Winter 2011 | January–March
Tevet 5771–Adar 5771
The
ives We Touch L Your Jewish Community Center Newsletter
Inside This Issue 1 New Beginnings at the JCC Why I Love the JCC
2 JCC MetroWest Parent Place Global Day of Learning Tap N’ Burn: A Dance Community
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New Beginnings at the JCC Continued
4 Tap N’ Burn: A Dance Community Mark Your Calendar Extended Saturday Hours Holiday Hours
The name of the group is New Beginnings and that’s exactly what it is. New Beginnings is for widows and widowers age 60+ who are ready to get out and make new friends. According to Co-Director Eileen Roth, the JCC has made it all possible.“As an affiliate of the JCC, we have a place to meet as well as fabulous programs and refreshments. Everyone who works at the JCC treats us with respect,” she said. The group was originally formed in 2003 as Beyond Bereavement: New Beginnings, the first social organization of its kind in MetroWest. By 2008, they were still meeting once a month, but the group was dwindling due to lack of funding. Rhonda Lillianthal, the new Director of the Center for Jewish Life at the JCC, was able to provide them with dynamic speakers and entertainers through the Amelia and Ephraim Hirschhorn Senior Adult Jewish Education Program. It made an instantaneous difference. “The metamorphosis that occurred resulted from dedicated work by Program Chairperson Sally Kaufman and enthusiastic members who devoted themselves to offering programs which were now designed to meet a cross section of interests. From Yiddish to Einstein, from politics to fine arts, from music to the media, the Hirschhorn Programs provided a fresh approach for us. They provided more than entertainment—the door was opened to new friendships and opportunities to live again in an uncoupled world with new friends,” said Co-Director Toby Grodner.
Camp Deeny Riback: The Big Give In Memoriam: Eric Ross
Continued
New Beginnings at the JCC
“We changed the name of our organization to New Beginnings to better describe the purpose of our much needed group. No other entity existed in New Jersey for widows and widowers that offered the possibilities for living life as a single individual after losing your spouse. There has been an enthusiastic response to recreating New Beginnings. We are overflowing with gratitude for how the JCC changed our lives and gave us a new beginning,” Grodner said. New Beginnings, with a membership of over 200, meets officially once a month on Sundays, but members also get together informally over the course of the year for dinners, movies, Bridge, trips to New York, and other activities. It is a social group, not a counseling group.
Jewish Community Center of MetroWest New Jersey
“When I talk to members of New Beginnings, I see their energy, hope, and optimism. They have truly moved beyond bereavement,” said Rhonda Lillianthal, the JCC’s Center for Jewish Life Director. Continued on page 3
Why I Love the JCC by Jack Gambino
I like to go shopping at Shop Rite. We buy lots of things for the seniors like cookies and drinks. I like exercising with my friends at the day program and going out to lunch with my friends. I had a wonderful time at the Dance-a-thon and can’t wait to go again.
Leon & Toby Cooperman JCC • Ross Family Campus 760 Northfield Avenue • West Orange, NJ 07052 tel: 973–530–3400 • fax: 973-736-6871 Lautenberg Family JCC • Aidekman Family Campus 901 Route 10 East • Whippany, NJ 07981 tel: 973–428–9300 • fax: 973-929-2942
JCC MetroWest Parent Place
Global Day of Jewish Learning at JCC MetroWest JCC MetroWest hosted hundreds in a variety of Jewish activities and educational forums on the Global Day of Jewish Learning in November. We were one of 365 communities worldwide celebrating the completion of Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz’s monumental translation of the Babylonian Talmud from ancient Aramaic into modern Hebrew, making thousands of years of Jewish learning accessible to us today.
JCC MetroWest Parent Place is an entry way into the JCC family and the Jewish community, providing parental support through classes, speakers, programs, and celebrations. It is also a place to hang out with friends and meet new friends. Ricky Peled, mother of Avi, 7; Eli, 4; and Shai, 1, describes Parent Place this way: “It’s a nook at the JCC that’s just the right size for my toddler to begin his journey at the Early Childhood Center. He really looks forward to his own classes, space, and friends after we drop off his brother.”
JCC Metrowest broadcast Rabbi Steinsaltz’s address live from Jerusalem in the Maurice Levin Theater and transformed the day into a celebration of Jewish learning and heritage. Highlights included a Mezuzah Making Workshop, the dedication of new Mezuzot for the Leon & Toby Cooperman JCC, the kickoff of the JCC MetroWest Mezuzah Project (a campaign to place new Mezuzot on doorposts throughout the Cooperman facility), the screening of An Article of Hope (a film about Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon who carried a Torah from the Holocaust into space on the space shuttle Columbia), and a performance by the community Jewish choir Kol Dodi. Keeping with the JCC’s goal to be inclusive and to provide a venue for meaningful Jewish experiences, all activities were free and open to the public.
