Three years have passed since the pedestrian accident that claimed the life of Avi Schaefer, a former member of the class of 2013, but family, friends and faculty members still remember him vividly as a transformative member of the Brown community.

(by Katherine Cusumano)

Please join us on June 23 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the home of the Gross Schaefers for our second annual "Celebrate Our Growth" open house.  We look forward to seeing you there!

The newly installed Interfaith Peace Garden is tucked away in a lovely corner of Loyola Marymount University (LMU), a Jesuit institution that lies mere blocks away from Los Angeles International Airport.

The garden is filled with rough-hewn stone pillars and benches, each carved with quotes that, when taken collectively, reference the need for cultural dialogue and peace in the world. One of the more prominent stones is etched with the phrase, "An enemy is someone whose story you have not yet heard."

(by Julie Bien)

An Interfaith Peace Garden created in the memory of Avi Schaefer, son of Loyola Marymount University Professor Arthur Gross-Schaefer and his wife, Laurie, will be dedicated on Thursday, April 25, at 12:15 p.m.

A new Interfaith Peace Garden will be dedicated on Thursday at Loyola Marymount University in memory of the son of a professor.

(by Karen Jordan)

Every year, on the first night of Passover, millions of Jews worldwide gather together to celebrate our ancestors' liberation from Pharaoh's brutal regime. While telling that powerful story, we also remember the Ten Plagues that wreaked havoc on innocent Egyptians. The tradition of removing 10 drops of wine from each of our Kiddush cups is a profound expression of empathy that is deeply embedded in Jewish values that make me proud to call myself a Jew.

(by Asher J. Mayerson)

We all came out of Egypt. We just happened to end up in different places. But the future of Israel depends on engaging the attention and commitment of Jews around the world, and not pushing away a younger and more critical generation.

(by Yoav Schaefer and Brian Schaefer)

If a college student told you that as a child she studied violin with a strict Russian Jewish teacher, would you think that she's Jewish ... or Muslim?

Participants at the University of Arizona's second interfaith Avi Shabbat were surprised to discover that this childhood experience belonged to Ipara Bolan, a Muslim student leader who helped organize the event at the UA Hillel Foundation on Feb. 8.

(by Nancy Ben-Asher Ozeri)

In typical fashion, the Jewish Hillel group Grand Valley State University broke bread together Friday night as they celebrated Shabbat, or the Jewish day of rest. But this bread passed through different hands and had a deeper significance than usual.

(by Lizzy Balboa)

Many know the general biography of Avi Schaefer. They know that he was thoroughly involved in Jewish youth groups and community work. They know that he joined the mahalim (volunteers from the Diaspora) with his twin after high school to volunteer in the Israel Defense Forces. They know that the global Jewish community mourned and continue to mourn his passing, so aware of the great community leader and friend they had just lost. But few know the details of Avi's character that make his legacy so revered and so respected.

(by Ronit Hakakha)

The esteemed, prize-winning Israeli writer and thinker, A.B. Yehoshua was the keynote speaker at the third annual Avi Schaefer Fund's Jerusalem Symposium: The Meaning and Purpose of Israel as a Jewish State. The program took place on February 17, at Yad Ben-Zvi in Jerusalem.

Nearly 300 young adults from the Diaspora who are now studying and volunteering in Israel had the opportunity to focus on a number of critical issues facing the State of Israel.

To some Americans, the Israeli Palestinian conflict is just an occasional headline in the news. But to Avi Schaefer, a Jewish Santa Barbara native, it was much more than that. On Feb. 8, the Jewish Student Union (JSU) hosted a commemorative ceremony in honor of Shaefer's life and legacy, as well as the creation of the Avi Shaefer Fund. It was held at 5 p.m. in Randolph Hall and a traditional Shabbat dinner followed.

(by Ashley Sprouse)

Journalist Rachel Marder reports on A.B. Yehoshua's speech from ASF's Jerusalem Symposium on Sunday, February 17.

February 12, the 28th of the Jewish month of Shevat, will mark Avi's 3rd yahrzeit. Every day we are reminded of Avi and keep his vision alive through the work of ASF.

Join us for live coverage of the Jerusalem Symposium this Sunday, February 17 9 a.m.-11 a.m. ET. Click here to join the live stream.  The keynote address "What is the Continuation of the Zionist Revolution?" by A.B. Yehoshua (novelist and thinker) and the opening panel will be live-streaming thanks to the support of Stand With Us in Israel. Follow the full day's conversation via Twitter at #ASFSymposium. (We invite you to Tweet your questions to us throughout the day.)