Spring’s passages show how our lives can change

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Graduations, new jobs, major moves and life changes

 

Fran Ostendorf, EditorI have witnessed a number of  “rites of passage” in the last few weeks. Late spring is the season for such things.

First, my nephew walked down the hill, and then up the hill as he graduated from Brown, a graduation process steeped in tradition. He majored in business and entrepreneurship, often a major where profits come first. But he wanted to begin his career helping others. Now he’s off to serve two years in the Peace Corps, not a new passage in our family, since both his parents did the same thing. He’ll be teaching English in West Africa. We wish him great experiences!

At The Voice, another spring means the start of an internship for a student interested in experiencing what we do and how we do it. Our latest intern has many interests in addition to communications. And he’s a student at New England Rabbinical College. We hope that he stays interested in journalism after 10 weeks at The Voice. Read more about what Israel Finegold has to say about himself on page 4.

Finally, my sister has begun her trip home to the U.S. from a year in Israel. This has truly been a rite of passage for her, her husband and their 8-year-old daughter. They accompanied her to Jerusalem and experienced an unforgettable year of change. She made a mid-career decision to switch from banking and finance, go back to school and pursue her dream. Her first love had always been music, so she combined that with a strong Jewish identity, and she is now studying to be a cantor, giving a new meaning to her life.

All this reminds me that spring always brings opportunities. There are fresh faces, lots of events that make us think about our own passages and opportunities for new directions. Maybe that’s part of why this season brings so much optimism. There’s a whole summer ahead of warm weather and time for family and friends and chances to set our own new courses.

Which brings me to a totally different subject, but an important one nonetheless.

The Jewish Voice takes a publishing break during the month of July. So my annual rite of passage begins now: Here is your reminder to send all your news to us by June 10 so that we can print it June 19 – our last paper before the break. We will be back again Aug. 7! The deadline for that issue is July 29. And while you are out and about this summer, remember to support our advertisers, who help bring you news from our community every other week. And when you do, let them know that you saw their ad in The Voice. We appreciate our advertisers and hope our readers do, too.