JCC Baltimore News January 2012

A Newsletter of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore

New Year, New You! We’re Here For You, No Matter Where You Are On Your Fitness Journey!

Ready to make good on those New Year’s resolutions? We can’t wait to help you get started! Our new wellness initiatives and the latest fitness and sports classes will help you meet your goals. Take advantage of all we have to offer at the ‘J’ and make this your fittest year yet.

Men Can Get Moving In Park Heights With Male-Only Fitness

Healthy Aging Series

Led by Personal Trainer Karyl Rosen Rosenbloom OM JCC

Healthy Aging Tuesday, January 10; 1:30-2:15pm

We’re all getting older. Don’t fret over it. Embrace it! Join us for an interactive discussion of what you can easily incorporate into your daily routine to promote healthy aging. $5/JCC Member; $10/NM Heart Health Tuesday, January 24 1:30-2:15pm

Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of Americans. Learn what steps you can take to reduce your personal risk and protect your health. $5/JCC Member; $10/NM

Sure, your wife/mother/sister is on the ball when it comes to workouts and fitness classes, but how about you? We’re making it easy for you!

To help keep the members of our community healthy and fit, we will now have fitness personnel staffing the Fitness Too room during Male Only hours to help individualize an effective workout plan for YOU. Whether you need assistance using a piece of fitness equipment or would like someone to help you through a circuit routine, there will be someone available to make sure you get the most out of your time at the gym. So come ask our pros for whatever you need!

Staffed Fitness Too Hours: Sunday-Wednesday

Karyl Rosen teaching a Golden Drums class

See page 12 for more winter fitness!

Sunday -12:30-3:30pm Monday -7:00-8:25pm Tuesday -5:00-6:55pm Wednesday -7:00-8:25pm

Schwinn Cycling: Male-Only Class

Thursdays thru March 29, 2012; 7:30-8:30pm Weinberg Park Heights JCC

January 2012 Tevet/Shevat 5772 Jewish Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Children & Youth. . . . . . . . . . . 4-5 Camp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Teens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8 Adults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Arts & Culture . . . . . . . . . . 10-11 Fitness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-13 Aquatics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Staff News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Associated Corner. . . . . . . . . . . 15

Build endurance and cardiovascular fitness as your instructor takes you on the ride of your life! You’ll ride our state-of-the-art Schwinn AC Performance indoor cycles.

Free for JCC Members Only Have any questions or suggestions about more Male Only Fitness classes? Contact Amy Schwartz at aschwartz@jcc.org or 410.559.3534

Your Center for Jewish Life Wisdom for Today

By Rabbi Phil Miller

Where Will Wisdom Be Found? Chachmah Have you ever been to Joe? Joe is a small chain of coffee shops in New York City. They are small, intimate settings where the “art of coffee” is brewed up with a strong serving of a warm and friendly environment.

My friend Jen, a rabbi, took me once to the Joe in the West Village.

There, one night a week, she led an informal discussion group about the big questions in life. She would begin with the study of a Jewish text and use it as a springboard for conversation. I don’t remember the opening question the cold winter night I visited there, but the discussion became centered on the search for wisdom and where we find it.

Some argued we can only find wisdom within ourselves. Others felt that our inner moral and spiritual compasses, by themselves, are not up to the task of finding wisdom without external guidance and support. What should that guidance and support be? Role models or teachers? The arts? A young woman to my right leaned forward and said “I think we need to spend more time reading old books.” She went on to explain that old books have been tested by the generations and passed on because they were of value in finding wisdom.

I think about that young woman and her desire for the lodestar of an old book every time I walk into a library or a bookstore to find the next book I’m going to read. I can’t ignore contemporary writers. We ignore what they can tell us about our lives today at our own peril. However, Austen, Shakespeare, or Plato give us deeper insights into ourselves and the world. These old writers have inspired earlier generations who in turn have seen them important enough to teach them to their children and students.

The Jewish People have been blessed with the oldest and wisest of books; The Torah. The Torah was given to the Jews at Mount Sinai but an ancient Midrash tells us the Torah was created by G-d, even before G-d began creation, eons before Sinai. G-d had the Torah in that time before time began and looked into it as a guide in creating the heaven and the earth. When we seek wisdom from the Torah we are receiving wisdom that can explain all that we are, have been, and have the potential to be.

Fitness & Wellness Survey Coming Soon

Over the past year our JCC Wellness Task Force has been reviewing many new initiatives to help meet the holistic health needs of our members. Now we need your input to find out what sorts of fitness and wellness classes or workshops would interest you.

Sometime between Jan. 16-31, 2012, we will be sending out a brief survey via email. It will ask you about your preference on class times and gauge your interest on hot, new fitness classes. We are also hoping to introduce programs focusing on weight loss, joint health, lower back issues, healthy cooking, memory enhancement and more.

But we need to know if these topics interest you.

Center News The monthly newsletter of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore

Harry & Jeanette Weinberg JCC 5700 Park Heights Avenue Baltimore, MD 21215 410.542.4900 410.578.0102 fax

Ben & Esther Rosenbloom JCC on the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Campus 3506 Gwynnbrook Avenue Owings Mills, MD 21117 410.356.5200 410.581.0561 fax

www.jcc.org MD Relay: 1.800.735.2258 Neil Demchick Chairman of the Board Buddy Sapolsky President Ken Karsh Senior Vice President, Finance Phil Miller Vice President Ron Siegel Vice President Gail Zuskin Vice President Jan Cardin Membership Chair Randi Buergenthal Marketing Chair Robin Rose-Samuels Marketing Director Esther Apt Center News Editor The Jewish Community Center is an educational, cultural, and recreational agency supported by The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore.

