SNH March/April 2016 by jcc/jfgnh

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SHAL M

The Voice of the Greater New Haven Jewish Community

NEW HAVEN

SPRING 2016 • ADAR/NISAN/IYAR 5776

Jewish Community Takes Lead on Going Green

JCC/Federation Installing Solar Panels on Roof

inclement weather in the winter. The solar carport was the largest project of its kind financed under the C-PACE Power Purchase Agreement. The structure has an environmental impact estimated to reduce 607 tons of carbon dioxide annually, 12,140 tons over 20 years and removing 128 passenger vehicles from the road annually. With both solar projects in place, the JCC will produce nearly 1.2 million total kilowatt hours of energy a year. “I don’t know of anyone else who has both solar programs like this in place,” Cohen admitted.

By Jeannette Brodeur SHALOM NEW HAVEN Editor “When G-d created the first human beings, G-d led them around the Garden of Eden and said: ‘Look at my works! See how beautiful they are – how excellent! For your sake, I created them all. See to it that you do not spoil and destroy My world; for if you do, there will be no one else to repair it.”

Midrash Kohelet Rabbah, 1 on Ecclesiastes 7:13

In Judaism, halakhah prohibits wasting resources, which violates the mitzvah of Bal Tashhit, do not destroy, and embraces the duty of tikkun olam, perfecting or repairing the world. Both have become major themes in modern Jewish social justice theology and important concepts in environmentalism. The Greater New Haven Jewish community is taking an active role in honoring these religious, environmental themes and concepts by finding innovative ways to cut electric costs and reduce their carbon footprint. The Jewish Federation & JCC of Greater New Haven, in Woodbridge, boasts the largest solar initiative in the Jewish community, with its solar carport and a new solar roof that will be installed beginning in April.

The solar array on the new vinyl roof on the Beckerman/Lender building, which houses both the JCC and the Federation, will be self-ballasted and incorporate about 1,000 solar panels. The project is expected to take eight weeks to complete. Designed and installed by Deutsche Eco, the solar roofing project was coordinated and constructed in partnership with and funded by the state through the Connecticut Green Bank and financed under the Green Bank’s C-PACE-secured Power Purchase Agreement, which requires no money down. The savings associated with the discounted rate for electricity will be used to finance the roof repairs. Scott Cohen, the JCC’s Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, said the JCC first started exploring solar energy as a way to fund the roof repair, but at that time, there was no program in place for that particular type of project, but he did notice that there was funding for carports, so they agreed to embark on that project. In July, the JCC and Federation began using the five solar carports, which produce 880,000 kilowatt hours of energy each year and provide shade during the summer and protection from

Cohen explained that every dollar they save in overhead can go to programs to help the community. “It felt like something we should do,” he said. “It’s repairing the world. We have a platform to lead by example.”

Credit: Hadas Parush/Flash90

The section could be ready in as soon as a few months or up to two years from now.

the 15-5 vote on the measure by his cabinet.

“This is a fair and creative solution,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after

Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), said

LAURELWOOD DIRECTOR LIVES DREAM Golub is living his dream as new Camp Laurelwood Director. See page 3.

When Connecticut businesses and organizations are first considering going solar, Ben Healey, Connecticut Green Bank’s assistant director of Clean Energy Finance, sends them right away to see the Jewish Federation & JCC’s solar carport, which is the largest solar project in the state. “I use it as an example of leadership for clean energy,” Healey said. By installing two solar array projects, together with their cogeneration heating system, Healey said the JCC is “positioned as one of the real leaders for clean energy. They are a real symbol of innovation in this part of the state.”

OUTDOOR POOL MAKES A SPLASH New outdoor pool weekend day memberships hit JCC. See page 7.

Healey said the Connecticut Green Bank has submitted the JCC projects for consideration CONTINUED ON PG. 15

the decision would “connect world Jewry to the State of Israel.” Jerry Silverman, CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), called it a “major step forward.” Member of Knesset Merav Michaeli (Zionist Union) said the Kotel was “liberated” again, this time not by soldiers, but by women in Jewish prayer shawls.

The Israeli government’s passage of legislation that authorizes egalitarian prayer in a soon-to-be-created 9,700-square-foot, NIS 35 million ($8.85 million) section adjacent to the southern part of the Western Wall (Kotel in Hebrew) has been called groundbreaking, empowering, dramatic, and unprecedented.

April 10th event to honor former CEO. See page 3.

“We are less at the whim of price increases. This means that now 67 percent of our electric costs will be known to us for the next 20 years. This helps us in planning for the future.”

Western Wall Prayer Decision Shifts Israel-Diaspora Paradigm By Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman JNS.org

PERRY DEDICATED TO COMMUNITY

Indeed, for 27 years, the Women of the Wall group pushed for women’s equality at the Kotel. Formal negotiations have been going on for almost three years. In a statement, the group said more than just an agreement has been achieved: “The vision of the new section of the Kotel is a physical and conceptual space open to all forms CONTINUED ON PG. 7

JCC JOURNEYS GAINS FANS Social media campaign has garnered thousands of views since Jan. 25. See page 23.

INSIDE

From the desk of Judy Diamondstein

JCC

4, 23

Federation

8, 21

Foundation

11-14

Agencies

10, 16

KESHER

17-19

Community Calendar Tributes & Remembrances

20 8

FROM THE DESK OF

Judy Diamondstein Chief Executive Officer I jdiamondstein@jewishnewhaven.org

Jewish Camp is Best Investment for Our Children Numerous national and worldwide studies support that sending a child to Jewish camp is one of the best things we can do to create a strong Jewish identity.

favorite for hundreds of campers, the camp will get an infusion of energy from its new director, Ari Golub, a New Haven native.

attend. Cost should not be a barrier to participation. Many scholarship opportunities exist. Visit the Federation website for more information.

From sports specialty camps to arts programs, camps aligned with every stream of Judaism, and camps that offer traditional options, today’s camps offer something for everyone.

Along with the benefits of experiencing the wonderment of the outdoors, making new friends, trying new things and gaining new skills, campers are treated to informal Jewish education that infuses Jewish values and learning seamlessly into the fun. Camp is transformative. It is one of the best ways to create and strengthen Jewish identity along with Jewish day school education and peer trips to Israel.

If your child will be a first time Jewish resident camper, then the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s One Happy Camper program may help your child to receive a $1,000 grant. Visit Jewishcamp.org for more information.

In our community, camp programs are offered for the preschool set with Camp Gan Israel and the recently expanded JCC Camp full-day program for four-year olds, along with numerous summer camp programs at area synagogues. An excellent facility located on the beautiful JCC Campus in Woodbridge, the JCC Day Camp enjoys a proud decadeslong tradition. Come to the open house from 1-3 p.m. on April 3 here at the JCC to get an up-close look at the program. There are many dynamic and engaging overnight camping choices, including Connecticut’s only Jewish overnight camp, Camp Laurelwood. Already a summer

What makes for a happy camper? As hard as it is to believe, it’s not the posh accommodations, awesome cuisine or even the gaga courts. Friendships are the reason kids return year after year to the same camp, and the return rates at most camps, Jewish or not, are extremely high. Our Jewish Federation believes in Jewish camping and encourages every child to

JCC Now Offers Camp for Four-Year Olds The JCC of Greater New Haven will now offer full-day and half-day summer camp for four-year olds. Camp Katan will offer four-year-old children full-day camp from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with free transportation available from centralized locations. The half-day program offers young campers a shorter schedule from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Drop-offs are welcome at 8:45 a.m. and pickup is at 1 p.m. or 4 p.m. No mid-day transportation is available. A daily kosher snack will be provided and an Oneg Shabbat program is offered each Friday.

“Campers can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, including arts and crafts, sports, creative movement, drama, storytime, music, nature and cooking,“ noted JCC Director of Youth Programs Alison Lurie. Swimming lessons will be part of the state-licensed camp as well. Full-day campers will have quiet time or time to relax during the day. For more information, contact Camp Director Debra Kirschner at (203)3872522, x 253, or e-mail summercamp@ jccnh. org.

Do you share a commitment to providing camping opportunities? The Barry Vine Send A Kid to Camp Scholarship Fund is the JCC’s scholarship program. It is looking for donors like you to invest in the Jewish future by providing opportunities for every child who wants to attend the JCC camp to be able to do so. The Jewish Scholarship Initiative at the Jewish Foundation also provides assistance to campers and their families who wish to attend a local, Jewish camp.

sending them to Jewish camp? In my own family, the year is measured by the number of days until camp begins again. With spring’s arrival, we know that summer isn’t far behind and that means that camp is just around the corner. Think camp!

We want so much for our children and do our best to provide for them. How many of our investments are as sure a bet as

SHAL M NEW HAVEN SHALOM New Haven is published five times per year and delivered free of charge to the Greater New Haven Jewish community by the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven. ___________________________________

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EXECUTIVE STAFF Stephanie Wain President Judith A. Diamondstein Chief Executive Officer Scott Cohen Chief Financial and Operations Officer Lisa Stanger Foundation Director Shelley Gans JCC Director ___________________________________ Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven 360 Amity Rd., Woodbridge, CT, 06525 (203) 387-2424 - fax: (203) 387-1818 jfgnh@jewishnewhaven.org jewishnewhaven.org

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Perry Has Dedicated Her Life to Our Community All While Raising Six Children, Celebrating Shabbat By Jeannette Brodeur SHALOM NEW HAVEN Editor Former Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven CEO Sydney A. Perry’s long list of accomplishments throughout her 30 years of serving the Federation is impressive, but what’s even more amazing is that she did this all while raising six observant children and celebrating Shabbat with her family each week. “Ours was a noisy, hectic household with six children,” Perry, 70, reflected. “My husband was a professor and spent a lot of time with the children, which helped enormously to allow me to work. But I think the balance in our lives, the very pivot around which our family turned, was not the secular calendar or our work obligations, but the Jewish calendar.” “Shabbat was critically important as a touchstone for us as a family,” she admitted. “All week we prepared for Shabbat, for the meals, for inviting guests, for reading the weekly Torah portion, for my father coming to lunch.” Perry, who is the grandmother of 18, remembers reading an article that stressed the importance of eating dinner together as a family every night. She did her best to ensure that her family did this, particularly on Shabbat. “The kitchen table during the week and the dining room table on Shabbat was where we touched base, shared stories, talked about values, and learned how to help one another and appreciate the family unit,” Perry said. It’s not easy to balance work and family life, but Perry stressed that she and her

Celebrate Sydney!

Please join us in honoring Sydney A. Perry for three decades of dedication to our Jewish community with a celebration on Sunday, April 10, at 5:30 p.m. at the JCC, 360 Amity Road, Woodbridge. Enjoy hors d’oeuvres and dinner stations with entertainment provided by Six13. The cost is $36 per person. Kashrut is observed. RSVP by March 10. Contact egroves@ jewishnewhaven.org.

husband were very clear about what their priorities were. “Our commitment to synagogue life and Jewish observance was paramount,” she said. “My children are a pretty competitive bunch, but they are also deeply committed to one another,” she said, proudly. “The fact that we lived abroad a total of five years when they were young brought us all closer together. We traveled, learned languages, read voraciously; our years abroad were instrumental in the children’s educational and personal development. And ours!” Perry admitted that one of her greatest joys working at the Federation, first in the Department of Jewish Education and then as CEO, was that she achieved harmony in her personal, professional, spiritual, and intellectual life. “The students I taught, the professionals I worked with, the friends I made, being part of this great Jewish enterprise has provided me with a profound sense of gratitude,” she said. Over the course of her tenure with the Federation, Perry said she is most proud of serving as principal of MAKOM, the community Hebrew High School, and

Photo by Samantha Rijos Sydney Perry poses for Business New Haven 2015 Citizen of the Year Award photo.

educating more than 2,000 teens, as well as leading the largest New England contingent of the March of the Living six times, and developing programming on the shoreline. Perry was born in New Haven and graduated from Hillhouse High School. She was in the first class of Gan HaYeled at B’nai Jacob and was confirmed at the shul on George Street and post-confirmed in their new building in Woodbridge. Growing up, Perry remembers spending

a lot of time at the JCC on Chapel Street. Perry went to Smith College where she majored in Islamic and African Studies, spent time in Tanzania, held a national defense grant in critical languages (Swahili) and did her graduate work in Islamics. “It wasn’t exactly a sure-fire path to becoming the head of the department of Jewish Education at the Federation or to CEO,” Perry said, laughing. She taught Rabbinics and Bible at Ezra Academy and CONTINUED ON PG. 21

New Camp Laurelwood Director Returns Home to Live Dream By Jeannette Brodeur SHALOM NEW HAVEN Editor As Hamden native Ari Golub begins his new position as director of Camp Laurelwood, the state’s only Jewish overnight camp, he will be living his dream and carrying on an important legacy for his family and the Jewish community he grew up in. Along with serving as assistant director in the administration office for Camp Laurelwood from 2004-2005, Golub has many friends and family who are camp alumni, including his mom, and now, his two young children will attend camp there this summer. Working at the JCC of Greater New Haven day camp in Woodbridge for six summers from 1994-2000, Golub realized that he had found his true calling working with kids and switched colleges and majors from accounting to education. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in education and communications from Southern Connecticut State University in 2000. Golub also met his wife at the JCC. “My wife Heather worked as a pre-school

teacher at the JCC,” he said. “We met at JCC day camp.” The Golubs, who now live in Guilford, have a daughter, Peyton, 7, and a son, Jordan, 5. “We look forward to being a part of the JCC family again.” Golub, who had previously served as the director of the day camp and children’s programming at the Mandel Jewish Community Center in Beechwood, Ohio, before returning to Camp Laurelwood, is excited to be back home and doing the job he dreamed of.

“It’s been a dream of mine to be the director,” he admitted. “When I was working there, my wife and I said, ‘Wouldn’t it be wonderful if I could come back and work as a director someday?’ And here I am.” Growing up in New Haven and going to day camp himself, Golub never realized how special overnight camp is. “There’s an entirely different atmosphere,” he explained. “Overnight camp is about making connections with staff and the campers and creating a world unto its own. It’s like nothing else exists. It’s remarkable.” As Camp Laurelwood’s new director, Golub wants as many children as possible to experience the wonders of overnight camp. “I want to grow the number of campers and make sure we provide campers with a really good experience that is meaningful,” he said. CONTINUED ON PG. 8

SHALOM NEW HAVEN | SPRING 2016 3

Message from

Stephanie Wain Federation President

Your Gift Strengthens Our Community Since its inception in 1956, the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven has raised more than $150 million though our annual campaign. These funds have, in turn, been used to make a difference in the lives of literally millions of Jewish people in need, here in the Greater New Haven area, in Israel, and around the world. Last year, more than 2,200 people from across our community fulfilled the mitzvah of tzedakah by making a gift to the Federation’s Annual Campaign. There are a number of ways that you can participate in the 2016 Federation Annual Campaign. You can attend one of our communitywide events (check out the community calendar) or you can donate online or mail your pledge directly to the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven at 360 Amity Road, Woodbridge, CT, 06525).Your gift helps to strengthen our community and create a vibrant Jewish future. Here in the Greater New Haven area, your dollars go to pay for staff to oversee Food4Kids, a collaboration between JFS and the Federation that packs food in knapsacks for impoverished children in New Haven. It pays for staff for the Kesher Committee, which is a collaboration between the synagogues and

Federation, which is planning on June 5 for a community Israel celebration. Your dollars support staff of the Jewish Community Relations Council whose fine work includes the Jewish Coalition for Literacy where 165 volunteers are reading partners with students. Your dollars support the Wexner Fellows program that helps cultivate our future Jewish leaders right here in Greater New Haven. Your dollars support all of our local agencies which receive allocations such as The Towers, Camp Laurelwood, Jewish Family Service, Ezra Academy, the JCC and Southern CT Hebrew Academy. At the same time, our Federation led the call for crisis relief funds when Jews in Paris were under attack, for humanitarian needs of Ukranian Jews, and families in Sderot exposed to Palestinian rockets attacks. I also want to know what you are passionate about. Do you want to know about possible volunteer opportunities? Is there a program, event, or focus you would like us to pursue? For inquiries, contact Stephanie Wain, swain@jewishnewhaven.org or Judy Diamondstein, Federation CEO, jdiamondstein@jewishnewhaven.org or call (203)387-2522.

