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The Westchester Jewish Council's
WE-stchester
Comm-UNITY
Connection
January 8, 2026 19 Tevet 5786
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Greetings!
Good morning.
Our 50th Anniversary Gala is less than a month away—and there’s still time to join us and/or support our mission! We look forward to gathering with our community to honor our incredible honorees, celebrate this milestone year, and enjoy an unforgettable evening together all the while raising annual operating funds. The night will feature great music from The Subourbons, a special collaborative community choir comprised of representatives from our member organizations, delicious food courtesy of Foremost, and plenty of time to connect and converse with hundreds of friends old and new, elected officials and community leaders. We hope you’ll be part of this joyful celebration. Click here for more information about the Gala and to sign up and or donate today.
Help Us Name Our Gala Choir! 🎤🎵
We’re excited to be putting together a special community choir for our upcoming gala—and we need your creativity! Do you have a great name idea? We’d love your suggestions, so please send them our way via a simple return email. The choir, under the direction of Daniel Henkin, will be made up of 36 representatives from 36 of our Council member organizations, resulting in a tapestry of collective sound. Send in your suggestion today.
As we begin the New Year, we’re excited to share a full slate of upcoming programs. Read on and visit our Community Calendar to stay connected and engaged.
To start the new year, Council leadership was honored to attend several meaningful community milestones, including the inaugurations of County Executive Ken Jenkins and Mayor Justin Brasch of White Plains. We congratulate all of the local elected officials who were inaugurated in the new year. See below for some pictures. We wish all our elected officials a year of success in leading our community.
While spring may seem far away, we are sharing the date for the next Celebrate Israel Day Parade, which will take place on Sunday, May 31st. Mark your calendars! The Council, as in the past, will be coordinating a Westchester marching group for those interested. Also, save Sunday afternoon, April 26th, for Westchester's county-wide celebration of Yom HaAtzmaut/Israel at 78.
Tomorrow is National Law Enforcement Day. We would like to give a shout out to all of the local members of law enforcement who work with our member organizations and help the Council at our many community events to keep us safe! We appreciate your service and partnership and look forward to seeing many members of law enforcement at our next Council Security Roundtable at the end of the month.
Shabbat Shalom.
Michael Mittelman, President
Elliot Forchheimer, CEO
Lori Kurlander, Communications Manager
WESTCHESTER JEWISH COUNCIL
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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
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(The Council is financially supported by donations from individuals,
dues from 120 member organizations and generous financial support from UJA-Federation.)
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Our 50th Anniversary Gala and Fundraiser is right around the corner, and we can’t wait to celebrate five decades of community and connection while raising annual operating funds to support our work. Expect an unforgettable evening filled with special moments, delicious food, and a few surprises that are truly worthy of this golden milestone. This is a celebration you won’t want to miss! Thank you to those who donated--we have already raised 70% of our annual needs due to your help. If you have not yet pledged (pledge now and payment may be made anytime between now and February), please click here.
Thank you!
To learn more about our wonderful honorees, click on their image.
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CHECK OUT THIS FUN ADDITION TO OUR GALA!
For over 35 years, Daniel Henkin has conducted Jewish and secular choirs for children, teenagers, and adults, and has produced dozens of albums of Jewish and secular choral music. Since founding the Columbia University Clefhangers in 1988, he has directed ensembles around the Northeast, including at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the White House.
As an arranger and conductor, Daniel has helped pioneer the contemporary Jewish a cappella movement today. His choral arrangements are performed by ensembles throughout North America and Israel, and have shaped the sound and style of today’s contemporary Jewish a cappella choirs.
We are thrilled to welcome Daniel to our gala this year, where he will collaborate with a group of Westchester community members to form a choir that will perform at our event.
| | COMMUNITY ISRAEL SHLICHA EVENTS AND MORE | |
WESTCHESTER JEWISH COUNCIL'S
SECURITY AND SAFETY UPDATE
“Repetition Reinforces Retention and Recall”
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The next WJC Security Roundtable will be held on Tuesday night, January 27, 2026. We look forward to seeing designated representatives there from our 120 member organizations.
