Food for thought -- and justice

Barbecues at the Silver Spring Moishe House are nothing unusual. The five 20-something Moishe House residents regularly host friends, neighbors and others throughout the cookout season for get-togethers that are more than just gorge-athons. Each is also a Jewish-themed presentation with an important lesson to teach.

On this steamy Sunday afternoon, the theme was social justice -- at least as it applies to food. More than 70 guests filled the front and backyard of the four-story Mississippi Avenue home, to enjoy a side order of gastronomic stewardship with their hamburgers, peaches and corn-on-the-cob. Moishe House residents dubbed it a "food justice" barbecue.

Below the equator

For the past seven summers, Aliza Esenstad, 16, has looked forward to her Jewish sleep-away camp in the Catoctin Mountains of Pennsylvania. But this summer, she traveled much farther -- to Buenos Aires, Argentina.

As part of Capital Camps' four-week counselor-in-training (CIT) program, Esenstad, a rising high school senior from Rockville, and 17 other teens -- most from the Washington metro area -- traveled to the South American city earlier this month for an intensive week of community service and Jewish communal exchange.

The Mideast and its chasms

Conflict in the Middle East spawned contention in the District Wednesday evening, as proponents of widely opposing views on Israel engaged in a hotly contested panel discussion on several red-flag topics.

Among them: Palestinian refugees, West Bank settlements, and even Israel's identity as a Jewish state.

Making a Difference

Watching her parents raise funds for the Jewish Foundation for Group Homes -- an organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of adults with disabilities -- Amanda Mendelson of Chevy Chase knew she wanted to find a way for her and her friends to also contribute to the organization.

So this year, Mendelson, 14, helped organize the JFGH Juniors program -- a group of 30 teens committed to once-a-month activities with JFGH residents from three different group homes.

At the Metropolitan Center for Visual Arts in Rockville last week, Mendelson and her father, Cliff, were on hand as the JFGH Juniors program was honored with an Outstanding Innovative Program Award at the Kol HaKavod TeenFest 2009, sponsored by the Partnership for Jewish Life and Learning.

RJC Is Mischaracterized by a Disingenuous Writer

In Stas Cohen's letter ("Correct Terminology's a Must in This Case," Dec. 4), the objective and policy positions of the Republican Jewish Coalition were significantly mischaracterized.

The RJC has long welcomed -- and fully expects -- a hearty debate in the Jewish community on critical policy issues.

However, the disingenuous effort by Cohen to falsely mislead about the nature of our organization is deeply troubling.

Matthew Brooks: Jewish Voters and the Republicans

During a press conference at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, Matthew Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition, predicted that unprecedented numbers of Jews will be voting Republican this election...

SCT Alumni in Politics

SCT Alumni in Politics
Successful journalists and politicians share several key skills, from the ability to communicate complex issues to the personal presence needed to connect with a wide range of people. Little wonder, then, that the path to a political career often runs through the School of Communications and Theater. Six SCT alumni discuss their political careers, from press secretary to state Assemblyman.