Your weekly JUF update

During these uncertain times, it's more important than ever to come together as a community. With this weekly email, we hope to provide you with resources, moral support and other ways to adjust to this temporary “new normal.”  

We’ve created a JUF Coronavirus Community Resource Page where you’ll find links to more resources, info on JUF initiatives and ways to help or donate. And be sure to check JUF's Facebook page for daily updates.

36 under 36 winners: making a difference

Oy!Chicago and JUF Young Leadership Division just announced this year’s 36 Under 36 winners! Many of these amazing young adults are making a real impact during the pandemic. Read about the 2020 honorees and the contributions they are making to our community and the world.

Israel in the race for rapid COVID tests

Israeli scientists are making huge strides in the quest for faster, on-the-spot COVID-19 tests. 

One company has developed a half-hour test kit with similar levels of accuracy as existing kits, which could be produced and used internationally soon. A second Israeli startup is in the early stages of testing a breathalyzer test that, if successful, could yield results in just 10 seconds.

Shabbat gets the star treatment

With more time to reflect and gather with family, lots of celebrities are extolling the virtues of Friday night candle lighting. From Mila Kunis to Natalie Portman and Ben Platt, here are the ways Hollywood A-listers are celebrating the tradition.

Super Bowl MVP has a POV on racism

Julian Edelman, New England Patriots wide receiver and last year’s Super Bowl MVP, is super proud of his Jewish heritage. He recently spoke up on the subjects of anti-Semitism, racial injustice and the Black Lives Matter movement—and is encouraging NFL players and fans to come together to discuss these important issues.

Get your head in the stars

Imagine unlimited streaming with no monthly fee. That’s basically what stargazing is. The summer skies are filled with planets, stars and constellations, many visible without a telescope. And astronomer Dean Regas says, ironically, it can help ground us. Here are some tips on getting started.

A moment of reflection with Rabbi Shoshanah Conover

A beloved rabbi was fond of quoting the fortune cookie prediction: “May you live in interesting times.” Yet our current circumstances will not have the last word on our Jewish year 5780. Instead, how we choose to respond to these circumstances will have the ultimate say. Viktor Frankl, having endured unimaginable conditions, wrote: “It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us... Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual.” It is up to each one of us, together with others in our great Chicago community to respond to the extraordinary challenges of our day—Chazak v’amatz—with strength and courage. 

Rabbi Shoshanah Conover, Temple Sholom of Chicago