FREELANCE WRITERS NEEDED Shalom New Haven is looking for enthusiastic freelance writers who can engage our readers in the Greater New Haven Jewish community. Send us your resume and clips or links to your writing. To apply: shalomnh@jewishnewhaven.org.or call Jeannette Brodeur at (203)387-2522, x 216.

SHAL M NEW HAVEN

DO YOU LOVE TO SCHMOOZE?

WANT TO EARN BIG COMMISSIONS?

DO YOU HAVE SALES EXPERIENCE AND A STRONG CONNECTION TO THE GREATER NEW HAVEN JEWISH COMMUNITY? To apply: shalomnh@jewishnewhaven.org.or call Jeannette Brodeur at (203)387-2522, x 216.

SHALOM NEW HAVEN | SPRING 2016 4

SHAL M NEW HAVEN

Program Offers Jewish Teens Study, Friends, Fun and Food Seeing a need for more events geared toward Jewish teens, Beth El-Keser Israel Principal and long-time educator Ina Silverman, BEKI teacher Tikva Shapiro, who is working on her master’s degree in Jewish education, and Sydney Perry, former Federation CEO and founder of MAKOM, a popular community Hebrew High School, that once brought together more than 350 teens several times a week, have created Ma Invanim, a new program which offers teens a chance to learn about timely topics through a Jewish perspective. “Since Makom no longer exists, I really wanted to create a short-term program combining an experiential element with text study,” Silverman said. “Our new four session high school series is designed to give teens the opportunity to learn about a few timely topics through a Jewish lens. Topics were chosen after conversations with teens and parents.” Silverman said Shapiro is helping organize the project as part of her degree program. “We are very thankful to Sydney Perry for her help in getting this off the ground, to the Federation for helping fund this series so we can charge a minimal fee of $36, and especially to our presenters who are volunteering their time and expertise,” she said. Ma Invanim will offer four new high school sessions in March and April: Sunday, March 27: Escape! Redeeming Captives, Torah Law or Foolhardy Politics? The group meets at 3:45 p.m. at ESCAPE NEW HAVEN, 111 Whitney Ave. Participants will join one of two teams and have an hour to escape from a room

filled with puzzles and clues. Then they will walk to the Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale for dinner and a conversation with former Federation CEO Sydney Perry about redeeming hostages and captives. Pick-up is at 80 Wall Street at 7p.m. Sunday, April 3: Street Law. Civil Rights, City Life. The group meets at 25 Woodside Terrace, home of Ina Silverman and Jay Sokolow, from 4:30-7 p.m. They will discuss civil rights, street law, what life is like around your corner and the origins of our legal system with author and New Haven police officer Shafiq Abdussabur and U.S. Attorney Avi Perry. Sunday, April 10: A Little Help from My Friends. The Refugee Experience. IRIS (Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services) hosts the group from 4:30 7pm. What if you had to leave your war or famine ravaged homeland for the other side of the world knowing no one, not speaking the language, and with no immediate means of financial support? IRIS workers, recent refugees, and Rabbi Josh Ratner will give us an idea of what that’s like. Sunday, April 17: Life and Death. Confronting the Journey. The JCC, 360 Amity Road, Woodbridge, hosts the group from 4:30-7p.m. Jewish funeral director Jimmy Shure shares his vocation and Rabbi Rona Shapiro facilitates a wide-ranging, participant-led discussion about living and dying. All programs include dinner. Registration is required. For more information, contact Ina Silverman at: inas@snet.net.

Yom HaShoah Commemoration Set for May 1 at JCC Dr. John Krystal Will Share Father’s Journey The Greater New Haven community’s Annual Yom HaShoah Commemoration will take place at 2 p.m. on May 1 in the JCC’s Vine Auditorium, 360 Amity Road in Woodbridge, announced Fay Sheppard, the chair of this year’s Yom HaShoah Committee of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven. Sheppard invited the community to attend the event “to remember the Holocaust and to reaffirm its important lessons.”

JCC’s Librarian Explains How the Holocaust Shaped Her Life By Grace Koo Marketing Intern As Yom HaShoah approaches, I sat down with the JCC of Greater New Haven’s librarian, Katalin Baltimore, to better understand her experience with the Holocaust and how this event shaped her life. “I was born in 1948, to Holocaust survivors,” Baltimore said. “In Hungary in 1948, the anti-Semitism was just as bad as in 1944, so my parents never told me I was Jewish.” “We always had a Christmas tree,” she admitted. “My sister and I once tried to go to a church and we had no idea why we got thrown out. “ “My family and I escaped from Hungary in 1957 after the Hungarian Revolution,” Baltimore explained. “I found out that we were Jewish when I was 9. After we found out, my father sat us down and said, ‘You’re Jewish, but you’re not Jewish, and you're not to tell anyone that you’re Jewish.’”

When she lived in Stamford, Baltimore convinced her parents that she wanted to join the Jewish Community Center there with the pretense that she wanted to swim.

“Each year, for many decades, we New Haveners have gathered to remember the victims of the Holocaust, Jewish families, Jewish communities and Jewish heritage, brutalized and annihilated by the Nazis and their collaborators,” she said. “This year, we will be joined by Dr. John Krystal, the Robert L. McNeil, Jr. Professor of Psychiatry and Professor of Neuroscience at Yale, who will be sharing

his father's journey from victim, to survivor to a leading expert on the psychological scars of almost inhuman levels of stress and trauma, such as those experienced by Holocaust survivors,” she said. “Each year, as we pause in our memories and grief for what has been lost, we also reaffirm our duty to be upstanders in our own time, not bystanders,” she explained. “We are a people who carry these lessons in our hearts, and in our very DNA. We understand the dangers of hate and the evils of prejudice.” Like many who have led the annual commemorations, Sheppard is the adult child of Holocaust survivors and said she felt a strong obligation to her parents and to future generations to lead this year’s event. For more information about this year’s commemoration, please contact Ruth Gross at ruthg@jccnh.org.

Later, when she went to college at Tufts University, her journey of self-discovery led her to the support and encouragement of Jewish friends. Unfortunately, that created challenges as well. “The first year, I met a couple of Jewish women and decided this was a good time to come out as a Jew,” she said. “I was living at home, but my parents didn’t follow me to the campus. So I went to my first Rosh Hashanah service, and I came out crying because I didn’t understand a word of what was going on. It was all in Hebrew, and I had no familiarity with anything.”

At a Hillel meeting, Baltimore actually met Jewish writer, professor, political “I found out that we were Jewish activist, Holocaust when I was 9. After we found out, my survivor, and father sat us down and said, ‘You’re Nobel Laureate Jewish, but you’re not Jewish, and Elie Wiesel before you're not to tell anyone that you’re he was famous.

Jewish.’ I was not allowed to tell anyone I was Jewish.” __

“I was not allowed to tell anyone I was Jewish.” “My father felt he suffered all of his life for being a Jew,” she explained. “When he was a kid, he was beaten up every single day, going home from school, so he just wanted to spare us that experience.” “My mother never really talked much about her experience in a camp,” Baltimore said. “She was lucky... she was in Austria, so she didn’t have to go through...you know most everybody went to Auschwitz and was killed, and my father was in a forced labor camp. He survived by finally going AWOL. There was nobody from his camp that survived. The Hungarians specifically put the Jews in situations to make sure that they either died or starved. It was a very horrifying experience.”

Katalin Baltimore JCC Librarian

“Since he was also from Hungary, we had a long conversation in Hungarian,” she recalled.

When Baltimore got married, she started becoming more observant and wanted to honor her Jewish heritage. “I realized that I had all of the foods down; I just didn’t know what they meant! So initially, I was like ‘how can I ever belong?’ But this one young woman didn’t let me give up. I [later] realized that [being Jewish] was very much a part of me and that I could not give up being Jewish, and I wanted my kids to be Jewish.” Through an incredible life-long journey, Baltimore is now at peace with her past and fully embraces every aspect of being Jewish. “I am in love with my religion,” she admitted. “I’m very proud that I am a Jew, [and] I would not want it any other way.”

SHALOM NEW HAVEN | SPRING 2016 5

JCC’s Fall Membership Survey Blooms into Spring Programs By Mara Balk, P.h.D. JCC Program Director In November, 2015, the programming department at the Jewish Community Center of Greater New Haven spearheaded a programming survey targeting JCC members’ satisfaction with current offerings and soliciting requests for new options. The intended outcomes of the survey were to gather information in order to develop a better understanding of the GNH community’s needs and then design programs to increase member satisfaction. Three-hundred-fifteen individuals completed the survey, which offered a chance to win a $50 Visa gift card as an incentive. Ninety-one percent of respondents rated the overall quality of JCC programs as “excellent” or “good.” Content (36 percent) and time (27 percent) were the largest determiners

of a member’s attendance at a program or event, and weekends were overwhelmingly the most popular times to visit the JCC. Survey participants asked for more programming in the following areas: • Arts, Education, Social activities (39%) • Group Exercise (28%) *Specifically more yoga*

respondents programs.

requested

free

In response to the survey-generated information, the programming department developed a set of guiding criteria on which to gauge “success.” With this new information at hand, the spring programming schedule was designed to target the needs of our members and the Greater New Haven community.

• Children, Family Programming (15%)

Highlights include:

• Gym, Pool availability (12%)

Spring Film Series: Kicking off April 7, the JCC will offer several films that discuss Jewish and Israeli topics such as food, marriage rights, and the Holocaust. Talkbacks will be offered with several of the films from filmmakers and local experts.

When given a list of options, respondents noted they would participate in the following activities if the JCC offered them: • Film Series (21%) • Community Service (20%) • Weekend Family Programming (17%) • Lunch and Learn (10%) • Sports Leagues (9%) Finally,

percent

the

survey

Two yoga classes (free for members) were added to the group exercise schedule: Pain Free Yoga on Thursday evenings at 5 p.m. and Kripalu Yoga on Sunday mornings at 7:45 a.m. Sunday

Funday

family

programming

features special activities once a month. March’s events (March 20) include the Costume Carnival for Purim and a Jazz Brunch with the Neighborhood Music School. On April 3, the JCC will present the Spring Craft and Gift Fair, as well as Open Houses for the Yeladim Early Learning Center and JCC Summer Camp. There is designated family swim and gym time every Sunday, as well as a free family movie at noon. Members are encouraged to bring a guest for free on these special Sundays. Finally, a series of events, featuring local professionals, will demonstrate the vast and rich talent that resides in our community. Jon Gorham and Steve Munno from Massaro Farm will present “Small Farms Matter: The Effects of our Food System on Climate Change” and local authors Marc Wortman and Betsy Lerner will host book launches on April 19 and May 15 respectively. These local events are free and open to the public.

Local Author, JCC Member’s New Book Receives Starred Kirkus Review Wortman Comes to JCC April 19

By Jeannette Brodeur SHALOM NEW HAVEN Editor New Haven author, JCC of Greater New Haven member and former JCC vice president Marc Wortman, whose forthcoming book, “1941: Fighting the Shadow War: A Divided America in a World at War,” has already received a starred review from “Kirkus Reviews,” will discuss his new book at the JCC at 7 p.m. on April 19, the very day his book is set to be released. The event is free and open to the public. Wortman said he is thrilled with such a positive review and added that a Kirkus Review is considered a mark of excellence from a long-running and well respected institution that anonymously reviews most new trade books. “Kirkus Review” called Wortman’s book “an engaging and well-researched look behind the scenes of an important historic era” and added that, “even readers familiar with the broad history of the era are likely to find new insights and new details of the behind-thescenes maneuvering that preceded Pearl Harbor.” Wortman said, “1941: Fighting the

Shadow War: A Divided America in a World at War,” has a personal side to it as well as asking wider, general questions about that time in history. With the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor this year, he thought it was a good moment to examine how the nation experienced war in Europe and how the attack came to the United States. Wortman called Pearl Harbor “perhaps the most significant moment in the United States for the past century.” Wortman said the events of that time also have many parallels to what’s going on today with issues on many of the same migrant voices, anti-war, fear of refugees and the role of the U.S. in those wars. “It’s the mobilization of Americans to fear foreigners,” he said. Wortman said all of these issues are important and relevant to then and today. Wortman’s father was a soldier in World War II. His father’s entire generation virtually fought that war, he said. “It shaded everything in my life growing up.” “The Holocaust impacted Jews everywhere, including members of my family. That’s the deeply personal side for me.”

Yeladim Pottery Exhibit at JCC Members of the Yeladim Early Learning Center Kindergarten class are pictured before their pottery exhibit. The children’s work with clay and pottery was part of a recent exploration of Native American culture. Children examined different soil samples and learned about the makeup of soil before experimenting with clay to learn its properties.

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Wortman joked that the book “took almost as long as the U.S. fought World War II to write it!” He continued to write and do other work while he worked on the book. It was a four-year process. During those four years, Wortman went to the National Archives in Washington, D.C., the Library of Congress and the FDR Presidential Library in Hyde Park as well as Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and the New York Public Library. He also visited the anti-war writers’ bureau to help provide background information for interviews. Wortman’s book opens with American journalist and war correspondent, William Shirer, and Phillip Johnson, an influential American architect who openly sympathized with the Nazis, travelling together in 1939. After both returned to the United States, Wortman said they each became their own versions of Paul Revere, with Shirer warning people about Hitler and Johnson claiming that Germany represented no threat to the U.S., and that this was only a war between Germany and Britain over the dominance of Europe. Wortman said he writes books that are character-driven. “They have a strong narrative to them, but making

Photo by Jodi Cohen

that happen is a lot of hard work,” he admitted. “Sometimes, it’s agony.” “You have to do a lot of research and the structure in advance, but once you start doing it, it takes on new things and evolves,” Wortman said of writing a book. “Writing is a process of thinking and revising. It’s a continuous process. I was attempting to create a more coherent world picture. It’s a complex, but powerful story.” Wortman and his wife, Jodi Cohen, can often be found working out at the JCC.