So when you receive the survey please take 10 minutes to complete it.

Paper surveys will also be available at the front desk in both buildings if you don’t use email.

Questions? Contact Amy Schwartz @ 410.559.3534 or aschwartz@jcc.org

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Owings Mills 410.356.5200 | Park Heights 410.542.4900

www.jcc.org

FYI Give to Get is Back!

JCC Ranked a Baltimore Top Workplace We are proud to share with you that our JCC was ranked as one of 75 Top Places to Work in Baltimore according to an employee-based survey conducted for the Baltimore Sun’s Top Places to Work magazine published December 4, 2011.

The Top Places to Work recognizes the most progressive companies in the area based on employee opinions about company leadership, compensation and training, diversity/ inclusion, career development, family-friendly flexibility, values and ethics. Private companies and non-profits as well as publicly-held businesses were included in the analysis.

The survey information was collected by Workplace Dynamics, an independent company specializing in employee engagement and retention.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to be one of the Baltimore Sun’s Top Places to Work,” says Louis “Buddy” Sapolsky, President of the JCC of Greater Baltimore, “This was a compilation of honest, confidential, feedback from our staff. It shows the incredible commitment that they have to the mission of the Jewish Community Center and to the thousands of individuals and families that we serve on an ongoing basis.”

Weather Related Text Alerts !

Winter weather is on the way and in the interest of safety, we may decide to close the building or have a delayed opening or early closing time. For many of us, it is frustrating not knowing as early as possible about those schedule changes.

In addition to sending out emails and updating the JCC website, we are now offering members the option to receive a Text Alert as soon as a decision is made on the status of the building.

To sign up for our Text Alerts, type 292929 in the place where you would put someone’s number if you wanted to text them on your cell phone. In the area where you would type a message, just write jccbalt.alert with the period (caps or no caps – no difference).

Starting in January, JCC members can once again take advantage of a special opportunity to receive $50 in JBucks when they make a donation of $36 or more to The Associated. To qualify you must be a first time donor to the The Associated Annual Campaign. These virtual JCC dollars can be used towards membership fees, camp, preschool, classes, leagues, personal training and much more.

Your $36 dollar gift enables The Associated to provide help to those in need with programs and services such as: • One month of medication for a child with asthma.

• A place at a festive seder for an Ethiopian-Israeli immigrant.

• A gift card to Ruth’s Closet providing an abused woman with an entire outfit that she can use for court appearances and job interviews • 18 flu shots for the needy • A home visit for a local home-bound senior In fact, you and your family are benefitting from Associated funds by being a member of the JCC. The Associated supports the JCC both financially and through various services which we share.

Here’s how Give $36/Get $50 works: Once you make your new contribution to The Associated, at our cashiers’ desks or by giving online at www.associated.org/ jbucks, you will receive your $50 JBucks certificate. You will have 12 months from the time your donation is received to redeem your JBucks. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to help others while helping yourself at the same time!

Share a Book, Save a Tree for Tu B’Shevat Rosenbloom OM & Weinberg PH Elementary School Age + Tuesday & Wednesday, February 7 & 8 10:00am-12:00pm & 6:00-8:00pm

Exchange your gently used books for books that are new to you. Learn environmentally friendly practices for Tu B’shevat while we swap books and save tress! Maximum 10 books per person.

For more information, contact Melissa at OM at 410.559.3593 or Lisa at PH at 410.500.5903

If your attempt to sign-up is successful, you will get a confirmation message to which you need not reply.

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Your Center for Children & Youth NEW! At Park Heights

Preschool Prep

Ages 20-36 months Thursdays, January 12-March 22; 9:30-10:45am

This special class is designed to help your child transition from “toddler” to “preschooler”. The class will be structured like a typical morning of preschool with circle time, gym time, story time and play time. Mini field trips to the gym, CJE library and playground will take place during the session. This is not a drop off class. $140/JCC M $185/NM

Early 2’s Class Starting February 2012 Weinberg PH JCC

Is your toddler turning two before May 1, 2012? If so, there is no need for you to wait for our fall school year to kick off to enroll him/her in our preschool. Start your child in our new Early 2’s class, which begins in February, as soon as he/she turns two.

This transition to preschool program includes all the regular activities of our standard twos class but with slight modifications to suit our younger audience. Your child would continue into the standard twos class in the fall. Limited openings are still available.

For more information about these PH JCC ECE programs, contact Melanie Balakirsky at 410.500.5936 or email mbalakirsky@jcc.org

Summer in the Snow - FREE

Ages 2-5 (entering Kindergarten) Sunday, January 29; 10:30am-12:00pm Rosenbloom OM JCC

Winter getting you down? Come experience some summer sun and fun! Join Noah’s Ark staff and re-live summer memories while learning about what we have in store for you this summer. Activities for the day will include dancing, face painting, tricycle obstacle course, creative crafts and smoothie making!

Sign up for camp at the event and your spot is guaranteed!