Parent Place is offering NEW Winter Session classes beginning in January. You and your child can “Rock with Andy” every Thursday at 4:00pm. Andy Baum comes to us exclusively from New York City, where he has an enthusiastic following. Other classes beginning soon include Little Maestros, with four live musicians who sing and play guitar, piano, and drum on Tuesdays at 9:30am, 10:30am, 12:45pm, and 3:30pm. Choose also from Baby and Me Yoga, Messy Art, Music and Movement (with Miss Jodi from Circle Time Live), and many more. Parent Place is located at the Cooperman JCC in West Orange. For more information, contact Katy Strulson at 973-530-3915 (kstrulson@jccmetrowest.org) or visit www.jccmetrowest.org/parentplace.
Launch of the Mezuzah Project Left to right: Alan Feldman, CEO JCC MetroWest; Alte Kasowitz; Julie Levine, the artist who created the Mezuzah case for the JCC; Honorable Mayor of West Orange Robert Parisi; Rabbi Asher Herson; and Rabbi Mendy Kasowitz. This picture was taken as part of the Mezuzah Project at the dedication of the first Mezuzah to be placed on the entrance to the JCC from Steiner Court.
Tap N’ Burn: A Dance Community “5 and 6 and 7 and 8…shuffle, ball, touch….” A long line of women in black tap shoes and cowboy hats follow instructor Kathy Pucci’s choreography. Soon (Saturday, January 29) they’ll be performing this routine to a song by the Charlie Daniels Band at the JCC’s Rockin’ Round the World Dance-A-Thon in support of JCC Special Needs Services. This is Tap N’ Burn, a JCC group exercise class that is its own unique community. For the past three years, Kathy has been teaching Tap N’ Burn on Mondays at 10:30am and Tuesdays at 6:15pm. A core group of tappers have been with her from the beginning, but newcomers are welcome and encouraged. “People come in and they are so motivated by Kathy and the music. It’s not intimidating at all,” said Leslie Zablow, who has a dance background and also takes salsa and cardio classes at the JCC. “I walk out with a smile on my face.” Continued on page 4
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The Lives We Touch | Your Jewish Community Center Newsletter
The L.I.T.s had a long discussion about what we wanted to raise money for. We knew we wanted to do something local and something that had to do with the joy of camp. We finally decided that we wanted to raise money for an organization called the Gift of Camp. This foundation, founded by the Landau family, raises money to help parents who have a child struggling with cancer send that child or his/her siblings to camp. The event we chose was a 5K/Wellness Run. We asked parents to send donations sponsoring their children, and they very generously contributed to our cause. CDR staff also contributed by entering a staff Home Run Derby activity. The day of the event was a blast for everyone, especially our Junior Village campers, who loved the balloons they received at the finish line. In all, we raised over $2,100. Every L.I.T. was so proud of our accomplishment.
Camp Deeny Riback: The Only Difference that Matters is the Difference You Make in Another’s Life
So, here I am—a former CDR camper who not only went through the two-year Leader-in-Training program, but was selected to be a Big Give Captain too. Soon, I’ll be applying for a Junior Counselor position at CDR. Participating in Camp Deeny Riback’s L.I.T. program has changed me in ways that will affect me for the rest of my life.
by Rachel Cooper New Beginnings continued from page 1
At Camp Deeny Riback, the only difference that matters is the difference you make in another’s life. This concept did not hit home for me until my final day as a CDR camper this past August. Having grown up at CDR—I always knew camp was special, different from other summer camps, but I could never put it in words. And then, something magical happened, I got “it”—and I owe this realization to the experiences I had as a 9th and 10th grader in CDR’s Leader-in-Training (L.I.T.) program. Being an L.I.T. has made such a huge impact on me, not just in being a good counselor but in other aspects of my life. My first year of being an L.I.T. was in 2009, and at the time I was still the shy, uncertain camper I had been the year before. I always went swimming with my campers, helped them get dressed, and sang along during Music. I did everything I was supposed to but that wasn’t enough. The thing I was missing was the leadership skills, the ones that put me above and beyond what is required. This summer, I came back with a new attitude and goal; to prove to myself that I can be a leader.