PJ Library Launching Parent JCC’s Outdoor Pool Ambassador Program Opens for Weekend Days Get ready to make a splash this summer! The JCC of Greater New Haven’s outdoor pool will be open for weekends starting in June. Nestled in the beautiful camp property, the pool is on schedule to open for a twelve-weekend summer season beginning June 18 and it will remain open through Labor Day weekend, closing Monday, Sept. 5.

By Esti Leah Ross Director of Family Engagement PJ Library, a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, sends free Jewish children's books to families regardless of their Jewish knowledge or observance level, across the world each month. Children ages six months through eight years old, are eligible for a subscription. The Greater New Haven community launched PJ Library back in 2007 under the supervision of Saskia Swenson Moss, and has not looked back since. With the help of an anonymous donor, PJ Library is able to reach families as far east as Shelton and as far west as Old Saybrook. Engagement on the Shoreline has always been a priority for the program. This past Hanukkah saw the largest showing of families at the Guilford Free Library with a dramatic reading of the PJ Library book, “Herschel and the Hanukkah Goblins,” featuring Rabbi Hesch Sommer D. Min., Director of Wellness and Healing Center, and Song Stylist Julie Harris in the past five years. This exciting turnout inspired the launch of the Greater New Haven Parent Ambassadors. A whole new way of integrating and introducing Shoreline and Greater New Haven families to Jewish life through informal programs and events held and co-coordinated by parents and

the PJ Library administrator. Parent Ambassadors are volunteers charged with the mission of informally meeting and inviting parents to participate in various aspects of Jewish life in a way that meets parents where they are; in the form of playgroups, Shabbat dinners, and wherever the imagination decides to take them. Parents can look forward to the Ambassador launch being kicked off by a “Shmooze,” coordinated and organized by parents inspired to use PJ Library as an engagement tool to bring Jewish families together. This initiative has been implemented in communities across the world and has seen major success. If you or anyone you know would be interested in learning more about this initiative, contact me at jccfamily@jccnh. org or (203)387-2522 x 317.

Are You Seeking a Rewarding Career? Director of Marketing The Director of Marketing will lead the development and implementation of the marketing strategy and positioning of the Federation, Foundation and the JCC, working with an energetic and committed department staff team, including a newspaper editor, graphics designers and a communications associate. This position plays a major role in ensuring a proactive internal and external communications approach, being instrumental in driving awareness and shaping the reputation of the brands as well as delivering marketing communication, design, and production services to the organization. For more information, please contact HR Director, Marlyn Henry at mhenry@jewishnewhaven.org

To mark the event, the first Sunday swim of the season on June 19, there will be a free Open House from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for prospective pool members. The JCC is also organizing a variety of children's activities on select Sundays. Birthday parties can be arranged by the JCC staff. Adult Lap Swim will take place each weekend morning from 8-10 a.m. before the pool opens to all pool member families. The pool area will stay open until 8 p.m. each evening. Lifeguards will be on duty during all pool hours, snack bar

Western Wall FROM PAGE 1 of Jewish prayer. Instead of splitting up the existing pie into ever more divided, smaller pieces, we are making the pie much larger.” The new section, which will qualify for government funding, will be managed by a public council, governed by a committee headed by the chairman of the Jewish agency and comprised of representatives from the Reform and Masorti (Conservative Judaism in Israel) movements, JFNA, and Women of the Wall. An administrator for the section will be appointed by the Prime Minister’s Office. Beyond the blueprints, the ratified plan is a powerful statement about the overt impact Diaspora Jewry and global Jewish leaders could have on Israeli decisionmaking. This is a paradigm shift. U.S. Jews have traditionally served as a political lifeline for Israel, lobbying American governments on behalf of the Jewish state. Recent occurrences have shifted the relationship between the American and Israeli Jewish communities into one of semi-equality, which includes American Jewish leaders objectively discussing Israel’s policies rather than blindly supporting them. Silverman called this shift evolutionary. Rabbi Gilad Kariv, executive director

items will be for sale, and locker rooms available. “We are so excited that weekend pool use is now an option,” said David Sirowich, a JCC board member and outdoor pool committee member. “The JCC outdoor pool will be an affordable and comfortable place for families to gather this summer.” Outdoor pool rates for current JCC members are $375 for families, $250 for couples and $200 for single members. Children over age 13 are welcome to have their own membership. Non-members can purchase outdoor pool memberships as well. The pool will not be open for daily fee usage, although guests may accompany pool members. To purchase an outdoor pool membership, visit www.jccnh.org or call the Membership Office at (203)3872522, x 223. of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism, said the negotiations “prove the role that North American Jewry…can and should play in helping Israel make our country more inclusive.” “Kudos to the unrelenting advocacy from the North American Jewish community in pushing for this,” said Rafi Rone, former vice president of Jewish and Israel Initiatives at the Joseph and Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds. “The dawning of a new day.” In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, Jewish Agency for Israel Chairman Natan Sharansky said that American and Israeli Jews are becoming increasingly interdependent. The U.S. needs Israel to help strengthen Jewish identity in a Diaspora community that is slowly shrinking from assimilation and intermarriage. Israel, attacked daily by the international community, needs the solidarity of Jewish communities abroad, he explained. “I am sure that the [Israeli] government must now take into account—should take into consideration—the position of world Jewry on the decisions it makes,” Hagay Elizur, senior director of diaspora affairs for Israel’s Ministry of Public Diplomacy & Diaspora Affairs, told JNS.org. The next big issue for the pluralistic Jewish movements is marriage equality, or the ability to perform civil marriages and marriages outside of the Chief Rabbinate, which adheres to Orthodox traditions.

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onoring your loved ones with a donation to our Jewish community has never been simpler. A Jewish Federation, Jewish Foundation, and/or JCC tribute card is a wonderful way to remember a loved one or honor a special occasion. With a tribute card, there’s no wondering, no shopping, no wrapping. Your donation can impact our community today, or plant the seeds for future generations. To purchase a tribute card, go online:

www.jccnh.org www.jewishnewhaven.org www.newhavenjewishfoundation.org By phone, contact Ruth Gross at (203)387-2522, x 310 for JCC donations, Keilah Bisbee at (203) 387-2424, x 325 for Federation donations, or Tiberius Halai at 203-387-2424, x312 for Foundation donations.

Thank you community.

for

supporting

our

Tributes & Remembrances JEWISH FEDERATION IN MEMORY OF

JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER ROBERT GRODD’S 80TH BIRTHDAY Velma and Stuart Grodd LESTER HANKIN’S 90TH BIRTHDAY Harriet & Irving Calechman

LILA AND DAVID RUDNICK Amy Rudnick EDITH HIMMELSTEIN Sydney Perry JANE COTTER COHEN Sydney Perry DAVID REICHBIND Stanley and Marilyn Halpert EDITH REICHBIND Phillip Pierce and Lauretta Grau EDITH REICHBIND Sydney Perry DYAN ELOVICH Daughter of Marshal and Arlene Sydney Perry EZRA SCHWARTZ Stephany Cousins ELAINE DIAMOND Sydney Perry

JEWISH FOUNDATION BENJAMIN LIVETEN PERPETUAL ANNUAL CAMPAIGN FUND IN MEMORY OF BENJAMIN LIVETEN The Benjamin D. Liveten Charitable Grand Nephew Trust

MARY LOU AND EDWARD B. WINNICK ENDOWMENT FUND IN MEMORY OF JANE COHEN Mary Lou and Edward B. Winnick

IN HONOR OF

ANDY SARKANY Thomas Edison Middle School, Meriden CT

SUSANNE GALLANT’S BIRTHDAY Mary Lou and Edward B. Winnick

DAUGHTERS OF 1853 NURSING

SCHOLARSHIP FUND IN MEMORY OF JEANETTE HOLCZER FRIEDMAN AND REYNA STODEL FRIEDMAN Arline Breskin MAJORIE LEO GUTMAN AND NANETTE GUTMAN Catherine E. Livingston

FRIENDS OF THE JEWISH COALITION FOR LITERACY ENDOWMENT FUND IN HONOR OF ELLIE ROCKOFF’S BAT MITZVAH Maddy and Larry Tannenbaum BRENDA BRENNER Mrs. Karen Epstein

DODIE CRANE MEMORIAL FUND TO HELP CHILDREN IN NEED IN MEMORY OF NORMAN LEVY Dr. Raymond Crane and Lilli

Teplitzky Named Senior Director of Mandel Center for Excellence By Jeannette Brodeur SHALOM NEW HAVEN Editor Robyn Teplitzky, of Woodbridge, is moving on and up to a brand new position, but to her, it feels just like coming home again.

“I’m very excited to return professionally to the Jewish community,” Teplitzky said. “For me, working in and being a part of the Jewish community is my life.” From being an active member of Connecticut Valley Region BBYO as a teenager, to being an active member of Hillel at the University of Miami, Teplitzky has always been immersed in the Jewish community.

Teplitzky has recently been named the new senior director of the Mandel Center for Excellence for the Jewish Federations of North America.

Following graduation from Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Yeshiva University, Teplitzky served as the Director of Youth and Young Adult services at the JCC of Greater New Haven from 1986-1990 and for the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven from 1991-2004.

Teplitzky, who grew up in Hamden and lives in Woodbridge, works part of the time from home and part of the time from New York City.

Prior to accepting her new position with the JFNA, Teplitzky was the Director of Annual Giving at Hamden Hall Country Day School and co-chaired the school’s

Camp Laurelwood

record for being able to manage all of these things while building enrollment no small task,” Cooper remarked.

FROM PAGE 3 “One of my goals is to continue a strong commitment to the Jewish religion as well as Israel and Jewish values such as tikkum olum in the community within the camp setting,” Golub said. “The biggest piece of that philosophy is do onto others.” Camp Laurelwood Board President Scott Cooper said he is impressed with Golub’s energy, enthusiasm and passion for camping, coupled with his fresh perspective. “He has tremendous experience in all facets of running a camp and a track

“We have made such great strides in getting the camp to where it is today in terms of physical plant and overall reputation in the camping world,” he noted. “Camp Laurelwood is first and foremost a summer camp, and as such, we need to continue to build enrollment and endowment. We also have a wonderful facility that is available for rentals throughout the rest of the year and that side of things we will need to work on as well. We believe very strongly that Ari has the capability to lead us forward on both of these fronts.”

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Diversity Committee.

As a volunteer, she was a board member from 1997-2001 for Congregation B’nai Jacob, where she served as chair of the Gan Hayeled Nursery School. She was a member of the Yale-New Haven Hospital Development Committee and Read to Grow. Teplitzky was part of the creation and has been the facilitator for Food4KidsNewHaven, a collaboration of Women’s Philanthropy and Jewish Family Services. Having been involved with the Connecticut ADL office for more than 25 years, Robyn is currently the Connecticut Regional Chair of the Anti-Defamation League. While Teplitzky has received many awards, including the Connecticut Valley B’nai B’rith Youth Eitz Chaim Award, the Congregation B’nai Jacob Presidential

Citation, and even a personal luncheon with the Ambassador of Jordan, she is most proud of her two children and her husband, Jeffrey. Teplitzky’s daughter, Molly, will graduate from Emory University in Atlanta this spring and their son, Jake, who attends Hamden Hall Country Day School, will be attending the University of Miami. “The unconditional support from Jeffrey has been unwavering and we are proud that our children have become involved in the Jewish community,” she said. They are all the best part of my success.” Teplitzky said the reaction about her new job has been wonderful. “So many people have reached out to me since they heard I moved to JFNA,” she admitted. “I’ve been connecting and reconnecting with so many people. It’s really heartwarming.”

The Greater New Haven Synagogue/Federation Collaborative facebook.com/KesherJewishNewHaven

KESHER MISSION: Develop a permanent platform to create enhanced communications, relationships and synergies between the Synagogues and with Federation and to build a stronger and vibrant Greater New Haven Jewish Community. Participating Greater New Haven Synagogues: Orchard Street Shul - New Haven, CT Beth El Keser Israel - BEKI, New Haven, CT Or Shalom - Orange, CT Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek - Chester, CT Temple Beth David - Cheshire, CT Beth Sholom - Hamden, CT Temple Beth Tikvah - Madison, CT B’nai Jacob - Woodbridge, CT Temple Emanuel - Orange, CT Mishkan Israel - Hamden, CT Westville Synagogue - New Haven, CT

To get involved, contact Stacey Battat, KESHER, at sbattat@jewishnewhaven.org

NAAP Offers Wide Array of Programs for Russian-Speaking Community By Yelena Gerovich

New American Acculturation Director The New American Acculturation Program offers many programs for all ages continuing to build stable platforms for emigrants from the former Soviet Union and to help with self-confidence. Jewish and American holiday celebrations, citizenship classes, educational workshops and classes make a big difference in the life of immigrants from the former Soviet Union, even for people who came to the United States 15 or 20 years ago. Most families from the former Soviet Union need not only to study Jewish traditions, history and customs, but also need help to understand why they need to in the first place and why it is so important to all generations in the family. The Women of Vision Society, the Connecticut Department of Social

Services, the Jewish Federation Association of Connecticut, and the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven provide funding and grants for the programs.

Federation Welcomes Silk to Coordinate Refugee Resettlement

Events and programs reach the Russianspeaking community, both within and beyond the walls of Jewish institutions. The New American Acculturation Program held workshops to train seniors how to use and access the web-based resources, including the Citizenship Resource Center. A recent program called “A Good Example Has Twice the Value of Good Advice” was successful. The regularly held “A Taste of Honey” program included a lecture in Russian: “Great Prime Ministers of Israel: Accomplishments, Challenges and Defeats” (presented by Svetlana Kriger, Irina Polyakova and Nathan Belotserkovsky). This informative session was a great success and helped attendees

Participants of a recent successful program.

expand their knowledge of Israeli history. In the spring, we are planning Hakhel Gathering, Purim and Passover celebrations and many more educational programs and lectures. For more information about the New American Acculturation Program, including sponsorships of specific programs, please contact Yelena Gerovich at (203) 387-2424, x 321, or email ygerovich@jewishnewhaven.org.

Jean Silk

By Rabbi Josh Ratner JCRC Director We are thrilled to welcome Jean Silk to our Federation team. Silk was hired to coordinate the Jewish Community Alliance for Refugee Resettlement (“JCARR”), a new partnership between the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater New Haven, Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (“IRIS”), Congregation Mishkan Israel, Temple Emanuel, Congregation B’nai Jacob, Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel and Congregation Or Shalom. Under her supervision, JCARR has raised thousands of dollars and generated a volunteer base numbering in the hundreds. She deftly and sensitively balances the grassroots nature of this alliance with the results-oriented nature of co-sponsorship: empowering each synagogue to act through its team leaders and volunteer base, while simultaneously ensuring that JCARR as a whole is ready and able to meet its mandate from IRIS to serve the needs of the refugee family being sponsored. Silk’s talents and success to date should not be surprising, given her background. Her career has focused on international education and non-profit management. She was the Program Manager of the Council on Latin American and Iberian Studies at Yale University from 20042015. Prior to that, Silk was the Executive Director of the New Haven/ León (Nicaragua) Sister City Project. Silk has also contributed a great deal of her time to Temple Emanuel. She currently sits on its board of directors and serves as chair of the Tikkun Olam committee and she was President of Temple Emanuel from 2008-2010. We are delighted to have her coordinating JCARR and look forward to seeing what her enthusiasm, passion, and dedication are able to accomplish in the months to come. If you would like to learn more about how you can participate or contribute to JCARR, please contact Jean Silk at jsilk@ jewishnewhaven.org.