For more information, contact Emily Peisach at 410.559.3557 or epeisach@jcc.org

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Have a Healthy Cooking Birthday Party at the JCC! Ages 3-7 Rosenbloom OM JCC

Now you can have your cake and learn to eat healthy too! Children will make personal whole wheat pizzas with vegetables and fresh herbs and have a chance to get creative with a cooked pasta painting project.

Dessert will be fruit kabobs in a flower pot and parents have the option of frozen yogurt sundaes or they may bring a kosher, nut free dessert.

For more information or to book a party contact Chris Sigman at csigman@jcc.org

Tot Shabbat

Birth-36 months Fridays; 11:15am-12:00pm January 20, February 17 & March 16 Rosenbloom OM JCC January 13, February 10, and March 9 Weinberg PH JCC

Bring your little ones each week for a program full of Shabbat spirit, songs, candle lighting, Kiddush, and challah snack.

Free for JCC Members or Non-Member (with a Parenting Center Pass) or $5 /NM For more information, contact Sharon or Linda at 410.559.3524 or email parenting@jcc.org

Hands-On-Holidays Tu B’Shevat

Sunday, February 5; 10:00-11:00am Weinberg PH JCC

Celebrate the birthday of the trees with songs, arts & crafts, story time and more! $6/JCC Member $8/NM $10/Family RSVP to Sharon or Linda at 410.559.3524 or email parenting@jcc.org

Owings Mills 410.356.5200 | Park Heights 410.542.4900

Your Center for Children & Youth Got Shabbat

Friday, January 6; 5:45pm Temple Emanuel 909 Berrymans Lane • Reisterstown, MD 21136 Friday, February 3; 5:45pm Chevrei Tzedek 3101 Fallstaff Road • Baltimore, MD 21209

Join us for a wonderful family Shabbat celebration! Children will participate in age-appropriate Shabbat activities followed by a delicious Shabbat dinner.

Register online at www.jcc.org/gotshabbat

Mt. Washington & Roland Park Area Families Do you live in Mt Washington, Roland Park or nearby? Are you interested in meeting other families with young children in your neighborhood?

Contact Cindy Neuman at cneuman@jcc.org or 410.410.559.3582 to find out about fun neighborhood events designed to strengthen Jewish community where you live!

Downtown Baltimore (DBJCC) Tot Shabbat Fridays, January 6 & February 3; 10:30am Jewish Museum of Maryland 15 Lloyd Street

Join us for a toddler-friendly celebration. We will be making Shabbat ritual items each month.

Hands on Holiday Tu B’shevat Birth to 36 months Thursday, February 9; 11:15am Enoch Pratt Central Library 400 Cathedral St.

Mini ballerinas learn the fundamentals of dance on Sunday mornings at the PH JCC

CSA Martial Arts & Wellness School Comes to PH Ages 5-12 Sundays, January 8-29 Girls Karate - 2:00-2:45pm Boys Karate - 3:00-3:45pm Weinberg PH JCC

CSA has been a part of the JCC for more than 20 years. Now instructors Jennifer Lake and Eddie Mauldin will be teaching martial arts skills and valuable life lessons at Park Heights too.

For more information, contact Mark Bonitatibus at 410.500.5917 or mbonitatibus@jcc.org

Cub Scouts Ages 6-11

Boys in Pack 18 are taught scouting values such as teamwork, leadership, love of the outdoors and good citizenship. JCC Pack 18 has some exciting activities coming up for each age group (“den”) on most weekends.

For more information on joining, contact Cubmaster, Ben Globus at 443.722.4406 or email Pack18@ymail.com

Downtown classes in Federal Hill, Fell’s Point and Canton will be starting again on January 3!

Join us for Hello Baby/Infant Massage, Messy & Messier, Movers & Shakers and Baby Groove.

For more information contact Kim at kjacobsohn@jcc.org or 443.248.4219 You can also visit us at www.dbjcc.org or like us on www.facebook/dbjcc

Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts gather around a fire on a recent outing.

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Camp Center 2012

Capital Campers to Build Confidence on New Mud Obstacle Course!

Tour Camp Milldale Sunday, January 29; 1:00pm

Join Dori Zvili, Camp Milldale Director, for an informative walking tour of camp. Learn about the programs, staff, facilities, and see the beautiful camp environment for yourself.

RSVP for a tour to Dori at 410.559.3512 or email dzvili@jcc.org

Camp Milldale Early Bird Savings Haven’t signed up for Milldale 2012 yet?

Sign up by January 31, 2012 and you can save up to $200 per camper if you include the Express Bus in your plans. Our Express Buses leave from both JCC’s and Chizuk Amuno and go directly to camp. Not only will your kids have a shorter ride but you don’t have to wait around at home for the bus to come.

Download a camp registration form at www.campmilldale.org

Camp Staff News

Congratulations to our Camp Milldale staff on their new positions!

David Mitnick will be returning to Milldale for his fourth summer in the expanded capacity of Co-Assistant Director.

Capital Camps, the official overnight camp of the JCC is taking challenge and confidence-building to a new level in Summer 2012 with the addition of a new Mud Obstacle Course. “Camp is about being outside, getting dirty, and challenging oneself mentally and physically, and with the new obstacle course, Capital Camps will provide that experience to our campers,” says Camp Director, Sam Roberts. “We have a phenomenal facility with several access points for campers, and we know that the Mud Obstacle Course will only enhance their experience.”

