"Nobody can be exactly like me"*

One of the most interesting aspects of my pre-boarding process, as I get ready to assume the responsibilities of federation Exec, is learning about my colleagues.

So I asked all the professionals in federation to send me their bios and photos. This way I can at least say hello to people and know who they are as I roam the halls in search of coffee.

Reading through the bios has been a fascinating, humbling and rewarding experience. It taught me several things:

1)    We have an amazingly international professional team. We come from Israel, the UK, Russia, Ukraine, the Phillipines, Columbia, Azerbaijan and many States of the Union.

2)    Many of us are and have been ‘clients’ of our federated agencies. JVS, Jespy House, JFS and more are intertwined in our lives. Many of us have come through Camps, Hillels, JCCs, Synagogues and Jewish Schools.The relationships we have with our agencies are deep, meaningful and personal.

3)    Many of us have close family and friendship ties to Israel. Israel isn’t ‘somewhere else.’ It’s at the heart of the federation and its professional team.

*The quote is from the great actress Tallulah Bankhead, "Nobody can be exactly like me: sometimes even I have trouble doing it."