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Jewish Historical Society JCL Volunteers Invited to Celebrates 40th Anniversary Yale Center for British Art with Brunch at JCC on June 5 for Special Program The Jewish Coalition for Literacy (JCL), which has approximately 165 volunteer reading partners meeting weekly with elementary students in seven partner New Haven public schools, enjoying the pleasures of reading, conversation and learning together, has been invited to the Yale Center for British Art in March as a special privilege to view and discuss pieces of art in small docent-led groups.

Photo courtesy of the Jewish Historical Society of Greater New Haven. Lenders Bagel Survinor 1930 truck bank.

The Jewish Historical Society of Greater New Haven will celebrate its 40th anniversary at a brunch set for 10 a.m. on June 5 at the JCC, 360 Amity Road, Woodbridge. The society maintains an archive that contains synagogue, cemetery and organizational records, photographs, papers, genealogies, diaries, newspaper articles, scrapbooks, noteworthy events, as well as an object collection of artifacts. Its library shelves hold approximately 1,500 books, consisting of Judaic history, encyclopedias, and novels with Jewish themes, Jewish authors, reference materials, prayer books and bibles. Numerous high school and college class books about Jewish New Haven are also a part of the collection.

More than 400 audio/video tapes preserve the society’s programs, meetings, events and interviews with New Haven area personalities. The society has published nine volumes of “Jews in New Haven,” highlighting photographs, scholarly and nostalgic essays and articles of worth, written by professional researchers, local authors and students. Its newsletter, “Happenings,” is published quarterly. The society is located at 270 Fitch Street on the campus of Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven. For more information about the society’s 40th Anniversary brunch or about joining, either contact the office at (203) 3926125 or e-mail: jhsgnh@yahoo.com.

Art can be used as a tool for increasing language development in the students that the volunteers meet with. Increasing language development is one of the major goals identified at these schools. Not only will JCL volunteers gain ideas to engage these students with art, but also will hear ideas to encourage them to use their observation skills while stories are read together. This program provides the opportunity to encourage and engage actively with works of art, stimulate inquiry and discussion and foster critical observation and thinking skills. Audiences are first asked to describe a painting in as much detail as possible. Only when a complete visual inventory of the painting has taken place, are the participants asked to draw conclusions and interpret the narrative in the painting. All conclusions must be grounded in visual material found in the painting. The goal is to slow down the process of looking at a painting to get as much out of it as possible. The museum's program is an eye-opening and mindexpanding opportunity which is not only personally gratifying for the volunteers themselves but also is relevant to the work the volunteers do with the students

each week. Each docent-led group will have a maximum of 15 people. Anyone interested in participating in this opportunity, must choose one of the two dates in March: Thursday, March 17 and Wednesday, March 23, both at 12:30. The program lasts about 60 minutes. Please respond to Hyla Chasnoff (hylachas@yahoo.com). This will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. JCL, a proud

recipient of a TAPS award from the New Haven Public Schools in May 2015, and the 2007 Superintendent’s Award, granted by the New Haven Network for Public Education, is a non-denominational and nonsectarian program, with volunteers of different educational backgrounds and experiences. No prior experience is needed. You can help children succeed by volunteering just one hour each week. Contact JCL Coordinator Brenda Brenner, bbrenner@jewishnewhaven.org or (203) 387-2424, x 308, for more information.

Join in the celebration honoring

Sydney A. Perry

for three decades of dedication to our Jewish community. Sunday, April 10, 2016, 5:30 p.m. JCC • 360 Amity Rd. Woodbridge Hors d'oeuvres and dinner stations Entertainment by Six13

Tower One/Tower East An Active Senior Living Community in the Jewish Tradition

Reservations due by March 24 Tickets and donation levels available online: jewishnewhaven.org

Call NOW for a tour!

(203) 772-1816

www.towerone.org

SHALOM NEW HAVEN | SPRING 2016 10

Affordable options available

For more information, please contact: Lisa A. Stanger, Esq, Director, (203) 387-2424 x382 www.newhavenjewishfoundation.org www.jewishlegacynewhaven.org

Cedarbaums Establish Fund Families for Towers’ Residents Eligible for Jewish Scholarship Initiative Community connections are vital at every age -- for mind, body, and spirit. That’s why, upon moving to Woodbridge in 2012, following 30 years in New York and San Francisco, Linda and Jesse Cedarbaum’s top priority was to build strong local ties.

Through the generosity of a caring donor in our community, Greater New Haven families are eligible to receive needbased assistance for local day school, Jewish camp, and religious school, for one or more children attending one or more programs. Assistance from JSI supplements other scholarships. The application process is simple, and the awards are meant to encourage our community to benefit from Jewish learning. Qualifying programs include: local day or synagogue schools, Jewish camps, preschools, Hebrew High School, and youth programs. Don’t miss out! DEADLINES ARE AS FOLLOWS: Summer Camp Applications: Monday, May 2, 2016 Day School Applications: Friday, July 15, 2016 Please note: camp, day school and religious programs each require their own applications and have separate deadlines. Applications can be found online at jewishnewhaven.org/scholarships. For questions about the process, contact Jennifer Bayer at jbayer@ jewishnewhaven.org.

Scholarship Available for High School Seniors The Emma Kohn Podoloff Scholarship Fund of the National Council of Jewish Women’s Greater New Haven Section at the Jewish Foundation sponsors scholarships to advance the scholastic and vocational education of Jewish high school seniors. To be considered and qualify for a scholarship, a student must reside in Greater New Haven, have an academic average of B or better and demonstrate a verified financial need. Awards average $1,500 and are given directly to the students. To learn more, contact Jewish Foundation Associate Jennifer Bayer at (203) 387-2424, x 320 or at jbayer@ jewishnewhaven.org. The application is due on May 31, 2016. Applications can also be downloaded from the Jewish Federation website at jewishnewhaven.org/scholarships.

Nowhere was the Cedarbaums’ involvement more welcome than at Tower One/Tower East (The Towers)—a diverse, active, affordable senior residence in New Haven founded upon Jewish values and traditions. From launching an intergenerational outreach program, to funding better transportation initiatives for residents, the Cedarbaums have made doing mitzvahs at The Towers a major part of making Greater New Haven their home. “Coming into an area where I had no ties—it was important for me to get involved right away,” explains Linda. “I was thrilled to discover The Towers. It’s truly an extension of the region’s robust Jewish community; its residents are foundational to Jewish New Haven overall.”

Shortly after discovering The Towers, Linda initiated an innovative outreach program called “The Art of Baking Hamantaschen.” Driven by her strong belief in doing

intergenerational mitzvah dor l’dor— together with her desire to help Jewish families embrace long-held, heartfelt traditions—this vital project enables local families to bake Hamantaschen together while sharing the fruits of their labor with Towers residents. For Mark Garilli, President and CEO of The Towers, the Hamantaschen baking project fills an important need; isolated seniors become personally connected to the community, and the younger generation stays connected to The Towers. “The value is priceless,” he says. Subsequently, upon moving her own mother to The Towers in 2013, Linda discovered that accessible transportation was missing from Towers living—which could help residents better enjoy all that New Haven offers.

residents to take full cultural advantage of their home city. It’s a benefit that goes far beyond the latest show at the Shubert. “Our residents are educated and intellectual,” says Garilli, “and there’s nothing like seeing live theater and art galleries around town. But without the ability of handicappedaccessible transportation, we can’t go. As a not-for-profit, our rent structure simply covers expenses, making Linda and Jesse’s contribution -- and all funds received through the Jewish Foundation— so vital.”

“Towers residents are living longer and interested in politics, art, people and nature,” says Linda, “but many don’t drive, thus limiting their options for experiencing the breadth of New Haven and leading richer lives.”

“By providing for The Towers and getting involved personally and financially, we become a stronger community,” says Linda. “As for Jesse and I, we look at our giving as an opportunity to say thank you. I’d urge everyone to get involved with The Towers—I guarantee they’d feel the same.”

In establishing an endowment through the Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven expressly for transportation resources at The Towers, Linda and Jesse intend for

Linda and Jesse also established a PACE fund at the Jewish Foundation as an endowment for the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven.

Foundation, Federation Grants Support, Strengthen Our Community The Jewish Foundation and the Jewish Federation support our community through the Community Grants Initiative to local Jewish New Haven organizations. These funds help local Jewish synagogues and organizations address aging infrastructure, provide safety and educational programs, undertake capital projects, and assist those in need. We followed up with a few recent grant recipients –Temple Emanuel, Tower One/ Tower East and Beth Israel Wallingford – to see how these funds helped each community. Temple Emanuel, of Orange, completed their ambitious One Campus building project in August 2015. Before One Campus, Temple Emanuel was housed in two buildings – one was almost 100 years old and could no longer be appropriately renovated. The project added an education and administrative wing to the newer building and brought all of Temple Emanuel under one roof. “The grant provided a wonderful beginning and a place where I could go out and talk to families in our synagogue and major donors,” Dr. Alan Kliger, principal fundraiser for the One Campus project, said. ”With effective fundraising, you can’t start from zero, you can’t start from 20 percent, you really have to start telling people you are more than halfway to the goal. It was the initial grant that allowed that fundraising ball to get rolling.” Tower One/Tower East, a senior living facility in New Haven, introduced a fall prevention series for their residents

entitled Safe Stance. This unique, allinclusive approach to fall prevention is based on a program designed and published by the Center for Disease Control. “The Towers is a community where older adults can live safe, healthy and independent lives,” explains Mark Garilli, President & CEO of Tower One/ Tower East. “As our residents age in place, we recognize a need for more programing focused on health and wellness. Over the past few years we have established a wonderful menu of health-related programs but because falls can significantly impact a resident’s ability to remain self-sufficient, we felt the most pressing place to start was with a prevention series.” Safe Stance launched in spring 2015 and is scheduled to continue for three years. The residents love it, and their families do too. “What we didn’t expect were the number of family members participating as well,” he says. “It’s nice to see the support from friends and family. The response has been tremendous and reports back are proving to be successful in increasing awareness and preventing falls.” Beth Israel Synagogue, in Wallingford, utilized its grant to give its entrance and grounds a much needed facelift.”The grounds definitely needed attention,” explains President Alida Cella. “The gardens had gotten very overgrown and we had a large rocky and uneven lot we wanted to use for gatherings, but it needed to be cleared and leveled. We also have a very large decorative front window in our entrance which needed to

be maintained, painted and sealed.”With the Foundation funds, they were able to level the lot, spruce up the gardens and restore the large entrance window. The results were beautiful. “It came out really nice,” she said. “Our families are very happy with these improvements.” In addition to required reporting, all grantees were required to raise matching funds in order to receive grant payments. Grantees included: Congregation BEKI for new windows; Temple Beth Sholom for a partial roof replacement; Congregation Mishkan Israel for its parking lot; Ezra Academy and Congregation B’nai Jacob for a new roof; Jewish Family Service for an expansion of its food pantry, including social services for participants; Temple Emanuel to create a new synagogue campus; Westville synagogue for replacement of its HVAC system; Southern CT Hebrew Academy for a new parking lot; Beth Israel, Wallingford for a new garden and restoration of its entry window; Camp Laurelwood for winterization of its recreation hall; Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek for a community care coordinator; Congregation Or Shalom for capital improvements. In addition, grant awards included the Towers Foundation for its fall prevention program; Orchard Street Shul for an elevator; Temple Beth David for restoration of its sanctuary; Jewish Historical Society for its “museum in the streets” program; Hebrew Congregation of Woodmont to expand its kosher kitchen; and Temple Beth Tikvah for its driveway and parking lot.

Irving Eckhardt Bequest for Westville Synagogue Irving Eckhardt passed away last year, however his and his family’s legacy at Westville synagogue will continue. Irving left most of his estate to charity, which included a bequest to Westville Synagogue as well as a large endowment for the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven. Irving was a businessman, a drummer and loved to “go dancing with the ladies.”

Until it was sold in 2005, the Eckhardt Furniture store was family owned and operated and an institution in Seymour for 85 years. After both emigrated from Russia, Nathan and Ida worked hard to raise four children - Edward, Ethel, Samuel and Irving. Irving remembered his parents as hard-working Jewish immigrants who were charitable even when they could not afford to be.

Back in 1920, when Nathan and Ida Eckhardt opened the Eckhardt Furniture store, there were few Jewish families in the Valley.

After receiving the bequest from Irving’s estate, Westville raised additional monies, and following that, the Board voted to transfer the Eckhardt bequest, as well as the additional monies raised, to the Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven for professional investment and management (note: the funds will still be owned by Westville, the Jewish Foundation is just holding them as custodian for investment and management).

For the High Holidays, the Eckhardts and the few other local Jewish families would hold services in a nearby German Hall.

This is Westville’s first general endowment fund at the Jewish Foundation (note, there are additional funds at the Jewish

He was the son of Nathan and Ida Eckhardt who founded the Eckhardt Furniture store in Seymour. He is survived by his nephews Harvey and Neal and great nieces and nephews Carly, Jamie, Samantha and Jeffrey.

Women of Vision Grant Lights Way for Teen Girls

Foundation established by members: Jay Katz Memorial Fund for the benefit of Westville Synagogue and the Marcia & Stanley F. Reiter Philanthropic Fund for the benefit of the Westville Synagogue). “As wonderful as the Eckhardt bequest and the Katz and Reiter funds have been and will continue to be for Westville, more endowments can mean a stronger synagogue both now and for the future. Endowment income can help fund current expenses and much needed capital projects. Think about if everyone in this synagogue made a commitment of a current gift or legacy gift. Think about if everyone in the Jewish community made such a commitment, even if it was one percent of their estate, think about if every Jew in the world committed one percent of their estate to the Jewish community. We can help our future, and the Jewish future of our children and grandchildren,” stated Lisa Stanger, Executive Director of the Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven.

Reznik Family’s Legacy Honored by Ezra Academy

Technology, friends, body image, selfesteem, academics, and sense of identity are just some of the issues Jewish teenage girls face today in an increasingly complex and fast-paced world. “Rosh Hodesh: It’s a Girl Thing!” is an experiential education program currently touching the lives of 3,500 girls across North America. The program uses Jewish teachings and practices in a five-year cycle of curricular materials to give girls a place to feel safe, articulate their deepest concerns, consider the impact of gender on their daily lives, have fun, and be real with their peers. Now, thanks to a grant from the Women of Vision Society at the Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven, Ezra Academy is offering the “Rosh Hodesh: It’s a Girl Thing!” program to its seventh and eighth grade girls. Jacqui Schulefand, the Ezra Academy teacher who trained as a Rosh Hodesh leader and who facilitates the group, said the skill set the girls acquire will be an asset emotionally and socially as they embark on their high school educations. Each month, the girls gather to focus on special topics, from fabulous females and women of the Torah, to learning about differing Jewish customs and exploring new beginnings and friendships. “It’s really fun and as a new student, I got to meet people I wouldn’t have otherwise. It’s been a great way to get to know some of our teachers in a more personal way,” said participant Allison Kleinstein.

