How Fred Rogers and Jeff Erlanger Became Friends for Life

How Fred Rogers and Jeff Erlanger Became Friends for Life

By Aron Hirt-Manheimer. This blog originally appeared on ReformJudaism.org. Jeff Erlanger was an OSRUI camper and staff member who was an inspiration to all who knew him. One of this summer’s surprise box office hits is Won’t You Be My Neighbor, a documentary about...
Four Men Who Made a Difference in My Life

Four Men Who Made a Difference in My Life

by Jerry Kaye, Director Emeritus As Father’s Day approaches, Jerry shares personal thoughts and wisdom on male role models who impacted him. “Father’s Day was not a day of celebration for me as a child. I never knew my father. My parents divorced when I...
OSRUI Teens Named as One of 18 Under 18 Honorees!

OSRUI Teens Named as One of 18 Under 18 Honorees!

Kol HaKavod to OSRUI teens Syd Bakal, Joey Greenebaum, Emma Milner-Gorvine, and Abby Tzinberg, who were selected as one of the inaugural 18 Under 18 Honorees by the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago – Teens@JUF, The Jewish Teen Alliance of Chicago...
Singin’ in the Rain at OSRUI’s Family Camp

Singin’ in the Rain at OSRUI’s Family Camp

by Susan Alexander, OSRUI Associate Director It was a cold, grey and rainy weekend – not a weekend that one would think “camp fun.”  For those of us who were at OSRUI’s Family Camp, the cold, rainy weekend turned into a weekend of warmth, friendship and major fun....
Temple Retreat at OSRUI: Fun, Friendship and…Pie?

Temple Retreat at OSRUI: Fun, Friendship and…Pie?

By Christen H., Oak Park Temple congregant and retreat participant. One of my favorite weekends of the year happens every March when Oak Park Temple holds its annual retreat at OSRUI. There is nothing quite like the feeling of coming into the dining hall after driving...
Where I’m From: A Poem on Identity

Where I’m From: A Poem on Identity

by Rabbi Phyllis Sommer, OSRUI alum and faculty member, and associate rabbi at Am Shalom in Glencoe, IL. I am from blintzes, from Crest toothpaste and kippot tucked into a dresser drawer. I am from no eating in the bedrooms, singing all the time, comfy couches, a...