Eileen Roth agrees. “It’s given me a life again. I have made so many good friends through this group,” she said. “Being a widow, you’re the forgotten person. The need for New Beginnings is based on the sense of isolation and alienation created by being a widow or widower in a world of couples. Not only have we lost our spouses, but we’ve lost the place in society that made up our lives.” The goal of New Beginnings is to create social opportunities as well as a sense of community and a place in the Jewish community. Dues are $18/year (which goes towards refreshments). For more information, contact Rhonda Lillianthal at 973-530-3519 (rlillianthal@jccmetrowest.org).
Because of my hard work, I was selected to be one of the Big Give captains along with Eliana Gladstein and Scott Ensel. Each summer, the L.I.T.s hold the CDR Big Give, a fundraiser, to help an organization or cause they have chosen.
The Lives We Touch | Your Jewish Community Center Newsletter
In We will miss you Memoriam Eric Ross (1919–2010) JCC MetroWest mourns the passing of our long-time friend and supporter Eric Ross. “The loss of Eric Ross leaves a giant hole in the heart of our community,” said Alan Feldman, CEO, JCC MetroWest. “His philanthropy has left its mark across the Jewish communal landscape as he served as a role model to us all, displaying an unparalleled commitment to community—locally, nationally, and internationally.”
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Tap N’ Burn: A Dance Community continued from page 2
Kathy, who is a professional dancer, hit on the idea that mobilizing the class for performances— in full costume—would be a terrific incentive. They rehearsed rock and swing routines for several months and held their debut performance for JCC seniors in the West Orange Maurice Levin Theater in September 2009. This was followed by an appearance at the first JCC Dance-A-Thon in January 2010, which was themed Dancing through the Decades. The group wowed crowds with Welcome to the 60s (from Hairspray). They added two more routines, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (40s) and Jailhouse Rock (50s), for an encore performance at Jewish Federation Plaza (senior housing next door to the JCC) in June.
Mark Your Calendar Here’s a small sample of what is happening at the JCC. Visit our website for more information at www.jccmetrowest.org Sunday, January 30
Tree Time at the Arboretum
Monday, January 17 JCC MetroWest Children’s Music Series
Z Brothers Band
Kathy hopes to soon move the class up another level by entering dance competitions. “I am amazed at how far everyone has come and how fast they learn,” she said.
Monday, January 17 Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Vacation Program
“I wanted to be active and find a fun form of exercise after having children. When I was younger, I had some exposure to dance, but I always wanted to learn more about the tap genre,” said Lauren Kampel, a graphic designer at the JCC who considers the community performance component of Tap N’Burn a welcome bonus. “Going out into the community gives us a higher purpose.”
Saturday, January 22
Ante Up for Education… at the JCC
February 18, 21–25
Presidents Week Vacation Programs Saturday, March 5
Saturday, January 29
Rockin’ Round the World Dance-A-Thon
“Tap makes me happy and is truly the best thing about Monday mornings. Our performances really challenge me to keep up my skills and bring back fond memories from high school when I was part of a community performing group at a dance school I attended,” said Cynthia McConnell, an Aquatics Instructor at the JCC who considers tap her favorite exercise out of the water. Instructor Kathy Pucci invites you to join the fun. Kathy has danced with Ballet Hispanico of New York, Chautauqua Festival Ballet, Miami Momentum Modern Dance Company, L’Image de Ballet/Jazz, and Buffalo Ballet Theatre. She has taught at the University of Miami, Chautauqua Institution, and Broadway Dance Center. “Anyone can follow the warm-up which consists of single sounds like stepping, stamping, and stomping and progresses to double sounds like flaps and shuffles. I teach modifications of all of the steps so that people can do it at any level,” Kathy said. Learn to tap! A beginner level Tap N’Burn class is forming on Monday mornings at 10:15am. For more information, call the Fitness Desk at 973-530-3416 or contact Kathy Pucci at kathypucci@gmail.com.
www.jccmetrowest.org
The Klezmatics: On Holy Ground
Toast of the Town
From college students to senior members such as Lucy Broomall, 70, and Mitzi Kreinberg, who is 84 and has been tapping since she was a little girl, all agree that tap is a joyous way to exercise. “Tap is about the music for me,” said Janet Lazar, a lawyer who has been in the class two years. “It’s a mind-body connection, it’s about balance, and just great exercise.”
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Saturday, February 5 New Jersey Jewish Film Festival extra!
Sunday, March 6
Kids Extravaganza Sunday, March 13
Purim Palooza
Extended Saturday Hours Through March 12 LATE CLOSING • 8:00pm
Holiday Hours Monday, January 17
Monday, February 21
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Presidents Day
REGULAR HOURS
REGULAR HOURS
The Lives We Touch | Your Jewish Community Center Newsletter