The Westchester Jewish Council's

WE-stchester

Comm-UNITY

Connection

January 15, 2026 26 Tevet 5786

ABOUT US   COUNCIL EVENTS  CALENDAR CONNECT-ORY  MEMBERS & PARTNERS  NEWS

Greetings!

Good morning on this National Bagel Day.

As you may have heard, in just 3 weeks, we’ll gather for our 50th Anniversary Gala—a milestone celebration honoring our past and looking towards our future of connecting to, coordinating and consulting with our community. The evening promises wonderful socializing, uplifting music, and memorable moments that reflect the unity and strength of our community. If you haven’t registered yet, it’s not too late—we would love to celebrate with you. See details below. Please sign up today as the evening promises to be a sell out.

Be sure to view Congressman Latimer's special video shout out to the Council on our 50th Anniversary.

And don't forget to check out the 25 singers (with more on the way) of the new Gala choir---you may know many of them!

There are so many events in the coming weeks, including UJA Westchester offering an opportunity to hear from former hostage Omer Wenkert on Wednesday, January 28th. Learn more about this program within the newsletter.

We recently learned that Westchester Jewish Life will be ceasing publication. We are grateful for their many years of dedicated coverage and for their helping to inform and connect the Westchester Jewish community.

We were deeply saddened to learn of the destruction at the synagogue in Mississippi. Our hearts are with the congregation and community during this painful time, and we stand with them in solidarity as they begin to heal and rebuild. The Council sent a letter (on behalf of our 120 member organizations) to express our solidarity, which can be found here.

As we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this weekend, may his words and actions continue to inspire hope, unity, and meaningful change!



Shabbat Shalom.



Michael Mittelman, President

Elliot Forchheimer, CEO

Lori Kurlander, Communications Manager

WESTCHESTER JEWISH COUNCIL

HERE WHEN YOU NEED US - YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW:

Since 1975, the Council has connected our Jewish community to:

Each other, to Israel, to our elected officials and

to our brothers and sisters from other faiths and ethnic groups

(The Council is financially supported by donations from individuals,

dues from 120 member organizations and generous financial support from UJA-Federation.)

ANNIVERSARY GALA

Our 50th Anniversary Gala is almost here! In just weeks, we’ll gather to celebrate 50 years of community, impact, and connection—while raising the annual funds that make our work possible. The evening will be filled with great food, meaningful moments, and a few special surprises befitting this golden milestone.

Do you know that the evening will feature the premier performance of a one time choir made up of representatives of Council member organizations? (See the full list below.) And the after party will feature a full set of music by the Subourbons?

Westchester will be rocking!

Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community, we’ve already reached 82% of our annual fundraising goal. If you haven’t yet pledged, there’s still time—payments can be made anytime between now and March. We hope you’ll be part of making this milestone year truly shine. Make your tax-deductible donation here.

Thank you!

To learn more about our wonderful honorees, click on their image.

Pam Goldstein

Stu Seltzer

Run For Their Lives

We extend our sincere thanks to the Honorable George Latimer for recognizing the Council's 50th Anniversary and upcoming gala on the Congressional floor last week. His public acknowledgment reflects his friendship and unwavering support of our work and our community. We are grateful for his leadership and continued partnership. We look forward to welcoming him and so many other elected officials and leaders to our Gala on February 7th.

🎵👩‍🎤👨‍🎤🎵

50 Years in Harmony

Westchester Gala Choir

Conductor Daniel Henkin

(in formation)

Our Westchester community choir for the Gala is in the final stages of formation. Take a look at the list of people representing Council member organizations. You may know some of the choir members. We are very excited to hear them perform at the Gala under the conducting of Daniel Henkin.

Steve Brady - Congregation Kol Ami

Brandon Coreale - Sinai Free Synagogue

David Eisenberg - Temple Israel Center of White Plains

Cindy Enger - Beth El Synagogue Center

Kara Fleishaker - Beth El Synagogue Center

Robert Friedland - Temple Israel Center of White Plains

Josie Ganek - JCC Mid-Westchester

Shira Goldman - Hebrew Institute of White Plains

Stu Goldstein - Temple Beth El of City Island

Randy Heller - Westchester Jewish Center

Linda Kingsbury - Kol Rinah, The Jewish Chorale of Westchester

Tania Medney - Scarsdale Synagogue-Temples-Tremont and Emanu-El

Ron Oleet - Sinai Free Synagogue

Rich Oshlag - Congregation Kol Ami

Bruce Reidenberg - Community Synagogue of Rye

Roberta Rothkin - Temple Beth Abraham

Steve Rothkin - Temple Beth Abraham

Josh Schraeter - Jewish Community Center of Harrison

Diana Schutt - The Leffell School

Jill Seraita - Temple Shaaray Tefila

Dmitry Turovsky - Westchester Community For Humanistic Judaism

Shara Yolkut - Hebrew Institute of White Plains & Temple Israel Center

Rebecca Zinn - Congregation Sons of Israel, Briarcliff Manor

If you are interested in joining this talented group, please get in touch with Donna Bartell r.