For more information about the Westchester Jewish Council's Security Roundtable initiative, contact security@wjcouncil.org. Working together we are all safer.
| | Council leadership was honored to attend the inauguration of Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins—a truly inspiring moment for our county. It was exciting to witness this milestone and to join leaders from across Westchester in celebrating a new chapter of service, leadership, and community. | | Rabbi Ben Goldberg of Congregation KTI and the Westchester Board of Rabbis gave the invocation at the opening session of the Board of Legislators. We share his words with you here. Thank you Rabbi Goldberg. | | 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 that dedicate time to attend our Roundtables -
a signature initiative of the Council often sponsored with wonderful partners from among our member organizations)
Security - Tuesday, January 27
Synagogue Presidents – Wednesday, January 28
Day Camp - Wednesday, January 28
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UJA-Federation
FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT: OMER WENKERT’S STORY
Wednesday, January 28, 2026 • 7:00 pm
Location will be in Westchester, New York
| | You are invited by our friend Rev. Lee Trollinger at Calvary Baptist Church to join in honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Please see below. | | |
Holding Liat
Opens Jan. 16 — Preview screening and Filmmaker Q&A on Jan. 11 at Jacob Burns Film Center
Shortlisted for the 2026 Documentary Feature Film Academy Award
On October 7, 2023, Israeli-American Liat Atzili and her husband Aviv were kidnapped from their home on a kibbutz near the Gaza border. Told through the eyes of Liat’s family, Holding Liat is an intimate, character-driven documentary that follows their agonizing efforts to secure Liat’s release amid rising global tensions, political gamesmanship, and frustrating diplomatic deadlock. Caught between international diplomacy and a rapidly escalating war, their family must face their own uncertainty and conflicting political perspectives in the pursuit of Liat and Aviv’s release. 2025. 97 m. Brandon Kramer. Film Forum. US. English/Hebrew with subtitles. Rated NR.
Use promo code SHORTLIST to get the JBFC member price on up to two (2) tickets per order to either the Jan. 11 preview screening of Holding Liat, or to a regularly-priced screening of Holding Liat during the film’s run starting Friday, Jan. 16.
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MAZEL TOV TO:
Helene (Council's Engagement and Special Projects Manager) and David Schonbrun on the birth of their new grandson, Brooks Alexander (Boaz Ariel). Parents Atara and Matt Greif and brother Mace are all doing well.
CONDOLENCES TO:
Cantor Elizabeth Sternlieb (Cantor Emerita at Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester) on the passing of Cantor Lee Schwartz, former Cantor at Sinai Free Synagogue in Mount Vernon
| | A SMALL SAMPLE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING... | | |
In anticipation of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Westchester Reform Temple (WRT) will welcome music historian and critic Dr. Jeremy Eichler, who is serving as their Scholar-in Residence. Thursday, January 8 at 7pm
Come join the Cantors for a presentation and conversation with acclaimed music critic and cultural historian Jeremy Eichler, author of Time’s Echo, winner of three National Jewish Book Awards, including 2023 Book of the Year. Mr. Eichler, our Marjorie and Morgan, z”l, Miller Scholar-in-Residence for 2026, will present on how cultural memory is preserved and transmitted through music, with a focus on the masterpieces produced in the wake of the Holocaust.
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Could Your Synagogue Be the Next Partner for Aging Alone Together®?
This fall, older adults at Congregation Sons of Israel in Briarcliff gathered for DOROT’s Aging Alone Together®, a six‑week series focused on developing the resources for aging with independence. The program is grounded in the Jewish values of kavod habriyot (human dignity), bechirah chofshit (personal choice), and kehilla (community). One does not need to be aging by themselves to attend. While the program’s focus on planning for independent aging is aimed at “solo agers,” many older adults recognize that even those with partners and families may find themselves needing to manage at least certain aspects of aging on their own in the future.
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Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation
Applications are now open for the
Government Advocacy Fellowship!
THIS SUMMER!
Learn the skills necessary to be an impactful government advocate and influence policy to push back on hate and anti- Semitism.
Offered by the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation, this intensive policy-leadership program provides participants with hands-on training, real-world policy experience, and the tools to make a meaningful impact at every level of government.
For details, see the flyer below or email amalachowski@ajcfus.org for more information
| | Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale (CSAIR) is looking for an Operations Coordinator. Click below for full details. | | SOME QUICK MEDIA/COMMUNITY LINKS | | |
Westchester Jewish Council
925 Westchester Avenue, Suite 200, White Plains, NY 10604
914-328-7001 | info@wjcouncil.org | www.wjcouncil.org
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For information regarding submissions, please contact Lori Kurlander
The next Community Connection will be published on or about January 15, 2026
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