Dr. Alan Reznik, and his wife Elizabeth Kaye Reznik, are devoted to community service because it honors a fundamental Jewish message. “Jewish tradition teaches the importance of giving back,” they explain. “We believe the Foundation is one way of doing just that.” Alan, an orthopedic surgeon, is an active and dedicated lay leader in many areas including Ezra Academy and the Jewish Federation. Elizabeth, a New Haven native, currently volunteers with family therapy dog Sophie – they offer support to residents at Tower One and students at the Foundation School in Milford. She is also actively involved in the Food4Kids program under Jewish Family Service and Women’s Philanthropy of the Jewish Federation. The program provides backpacks, every Friday, filled with food for the weekend, for students at three New Haven public schools. Their children Samuel, Michele and Jane are all Ezra Academy graduates and represent the third generation at Congregation B'nai Jacob. Alan and Elizabeth continue to support an endowment at the Jewish Foundation established by Elizabeth’s sister, Judith A. Kaye. This fund is for Jewish education and designated for professional development. In addition, together, with

Alan’s mother, Eleanore, they established three funds for the benefit of Ezra Academy. “Ezra is very important to our family,” Alan offers. “It instilled a love of learning to our children and taught them how to be leaders along with being good and decent human beings who give their time to help others.” Each fund has a special meaning and focus – they reflect the passion and life’s work of each honoree. These endowment funds expand and support each legacy. The Beth Ann Beller Fund for Nutrition Education at Ezra Academy was established in memory of Alan’s beloved sister, Beth Ann Beller, a graduate of Cornell University with a degree in nutrition. She became a diabetes educator and was active in her Jewish community in Queens, New York. This fund was set up to teach children about eating better and making healthy choices. The Rose & Abraham Cohen Endowment Fund for Sephardic Educational Materials at Ezra Academy is in memory of Alan’s maternal grandparents Rose and Abraham Cohen, who were of Greek decent and loved the Sephardic traditions. The Rezniks established this fund in order to share the beauty of the Sephardic customs, Ladino writings and songs with Ezra Academy. The Barry David Reznik Chemistry Fund for Ezra Academy is in memory of Alan’s

father Barry Reznik, a chemical engineer, inventor and entrepreneur. He had four patents for the space program at NASA. He developed over 400 products after starting his own company, Cotronics Corporation. “He was always instilling a love of science and technology in the children that knew him,” says Alan. “We felt it fitting to remember him with this fund.” The Judith A. Kaye Fund for Improving Jewish Education through Teacher Training is in memory of Elizabeth’s sister, Judith. She was one of the first Wexner fellows, and a special education teacher in the Hamden school system. She started a fund in 1994 before she passed and Alan and Elizabeth have supported it for over 20 years. “Jewish education was very important to my sister,” Elizabeth says. “I am honored to continue her wishes.” For their dedication, generosity, hard work and commitment, Alan, Elizabeth, and Alan’s mother Eleanore Reznik will be honored by Ezra Academy on March 12 as part of Ezra’s 50th Anniversary Gala celebration. To learn more about this event, go to www.ezraacademyct.org. To learn more about creating your Jewish legacy, go to newhavenjewishfoundation. org.

“I like knowing that I have this safe community and place where I can trust everyone in the group,” Samantha Hass said. Jamie Tishkoff explained, “Rosh Hodesh gives us a good chance to get to know girls from other grades and a good time to get away from the boys.” Sydney Reiner told the group how happy she is that they have so many good memories already. Rosh Hodesh has also offered special cultural programs to see the plays “Golda’s Balcony” and “The Diary of Anne Frank,” which were open to all seventh and eighth grade girls in the Greater New Haven area. Funding for Rosh Hodesh has been provided by the Women of Vision Society at the Jewish Foundation. The Women of Vision Society is a permanent, restricted endowment fund dedicated to helping and enhancing the lives of women and girls in our community and beyond. The endowment has more than 200 members and has distributed more than $150,000 in grants since its inception to a wide variety of causes from employment and literacy to acculturation and health issues. To learn more about becoming a Woman of Vision or about applying for a grant from the Society, please contact Jewish Foundation Associate Jennifer Bayer at (203)387-2424, x 320, or at jbayer@ jewishnewhaven.org.

Women of Vision Society Makes a Lasting Gift and a Meaningful Impact on Women and Girls in our Community. Women in our community have a wonderful opportunity to become lifelong philanthropists through the Women of Vision Society, which is a permanent, restricted endowment fund dedicated to helping and enhancing the lives of women and girls in our community. The endowment was originally created in 1996 with its founding 100 members and has more than doubled in its membership and giving since then. Since 1998, over $150,000 has been distributed in grants to a wide variety of agencies and causes ranging from employment and literacy to acculturation and health issues.

2015 Women of Vision Society New Members The Women of Vision Society thanks the following women for their commitment and new membership. Sara Ann Auerbach Roslyn Chosak Linda Cohen Joanne Foodim Lauren Hass Ronda Hendel Marjorie Hirshﬁeld Sandy Kerzner Elaine Klein

Jackie Koral Susan Naiman Rachel Ranis Marilyn Rosenﬁeld by her daughter Andrea and Ed Konowitz Ellen Scalettar Lynne Schpero Liz Wolpert

Women of Vision Society 2015-2016 Grant Recipient Announcements Emunah Israel | Empowerment Program for Young Women At-Risk This project will provide teenage girls in therapeutic residential care at the Emunah Children’s Center in Afula, the opportunity to acquire and internalize basic life skills and life competencies.

Ezra Academy | Rosh Hodesh: It’s a Girl Thing Jewish Family Service | Break the Cycle

Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven | Food4Kids

Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven | New Acculturation Program

This community service endeavor was created to ensure that children at-risk of being hungry have supplemental, nutritious food over the weekend during the academic year.

Will continue to provide existing programs and new programs to women from the former Soviet Union in need of integration into American society and greater exposure to Jewish values and culture.

This program for 7th and 8th grade girls will be a monthly mentor-led experience through which girls can explore being female, Jewish, and teen. Jewish role models and rituals will be included.

This grant will improve the lives of Jewish women and girls by giving them the tools to form and maintain healthy and safe relationships free from violence. Prevention and education programs will target Jewish women and teenagers across all denominations.

WOMEN OF VISION AND WOMEN OF VISION TOO+ Anonymous Elaine Ades Cecle Adler Lucille Alderman Darcy McGraw Altman Mira Arbonies Sara Ann Auerbach Judith August Joan Bailey Debbie Brander Barbieri Betsy Barnston Chana Baron Judith Barr Jennifer Bayer Ruthann Beckerman Abby Bench Sharon Bender Barbara Berg Ina Berson Civianne Bloch Sarah Blum Marjorie Botwinik Elaine Braffman Betsy Adler Brauer Charlotte Brenner* Phyllis Brodoff Susan Buxbaum Laura Campbell Roslyn Chosak Roxanne Coady Nancy Cohen Linda Cohen Linda Friedman Cole Harriet Cooper Esther M. Copelon Ann Drobnis Elizabeth Edelglass Eileen Eder Yvette Eder Jody Ellant Arlene Elovich Debra Epstein Linda Cohen Epstein Ruth Fagen Susan Birke-Fiedler

Emily Fine Marilyn Fishbone Betsy Gandelman Fiske Betsy Flaherty Joanne Foodim Nancy Frydman Suzanne Gallant Lillian Gandelman Dorothy Giannini-Meyers Pat Ginsberg Bess Glazer Miriam Glenn Eve Gold Lindy Gold Bonnie K. Goldberg In honor of my mother, Bernice Michel Goldberg, by Hyla G. Vine In tribute to the memory of my brother, Dr. Edward Goodruff Steinlauf by Heidi Hurwitz Carole Greenbaum Barbara Greenberg In honor of Barbara Greenberg, a real Woman of Vision by Ruthann Beckerman Evelyn Greenblatt Doris Greenberg Marjorie Greenblatt Ruth Greenblatt Rena Grodd Velma Grodd Roberta Grossman Taube Gurland Judi Hahn Lisa Harding Lauren Hass Ronda Hendel Rita Hershenson Claudia Heyman

Marjorie Hirshﬁeld Gloria Hoder Betsy Hoos* Jennifer Rachel Hoos Michele Faye Hoos Stephanie Hyla Hoos Miriam Horowitz Dale Hurwitz Teddy Hurwitz Dorothy Hyatt Iny Karp Barbara Katz Carol Kaufman Susan Kaufman Rosalyn Kaye Sandy Kerzner Danielle Kinstlinger Elaine Klein Caryl Kligfeld In loving memory of Florence Ratner Klugman by her daughter, Marilyn Fishbone In loving memory of Bertha Konowitz by her son, Ed Konowitz Alison Kogan Jackie Koral Robin Kramer Evelyn Krevolin* Shirley Kroopnick Cindy Leffell Helaine Lender Roslyn Lerner Diane Levey Lydia Levine Betty Levy Beverly Levy Perri Levy Barbara Lichtman Roberta Litvinoff Jan Magid Amy Margolis Bernice Margolis Joan Glazer Margolis

Darcy Marks Mary Mathog Rebecca Meyer Roslyn Meyer Barbara Jean Miller Harriett Miller Sandra Milles Susan Naiman Ann Nishball Barbara Green Orell Ruth Ostfeld Melissa Perkal Danya Perry Sarah Perry Sydney A. Perry Madeline Potash Jo-Ann Price Rachel Ranis Hyla Raphael In loving memory of Yetta Waldman Ratner by her granddaugher, Marilyn Fishbone Marcia Reiter Lillian Resnik Carol Robbins Patricia Rogovin Lynda Rosenfeld In loving memory of Marilyn Rosenﬁeld by her daughter Andrea and Ed Konowitz Stacey Cohen Rozen Diane Daskel Ruben Jane Rudner Ruth Sachs Gloria Sack Mary Beth Saltzman Emily Sandberg Ellen Scalettar Lorrie Schaefer Gloria Schaffer Enid Scheps* Shirley Scholder Lynne Schpero

Cheryl Schwartz Dana Schwartz Heni Schwartz Judith Schwartz Marlene Schweitzer Barbara Segaloff Jodi Seidner Cis Serling Deborah Sessel Holli Shanbrom Harriet Shapiro Phyliss Shapiro Jane Webber Shernow Pattie Shure Ina Silverman Carol Sirot Judy Sklarz Judy Skolnick* Susan Skope Lois Smirnoff Lois Spivack Lisa Stanger* In tribute to the memory of my brother, Dr. Edward Goodruff Steinlauf by Marcie S. Sugarmann Shirley Stephson In loving memory of Florence Ginzberg Supowitz by her daughter, Barbara Greenberg Janice Sussman Robyn Teplitzky Doreen Testa Rebecca Tishkoff Shirley Trachten Stacey Trachten In honor of my daughter, Glenna Jillian Vine, by Hyla G.Vine In honor of my

daughter, Ilana Michel Vine, by Hyla G. Vine In loving memory of my motherinlaw, Lillian E. Vine, by Hyla G. Vine Hyla Vine Gail Brekke Vlock Karen Vlock Laurel Vlock Sandra Vlock Helen Vogel Laury Alderman Walker Joan Wallack In honor of my daughter, Lisa Fishbone Wallack by Marilyn Fishbone Barbara Wareck Lillian Weinberg Elise Weiner Martha Sue Weisbart Marian Wexler Esther White Mary Lou Winnick Liz Wolpert Leslie Zackin Pearl Zale Ariel Zohar * Designates a woman who has made an additional commitment to the endowment

To learn more, please contact Jennifer Bayer at jbayer@jewishnewhaven.org or 203-387-2424, ext. 320

Going Green FROM PAGE 1 for several awards as industry leaders in innovation. “It’s one of the projects we’re most proud to be involved with,” he said. The JCC’s innovative project definitely inspired Congregation B’nai Jacob, a Conservative synagogue in Woodbridge, to embark on going solar. “After hearing about the project at the JCC, we reached out to the company they used to see what was possible at B’nai Jacob,” said Board President Steve Fleischman. “We had just completed doing a roof renovation project and felt that it was a good time.” B’nai Jacob had looked into solar energy before, Fleischman admitted, but he said the early programs did not make it financially feasible for the synagogue to do it. The synagogue met with Deutsche Eco Solar, the same company that worked with the JCC’s project, to get a proposal and now, with financing in place through the Connecticut Green Bank, B’nai Jacob will be placing a 259-kilowatt system on its roof. “The project has no out-of-pocket cost to the congregation,” Fleischman pointed out, “and it locks in our energy generation costs for the next twenty years at a discount to current rates.” B’nai Jacob’s project was supposed to start in January, but because of all of the bad weather, Fleischman said they have had to wait for the snow to clear from the roof. The project is expected to take about three weeks, he said. Over the past four years, Fleischman said B’nai Jacob has already made great strides in making their building more energy efficient. The synagogue converted its heating system to a more efficient natural gas boiler.” In 2012, B’nai Jacob proceeded with a heating and cooling controls upgrade as well as a lighting project inside and outside the building, using an energy consultant

and grants and low interest loans from United Illuminating, Fleischman said. “Our hope is that moving to solar will be one more step in our path towards energy efficiency.” B’nai Jacob also practices going green by cultivating a garden on site with the harvested produce donated to local food banks. Fleischman said the entire congregation has really embraced the whole concept of going green.

equipment and owns it. Tilsen’s son’s bar mitzvah project really sparked an energy conservation movement in the BEKI membership. Several families have either purchased or are leasing solar equipment for their homes. The Jewish community agrees that energy efficiency isn’t just about saving money; it’s about saving the world.

Fleischman explains that tikkun olam suggests “humanity’s shared responsibility to mend and transform the world into a better place” and he said that environmental stewardship is one way to achieve this. “It’s a mitzvah,” Tilsen added. “As Jews, we are generally required to have good stewardship of the earth and we have a fiscal responsibility to save energy. Energy waste is a waste.”

Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel, a Conservative synagogue in New Haven, has already won awards from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism for its environmental stewardship. On its website, BEKI boasts that it aims to put the “conserve” in Conservative Judaism. BEKI has made increasing energy efficiency its major goal during ongoing building renovations by using LED lighting, replacing blower units, adding insulation, replacing single-pane windows and installing thermostats. BEKI’s foray into solar began in the fall of 2005 when Rabbi Jon-Jay Tilsen’s son, Tsvi Benson-Tilsen, began planning and installing a grid-tied photovoltaic array on the synagogue’s roof as part of his bar mitzvah project. SunlightSolar Energy Inc.’s 10,500 -watt grid-tied solar array on BEKI’s roof became fully operational in February of 2007, coinciding with Tu Be Shevat. Major funding was provided by the Connecticut Green Bank with additional funding by more than 150 individual donors. In October of 2015, BEKI hooked up its second solar array on another portion of the roof. Tilsen said this 40-kilowatt capacity system adds to the original 10,500 kilowatt array. “Now the majority of the electricity used is produced on our rooftops,” he said. This project cost $130,000. BEKI bought the solar

Registration is now open for the 2016-2017 school year Preschool: 18 Month - Pre-Kindergarten Day School: Kindergarten - 8th Grade Call 203-795-5261 to schedule a visit Begin your registration at www.schacademy.org Southern Connecticut Hebrew Academy | 261 Derby Avenue, Orange, CT 06477

SHALOM NEW HAVEN | SPRING 2016 15

JFS to Honor Vines, Scolnics at March Anniversary Event J e w i s h F a m i l y Service of New Haven will honor Barry and Hyla Vine and Rabbi Benjamin Vines and Dorene Scolnic at a special 75th anniversary event and fundraiser in recognition of their contributions that have enabled JFS to serve so many people in the community. The event will be held Saturday, March 26, 8 p.m., at Temple Beth Sholom, 1809 Whitney Ave., in Hamden. The Vines were selected for their widespread philanthropy that has touched the lives of young and old alike. Barry Vine spearheaded the fundraising campaign that expanded the JFS Food Pantry and allowed it to focus on nutritional health education as well. Hyla Vine has been an active member of the board.

R a b b i Scolnic, the spiritual leader of Temple Beth Sholom, and Dorene, a longtime social Scolnics worker, were chosen for their unfailing support of JFS’ work from the food pantry to support groups. This year’s fundraiser will benefit the JFS Emergency Assistance Fund to support families in crisis. This fund enables JFS to help families struggling with unemployment, food insecurity, and domestic violence, as well as those facing eviction, foreclosure, and unforeseen medical expenses. Tickets start at $54 and can be purchased through the JFS office. For more information, please contact Barbara O’Donnell, at bodonnell@jfsnh. org or (203) 389-5599, x100.

Second viewing of “People Forget... New Haven Remembers” set for May 4 For those who missed the premier of "People Forget...New Haven Remembers," there will be a second screening of this riveting New Haven documentary on May 4," announced Fay Sheppard. Fay is a director of Greater New Haven Holocaust Memory and also a co-producer of this new documentary. The film will be screened at 7 p.m. on May 4 at Temple Beth Sholom, 1809 Whitney Ave., Hamden. Doors open at 6:45 and a donation of $5 is requested. Exact change is appreciated. The film screening will be followed by a talk back with the film producers and light refreshments will be served. "People Forget...New Haven Remembers" tells the story of Jewish life before and during the war", added Doris Zelinsky, executive producer. "Through the interwoven memories of four New Haven survivors, this documentary brings us up close to their rich Jewish family life before the Holocaust and to how lives, families and communities were abruptly and forever altered by the Shoah," added Zelinsky.

"The fifth star of the film is our New Haven Holocaust Memorial. Ours is the first memorial to the Shoah built on public land in the entire United States," noted Zelinsky. "What a wonderful legacy we have been left by the survivors who settled in our community", she added. “Our community memorial is a touchstone, reminding each of us of our own uniquely Jewish history at the hands of hateful murderers and compelling each of us in our own time to fight prejudice and hate.” "Please join us on May 4 as we relive and are uplifted by their story: How New Haven's Holocaust survivors, together with neighbors, friends, political leaders and professionals, who donated time and skills free of charge, came together to construct our memorial so that for generations to come, while some may forget, New Haven remembers,” said Sheppard. For additional information or changes in dates or times due to inclement weather, please contact doris.zelinsky@sbcglobal. net.

Lives Changed at Towers Divorce Mythbusters Tower One changes lives. There have been so many residents who have transformed their lives in a positive way. All the many activity choices allow Mermelstein residents to do a little or be busy around the clock. Many discover talents or loves they never knew they had. Once they arrive, they can’t help but be reinvigorated. One woman who has had a renewal of her activity level is Bertha Kahn. She has been a resident of New Haven now for about 75 years. She missed having constant activity and people in her life, so she came to the Towers, nearly five years ago, and it provided a needed boost to her life. She belongs to the Book Club, and ElderPlay project group, writes for the residents’ newsletter, joins in the Arthritis Exercise class attends lectures, and is an active member of the Towers Synagogue. One prime example of a Towers’ success story is Herb Mermelstein. He moved to

the area from Florida in 2014 to another location. When he couldn’t find a place that suited him, he took his daughter’s advice and came to see the Towers’ for himself. He was impressed immediately and moved in shortly after. As upbeat as he was moving in, he said the Towers’ has turned out even better than he thought. He said Tower One is not “a journey’s end” and there are always people looking to socialize and groups to join. He never misses the chair-exercise class and loves the “Let it Shine” discussion group. He’s also involved with the Towers’ Synagogue and Rabbi Sommer’s Soul Stretching program.

Another big interest for him has been the ElderPlay Project that many residents have been participating in. His biggest problem, he said, “is deciding what activities to choose when sometimes there are two equally interesting options on the schedule at the same time.” To learn more about The Towers visit our website at www.towerone.org and check out our monthly activities calendar in the newletter. Or contact Rebecca at (203) 772-1816, x 250, rebecca@ towerone.org to receive our monthly newsletter reflecting all of our programs and activities.

COMING THIS SPRING Featuring some of the year’s finest films: Son of Saul, 2016 Oscar - Best Foreign Film Dough Rosenwald In Search of Israeli Cuisine And more!

SAVE THE DATE

April-May 2016 More information at jccnh.org

360 Amity Road, Woodbridge, CT • 203.387.2522 • www.jccnh.org

SHALOM NEW HAVEN | SPRING 2016 16

Program Set for March 16 “She can’t get any of my inheritance.” “It’s in my name, so it’s all mine.” “Everything is split 50/50.” We’ve all heard these divorce myths. Misinformation about divorce seems rampant! Come join us on Wednesday, March 16, from 7- 9 p.m. at the JCC, 360 Amity Road in Woodbridge, to learn about common misconceptions regarding divorce. This presentation is ideal for divorce professionals, therapists and people who may be contemplating a divorce.

Maurice Segall, LCC of Mediation Solutions, and Lili Vasileff, founder of Divorce and Money Matters, LCC, will discuss divorce and the commonly held myths about the divorce process, mediation, common property, change of residence and debt. There is no charge for this seminar, but space is limited and registration is required. To register, contact Rachel Scolnic Dobin at (203)389-5599, x109.

Onofrio Joins JFS as Children’s Clinician Alison Onofrio, LMSW, has joined the JFS staff as a new pier diem Children’s Mental Health Clinician and is currently accepting new clients. Onofrio received her Bachelor of Social Work degree (BSW) from Eastern Connecticut State University with a minor in Criminology, and received her Master’s degree in Social Work (LMSW) from

Southern Connecticut State University, where she was in the Advanced Standing Program. She became a school social worker in the fall of 2012 after completing a year-long full-time supervised internship at Wilbur Cross High School as a school social worker. Onofrio is also a full-time school social worker for New Haven Public Schools. She can be reached at (203) 389-5599, x149 and/or by e-mail at aonofrio@jfsnh. org.

Jewish Genealogical Society Offers Evernote Demo On Sunday, March 20, at 1:30 p.m. at Temple Sinai, 41 West Hartford Road, Newington, the Jewish Genealogical Society of Connecticut presents “Evernote for Genealogy Part 2.” Board member Deborah Samuel Holman will demonstrate how Evernote, a free online program, can be used for many aspects of your genealogical search. Materials from Family Tree University will be used during the program. The workshop is

free and open to the public. This special presentation will introduce hidden Evernote tools designed to increase family research productivity. On Sunday, April 17, at 1:30 pm, at Temple Sinai, 41 West Hartford Road, Newington, JGSCT President Doris Nabel will present on her genealogical travels in Europe (France, Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland) and Israel.

Synagogue/Federation Collaboration of Greater New Haven

Passover Reminds Us to Live ‘As If’ By Rabbi Josh Whinston Temple Beth David, Cheshire One of my wife’s favorite movies is “Clueless.” Fine, I’ll admit I like it too. For those who might be unfamiliar, “Clueless” is a quintessential ‘90s teen movie starring Alicia Silverstone in the role of Cher. Cher is a “Valley Girl” and one of the reoccurring phrases that comes out of her mouth is, “as if.” For instance, when a high school boy approaches her for a date, Cher just responds, “as if.” What she means by this is, “I would never go out on a date with you!” It is the “Valley Girl” tone in her voice that makes the phrase clear to even the uneducated listener. “As if” becomes one of the most common phrases throughout the movie. It is a part of Cher’s lingo and anyone who has seen

the movie has the phrase playing in their head right now.

not be the same people we are, we would not be Jews.

Even though Silverstone is Jewish and her character in “Clueless” is also Jewish, I doubt she learned her phrase, “as if” in a Jewish setting. However, “as if” is a key Jewish concept. This coming Pesach we focus on the “as if.”

When we tell the story of Passover, when we recall the escape from Egypt, we must always remember that it happened to us, it happened to each of us.

There are many things that have kept us Jewish for the last few thousand years, Ahad Ha’am said it was Shabbat, I think it is the phrase, “as if.” In Hebrew we read, k’eelu and we find the word most prominently in the verse from Mishnah with which many of us are intimately familiar, “In each generation, each person is obligated to see himself or herself as if he or she personally came out or Egypt.” This concept, this collective memory is fundamentally essential to Jewish identity. Without this central concept, we would

Reflecting on the exodus from Egypt as something that might have happened to our ancestors cheapens the narrative and diminishes the impact of the story. On Passover we enter into the metaphysical realm of “as if.” These two small English words transform an idea of our ancestor’s redemption from Egypt and reshape the narrative into our own redemption. If we cannot imagine redemption, if it is only something that happens to other people in other times, redemption will never come; our world will always be broken. Living “as if” helps us remember that we can move from brokenness to wholeness.

Mishkan Israel Offers Purim Celebration for All Ages

The community is invited to join Congregation Mishkan Israel for a fun filled Purim Celebration for all ages. On Sunday, March 20, the synagogue’s youth group, MITYOR, will sponsor the annual Purim Carnival from 10 a.m. to noon. The event features favorite games and many activities.

On Wednesday, March 23, the community

is invited to come in costume to the Erev Purim Service at 7 p.m. to hear the story of Esther in the most hilarious manner possible. Congregation Mishkan Israel is a reform synagogue located at 785 Ridge Road in Hamden. For more information, call the synagogue office at (203) 288-3877.

BEKI Hosts Abraham’s Tent Soferet Linda B. Coppleson

One of First Female Jewish Torah Scribes Visits Temple Beth Tikvah Soferet Linda B. Coppleson is one of the first female Jewish Torah Scribes in the world. She will be at Temple Beth Tikvah on Sunday morning, April 3, from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Linda Coppleson will inspect and assess their four Torah scrolls with a live demonstration of the Torah scribal arts. While sharing the ins and outs of this holy art form, she will answer questions like: How is a Torah made? Who makes it? What are the materials used? And why? There are only around two dozen women Torah scribes in the world today. Rabbi Coppleson is a Conservative, egalitarian, Jewish ritual scribe, teacher and Judaic artist. As part of this small, international community, she completed the writing of the first sefer Torah commissioned entirely for sofrot. Her participation in the

Women’s Torah Project afforded her the honor of writing 20 of the 62 four-column pages which comprise every Torah. Linda also designs ketubot. If you’d like to learn more, attend this extraordinary event. The Torah work will take place in the sanctuary with coffee and bagels in the Social Hall. 9:30-10:30 a.m. Kindergarten through fifth grade. 10:30 to noon: sixth grade through adults.

If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he was a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you.

While each presentation is geared to the age of the audience, all are welcome to join together in the sanctuary at any time. The program is sponsored by TBT’s Religious Activities Committee and is free.

Abraham’s Tent is a community-based program with Columbus House which, through the generosity of local religious congregations and organizations, provides shelter and case management for 12 adult men for 17 weeks from December through March in Greater New Haven.

For more information or to RSVP, contact the synagogue office at (203)245-7028 or tbtbonnie@sbcglobal.org.

Leviticus 25:35 Beth El-Keser Israel will host Abraham’s Tent from March 14-21.

Over the last five years, many of the men who participated in this program

have moved to transitional or permanent housing. BEKI has developed ongoing relationships with many of their Abraham’s Tent guests and tries to continue to provide encouragement and support. On a rotating basis, synagogues and churches in the wider New Haven community become “home” for a group of about a dozen men experiencing homelessness. Shelter, meals, and fellowship are provided by volunteers at each host location from early evening through breakfast each day for one week. For more information, contact Darryl Kuperstock kuperst@gmail.com or the BEKI office (203) 389-2108.

SHALOM NEW HAVEN | SPRING 2016 17

Synagogue/Federation Collaboration of Greater New Haven

Jewish Community Making History This Purim This Purim Day, March 24, the Greater New Haven Jewish Community will make history. For the first time ever, congregations from the Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform segments of the community will be gathering together for a communal Purim seudah, or festive meal. The idea for this event sprang from several sources. One source of inspiration was the Jewish community of Columbus, Ohio, which has a long history of the entire Jewish community joining together for a seudah on Purim Day. Further inspiration came from our local organization, Kesher, which, under the auspices of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, works to promote cooperation and collaboration between the various synagogues in the area. Sharon Naveh and Ruth Gross have

been coordinating with leaders and representatives from various synagogues to make this event happen, and, assisted by their very able planning committee, including Eta and Sy Kaplan, Allen Cohen, Mindy Fricke, Christopher Shafer, Rona Schaffel, Claudia Freyle, and Miriam Grossman, they are turning this idea into reality. The event will take place at the JCC of Greater New Haven and is sponsored by Congregation Bikur Cholim Sheveth Achim of New Haven, Congregation B'nai Jacob of Woodbridge, Congregation Or Shalom of Orange, Temple Beth David of Cheshire, Temple Beth Sholom of Hamden, Temple Emanuel of Orange, The Westville Synagogue of New Haven, and the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven. The event will begin with several megilla

readings (traditional Orthodox, Women’s and Egalitarian) at 5:15 p.m., and the seudah, or festive meal, featuring kosher food from Abel’s Catering, costume contests with prizes, and entertainment by DJ/emcee Charles Rosenay, will begin at 6:15 pm. Special thanks go to marketing department at the JCC for their help with the flyer, the Rimmonim (New Haven) Chapter of the Pomegranate Guild of Judaic Needlework for creating and donating decorations, and Rabbi Fred Hyman, Rabbi Alvin Wainhaus, Rabbi Shlomo Meltzer, Reena Seltzer, Dana Schwartz, Willa Needler, Marsha Beller, Rebecca Koenigsberg, Betsy Schulman, Steven Zalesch, Stacey Battat, Sydney Perry, and Shelley Gans for their assistance with various aspects of the event. Reservations are required in advance.

