Cover Story The Wexner Foundation Proudly Announces Its Sixteenth Class of Graduate Fellows Fellow Career Area Graduate Program Michael Bergman Noah Bickart Yaacob Dweck Leslie Ginsparg Seth Goren Vanessa Grajwer Jonathan Gribetz Alexander Herzfeld Michael Kay Abby Kornfeid Asher Oser Shulamith Passow Rebecca Rosenthal Rebecca Sasson Ariana Silverman Elizabeth Stoll Stefanie Zelkind Michael Zoosman Georgetown University - Jewish Theological Seminary University of Pennsylvania New York University Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Reconstructionist Rabbinical College Columbia University Yeshivat Chovevei Torah New York University New York University Yeshiva University New York University Jewish Theological Seminary Columbia University Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Columbia Teachers College/J.T.S. New York University Jewish Theological Seminary Jewish Communal Service Rabbinate Jewish Studies Jewish Education Rabbinate Rabbinate Jewish Studies Rabbinate Jewish Education Jewish Studies Rabbinate Jewish Communal Service Rabbinate Jewish Education Rabbinate Jewish Education Jewish Communal Service Cantorate The Wexner Foundation is guided by the vision of its founder, Leslie H. Wexner, Chairman of Limited Brands and his wife, Abigail S. Wexner. The Foundation is committed to excellence in Jewish leadership. The Wexner Graduate Fellowship Program is designed to encourage the most promising and talented Jewish men and women to pursue full-time graduate studies leading to careers in professional Jewish leadership. The program provides full academic tuition, generous living stipends, and annual Foundation-sponsored institutes and learning experiences. Fellowships are awarded to outstanding candidates who demonstrate the potential to assume major leadership positions in the fields of Jewish Education, Jewish Communal Service, the Rabbinate, the Cantorate, and Jewish Studies. The Wexner Foundation welcomes inquiries about its fellowship program or guidance on training programs in professional Jewish leadership. Information and applications may be obtained on our website www.wexnerfoundation.org The Wexner Foundation Graduate Fellowship Program Rabbi B. Elka Abrahamson, Director 6525 West Campus Oval, Suite 110, New Albany, Ohio 43054 (614) 939-6060 • Fax (614) 939-6066 ....../6952MISMANNAVIOMMIACIRRM FOR ILAN RAMON "I call upon every Jew in the world to plant a tree in the land of Israel during the coming year I would like to see 13 or 14 million new trees planted in Israel exactly one year from now, on the anniversary of the launching." -Ilan Ramon 9/26 2003 102 To plant a tree in Israel in honor of Ilan Ramon and his fellow astronauts, go to www.jewish.com . Click on Donations to Israel. SHOFAR BRIGADE from page 101 in Toronto. "Over time, people have seen the beautiful ceremony here and more have become interested in blow- ing shofar. This year, for the first time, we have five shofar blowers. The idea is for it to sound like the congregation is in the hills of Jerusalem. Our hope is to eventually have six or seven, with some up in the balcony." Becoming a shofar blower in the main sanctuary at Shir Shalom involves a climb up the shofar-blowing ladder. "We try to put the kids through a step-by-step process," Mukamal said. "Once they have had enough practice, they blow shofar at the children's serv- ice, then the youth service and then, after their bar or bat mitzvah, they are ready for the adult service." This year, 13-year-old Stephanie Steinberg of Farmington Hills has reached that point. Stephanie, who also plays the trum- pet in her Warner Middle School band, proved early on she was not eas ily ciscouraged when she had an unfortunate experience with her first shofar. Becoming a shofar ' blower i n the main sanctuary at Shir Shalom involves a climb up the shofar- blowing ladder. "She made it at Apples & Honey when she was 6," said her father David Steinbero. Shir Shalorn's irnme- diate past president. "We kit the sho far on the counter at home when we went to services and when \ye got home we discovered our golden retriever had eaten it. Stephanie said, "We found it in bits and pieces under the dining room table. I guess it was like a bone to him." Stephanie's first true introduction to the shofar began with her grandfather. "He has a shofar and one clay I tried blowing it and realized I could," she said. While in previous years she used one of the synagogue's shofrot, last year she received one of her own as a Chanukah gift. Stephanie takes her shofar blowing very seriously. "Sometimes, I know it upsets my sister a little when I practice when she's trying to watch a video or read a book, but my whole family knows how important this is to me," she said. Other young Shir Shalom members also regularly practice blowing shofar. Zachary Friedman, 14, of West Bloomfield [pictured on the cover] is one who will blow shofar in the youth service on Rosh Hashanah this year. Who Blowing The Shofar? This Rosh Hashanah, Stephanie will join Mukamal, Scott Schwartz, Michael Hoffman and Michael Eber [also pictured on the coved, who have blown shofar together at Shir Shalom for two years. At 17, Eber of West Bloomfield has been blowing shofar for the last six years. "I first got into shofar blowing when my mother rook me to Apples & Honey to help volunteer and I found a booth where some men from another synagogue were sanding do little shofars, said Eber. "I picked one up and I could i diately get a pitch. I used to play French horn and, due to the narrow- ness of both the French horn mouth- piece and the shofar opening, I was naturally inclined to the shofar." Eber and others young