We never know which seemingly small act of kindness can transform a life, and through that life, the lives of countless others. Listen as Sidney Poitier recounts how a Jewish waiter invested the time to teach him how to read…

Her parents feared that Sydney’s autism would be a challenge she would have to overcome. They never imagined it would be an asset that would give her gifts and skills that would one day save someone’s life!

Hospital visits may be limited these days, but childhood cancer warrior Shimmy still had a 10th birthday celebration to remember thanks to our dedicated Achim B’yachad volunteers. Chai Lifeline gives children, families, and communities the tools they need to meet the challenges of living with pediatric illness or loss.

There is a statement in Chassidic philosophy that joy breaks all barriers. With that in mind, a group in full PPE went to bring some joy through their dancing and singing to COVID patients in an Israeli hospital!

Some people go through life, angry and resentful because of the pain that others caused them. Others take that pain, and dedicate their lives to doing their utmost to make sure no one else suffers the way they did. Rob Kenney is the latter. By the age of 14 he had been abandoned by his parents, and was raised by an older brother. Now, a father of two kids of his own, he decided during quarantine that he wanted to make videos to help other kids who don’t have parental support, with teaching them tasks such as changing a tire or putting on a tie. He started his You Tube channel, “Dad, How Do I?” expecting to have 30 or 40 followers. But that is now in the millions. And he is not only giving advice but changing lives. He often begins his videos with “Hey kids” and tells his viewers how proud he is of them and how much he cares for them. And they feel it. If you read the comments, so many write of the difficult relationships they had with their fathers and how he is truly filling a void and making them feel supported. Rob is an example of the impact one can make simply by caring and being sincere and how badly that is needed in the world today. Here is the video where he thanks his viewers, just for being them….

The goal in trying to trigger flow is to constantly look for challenges which are a stretch, but still in-reach. If something is impossible, it causes anxiety and if something is too easy, it leads to boredom. Flow is that perfect medium between the two…

There is no shortage of metaphors associated with water. Here Rabbi Asher Crispe connects to flow states and the science of peak performance, with a twist harkening back to Moses and how he embodies the mutable self.

Flow: The Metaphoricity of Water from Interinclusion on Vimeo.

This beautiful Instagram post is from Billie Leyers in Antwerp, Belgium. Alongside 3 short videos, he said that what he will miss most following the quarantine are the Jewish prayers that in his community he can hear sung together from the various surrounding balconies. The other comments as well are supportive and positive (thank you Google translate) with people likewise saying they will miss it and how powerful and moving it is. But this one struck me the most: “The Jewish spirit always shines the brightest in the darkest times…” Billie Leyers is not Jewish but he captured something that shows the essence of Judaism and allows us to see the beauty from his eyes.

 

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Dit ga ik dan wél weer missen na de lockdown 🌾 [sound on] #jewish #prayers

A post shared by Billie Leyers (@billieleyers) on Apr 24, 2020 at 12:06pm PDT

What we share and what unites us far outweigh that which differentiates and divides us. Look around. Look within. And connect.

A Social Distance from Ivan Cash on Vimeo.