Capital Camps combines superb staff with state-of-the-art facilities to ensure the best experience for campers. Our activities merge sheer summer fun with deep identitybuilding. Campers who attend Capital Camps come home with great memories, strong self-confidence and a passion for Jewish life.

See what others are saying about the ‘Best Camp Ever’ at www.capitalcamps.org! Request a home visit at a time convenient for you to chat with our camp staff. Learn about all that our 2, 3 and 4-week camp sessions have to offer.

In addition, registration is also open for Yotair, our five-day Rookie Camp for campers entering 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade.

For JCC members, the registration fee for Yotair is only $100 (reduced from $500).

Don’t delay, sign up today at www.capitalcamps.org!

Amanda Max transitions from her role as Middle School Coordinator at OM to the new Kids Center Director and Co-Assistant Director at Camp Milldale.

Roman Gertsovich oversaw Athletics and Fitness at camp last year and will be returning this year as the Sports Camp Director.

Stay tuned for next month’s camp issue to learn about our revamped Sports Camp and new Lego post-camp option!

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Owings Mills 410.356.5200 | Park Heights 410.542.4900

Your Center for Teens

JCC Maccabi Experience 2012 Jewish Teens, Ages 13-16 Age 12 for individual sports August 5 -10, Houston, TX & Memphis, TN August 12-17, Rockland, NY The choir performed to an enthusiastic audience on October 18th for the Annual Board of Rabbis Adult Institute for Jewish Studies at Beth El Synagogue.

Hazamir Baltimore Presents: Winter Regional Intervisitation & Chamber Choir Retreat Sunday & Monday, January 15 & 16 (MLK weekend) Chizuk Amuno Congregation

The HaZamir “Intervisitation” event provides an opportunity for HaZamir members to become better acquainted with each other and their music. For two intense days, over 160 teens from the Eastern Region Hazamir Chapters and the American members of the HaZamir chamber choir will rehearse the repertoire they will be singing at the Gala 19th Anniversary Concert at Lincoln Center!

Would you like to book HaZamir Baltimore for a concert in 2012? Please contact Erika at 443.831.4205 or erikaschon1@comcast.net

SAT & ACT Test Prep One-on-one with 16 total hours: $1175 Small group (up to 4 students) 8-two hour sessions: $925 Contact Esther Gunter 410.356.5200 x612 or email egunter@jcc.org

Motzai Shabbos for Youth at PH Middle School: 8:00-9:30pm High School: 9:30-11:00pm

Teens from the community are welcome to hang out with their friends at the JCC on select Saturday nights. Activities include swimming, basketball, table tennis and more!

Create memories that will last a lifetime! Each year Baltimore sends over a hundred athletes and creative teens to various host cities for competition in the JCC Maccabi Games® and JCC Maccabi ArtsFest®. Experience athletic, cultural, and social opportunities with Jews from around the world while strengthening your bond to your Jewish heritage, community and Israel!

Tryouts will take place in the late winter/early spring for the following:

• Girls Basketball • Boys Soccer • Inline Hockey • Golf • Softball • Swimming • Table Tennis • Tennis • Track & Field • Volleyball • Boys Lacrosse *NEW • Girls Lacrosse • Boys basketball • Baseball • Girls Soccer

• Dance • Broadcast Journalism • Acting/Improv • Culinary Arts • Digital Photography • Musical Theater • Rock • Visual Arts • Vocal Music • Jazz

To find out about upcoming tryouts join our Facebook page: Baltimore JCC Maccabi Club or contact Paul at plurie@jcc.org to get on our email list.

Boys: January 7, January 28, February 11, March 3 Girls: January 21, February 4, February 25

$2/person For more information call 410.500.5906

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Your Center for Teens TEEN EVENTS Staff News Brad Kerxton, who has worked for us at Camp Milldale, will now be the Coordinator for school age and middle school programming at the OM JCC.

BBYO Thoughts from Sachsenhausen, a former Concentration Camp On November 8, 2011, Mitch Liebeskind, the Director of Northern Region East Baltimore BBYO here at the JCC and a member of the staff of BBYO’s delegation for the March of the Living, visited Sachsenhausen as part of the Germany Close Up/American Jewish Committee (AJC) trip to Berlin. Below is an excerpt from his blog: Sachsenhausen is enormous; I do not say this out of shock, merely a statement of fact. As a member of BBYO’s March of the Living delegation I have been afforded the opportunity to see a number of concentration camps. As you take in all the horrors, facts and figures, waves of emotions overcome you. But among the many thoughts and feelings that wash over me, one stands out as I walk out of the gated walls. As I stare at the sign “Arbeicht Mach Frei” I find immense pride and power in my Judaism.

While in the moment of walking past a gas chamber one feels a wave of immense sadness, walking out of a camp makes you remember the triumph of the human spirit. Among the myriad of reasons that I dedicated so much time to educating myself and others about the Holocaust is this: someone fought in order for my right to exist, and to walk in and out of this horrible place. It is all of our collective responsibility to make sure we do not let that moment and that memory fall by the wayside.

L’dor V’dor, Mitch Liebeskind For information on BBYO and Poland/Israel travel opportunities such as the March of the Living, contact Mitch at 410.559.3549 or email mliebeskind@jcc.org

BBYO Events

January 7- Sweetheart/Heartthrob Dance January 13 -Shul of the Month January 16 -MLK Day of Advocacy January 22 -BBG Spirit Day

For information contact Mitch at 410.559.3549 or email mliebeskind@jcc.org

Middle School Mondays Mondays; 6:00-8:00pm Rosenbloom Owings Mills JCC

Hang out in the teen lounge to play Wii, watch movies, play table tennis or pool and enjoy pizza and snacks, also enjoy the indoor pool and gym.

