Everyone’s been asking me my favorite part of TribeFest. Listen, the speakers were awesome, the breakout sessions thought-provoking, the atmosphere energizing. But seriously, my favorite part was hanging out with my friends Dana and Doni. As in Dana Lichtenberg, aka the director of Young Leadership Division for UJC MetroWest, and Doni Zasloff Thomas, aka Mama Doni.

The first time I met my friend and mentor Leslie Danon Rosenthal was at a Young Leadership conference. It was my first conference, and I was pregnant with the Big Girl. I don’t know what number it was for her, but she said meeting me and my pregnant belly meant it was her last (not a direct quote, but close. Ask her.) So now that I’m about Leslie’s age then, and on my fourth? fifth? seventh (!?!?) young leadership conference (be it a Washington conference or a regional) I wondered if I would feel my age looking around the room. Nope. I did feel very married at a few points watching the mating rituals of the single American Jews grazing in their natural habitat. I especially liked the lingering hug and hair caress we witnessed at the taxi line just at the conference’s close, where, after they got into separate taxis, I turned to Dana and said “that was a post hook-up hug,” and we both cracked up at the sheer truth of it.

But I didn’t feel old. I was learning new things and I came back energized and motivated. So let me share some of the important organizations represented at TribeFest.

PJ Library I’ve mentioned before – if you have kids from zero to six, sign up for free Jewish books delivered straight to your home and heart!

The Natan Fund “inspires young philanthropists to become actively engaged in Jewish giving by funding innovative projects that are shaping the Jewish future.” The Natan Fund was represented in a breakout session I went to on Collective Giving. Federations around the country struggle with the idea of collective giving (ie. a giving circle where a small number of donors pool their money and pass it out) and designated giving, not wanting those approaches to encroach on the primacy of the federation’s mission of umbrella giving: that is, give to a large pool and the community will make an umbrella over local, Israel, and overseas needs so that smaller needs/organizations without a sexy pitch or marketing budget will not fall through the cracks. I personally struggle with this dichotomy too but understand that younger donors want a say in how their funds will be used.

The Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation is “a public bone marrow registry helping children and adults find donors for
bone marrow transplants.” They conduct swabbing drives to encourage and enable everyone, including Jews, to get on the registry – I am, are you?

The short videos on G-dcast help children and adults (the spots are aimed at ages 10+, although my seven year old has watched them with my guidance) understand the Torah portion of the week, the holidays, and more. Whenever I have to make a d’var Torah, G-dcast is my first stop. My rabbi sister and rabbi friends run a close second, but they kind of mind when I call them at 1 a.m. and G-dcast doesn’t at all.

Keshet “is a national grassroots organization that works for the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) Jews in Jewish life. Led and supported by GLBT Jews and straight allies, Keshet offers resources, trainings, and technical assistance to create inclusive Jewish communities nationwide.” I went to the breakout session on GLBT issues in the Jewish community wanting to sit in the back, but no chance: there was a conversation circle. As I said in the session, my lesbian friends and I “talk Jewish,” not gay, so I learned a lot. I felt for the guy who said that because he lived in a small city in the Midwest, his gay identity and his Jewish identity never mixed. I look around at my friends in suburban NJ, especially right around where I live, who can live the different aspects of their lives undivided, and feel proud and lucky for them.

There were many more, so if I’ve left out your favorite, leave a link and a description in the comments.

Oh, and I can’t wait for Mama Doni’s reportage on TribeFest, soon to be featured on Shalom TV (on demand on most cable networks). The first day I thought I was throwing out too many ideas and suggestions to her while she worked, so I told her I’d back off, but she said I was helpful and made me her honorary producer for the event! Did you ever see a reporter hug every single interviewee? That’s just how Mama rolls!!