Why Mrs. Maisel is Marvelous

One of the silver linings of having to take a little sick leave is the simple pleasure of binge watching a favorite show. Having spent considerable time of late catching up on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has not only kept me fully entertained, but has also left me wondering why fans of the show enjoy it so thoroughly.

Please don’t worry! There is no need for a spoiler alert here. Specific plot details aside, I think that at the core of the appeal of the show is how the title character embraces reinvention. Changing life circumstances, changing times, changing challenges—Mrs. Maisel confronts change with determination, joy and yes, a sense of humor.

As the new year chugs along, we at Federation continue to embrace reinvention while retaining the best elements of what made us strong in the first place. The newly envisioned David Tychman Global Experiences Program has updated the concept of “missions” and is making interactions in Israel and overseas more meaningful and substantive. The Jewish Community Foundation continues to produce new high quality communications, a more transparent web presence, and better customer service. Women’s Philanthropy partnering with NCJW to put on Women Repair the World and re-inject women’s programming with relevant, inspiring educational topics. Federations’s day-to-day management of the Barry Family Campus is running very smoothly, and the strategic planning process in which the board is fully engrossed will help shift Federation into the Jewish Communal planning table we have been discussing with so many of you.

So while you won’t find the Federation staff donning vintage 1950’s couture, you will find us embracing positive reinvention, just like my friend, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Shabbat Shalom,

Jim