JCC Members only For more information, contact Brad at 410.559.3547 or bkerxton@jcc.org

Middle School Dances

Grades 6-8 January 21, February 11, March 10; 8:00-11:00pm Rosenbloom Owings Mills JCC

Join us for dancing, a DJ, open gym and snacks. Middle School ID required.

Visit our website at www.jcc.org/teens and bring in the completed VIP form to the next dance and you can cut in line at the entrance. $10/JCC Members $15/NM For more information, contact Brad at 410.559.3547 or bkerxton@jcc.org

TNT Camp Information and Registration Sessions

Teens entering grades 7 & 8 Wednesday January 25 & Thursday January 26; 7:00pm Rosenbloom OM JCC Camp Session 1: June 18 - July 13 Camp Session 2: July 16 - August 10

Teens who have an interest in working with children will have the opportunity to earn community service hours this summer while gaining leadership and communication skills.

Afternoons will offer electives including: fitness classes, sports, leadership seminars, drama and arts classes.

Get all the info on TNT, contact Brad at 410.559.3547

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Owings Mills 410.356.5200 | Park Heights 410.542.4900

Your Center for Adults Awareness Through Movement: Moshe Feldenkrais Method

Ages 55+ Thursdays, January 5-19, February 2-16 & March 8-22; 9:30am Weinberg PH JCC

Twisting the wrist, turning the head – what was once easy becomes difficult through age, injury, and stress. Discover how to reclaim the ease of these movements though the Feldenkrais Method. These simple, gentle movements gradually evolve into greater range and complexity and enable participants to reconnect with their natural ability to move. Requirements: the ability to lie on the floor, bend the knees, and have a sense of curiosity! $20/ JCC Member $30/NM per month

Winter Movie Series Wednesdays at 1:00pm Weinberg Park Heights JCC

Get out of the cold and come to the movies at the JCC! January 4 - The King’s Speech January 25 - Good Will Hunting February 15 - It’s Complicated March 7- Eat, Pray, Love

$1 at the door includes popcorn and water.

For more information, contact Lisa at 410.500.5903 or email lshifren@jcc.org

If you are an older adult looking to make a difference, this is

For more information and to RSVP, call Lisa at 410.500.5903

American Jews and Popular Culture with Neil Rubin Thursdays, January 5-January 26; 7:00pm-8:30pm Rosenbloom Owings Mills JCC

They’ve been best selling authors, leading movie stars, the great comedians, remarkable popular figures and more. Just why have Jews had a phenomenal impact on American popular culture? Take a journey with Neil Rubin, senior editor of the Jewish Times, through the triumphs and travails of American Jews in shaping mainstream culture. We will learn how Jews and America – often uneasily – shaped one another in the past century and how the groundwork is being laid for more in the coming decades. We will look at the wonderful impact Jewish humor has made on American Jews and all of America – from the Marx Brothers to the Three Stooges to Jack Benny to Lenny Bruce to Adam Sandler and much more. We will share and analyze American Jewish jokes as well (clean ones of course) to see what they say about who we are. $40/JCC Member $55/NM For more information, contact Melissa Berman at 410.559.3593 or email mberman@jcc.org

Save the Date

LearnInn Experience Monday, June 11- Friday, June 15 Best Western Conference Center, Westminster

your chance to put your experience and skills to great use.

Information Sessions & Tours Rosenbloom Owings Mills JCC. Sunday January 8; 11:00am Tuesday January 10; 7:00pm Friday, January 13; 11:00am

Stay tuned for more info or contact Melissa at 410.559.3593

Celebrate Tu B’Shevat Wednesday, February 8; 1:00pm Weinberg Park Heights JCC

Join us for a musical celebration in honor of the New Year for Trees and Senior Friendly Neighborhoods. Live Jewish music will be performed by one of our favorite guitarists, Vladimir Fridman! Refreshments will be served. $5/JCC & SFN Members $8/Non-members RSVP to Lisa by February 1 at 410.500.5903

Stay tuned for details or contact Lisa at 410.500.5903.

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Your Center for Art & Culture Mini Film Series

Sholem Aleichem : Laughing in the Darkness

Gordon Center

Sunday January 29; 2:00pm

If you are anxiously waiting for the 2012 Baltimore Jewish Film Festival, then you will enjoy our new Gordon Center Mini-Film Series.

Director: Joseph Dorman USA, 2011; English A riveting portrait of the great writer whose stories became the basis of the Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof.

Plumbing the depths of a Jewish world locked in crisis and on the cusp of profound change, he captured that world with brilliant humor. Sholem Aleichem was not just a witness to the creation of a new modern Jewish identity, but one of the very men who shaped it.

Using rarely seen photographs and archive footage, the voices of actors Peter Riegert and Rachel Dratch, and interviews with leading experts and the author’s own granddaughter, author Bel Kauffmann, the film brings to life as never before Sholem Aleichem’s world and his timeless stories.

