-not necessarily with the purpose of bringing them to worship-but to provide them with Jewish-based spiritual guidance at the alternative places they enjoy, such as street festivals, funky dance parties, or drum circles.

JCC PresenTense Chicago fellows are not the only young Jewish adults who have benefited from the program. Their coaches and mentors also have been inspired and enriched by this experience. Jacob Forman is Courtney Sharpe’s coach, whose venture, “Grandma’s Kitchen,” proposes to offer more nutritious alternatives to fast food in communities that have limited access to fresh produce.

Jacob comments, “I admire Courtney’s courage to confront one of Chicago’s most poignant problems. An estimated 384,000 Chicagoans live in food deserts. My coaching experience has taught me that seemingly insurmountable social problems can feel less daunting if we work on them together.”

Eric Davis, Jill Zenoff’s mentor and founder of the “Global Citizen Experience,” adds, “JCC PresenTense Chicago generates a flurry of relationships and economic opportunities. We [entrepreneurs] are successful because we have the will to endure.”

If you are inspired by these voices, and the social good that JCC PresenTense Chicago aspires to accomplish, we invite you to attend Launch Night. At this event, the fellows will showcase their business ideas through pitches and booth exhibitions.

Josh Altman, Chair of JCC PresenTense Chicago, talks about what inspired him to volunteer his time, and his view of Launch Night. “Launch Night is about solutions posed by those among us who have dared to take a risk by bringing an idea to the table and testing it out,” he said. “These 12 fellows are living the lesson taught by our Rabbis inPirkei Avot: ‘It is not necessary for you to finish the task of making the world a better place, but you most certainly are not

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free from making an effort.’ It is incumbent upon us to support them, with our business know-how or our financial capabilities, so that their ideas do not die on Launch Night, but thrive to enrich our city and our world.”

Launch Night will be held at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont, on Tuesday, June 26 from 7 to 9:30pm. To register for free-admission tickets for

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Launch Night, go towww.jccpresentensechgo.eventbrite.com.

Sara Massarik works for JCC Chicago and is Program Coordinator for JCC PresenTense Chicago. Questions? Contact Sara Massarik atsmassarik@gojcc.org .

The Jewish Community Center of Chicago (JCC) is a partner in serving our community and receives support from the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago

Tziporah Gelman Gets The Jewish Community Moving

Non-Profit Provides Model (Dis)Abilities Program for Cities Nationwide

Steven Page To Headline Lineup At Greater Chicago Jewish Festival

height=”164″ />Steven Page, former lead singer of Canadian alternative rockers Barenaked Ladies, will headline an eclectic music mix Sunday, June 10, at the Greater Chicago Jewish Festival in Morton Grove.

While Page has performed all over the world, winning fame and critical acclaim as the lead singer/songwriter of Toronto-based Barenaked Ladies, many fans don’t know that — since leaving the group in 2009 to pursue a solo career — Page has drawn from his Jewish heritage to write several songs that speak from this very important side of his personal life.

He will perform those songs along with selections from the Barenaked Ladies days and other music from his solo career, headlining a jam-packed and varied lineup showcasing various aspects of Judaism on four stages at the Cook County Forest Preserve on Oakton Street west of Lehigh Street in Morton Grove.

The Greater Chicago Jewish Festival, produced biannually since 1980, features Page and a panoply of Jewish performers, arts, crafts, dance, kosher food and kids activities. The festival will kick off at 11 a.m.  June 10, running through 6 p.m.
“We offer what no other music festival can offer, “ said Michael Lorge, founder and chair of the Festival’s production group. “It’s an opportunity for mainstream performers to offer up their mainstream music. The ultimate crossover.”

Besides nonstop music, the festival will have a storytelling stage, a children’s activities area, dance performance, and a strictly kosher food fair featuring vendors offering kosher pizza, hot dogs, falafel and unusual food treats.

Laura buy viagra online Frankel, the executive chef for Wolfgang Puck Kosher Catering at Chicago’s Spertus Institute for Jewish Studies, will demonstrate how to make

the best, tastiest Jewish dishes.

The musical lineup at the Festival includes:

• Blue Fringe, a New York-based, hard-pounding band with a longstanding commitment to traditional Judaism
• Soul Aviv, a California band that has created its own Jewish “gospel” sound
• Rabbi Joe Black, a Colorado performer whose style ranges from liturgical music of the heart to humorous children’s music
• Moishe Skier, hard rockers from Milwaukee
• Maxwell Street Klezmer Band, Chicago’s premier Jewish concert band
• Well-known Chicago acts Stuart Rosenberg, Tracy Friend & Andy Dennon,  Shakshuka, Ruby Harris, Listen Up!, Kol Sasson
• And many others

In between performances, attendees can walk the Festival grounds through a juried art show, where 100 artists from around the world will show and sell all manner of art, including paintings, soft sculpture, jewelry and other wearable art. Artists include Ketuba (marriage contract) calligraphers, weavers and ceramists.

The children’s activity area will include a family stage along with a variety of hands-on activities for kids.

“We create a kind of town square of Jewish Chicago, where people meet, sing and eat, and get to appreciate Jewish culture,” Lorge said. “It is just a kick to throw a party for 20,000 folks and know that for that day, everyone gets along and enjoys the music, dance and art.”

The Festival is produced by the Jewish POCET (Production Organization of Cultural Events and Theater),  an all-volunteer, not-for-profit production group.

“We started the Festival in 1980, partially to explore evolving expressions in Jewish identity in America and partially to demonstrate that as a community we can gather not just when there is a need to respond to community crises,” Lorge explained.

The festival has become the largest event in Chicago’s Jewish community and is also the longest-running Jewish festival in America.

Plenty of free parking will be available. A free shuttle bus will bring festival-goers to the main gate. Entrance to the Festival is free, but a $5 donation can help the organizers defray costs.

For more information or to see the entire lineup, call the Festival at (847)-933-3000 or visit www.jewishfestival.org.