Explore American Dream, Poetry, Medicine, Lessons Learned in Jordan at B’nai Jacob Congregation B’nai Jacob, 75 Rimmon Road, Woodbridge, will offer three guest speakers as part of their ongoing Adult Education series. On Saturday, March 19, following services and Kiddush, Dr. Barry Zaret will speak on “Poetry and Medicine: Two Threads of the Jewish Tapestry.” Dr. Zaret is a cardiologist and B’nai Jacob member. He will read a series of his poems, both published and new, dealing with themes of Judaism, healing and medicine. Their thematic relationships to each other and the rich past of Jewish and physician poets will be discussed. On Sunday, April 3, at 10 a.m., Rachel Ranis, currently teaching Sociology at Quinnipiac University on “life in the cultures of the pluralistic American community,” will discuss “The American Dream.” She will explore the question of whether the American Dream is still meaningful and what this means for American Jewry. On Sunday, May 1, at 10 a.m., Ben Watsky will speak on “In His Majesty’s Scholarly Service: Teaching and Learning East of the Jordan River.” As one of a handful of Jews at King’s Academy, a boarding school outside Amman, Jordan, Watsky lived and worked in a land whose every stone is steeped in history and legend, but whose contemporary struggles can feel all too real. He is excited to return to B’nai Jacob where he grew up to share lessons learned from his wanderings in the desert. All programs are free and open to the public. For more information, contact B’nai Jacob at (203)389-2111 or info@ bnaijacob.org. Ongoing Programs: Maimonides: Life and Thought Rabbi Rona Shapiro Monday nights, 7- 9 p.m. March 7, 14, 28; April 4, 11, 18 It is often said that from Moses to Moses, there was none other than Moses. Maimonides is probably the greatest Jewish thinker of all time. We will explore his life and thought with the guidance of Moshe Habertal’s new book by the same title. We will consult Shep Nuland’s writings as “a satisfying and humane introduction” to this towering figure. Bread & Torah Rabbi Rona Shapiro Shabbat mornings, 9-9:45 a.m. Rabbi Shapiro explores the weekly Torah portion and how its story relates to our own. Lively discussion over bagels and coffee. No experience necessary. Shabbat Schmooze Every Friday evening at 6 p.m. Gather with us to schmooze with wine and cheese before Shabbat services. Services start at 6:30 p.m. All are open to the public. No RSVP required.

SHALOM NEW HAVEN | SPRING 2016 18

Synagogue/Federation Collaboration of Greater New Haven

Celebrate with Afro-Semitic Experience at BEKI Lectures, Classes is a chance to remember others who still experience oppression and slavery, as well as those who have also struggled for liberation. One powerful way to remember and share the experience of liberation is through music. Join us for a presentation of songs celebrating freedom across ethnic and religious traditions.

The Jewish festival of Passover is a time when Jews recall the liberation of the Hebrews from slavery and their exodus from Egypt many millennia ago. In addition to bringing Jews together, this remembrance of slavery and adversity

The Afro Semitic Experience, a New Haven based group, co-founded by African- American jazz pianist Warren Byrd, and Jewish-American jazz bassist David Chevan in 1998, will perform at Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel, 85 Harrison St. in New Haven, on April 17 at 3 p.m. Cost: $10 for adults; $5 for students; under five years old free. Light

refreshments will be served. To RSVP: Office@BEKI.org or call (203)389-2108. The group has performed throughout the United States at festivals, in churches, synagogues and colleges. Their performances are celebrations of community and culture that invariably get audiences up and dancing. With their unique instrumentation, solid grooves, and their ability to get an audience on its feet, the Afro-Semitic Experience is redefining the jazz concert. This is a band beyond category—their music is an intricate tapestry of spiritual, world-beat, funk, jazz, cantorial, gospel, salsa, swing … soul-driven music. Their concerts are celebrations where they play great music, tell stories, and offer a positive and meaningful message: unity in the community.

Szegedi Tells His Dramatic Story at Woodmont

All are welcome to join their warm and welcoming congregation for meaningful services. No membership necessary. Shabbat morning services are held every Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m., followed by a Kiddush luncheon. Friday evening Kabbalat Shabbat services and Oneg are held bi-weekly at 6:30 p.m.; upcoming dates are March 4, 18, April 1, 15. Art & Soul Course Offers Insight into the Arts

Rosh Chodesh Women's Study Group Each month features text-based learning, great discussion, warm camaraderie, and delicious refreshments. “Their Art & Soul" course explores Judaism's insights into the arts and how they beautify and transform our lives. Upcoming classes: • Tuesday, March 15, at 7 p.m.: Fashion Design - The art of clothes-making teaches the nature of the interface between us and our world. • Tuesday, April 12, at 7 p.m.: Architecture

- In a sense we are all architects, as we seek to create equilibrium between our own individual lives and personalities and the greater context within which we reside. Contact HCW/Chabad for more info and to RSVP. Szegedi Tells His Dramatic Story

On Tuesday, March 8, at 7 p.m. - Listen to this dramatic story firsthand! Former Member of the European Parliament and deputy leader of the notoriously fascist & anti-Semitic Hungarian Jobbik party, Csanád Szegedi's political career came to a crashing halt when it emerged that he was Jewish. Mr. Szegedi will tell his dramatic story, followed by a question & answer session, with the help of his interpreter. VIP cocktail hour begins at 6 p.m. $18/person in advance, $25 at the door; $15/student; $72 VIP which includes reception & priority seating. Visit www.jewishmilford.com for more info and tickets.

Purim in the Shtetl

Join us as we go back in time to the "Shtetl" for a grand Purim celebration complete with Klezmer musical entertainment on Thursday, March 24, 6 p.m. - Megillah reading and simultaneous slide show; 6:30 p.m. - Buffet Dinner. Visit the website for more info and to RSVP. Passover Community Seder Friday, April 22, at 7:15 p.m. - Join us for a delightful experience as we celebrate the Holiday of Freedom. Seder includes handmade Shmura Matzah, four cups of wine, delicious four-course meal, and the traditional Seder customs. $36/adult, $18/child. $200/sponsor. RSVP by April 15: www.JewishMilford.com All classes and events take place at HCW/Chabad, 15 Edgefield Ave., Milford For more info about our programs, please call Rabbi or Chanie Wilhelm at 203-8784569, email rabbi@JewishMilford.com, or visit www.JewishMilford.com.

Planned at TBS The Messiah: For?

What Are We Waiting

A Nosh and Learn series led by Dr. Henry Cohen. The series will take place on Thursdays, March 10 and April 14 at 10 a.m. Refreshments will be served. Contact the temple office, if you plan to attend. How Jews Came to New Haven The lecture will be led by Carl Newlin on Sunday, March 13, at 10 a.m. Newlin is an art historian and former archivist for the Jewish Historical Society of New Haven. Refreshments will be served. Contact the Temple office, if you plan to attend. Children’s Chaverim classes set Classes for children ages 3-5 years about Jewish holidays and customs include a story, craft, game and special snack. Sunday, March 20, 10 a.m.: "Purim - Let’s Make Some Noise!" Sunday, April 10, 10 a.m.: “Passover – Matzoh Crumbs” Child must be accompanied by a parent/ grandparent. To reserve a spot for your child, contact: Gail Raucher, Educational Director, at gailr1390@aol.com. There is no charge. Temple Beth Sholom, 1809 Whitney Ave., Hamden.

Westville Synagogue Program Offerings Westville University Wednesday, March 2, 8 p.m. A lecture by Rabbi Jeremy Bruce, of the Hebrew High School of New England, on “The Radical Thought of Rabbi Eliezer Berkovits.” Wednesday, March 16, 8 p.m. A lecture by Dr. Yishai Kiel, of Yale University, on “The Primordial Bull: The Talmud, Incantation Bowls and Indo-Iranian Mythology.” Wednesday, March 30, 8 p.m. A lecture by Prof. Daniel Lasker, of BenGurion University, on “What’s New in Karaite Studies.” The Irving and Shirley Kroopnick Memorial Lecture Wednesday, April 13, 8 p.m. A lecture by Joshua Jacobson, of the Zamir Chorale, on “Jewish Music and All That Jazz.” Westville Synagogue Annual Spring Gala Sunday, May 15, 5 p.m. Honoring: Executive Director of the Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven Lisa Stanger Shul Service Awards: Sherry and Edward Shrager Guita and Steven Wilf

SHALOM NEW HAVEN | SPRING 2016 19

Community Calendar To list an event in the Community Calendar, submit your information on our website, www. jewishnewhaven.org, under “Community Directory” menu. _______________________ Sticky Fingers Tuesdays 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. Mar 1 - Apr. 19. $5 for JCC members and $7 for nonmembers. Register online at jccnh.org or contact: jccfamily@jccnh.org, JCC, 360 Amity Rd. Woodbridge. Adult Dodgeball League Tuesdays 7:30- 9:30 p.m., Mar. 1 - Apr. 5. $45 JCC Members/$50 Nonmembers. Contact: marab@ jccnh.org, JCC, 360 Amity Rd. Woodbridge. PJ Library’s Music & Me Wednesdays 10 - 11 a.m. Mar. 2 - Apr. 13. Free, open to the community. Contact: jccfamily@ jccnh.org, JCC, 360 Amity Rd. Woodbridge. Caregiver Course, Mar. 2-23, 6-7:30 p.m., light dinner served, four-part training course for family members, friends of people with dementia, including Alzheimer’s. Coachman Square, 21 Bradley Road, Woodbridge. RSVP Maria Tomasetti (203)230-1777, x 14. Temple Beth Sholom Bible Study Wednesdays 7-8 p.m., Mar. 2 - Apr. 27. 1809 Whitney Ave.,Hamden. Shabba-Tots Thursdays 10-11 a.m., Mar. 3 - Apr. 14. Ages 3-5. $5 for JCC members and $7 for nonmembers. Contact: jccfamily@jccnh.org, JCC, 360 Amity Rd. Woodbridge. Family Movie Series Thursdays 4-6 p.m., Sundays 12-2 p.m., Mar. 3 - Apr. 28. Free, open to the community. Contact: jccfamily@ jccnh.org, JCC, 360 Amity Road, Woodbridge. Sing-Along Storytime Mondays 9:30-10:15 a.m., Mar. 7 - Apr. 18. Free, open to the community. Contact: jccfamily@ jccnh.org, JCC, 360 Amity Rd. Woodbridge. Lounge Night At BEKI Every two weeks, Mondays & Wednesdays, 6:30- 7:45 p.m., Mar. 7 - Jul. 31. Free. RSVP by email or phone. Bekibjusy@gmail.com, BEKI, 85 Harrison St. New Haven. Temple Beth Sholom Nosh & Learn, Second Thursday of every month, 10-11:30 a.m., Mar. 10 - Apr. 14. Free. Contact: bethsholomhamden@aol.com, Temple Beth Sholom, 1809 Whitney Ave. Hamden. How Jews Came To New Haven 10-11:30 a.m. , Mar. 13. Contact: bethsholomhamden@aol.com, Temple Beth Sholom, 1809 Whitney Ave. Hamden. Divorce “Myth Busters” Seminar 7-9 p.m., Mar. 16 - Mar. 17. Contact: rsdobin@jfsnh.org, JCC, 360 Amity Rd. Woodbridge. Sunday Funday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Mar. 20, April 3. Contact: marab@

March 25 School Vacation Program, 7 a.m. - 6 p.m., Mar. 25. $15 members & nonmembers; $10 AfterSchool and Kids Klub families. Contact: karim@jccnh.org, JCC, 360 Amity Rd. Woodbridge. Jewish Family Service Annual Fundraiser, 8-10 p.m., Mar. 26. $54. Contact: rsdobin@jfsnh.org, Temple Beth Sholom, 1809 Whitney Ave. Hamden. Literacy Volunteers Scrabble Challenge, 5:30-8 p.m. Mar. 30. Contact: donnaviolante@lvagnh.org, JCC, 360 Amity Rd. Woodbridge. Introduction To Kabbalah, Thursdays, 7- 8:30 p.m., Mar. 31 - Apr. 14. $45. Contact: marab@ jccnh.org, JCC, 360 Amity Rd. Woodbridge. Spring Fling Gift Show, 10 a.m. 4 p.m., Apr. 3. Contact: debbieb@ jccnh.org, JCC, 360 Amity Rd. Woodbridge. Bagels & Books Series, 10:3011:15 a.m., Apr. 3. Contact: jccfamily@jccnh.org, JCC, 360 Amity Rd. Woodbridge.

jccnh.org, JCC, 360 Amity Rd. Woodbridge. Temple Beth Sholom Children’s Chaverim: “Purim-Let’s Make Some Noise”, 10-11:30 a.m., Mar. 20. Free. Contact: gailr1390@aol. com, Temple Beth Sholom, 1809 Whitney Ave. Hamden. Music And Mimosas Jazz Brunch 10 a.m. - 12 p.m., Mar. 20. $20. Contact: marab@jccnh.org, JCC, 360 Amity Rd. Woodbridge. Purim Costume Carnival 12-2 p.m., Mar. 20. $5 for JCC members, $7 for community members, JCC, 360 Amity Rd. Woodbridge. Wisdom Of Woodbridge Lecture Yaron Baitch, 7-8:30 p.m., Mar. 22. Contact: marab@jccnh.org, JCC Living Room, 360 Amity Rd. Woodbridge. March 24 School Vacation Program, 7 a.m. - 6 p.m., Mar. 24. $15 members & nonmembers; $10 AfterSchool and Kids Klub families. Contact: karim@jccnh.org, JCC, 360 Amity Rd. Woodbridge.

SHALOM NEW HAVEN | SPRING 2016 20

Orchard Street Shul Gala Concert 3:30 - 6:30 p.m., Apr. 3. Contact: orchardstreetevents@gmail.com, The Orchard Street Shul, 232 Orchard St. New Haven Wisdom Of Woodbridge Lecture, Massaro Farm, 7-8:30 p.m., Apr. 5. RSVP. Contact: marab@jccnh.org, JCC, 360 Amity Rd. Woodbridge. Temple Beth Sholom Children’s Chaverim: “Passover-A Story About Matzah,”10-11:30 a.m. Apr. 10. Free. Contact: gailr1390@ aol.com, Temple Beth Sholom, 1809 Whitney Ave., Hamden. Celebrate Sydney!, 5:30 - 9 p.m. Apr. 10. $36. Reservations Requested. RSVP. Contact: egroves@jewishnewhaven.org, JCC, 360 Amity Rd. Woodbridge. April School Vacation Program 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., Apr. 18 - Apr. 22. Contact: karim@jccnh.org, JCC, 360 Amity Rd. Woodbridge. Passover School Vacation Program, 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m., Apr. 25 - Apr. 28. Contact: karim@jccnh.org, JCC, 360 Amity Rd. Woodbridge.

If your family is facing memory loss, we’re here to help.

Lean on Coachman Square Your friends through the journey

Whether you’re just starting to notice memory changes in Mom or Dad, or are looking for a caring community providing 24-hour support, we’re here for you.

Family Resources at Coachman Square: • Live Now, Live Engaged ™ • Engagement Boxes for better communication memory care • Short Stays, offering care • Free Memory Screenings while you’re on vacation • Caregiver Consultations & Support Groups

Tour and receive your free Family Guide to Memory Care, filled with activities for staying connected.

Caregiver Course A four-part training program at Coachman Square for family members and friends of people with dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.

