Toys? Jewish? Improving the world? You decide! What do Mr. Potato Head, the Teddy Bear, Transformers, Barbie, GI Joe and BratzDolls, Magic 8 Ball, and the home video game console all have in common? Jewish inventor/creators! George Lerner, born in Brooklyn, NY, created Mr. Potato Head in 1952. Morris and Rose Michtom, Russian-Jewish immigrants to …
You’ve heard the words – “Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,…” And for many if not most of us, our great-great-grandparents or some level of elders on our family tree, passed by those words, found on the base of the Statue of Liberty, as they entered the United States. …
FJMC INTERNATIONAL MEDIA RELATIONS — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Contact: Aaron Altman, CATALYST Editor-in-Chief | | www.fjmc.org Press Release When the Alarm Is This Loud, You Need More Than Awareness. You Need a Map. The ADL, Hillel International, Blue Square Alliance, and Spertus Institute join FJMC International in the inaugural issue of CATALYST MAGAZINE …
How do we respond to antisemitism? by Samson Nderitu from Kenya At its core, antisemitism seeks to intimidate Jews into abandoning their identity, traditions, and faith. It attempts to make Jews stop being Jews. Yet this effort is ultimately futile when we understand what Judaism truly represents. Judaism is not only a religion but a …
What got you through COVID? What product did you purchase so much more during COVID than you’d ever purchased before? Besides masks. That’s right – Purell! So here’s the story: In 1946, Jewish-Americans Goldie and Jerry Lippman founded a little company they called, GOJO Industries in Akron, Ohio, where they developed and manufactured their product, …
Antisemitism and You!by Mark Goldstein, President, Men’s Club Temple Etz Chaim This article is adapted from a drash delivered on Men’s Club/Women of TEC Shabbat, April 3, 2026. This Shabbat ocurrs during Passover. As we all know, Passover commemorates the freedom of the Israelites, the Jewish people, from slavery in Egypt under Pharoah. Many modern …
Welcome from the FJMC Committee to Combat Antisemitismby Irv Varkonyi, Committee Chair On behalf of the FJMC Committee to Combat Antisemitism, we extend our welcome to our Regions, Clubs and FJMC friends to the Catalyst. Formed when we meet at our Philadelphia Convention in 2023, our committee has successfully reached out to engage you through …
Spertus Institute Combats Antisemitism: Leading Through Fireby Dr. Dean P. Bell, President and CEO For decades, Jewish communal professionals have been trained to build communities, inspire learning, and strengthen Jewish life. Increasingly, however, they are being asked to do something else entirely: respond to antisemitism—constantly, publicly, strategically, and often without adequate preparation or support. That …
Welcome to Hillelby Adam Lehman, President and CEO, Hillel For more than a century, Hillel has served as the home away from home for Jewish college students and young adults around the world. Today, Hillel engages, empowers, and inspires more than 190,000 Jewish students annually across 850 campuses worldwide, helping students explore, celebrate, lead, and …
ADL Audit of Antisemitic Incidents: The Numbers are Down. The Crisis is Not. by Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO, ADL (Anti-Defamation League) Dear CATALYST readers and friends of FJMC International: Congratulations and Mazal Tov on the inaugural issue of Catalyst. We so much appreciate our partnership with your organization at both the national and regional levels. As you …
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