Bobby and Bonnie Hammel Honored With Campus Dedication Ribbon Cutting

Jeff Fleischaker JCC President

Jackie Weiss Early Childhood and Jewish Education Coordinator

The Jewish Community Center of the Lehigh Valley will have much to celebrate on June 11. We will begin by honoring and celebrating the contributions of Bobby and Bonnie Hammel to our organization by officially re-dedicating our property with its new name, the Hammel Campus. Immediately following that event, at 10:30am we will celebrate the past year of accomplishments at the JCC and start looking forward to what is on tap next with our Annual Meeting. Simply put, the JCC would not be enjoying the success and growth of the past few years without the contributions and vision of Bobby and Bonnie Hammel. Their wonderful reminder to me that hope never fades, it can only grow stronger. continued dedication and generosity to our organization has sustained us through some of our darker financial times, and allowed us to enjoy, appreciate, and generate the successes that we are currently experiencing. While the monument honoring them has been in place at the corner of Washington and Tilghman for a few months now, we are very excited to have the chance to show our appreciation in person on Sunday morning.

So, what is Hanukkah and why do we celebrate this fun and joyous holiday?

Hanukkah is an eightday celebration that commemorates the victory of the Maccabees over King Antiochus IV and his soldiers. After their victory, the Maccabees rededicate the Temple in Jerusalem. A new menorah was built, but there was only a tiny jar of oil, which looked like enough to last for a day. However, a great miracle happened! The oil lasted for eight whole days.

And honoring their contributions could not be done any better than the Annual Meeting which is to follow. There we will spend time reviewing all the various achievements of the past year, including renovations to the Early Childhood Education classrooms, the new family changing room, cosmetic improvements inside and out, upgrades to the sound and lighting systems in the Kline Auditorium, new kitchen equipment, a new golf simulator, and an increased investment in our great staff. It has been a great year, and we are excited to share our successes with you. We will also share our vision of continued growth for the JCC for the year to come, introduce new members of the Board of Directors and give thanks for those who have served and whose time on the board has lapsed.

Sunday June 11, 2023 will be a great, celebratory day for our JCC and we look forward to sharing that experience with you.

Hanukkah is a favorite Jewish holiday of many children because it is a custom for kids to receive gifts for all eight nights! In addition, many delicious traditional foods are made on Hanukkah. Potato pancakes or latkes, jelly donuts, and chocolate coins, known as Hanukkah gelt, are mainstays that the entire family can enjoy! In a heated debate that many Jews find themselves on the opposite side of, it is a question of whether latkes go better with applesauce or sour cream. While we won’t take sides in this article, there are cases for both!