Wednesdays

March 2, 2016 Overview of Dementia, including Alzheimer’s Disease + Alzheimer’s Association Programs and Services Dr. Gerard Kerins, Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine (Geriatrics), Yale School of Medicine March 9, 2016 Communication Techniques, Behavioral Challenges/Strategies, and Dining with Dignity Maria Tomasetti, Alzheimer’s Association and Wendy Kaufman, Executive Director, Coachman Square

March 2-23 | 6 -7:30 p.m. Light dinner served.

RSVP:

Maria Tomasetti, Alzheimer’s Association, (203) 230-1777, ext. 14

March 16, 2016 Family Dynamics/ Keeping the Caregiver Healthy/Community Resources: Health Services Panel A Benchmark Senior Living Community

21 Bradley Road • Woodbridge, CT 06525

203-397-7544

AWA R

-W

INNING

March 23, 2016 Legal and Financial Issues: Steven P. Floman and Allison DePaola, Elder Law Attorneys, Floman DePaola, LLC, Orange, CT

MEMORY CARE

Perry’s Legacy FROM PAGE 3 designed a unit on Beyn Adam L’Chavero (Interpersonal Relations) for seventh graders. Perry served as the Director of the Department of Jewish Education for 17 years, working to improve the synagogue supplementary schools and serving as a consultant to the community on educational projects. Under Perry’s guidance, the DJE (now known as the Center for Jewish Life and Learning) has offered extensive adult educational opportunities, developed the new adult institute, Midrasha, initiated “A Taste of Honey,” provided Israel programming for teens, spearheaded TIES, The Israel Experience Savings Program, and a special needs education program, Talmud Torah Meyuchad. She also developed the successful community Hebrew High School, MAKOM. For many years, Perry worked as Associate Executive Director of the Federation. During that time, she supervised the Holocaust Education-Prejudice Reduction Project, Stepping Stones and the JCC Library as well as advocated for issues of Jewish continuity. Perry then served for six years as Executive Director of the Federation. More recently, as CEO, she managed the merger six years ago between the Jewish Federation and the Jewish Community Center, which houses the Federation offices. Nationally, Perry has given workshops in various settings, including the General Assembly, and has acted as scholar-inresidence for several communities. She has been nominated for national awards for educational initiatives and serves on committees of the Jewish Educational Society of North America and Bureau Directors Fellowship. Perry has been awarded the Eisner Award for community service, the Gan School’s Pillar of the Community Award, Ezra Academy’s Distinguished Leader Award, Brandeis University Award and BBYO’s

Eitz Chaim Award for her commitment to teens and recognition from the public school systems of New Haven and Hamden for her work in Holocaust Education and Prejudice Reduction. In 2010, Perry was honored by the New Haven Jewish Historical Society and in 2011 by the Academy for Jewish Religion in Riverdale, NY. In 2012, her home synagogue – Westville Synagogue – honored her as well. She has presided on the board of her synagogue and as President of the Mikvah Society. She has been honored with and accepted invitations to join the Board of Directors of the Forward Association, the Urban League, Booker T. Washington School ,as well as the Hartford Seminary and Cycle for Unity. Last year, she received the Greater New Haven Anti-Defamation League’s Torch of Liberty Award. President of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven Stephanie Wain said Perry’s retirement as CEO is a bittersweet moment. “[She] has worked tirelessly to educate our community on spiritual, national and international issues that impact the Jewish world,” Wain stated. “We have been extraordinarily fortunate to have someone of Sydney’s caliber in charge of the Federation,” she continued. Wain said she has done a magnificent job leading the community fundraising efforts and has taught us “what giving tzedakah does for the soul as well as for the community.” Mark Sklarz agrees that Perry is truly a treasure to our community and is the very embodiment of tikkun olam. Sklarz has worked alongside Perry for many years. He is a former president of the JCC, past chair of the Jewish Community Relations Council, past chair of the Jewish Foundation and past president of the Jewish Federation. “Sydney Perry’s remarkable impact on this community over the last three decades cannot be overstated,” Sklarz stressed. “A brilliant scholar and gifted educator with a zealous passion for the underdog, Sydney has devoted her tireless energy and eloquent advocacy skills to demand fairness, equality and

maximum opportunity for all to succeed.” Sklarz said Perry’s inspirational and compassionate words touch everyone she meets. “She is an extraordinary person and leader who has and will continue to make an important and valuable difference in many lives,” he said. “We have all been blessed with her wisdom and guidance.” He said that throughout her life, Perry has continued to promote the strong principles and values of her parents, Lucille and the late Arnold Alderman, and has ensured that those principles and values will be perpetuated for future generations through her children and grandchildren, thus “fulfilling a cherished Jewish goal of generation to generation (l’dor v’dvor).” Perry remains optimistic about the future generation of Jewish youth. “As Shimon Peres once told me at a meeting in the home of Helaine and Marvin Lender, ‘it is quintessentially Jewish to be optimistic.’ Throughout our history there have been great challenges, existential challenges, and we have persevered despite all odds.” “Federation life is a new phenomenon,” she continued. “I don’t know if the next generations won’t create another way of being part of community but the ‘minyan,’ the community is intrinsic to Jewish life. How that will exhibit itself in the future, I cannot predict, but I believe that the creativity of the next generation will construct successful and invigorating ways for us to care for one another and fulfill our obligations as Jews.” Foundation Establishes Sydney A. Perry Fund for Jewish Learning & Leadership

The Sydney A. Perry Fund for Jewish Learning & Leadership has been created, at the Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven, in honor of Sydney’s years of service, her passion for Jewish education, and her commitment to the future of our Jewish community. The fund will provide an endowment for our community’s future participation in the Wexner Heritage Program. For more information, contact Lisa Stanger, Executive Director, Jewish Foundation of GNH, (203) 387-2424, x 382, lstanger@ jewishnewhaven.org.

Ma Inyanim? What’s the Story?

Jewish high school students:

You are invited to four afternoons of experiential immersion, text study, friends, fun & food.

Sunday, March 27, 3:45-7 p.m. | Downtown

Escape! Redeeming captives. Torah law or foolhardy politics?

Sunday, April 3, 4:30-7 p.m. | Westville Home

Street law. Civil rights, city life.

Sunday, April 10, 4:30-7 p.m. | I.R.I.S.

A little help from my friends. The refugee experience.

Sunday, April 17, 4:30-7 p.m. | JCC

Supported by

Life and death. Confronting the journey. & Community Congregations

All programs include dinner. Registration required. Curious? Contact Ina Silverman, inas@snet.net

Sunday Events Every Sunday is Funday at the JCC Sunday, March 20: Sunday Funday 10 a.m.-12 p.m. : Skinny on Weight Loss lecture 10 a.m.-12 p.m. : Music and Mimosas Jazz Brunch with the Neighborhood Music School Neighborhood Music School’s premier Jazz ensemble will grace the JCC Living Room with their talent and musical expertise. A bagel brunch and fully stocked Bloody Mary bar will add pizzazz to the Jazz. $15 JCC Members/$20 Community Members, JCC Living Room 12-2 p.m.: Ergonomics Demo 12-2 p.m.: Costume Carnival for Purim Dress up in your favorite costume and celebrate Purim at the Costume Carnival! Enjoy a Purim play, food, games, music and more! Parent/caregiver must be present. Esti Leah Ross, (203)387-2522, x 317 jccfamily@jccnh.org. Sunday, April 3: Sunday Funday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Spring Craft and Gift Fair will feature local vendors with all of your Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, graduation, and teacher gifting needs. Jewelry, pottery, soap, candles, clothing, photography are just some of the items available for purchase. 12-2 p.m.: Yeladim Open House 1-3 p.m.: JCC Day Camps Open House JCC Sponsors Spring Film Series The JCC will sponsor a Jewish Film Series this spring, with offerings across Greater New Haven (dates, times and films subject to change): April 7, 6:30 p.m.: “GETT: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem” with talk back, Yale’s Luce Hall April 14, 7:30p.m.: “Dough” at the JCC with pre-Passover dough feast, JCC April 17, 11 a.m.: “Once in a Lifetime” Madison Art Cinemas, in partnership with Women’s Philanthropy May 5, 7 p.m.: “Son of Saul” with talk back; Yom HaShoa, Madison Art Cinemas May 12, 7 p.m.: “Search for Israeli Cuisine” with talk back and reception, JCC May 15, 10:30 a.m.: “Dough,” re-screening, Madison Art Cinemas, in partnership with Hadassah

STAY IN THE

KNOW! Text follow jccnhalerts to 40404 for JCC facility updates, cancellations and closings. SHALOM NEW HAVEN | SPRING 2016 21

Bad Weather Didn’t Stop Super Sunday Volunteers Federation Raises $140,000 in Pledges By Jeannette Brodeur SHALOM NEW HAVEN Editor Over a foot of snow couldn’t deter the more than 50 eager volunteers from helping to raise $140,000 for the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven during Super Sunday, a phone-a-thon which is the major fundraiser for the Federation, its constituent agencies and organizations, held on Jan. 24 at the JCC in Woodbridge. Manager of Donor Services and Campaign for the Federation Endre (Andy) Sarkany, who organized the event, noted that 115 donors increased their gifts to the campaign, showing an eight-percent increase overall. Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven CEO Judy Diamondstein said she was very pleased with the increase in gifts as well as with the volunteer turnout, especially in light of the bad weather. Diamondstein added that she was also impressed with the number of young people who came out this year to volunteer, some of them working their very first Super Sunday. A group of young students from Beth Chana Academy in Orange volunteered their time that day by making phone calls. Several families, with children, also helped man the phones that morning.

went through a list of about 1,000 names of past donors.

Diamondstein made the first pledge of the day and made phone calls throughout the six-hour phone-a-thon held in the JCC’s Vine auditorium. She encouraged volunteers to listen and offer assistance to any prospective donors who were experiencing health issues by asking them to share their names with Jewish Family Service. Diamondstein even volunteered to speak personally to any donors who were upset or had complaints about the Federation.

The name "Super Sunday" is borrowed from the day the Super Bowl is played. Super Sunday was created by Jerry Dick of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington in 1980. The Super Sunday phone-a-thon, which is done at federations throughout the country, is the major annual fundraising event that also impacts groups that receive federation funding, such as social service organizations, classes, scholarships, and family care.

“One of the most important things I want you to do today is to have fun,” she told the hearty group of volunteers before they sat down to make calls. “Go get ‘em!”

Dick came up with the idea that when the phone rings on that Sunday, a federation volunteer will ask for a donation. A former longtime solicitor for the United Jewish Appeal, he was frustrated at the amount of effort it took to track down donors.

Federation President Stephanie Wain and former Federation CEO Sydney Perry volunteered their time making phone calls during the all-day event. Volunteers

Photo by Christina Cagliotti-Diglio

"Rather than making this a drudgery type of job, he thought, 'Why don't we bring together the community, do it all one

day and make it an event people want to come to and participate in?'" stated his son Brett Dick, a San Francisco tax attorney, in a recent interview. Here at the JCC in Woodbridge on Super Sunday, volunteers enjoyed coffee, orange juice, bagels and cream cheese, doughnuts, vegetables and dip, fruit and later, noshed on pizza and drank seltzer or water in between making phone calls on their cell phones to donors. In keeping with the football theme, a large scoreboard showed the total money raised as it increased during the phonea-thon. Giving back, through tzedakah and tikkun olam, has been a Jewish tradition for generations. Early Jewish immigrants pooled funds to create community aid and relief societies even with limited resources, and to this day, American Jews give to charity at high rates.

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For some in the community, giving back is a family tradition. Marty Squire, who helped out at this year’s Super Sunday at the JCC, said Super Sunday is something he’s always done. “Even when I was in college, I volunteered to help. It’s our responsibility as part of the community,” Squire said. “It’s wonderful to be able to help all of the agencies of the Federation,” added Susan Squire, Marty’s wife, who also made phone calls. Now, their son, Josh Squire, who works at the Federation as the campaign assistant, is also working hard to ensure that future Super Sunday efforts are a success and continuing his family’s tradition of service. Diamondstein is hoping to reach out across the entire community to make next year’s fundraising efforts more of a mitzvah day type of event. “It’s going to be huge,” she said. “We’re already working on it now.”

Federation Designer Featured in NYC Jewish Art Exhibition Connecticut-based artist Alan Falk will be showing four watercolors titled “Four Passover Sons Studies” in the exhibition Passover and the Consequences of Freedom at the Brooklyn Jewish Art Gallery, 603 St. Johns Place, Brooklyn, NY. The paintings are based on a contemporary midrash (interpretation) on the meaning of the lesson of the four sons in the Passover Haggadah, which uses the lesson as a warning in the form of metaphor to represent the gradual loss of Jewish identity through four generations of assimilation and acculturation. The show runs March 12 – June 26. More info: www. brooklynjewishartgallery.com.

‘JCC Journeys’ Creating Big Social Media Buzz By Jeannette Brodeur SHALOM NEW HAVEN Editor The JCC of Greater New Haven’s newest daily social media campaign is creating quite a buzz on Facebook. “JCC Journeys” debuted on Jan. 25 and has already garnered thousands of views in just a short period of time. The Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven/JCC’s marketing department created ‘JCC Journeys’ as a way to spotlight JCC members and employees.

“Everyone has fascinating stories. It’s good for us to get to know each other and commune with each other. We want them to feel included.”__

Christina Cagliotti-Diglio Lead Graphic Designer

Marketing Department Intern Grace Koo can be seen every weekday walking around the campus, interviewing

members, employees and visitors. “JCC Journeys” is posted on the JCC’s Facebook page every day except Saturday. Marketing and Communications Associate Samantha Rijos said they were inspired to create “JCC Journeys” by the “Humans of New York” blog. Photographer Brandon Stanton first began “Humans of New York,” a popular blog series of beautiful photos and candid interviews of people on the streets of New York City, in 2010 and he now has more than 12 million followers.

“Everyone has fascinating stories,” said Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven/JCC’s Marketing Department’s Lead Graphic Designer Christina CagliottiDiglio. “It’s good for us to get to know each other and commune with each other. We want them to feel included.” “Look for us around the building,” Rijos said. “We invite people to submit ideas

to us at marketing@jewishnewhaven.com and help collaborate with us and come up with more ideas like this. Keep a lookout for upcoming promotions with ‘Journeys.’” To read more of Marge’s story seen in below photo, like the post and check out “JCC Journeys” at: www.facebook.com/ JCCofGNH/.

In 2013, his book with the same title was published and went to the top of The New York Times Bestseller List. “’JCC Journeys’ focuses on our members,” Rijos said. “We wanted a way for people to get to know them and learn their stories.” “We wanted to show why they’re special and also why they chose the JCC.”

Half Price Ready-Made Frame Sale All March Long

Professional Help for all your “Hang-ups” Art & Craft Supplies Cards & Games Novelties & Creative Gifts Journals & Notebooks Fine Writing Instruments Decorative Papers Amazing Custom Framing & Ready-Made Frames 1144 Chapel St. Open 7 Days 203.865.4855 HullsNewHaven.com

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Join us for Shabbat Schmooze, Fridays at 6:00 pm preceding 6:30 pm Services    

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Call today to set up an appointment with our Executive Director Jody Dietch

203-389-2111

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