Choir members need to be involved with one of our member organizations and be able to attend two rehearsals.

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ISRAEL CORNER

COMMUNITY ISRAEL SHLICHA EVENTS AND MORE

Israeli Dancing & Tu B'Shvat Program

Saturday night January 31, 2026

We are pleased to share this update from UJA-Federation.

UJA ACTION: PROTECTING OUR COMMUNITY

No one should feel threatened simply for gathering with their community or practicing their faith. But across the New York area, individuals entering synagogues and other sacred spaces are increasingly met with dangerous harassment and intimidation.

That’s why UJA is advocating for Protecting Access Without Threat of Interference, a new state bill to help ensure safe and unobstructed entry to religious institutions for all New Yorkers. This bill will restrict protests outside houses of worship and keep protesters at least 25 feet away.

In the face of rising hate against religious communities, this legislation is an essential step toward safeguarding the dignity and security of all New Yorkers. Your voice makes the collective call for action louder, which legislators won’t be able to ignore.

Please email your legislator via the link below.

The next Council Security Roundtable will be held in person on Tuesday night, January 27, 2026. We look forward to seeing designated representatives from our member organizations for an evening of meeting law enforcement and sharing best practices.

For more information about the Westchester Jewish Council's Security Roundtable initiative, contact security@wjcouncil.org. Working together we are all safer.

UJA-FEDERATION OF NY

AN EVENING WITH FORMER HOSTAGE OMER WENKERT 

Wednesday, January 28, 2026 • 7:30 pm, Westchester, New York

Omer Wenkert survived the October 7 Nova music festival attack and endured more than 500 days as a hostage in Gaza. Now, on his first trip to the United States, Omer will share his extraordinary story of survival, hope, and resilience. Don't miss this opportunity to hear Omer's story, honor his courage, and stand united against hate and terror.

Register now: https://www.ujafedny.org/event/view/omer-wenkert-westchester

COUNCIL PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT

The Council's Jewish Literacy Initiative in partnership with Purchase College returns next month with a film screening of "Never Alone". Details and registration can be found below.

WESTCHESTER JEWISH COUNCIL ROUNDTABLES

Westchester Jewish Council

Upcoming Community Roundtables

(The Council thanks the hundreds of people who dedicate time to attend our Roundtables - a signature initiative of the Council, often sponsored with wonderful partners from among our member organizations)

Synagogue Executive Directors - Thursday, January 22

Security - Tuesday, January 27

Synagogue Presidents – Wednesday, January 28

Day Camp Directors - Wednesday, January 28



A SMALL SAMPLE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING...

Community Calendar of Learning, Engagement &

Connecting Opportunities

WJCS Family Volunteer Event on Monday, January 19, 2026 - MLK Jr. Day.

Individuals and families with children of all ages are invited to help us collect nonperishable food items for the WJCS Food Pantry at the MJB Center in Yonkers and put together “Winter Hug” care packages with nutritious soup, cocoa, tea, hats, and mittens for those with food insecurity. Children will make fleece hats and decorate a teddy bear for the children of families who access the pantry. It's a meaningful, hands-on way for families to spend time together, while giving back and helping others.

Registration fee: $20 per child.

Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Pizza and refreshments will be served. 

ON A PERSONAL NOTE

MAZAL TOV TO:

Anita Aronoff, Temple Israel of New Rochelle Executive Director, on her installation as President of NATA (National Association for Temple Administration)

Steven Goldberg, Director of Education at Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center, for receiving the 2025-26 Yavner Citizen Award 

SOME QUICK MEDIA/COMMUNITY LINKS

Watch JBS-Jewish Broadcasting Service on Optimum 138, Fios 798,

Spectrum 219 and 830, DirecTV 388,

Roku under “educational”, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and streamed on www.jbstv.org  

For a complete and timely schedule and other television providers, go to www.jbstv.org 

Check out Westchester Jewish Life - www.westchesterjewishlife.com

Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS) provides programs and services throughout Westchester County

Westchester Jewish Council

925 Westchester Avenue, Suite 200, White Plains, NY 10604

914-328-7001 | info@wjcouncil.org | www.wjcouncil.org

For information regarding submissions, please contact Lori Kurlander

The next Community Connection will be published on or about January 22, 2026