Humanity Prevails in Rwandan Youth Village 25 Years After Genocide

Humanity comes from the Latin word humanitas, which means “human nature, kindness.” As written, the term suggests that all human beings have the intrinsic ability to be kind. While it sounds simple, there are moments throughout our history where humanity has been anything but kind, buried deep in darkness. The genocides in Rwanda, Armenia and Darfur, as well as The Holocaust, are cruel pieces of history – impossible to ignore. Indeed, these destructive moments in time have cast a shadow on many people and cultures, and much of humanity is left wondering, “How can this barbaric hate be possible?” Instead of trying to make sense of what never should have been, survivors and the next generation have chosen to forgive, prevail and prosper…

Phenomenal Jew, That’s Me: An Unapologetic Homage to my Jewish Identity

Early Saturday morning I woke up before sunrise and immediately put myself back to sleep. I was pleased to snag the extra 3 hours after a late night; the problem was, I was deep in a dark, dreadful dream. It was modern day and I found myself surrounded by familiar Jewish faces. The scene quickly revealed that we were some sort of Jewish prisoners who had just survived something catastrophic. Liberated and free, we didn’t know where to go or where was safe. I quickly realized that we were being chased, someone was trying to hunt us with hate and harm…again. I remember Dream Darah thinking, “Why in the world would they want to hurt us? With so little of us on this earth, why isn’t that enough for their sick hatred?”…

Behind the Scenes of Uncertainty: The Power of Your Story

I live in Los Angeles, the film capital of the world. Over the years, some of the most powerful moments have been captured on screen for the world to see. These scenes have impacted who I am, my outlook on life, my career, my story and my reality. On my recent REALITY Storytellers journey to Israel, I discovered my own reality in what, at times, felt like scenes from a movie. 

Most of the time, before a script becomes a movie, it starts as a story. Movies and stories share a common connection. When I watched movies and read fairy tales as a child, I dreamed of my future. I was the kid who watched every movie possible and performed them live in the family living room…

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A GLOBAL CITIZEN

It’s 6am and the sun is blinding through the airplane window. After traveling fourteen hours, across three continents, we squint to take in our first glimpse of Ethiopia. We are on our way to join twenty young US, Israeli and UK based creatives, executives, lawyers and influencers selected to experience Ethiopia with initiatives that are part of two of the world’s leading philanthropic Jewish organizations — the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation…