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Rowyn Zupo Fall Festival Speech 2025
When someone asks me what Midrasha means to me, I always pause. Not because I don’t know, but because it feels too big to fit into a simple explanation. Midrasha isn’t just a youth group. It’s a place where I’ve discovered who I am, and the meaning of being part of something larger than myself. There’s one moment that truly changed how I see Midrasha. It was saturday night of my first retreat, during Havdalah. We stood in a close circle, the candle held high. The night was da
Devra C. Aarons
Oct 28, 20252 min read
Devra Aarons 2025 Gala Speech
Shavuah Tov kulanu. Tonight my goal is to walk you through the two foundational values of Midrasha - community-kehillah, and...
Devra C. Aarons
Mar 1, 202513 min read
Changing My Assumptions by Sam Slavet (Winner of 2024 Better Together Essay Contest)
Poverty: a state or condition in which a person or community lacks the financial resources or essentials for a minimum standard of...
Devra C. Aarons
Apr 8, 20243 min read
CCM Annual Gala Speech by Devra Aarons
Shavua Tov beloved Midrasha community. Thank you for coming out on a rainy night to be in this room together. There is nothing I love...
Devra C. Aarons
Mar 4, 20243 min read
What makes you Jew? By Kyla Cohen and Nate Greenberg
Good evening. My name is Nate Greenberg. Good evening, My name is Kyla Cohen Note: I grew up attending B’nai Tikvah in Walnut Creek and...
Devra C. Aarons
Mar 4, 20247 min read
Why do we Retreat?
By Devra C. Aarons February 14, 2024 About 20 years ago, I walked into my first Midrasha classroom of 11th and 12th graders. More than...
Devra C. Aarons
Feb 19, 20245 min read
Gratitude in a Time of Crisis
This past week I learned that two of the Israeli kipnapped victims were from the Hod Hasharon community of our Mifgash partners, Mozenson...
Devra C. Aarons
Nov 28, 20232 min read


The Magic of Mifgash
This past Shabbat I got a lovely call from CCM alum parent, Jodi Oronsky. Her son Isaac joined us for both the Summer and Winter Mifgash...
Devra C. Aarons
Sep 19, 20232 min read
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