La Rafle (The Roundup) Sunday January 15; 2:00pm

Director: Roselyn Bosch France, 2010; French, German and Yiddish with English subtitles In picturesque Montmarte, three children wearing yellow stars play in the streets, oblivious to the darkness spreading over Nazi-occupied France. Hitler has demanded that the French government round up its Jews and put them on trains for the extermination camps in the East. Within a short time, 13,000 of Paris’ Jews, among them 4,000 children, will be rounded up and sent on a road with no return.

Tickets: $10 each or purchase one ticket for each of the three films for $25. Tickets can be purchased at either cashiers’ window, online by visiting at www.baltimorejff.com or buy them at the door, if available.

If you have any questions, please call the film hotline at 410.559.2377 or email ngoldberg@jcc.org

Powered by fluid direction and a string of stars, La Rafle (The Roundup) became a box-office hit in France.

Standing Silent Sunday January 22; 2:00pm

Director: Scott Rosenfelt USA , 2010; English

International Guitar Night

Unrelenting in his pursuit, despite terrible personal repercussions, Baltimore Jewish Times reporter Phil Jacobs is determined to break the silence of child molestation victims.

From Baltimore to Brooklyn, to the streets of Jerusalem, case after case of abuse is slowly brought to light. A recipient of a Sundance Documentary Filmmaker grant, this taboo breaking film recounts how a courageous reporter’s pen became his sword of justice.

North America’s premier guitar festival returns with a powerful lineup. Adrian Legg, England’s eclectic guitarist; Lulo Reinhardt, from Germany, carrying on Django’s Gypsy Swing legacy with an added Latin flavor; Marco Pereira, Brazil’s multi-dimensional virtuoso; and, of course, Brian Gore, founder of International Guitar Night and steel-string finger stylist.

Tickets -$21 $24- show day and at the door

Saturday, January 14; 8:00pm

For links to the artists’ websites visit www. gordoncenter.com. For tickets call: 410.356.7469

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Owings Mills 410.356.5200 | Park Heights 410.542.4900

Your Center for Art & Culture 2012 Photo Contest

Contest entries will be accepted thru February 17, 2012

Be a part of the JCC’s annual Photo Contest! This is a great opportunity for up and coming photographers to showcase their work and develop their artistic abilities while recognizing their Jewish heritage and culture.

Applicant Eligibility • Must be 15 years of age or older • Must not be a professional photographer by trade • May not be JCC employee Guidelines: • Applicants may submit up to 2 photo entries • Photos must be 8”x 10” • Photos may be in black and white or in color • Photos must have been taken within the last year • Photos must not have been a winner in any other photo contest • Applicants may not re-submit prior photo entries • Applicants must submit a typewritten statement on the subject of the photo and why it was chosen. Statement may be no more then 50 words Photos will be juried by committee. Winners will have their photos exhibited in the Meyerhof Gallery in the Gordon Center For Performing Arts from late March through June 2012.

1st Prize:

$150 and exhibit 2nd Prize:

$100 and exhibit 3rd Prize:

$50 and exhibit Honorable mention: Exhibit Only For more information email Nancy at jccphotocontest@jcc.org or visit www.jcc.org/photocontest

2011 winning Photo Contest entries.

Dancers of the World

by Smadar Livne December 2011 – February 2012 Norman & Sarah Brown Art Gallery at the Weinberg PH JCC

Smadar Livne is an awardwinning, Israeli born artist who creates unique and exciting works with bold, bright colors. Many of her works incorporate historic images in a contemporary style. This exhibit will feature acrylic on canvas as well as mixed media.

For more information, contact Smadar at livne@smadarlivne.com or 410.382.3133

The AnnuAl Young FAmilies

oF

Chizuk ReTReAT

Around the World in 25 Hours Friday - Saturday, January 27 - 28

Join us for a magical journey as we experience Shabbat together.

Friday, 4 p.m. “Boarding” begins • Meals • Services • Activities/learning for all ages • Rest • Havdalah Cost: $40/adults, $25/children 6-12, free for children 5 and under, $118 maximum/family RSVP by Monday, January 9 Vegetarian meals are available upon request.

For more information, please contact yfc@chizukamuno.org.

Chizuk Amuno Congregation • 8100 Stevenson Road • Baltimore, MD 21208 • www.chizukamuno.org • 410/486-6400 

January 2012 A Tevet/Shevat 5772

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Your Center for Fitness & Wellness JCC ECE Mom’s Commit to Fitness Tara Rudo and Beth Rose are not only active moms at the Owings Mills JCC ECE, they are also energetic JCC Fitness participants. Tara is the Co-President of the Parents’ Association and Beth is the Chairperson of the ECE Silent Auction this year. Since both moms know that education doesn’t end in the classroom, they teach their children by exemplifying a healthy life style.

“People don’t always realize that there are amazing fitness classes included in their JCC membership,” says Beth. In the course of a week, she takes Cycling, Barre Sculpt and BODYPUMP and works out with a Personal Trainer. “It’s a nice way to socialize with other kids’ parents outside of the classroom and to have others motivate you,” she says. Beth confesses that prior to meeting Tara she had never even taken a fitness class.

“But I am definitely addicted now!”she Tara Rudo and her family admits.

Convenience is another perk the mothers love. “I don’t have to waste time driving to multiple locations to get things done” says Tara. “For me, it is perfect having the kids in school at the JCC and being able to work out there also.” Beth points out, “Everyone has 30 minutes. You have schedules for your kids so make one for yourself and stick with it! ” Group Fitness classes are free to our members. Get a schedule at the front desk or visit jcc.org/schedules.

