Before his rather sudden passing in 2020, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks was one of the most eloquent and influential religious leaders of the generation. As Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth for over two decades, he offered a universal message cultivated from the Jewish and Western cannons he knew so well. One concept that figured prominently in his work was joy. “I think of Judaism as an ode to joy,� he once wrote. “Like Beethoven, Jews have known suffering, isolation, hardship, and rejection, yet they never lacked the religious courage to rejoice.� In this volume, organized by the Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks-Herenstein Center for Values and Leadership, academics and writers explore the significance of joy within the Jewish tradition. These essays and reflections discuss traditional Jewish primary sources, including Biblical, Rabbinic and Hebrew literature, Jewish history and philosophy, education, the arts, and positive psychology, and of course, through the prism of Lord Sacks’ work. 

It is estimated that at any one time around 135,000 school children are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They may be survivors of abuse (physical, emotional or sexual) or bullying. Some may have been involved in a road accident, an accident at home or any other traumatic event. This book provides teachers, support staff and other educational professionals with the information they need to, really understand the implications of PTSD, ably and effectively support and educate a traumatized child, address questions such as what can cause PTSD in young people? and understand how PTSD might affect the education of children at school.

A thought book and actionable guide for Jewish teens who want to make a difference in the world. Teens are changing the world. Teen leaders are dreaming, planning, and raising the social consciousness of those around them. They are questioning the status quo, using technology to do good, and pushing others to do so as well. they know that they don't have to wait for adults to make the world a kinder, better place. Do you look at problems others ignore? Do you find joy in helping others? Do you want to do something big in the world? There are many ways to be a leader, and we each have unique strengths. Jewish values such as tzedakah (charity, or justice), and tikun olam (healing the world) can help show us the way. And Jewish heroes throughout history and in the present offer us leadership lessons and personal examples. While we may never finish the work, we can't wait another minute to begin. Now's the time to find your voice and your cause, to think about your influence, mission, courage, and purpose, and to bring others along with you to do good in the world. You are leading. You are dreaming bigger. Dreaming Bigger is a call to action. It's workbook, an inspiration, a guide for teens who want to make a difference in the world, supported by their Jewish heritage. It can be read alone or with a friend, in a group, or in a class. Topics include managing stress, making better decisions, deepening empathy, using technology, speaking in public, ending bullying, fighting antisemitism, advocating for racial justice, and more. Packed with leadership advice for teens from teens and from experts around the world, insights from Jewish texts, thought exercises, and discussion prompts, it invites readers to grapple with the classis call to action from the sage Hillel: If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?

Elizabeth von Arnim and Elizabeth Taylor wrote witty and entertaining novels about the domestic lives of middle-class women. Widely read and enjoyed, their work was often dismissed as middlebrow. Brown argues their skilful use of comedy and irony provided the receptive reader with subversive commentary on the cruelties and disappointments of life.

Elizabeth von Arnim and Elizabeth Taylor wrote witty and entertaining novels about the domestic lives of middle-class women. Widely read and enjoyed, their work was often dismissed as middlebrow. Brown argues their skilful use of comedy and irony provided the receptive reader with subversive commentary on the cruelties and disappointments of life.

This work sets out to help teachers assess pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties, multisensory impairments and other complex needs in a relevant and meaningful way. It offers teachers structure, guidance and a holistic approach to assessment, target setting, planning, recording, attainment and pupil progress throughout his or her school life.;The book should enable teachers to prioritize areas for developing small-steps, skill-based learning objectives and it should help them to assist with ongoing assessment review.

First Published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

"We can battle insensitivity, immorality, and dishonesty in our lives individually and collectively as a people. We have a wonderful road map in the Torah and its traditions. It is time to think seriously about our reputation in the world and what we can do to enhance it, not because we want to look good but because we want to be good." from Chapter 6.

What should we do when we see other Jews behaving badly?