If You Like ZUMBA™ You’ll Love SH’BAM™ Be one of the first to experience SH’BAM™- the latest Les Mills dance fitness program! Featuring simple but seriously hot dance moves, SH’BAM™ is the perfect way to shape up and let out your inner star – even if you’re dance challenged. It’s a super fun class, set to a soundtrack of chart-topping popular hits.

Check for SH’BAM on the fitness schedule at both JCC locations at www.jcc.org/schedules

Les Mills Launch Fitness Party!

Sunday, January 15; 8:00am-12:00pm

Join us for a fitness celebration! Stay for one class or try them all!

Rosenbloom Owings Mills JCC BODYPUMP 8:00-9:00am BODYSTEP & BODYATTACK 9:05-10:05am BODYFLOW 10:10-11:10am ZUMBA & SH’BAM 10:00-12:00pm

Weinberg Park Heights JCC (women only) BODYPUMP & BODYCOMBAT 8:00-9:00am BODYPUMP & BODYSTEP 9:05-10:05am BODYFLOW 10:10-11:10am SH’BAM & ZUMBA 10:00-12:00pm

Register online at www.jcc.org/lesmillslaunch

JCC’s Biggest Loser Challenge Ages 16+ January 8 - March 2 Both JCCs

Get the tools and support you need to lose weight! Track your progress with weekly weigh-ins at your convenience. Includes a t-shirt, informational handouts, motivational emails, and more!

There will be prizes for the man and woman in each JCC location with the highest percentage of weight loss.

For more information contact: Jackie at PH:410.500.5919 or jforeman@jcc.org and Amy at OM: 410.559.3534 or aschwartz@jcc.org

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Owings Mills 410.356.5200 | Park Heights 410.542.4900

Your Center for Fitness & Wellness Try Pickleball at the ‘J’ This Winter!

Thursdays, January 5-February 23; 9:30am-11:30am Rosenbloom OM JCC

Healthy Aging Series continued from page 1 Fall Prevention

Pickle what? Pickleball is an exciting sport that is a combination of Ping-Pong, Tennis, and Badminton. It has been enjoyed for over 20 years by people of all ages, especially adults! This mini-Tennis game is played on a Badmintonsize court using a wood paddle and a plastic, whiffle-type ball. Join us with representatives from the USA Pickleball Association for interactive lessons the first hour and game play for the second hour. Try something new! $40/JCC Member $60/NM

Did You Know…

Even though Pickleball may be new to you, Bob Eney, the Pickleball Ambassador for Carroll County in Maryland, tells us that Pickleball has been around since 1965 and is played around the world. Bob is excited to help get this sport going at the JCC. “It is a great game for people of all ages including seniors,” he says. “It’s a fun way to get some great aerobic exercise and socialize at the same time!”

Visit the USA Pickleball Association’s (USAPA) website at www.usapa.org for video demonstrations on how to play Pickleball or a copy of the USAPA Official Rules.

Tuesday, February 7; 1:30-2:15pm

As we get older physical changes and health conditions make falls more likely. In fact, falls are the number one leading cause of injury in older adults. Fear of falling doesn’t have to rule your life! Let us give you some simple fall prevention strategies. $5/JCC Member; $10/NM SAVE when you buy the entire, 3-session Healthy Aging Series! $10/JCC Member $25/NM For more information on the Healthy Aging Series, contact Amy Schwartz at 410.559.3534.

For more information, contact Melissa Berman at 410.559.3593 or email mberman@jcc.org

“With a little faith and good company, we will come out of these difficult times.”

-- Ken Husband, father, out of work

Being ASSOCIATED is never being alone.

Be ASSOCIATED. Make a contribution.

Get Involved. www.associated.org/donate

January 2012 A Tevet/Shevat 5772

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Your Center for Aquatics OM Pool Closings

STAFF NEWS

The Rosenbloom OM Pool will be closed on the following dates to accommodate Swim Team activities: Wednesday, January 11, 2012: Beth Tfiloh vs. Indian Creek

Pool closes at 3:45pm, re-opens at 8:30pm

Sunday, January 22, 2012: Baltimore JCC vs. Siegel JCC (Delaware)

Pool closes at Noon; expected to re-open at 5pm

Wednesday, February 1, 2012: Beth Tfiloh vs. Archbishop Spalding & St. Mary’s

Pool closes at 3:45pm, re-opens at 8:30pm

Sunday, February 19, 2012: Baltimore JCC vs. Kaiserman JCC (Philadelphia)

Pool closes at Noon; expected to re-open at 5:00pm

Members must wait until the pool deck has been cleared, lifeguards have re-set all safety equipment and completed all necessary safety checks before entering the pool area.

We are happy to introduce Ahuva Radzyner as the Teen Program Coordinator and Kids Center Social Worker. She will be running educational and recreational programs for teens who are working towards their GED. She will also be the point person for teens to come to with any concerns. Ahuva has a Masters degree in Social Work and is the Principal of Columbia Jewish Community School where she also supervises the teen programming.

We would like to congratulate Ennio “Vince” Troiano for 50 Years of Service to the Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore. Vince works at the checkpoint desk at the Weinberg PH JCC-stop by to say hi and take a look at his new plaque!