Most Jews are good, upstanding people who live by a strong moral code and follow Isaiah's words to be a light to others. But when Jews in the public sphere make headlines for being caught in scandals, their actions can provoke anger, shame and a sense of betrayal in the larger Jewish community.

In this insightful and timely book, Jewish scholar Dr. Erica Brown presents an intentional, disciplined framework to explore the emotions provoked in the Jewish community by reports of Jews committing crime. She proposes that we transform our sense of shame into actions that inspire and sustain a moral culture. Drawing from the Hebrew Bible, Talmud and our centuries-long Jewish commitment to ethics, she outlines ways you can activate and operate your personal moral compass, and shows how you can empower yourself with sacred obligation, responsibility, kindness and knowledge to increase Jewish pride."

Help sustain the Jewish tradition s legacy of community leadership by building strong leaders today.

Great Jewish leadership has helped us survive slavery, guided us to the Promised Land, given us hope through exile and oppression, helped us enjoy membership in a nation of overachievers, and given birth to the State of Israel. Great Jewish leadership generates vision and, as a result, followers. It inspires us and helps us to stretch higher, see farther, and reach deeper. from the Introduction

Drawing on the past and looking to the future, this practical guide provides the tools you need to work through important contemporary leadership issues. It takes a broad look at positions of leadership in the modern Jewish community and the qualities and skills you need in order to succeed in these positions. Real-life anecdotes, interviews, and dialogue stimulate thinking about board development, ethical leadership, conflict resolution, change management, and effective succession planning.

Whether you are a professional or a volunteer, are looking to develop your own personal leadership skills or are part of a group, this inspiring book provides information, interactive exercises, and questions for reflection to help you define leadership styles and theories, expose common myths, and coach others on the importance of leading with meaning.

This work aims to explore experience of loss, change and grief, and foster positive attitudes towards teaching and learning about these issues. It outlines the different beliefs and practices associated with death and dying, and aims to help adults understand how children grieve. Suggestions are provided of ways in which adults might include teaching about loss and change within the school curriculum, and ways in which professionals educating and caring for children can collaborate in their work.

Exploring contemporary theory and practice surrounding loss and bereavement for people with intellectual disabilities (ID), this book brings together international contributors with a range of academic, professional and personal experience. This authoritative edited book looks at diverse experiences of loss across this population whether it be loss due to transition, the loss or death of others, or facing their own impending death. The book begins by offering theoretical perspectives on loss and compassion, bereavement, disenfranchised grief, spirituality, and psychological support. It then addresses contemporary practice issues in health and social care contexts and explores loss for specific communities with ID including children, individuals with autism, those in forensic environments, and those at the end of life. Identifying inherent challenges that arise when supporting individuals with ID experiencing loss, and providing evidence and case studies to support best practice approaches, this book will be valuable reading for students, academics and professionals in the fields of disability, health and social care.

In Return: Daily Inspiration for the Days of Awe, Dr. Erica Brown, one of today's most sought-after Jewish educators, leads the reader on a transformative journey spanning the ten days between Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur. In her distinct interdisciplinary approach, Brown presents an original guide to teshuva that is both highly scholarly and deeply personal. For each day, the book offers a biblical- or rabbinic-themed essay, passages for textual study, and a practical exercise of self-improvement. The result is an engaging dialogue with both text and self, empowering Jews of all backgrounds to connect to the Days of Awe.

Dr. Erica Brown is one of the foremost Jewish educators of our time. In In the Narrow Places, she brings her extraordinary teaching skills to the subject of the Three Weeks, the period of mourning commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples. For each day of the Three Weeks, she presents a short, inspirational essay based on biblical texts followed by a kavana a spiritual focus that involves reflection, imagination or action to transform these somber days of remembrance into a period of introspection and spiritual growth. Alongside the traditional prophecies of doom and consolation traditionally read during the Three Weeks, In the Narrow Places offers a new process for rebuilding and a re-affirmation of hope.

Break the Surface of Spiritual Boredom to Find the Reservoir of Meaning Within

We need to be bored. When we get bored and take responsibility for our boredom, we arrive at a new level of interest, introspection, or action that has been stirred by the very creativity used to keep boredom away. The relationship between boredom and creativity is far from accidental. Creative minds are often stimulated by boredom, regarding it as a brain rest until the next great idea looms on the horizon of the otherwise unoccupied mind."from Chapter 10"

Boredom is a crisis of our age. In religious terms, boredom is sapping spirituality of its mystical and wholesome benefits, slowly corroding our ability to recognize blessing and beauty in our lives, to experience wonder and awe. What happens when our need for constant newness minimizes our interest in prayer, learning, and the mysteries of nature?

This intriguing look at spiritual boredom helps you understand just what this condition is, particularly as it relates to Judaism, and what the absence of inspiration means to the present and future of the Jewish tradition. Drawing insights from psychology, philosophy, and theology as well as ancient Jewish texts, Dr. Erica Brown explores the many ways boredom manifests itself within Judaismin the community, classroom, and synagogueand shows its potentially powerful cultural impact on a faith structure that advises sanctifying time, not merely passing it.

Peoplehood everyone s talking about it. But what does it actually mean and why is it important to the future of Judaism?

Why is this conversation important? Why does it merit your attention? If you care about Jewish identity and community, then you know that we have no trouble identifying the problems that fragmentize us as a people but have far less success identifying that which unites us. Without a unifying, collective notion of Jewish identity that is meaningful and robust, it is virtually impossible to make a strong case for Jewish continuity. from the Introduction

This call to Jewish community explores the purpose, possibilities, and limitations of peoplehood as a unifying concept of community for a people struggling profoundly with Jewish identity. It defines what peoplehood is and is not and explores both collective and personal Jewish identity and the nature of identity construction.

Drawing on history, sacred texts and contemporary scholarship, The Case for Jewish Peoplehood identifies some of the obstacles that challenge a shared notion of peoplehood: personal choices, construct of membership and boundaries, growth of Jewish illiteracy, identity fragmentation between Israeli and Diaspora Jewry, and the generational divide affecting traditionalists, baby boomers, and generations X and Y.

To help you join the conversation, the authors support a vision for the future and provide practical guidance and recommendations for getting there.

Peoplehood—everyone's talking about it. But what does it actually mean and why is it important to the future of Judaism? "Why is this conversation important? Why does it merit your attention? If you care about Jewish identity and community, then you know that we have no trouble identifying the problems that fragmentize us as a people but have far less success identifying that which unites us. Without a unifying, collective notion of Jewish identity that is meaningful and robust, it is virtually impossible to make a strong case for Jewish continuity." —from the Introduction This call to Jewish community explores the purpose, possibilities and limitations of peoplehood as a unifying concept of community for a people struggling profoundly with Jewish identity. It defines what peoplehood is—and is not—and explores both collective and personal Jewish identity and the nature of identity construction. Drawing on history, sacred texts and contemporary scholarship, The Case for Jewish Peoplehood identifies some of the obstacles that challenge a shared notion of peoplehood: personal choices, construct of membership and boundaries, growth of Jewish illiteracy, identity fragmentation between Israeli and Diaspora Jewry and the generational divide affecting traditionalists, baby boomers and generations X and Y. To help you join the conversation, the authors support a vision for the future and provide practical guidance and recommendations for getting there.

The last several decades have witnessed an explosion of research in Platonic philosophy. A central focus of his philosophical effort, Plato's psychology is of interest both in its own right and as fundamental to his metaphysical and moral theories. This anthology offers, for the first time, a collection of the best classic and recent essays on cenral topics of Plato's psychological theory, including essays on the nature of the soul, studies of the tripartite soul for which Plato argues in the Republic, and analyses of his varied arguments for immortality. With a comprehensive introduction to the major issues of Plato's psychology and an up-to-date bibliography of work on the relevant issues, this much-needed text makes the study of Plato's psychology accessible to scholars in ancient Greek philosophy, classics, and history of psychology.