Aqua~Fit Deep Water Aerobics with Misti Myers Tuesdays, January 3-March 27; 10:00-10:45am Weinberg Park Heights

Join certified instructor Misti Myers for a 45-minute, non-impact, deep water fitness class that will increase cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength and flexibility. Participants will use flotation equipment and should be comfortable in deep water. $75/M $125/NM For more information, contact Mark Bonitatibus at 410.500.5917 or Shawnise Crawford at 410.500.5931.

410.252.2046

30 Beautiful acres Cockeysville, MD padoniaparkclub.com

“Top 25 Caterers” - Baltimore Business Journal

Impressions that last a lifetime Creative Catering & Complimentary Event Planning �

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Weddings

�

Indoor & Outdoor Venues Bar/Bat Mitzvahs � Celebrations

�

Corporate Events

Owings Mills 410.356.5200 | Park Heights 410.542.4900

Your Center for Jewish Life ASSOCIATED CORNER Meet Ellen • Baltimore Jewish Council Ellen Lightman is the daughter of Holocaust survivors. Her whole life, she grew up without her maternal grandparents who were murdered by the Nazis.

“My mother came to this country in 1940 and my father in 1938. My mother’s parents, my paternal great grandparents and my paternal aunt – along with 40,000 other Jews from southwestern Germany – were transported to the labor camp, Camp Gurs, in southwestern France,” explains Ellen. “Those that didn’t die there were then moved to Auschwitz to perish.”

Ellen’s family was transported toward Auschwitz by the French Railroad, SNCF. As Ellen aged, she knew she wanted to do something to take a stand, to achieve some justice for the lives of her family members and all the others – Jews and non-Jews – who perished in the Holocaust. Roughly 10 years ago, she joined a group of survivors and defendants of survivors to seek justice from the French railroad, to make the railroad apologize for its support and collaboration with the Nazis and to provide some reparations. This past year, Maryland agreed to take some action that will be effective in making that happen: the state legislature passed a law stating that any railroad company that wants to bid on the high-speed rail the state is embarking on building – and that is a very lucrative project – has to open its records of activities during the war.

“The French railroad wants to bid on the contract,” Ellen says, explaining that the company fought tooth-and-nail to stop the legislation.

“In large part, because of THE ASSOCIATED and the Baltimore Jewish Council, the state of Maryland voted in favor of the legislation. The work of THE ASSOCIATED helped us to get this legislation passed,” she says.

Of course, this does not mean the railroad cannot bid on contracts. It says it must open its lists of activities during the war years.

However, once that happens, there is more solid ground for going forward and seeking some justice from the company.

“THE ASSOCIATED ensures that those who perished in the Holocaust are never forgotten and that those who survived this tragic period are honored.”

-- Ellen Lightman, daughter of survivors

Being ASSOCIATED is being an advocate.

Be ASSOCIATED. Make a contribution.

Get Involved. www.associated.org/donate

Says Ellen: “This support is just one example of how THE ASSOCIATED ensures that those who perished in the Holocaust are never forgotten and that those who survived this tragic period are honored.”

Do you want to be an advocate? The Baltimore Jewish Council’s Annual Advocacy Day will take place on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 from 4:00-9:00 p.m. For more information, please contact the Council at 410542-4850 or visit www.baltjc.org.

Please note: Jewish Community Services (JCS) administers a number of grant programs funded by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, Inc. that serve Survivors of Nazi Persecution.

In addition to those who spent time in concentration camps, those eligible for assistance include Jewish individuals from Western and Eastern Europe born 1945 or earlier who were evacuated from their homes and displaced during the war years.

For more information about the various programs and services, as well as eligibility criteria, please contact Jewish Community Services at 410.466.9200.

Please join THE ASSOCIATED and the Baltimore Jewish Council for this year’s Advocacy Day on Tuesday, February 7, 2012. For more information, please contact the Council at 410-542-4850 or visit www.baltjc.org.

January 2012 A Tevet/Shevat 5772

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Eden Café

at the Weinberg PH JCC Phone: 410.542.5185 eden.cafe@hotmail.com

January Hours Monday-Thursday 5:30am-10:00pm Fridays in January 5:30am-4:15pm Fridays in February 5:30am-4:30pm

Sunday: 9:00am-6:00pm Mon.-Thurs.: 9:00am-8:00pm Friday: 9:00am-2:00pm Saturday: 6:30-11:00pm

Me • Latté

at the Rosenbloom OM JCC Phone: 410.559.3531 www.melatte.com Sunday: 7:30am-5:00pm Mon.-Thurs.: 7:00am-2:30pm; 5:30-8:00pm Friday: 6:30am-2:00pm

Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Jewish Community Center 5700 Park Heights Avenue Baltimore, MD 21215

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage P A I D Baltimore, MD Permit No. 885

Saturday at Owings Mills 1:00-6:00pm Saturday at Park Heights 7:30-11:00pm Fitness Center closes at 10:30pm Sundays 7:00am-7:00pm

Swim Pool Closings in Owings Mills See page 14

For every friend that joins* you will receive one free month of membership.

PLUS if your friend joins during our Open House on January 15 you will both be entered to win an Amazon Kindle!

MENTION this OFFER to membership and ask about our “TEAM UP” special offer!

410.559.3506 (OM), 410.500.5910 (PH)

* Your friend must join as a full paying member and can not have been a member the past 12 months.

Tour must be scheduled now through March 15, 2012

JCCs of North America

Bring a friend to tour the JCC and they will receive a ONE WEEK FREE TRIAL MEMBERSHIP!