The Westchester Jewish Council's
Community Connection
October 15 2020 27 Tishrei 5781
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Hello!
The end of the fall Jewish holidays marks an uptick in programming. Upcoming events include an Honors Day program (honoring our Jewish soldiers) on Thursday, November 5th and the Biennial Night of Music Virtual Celebration on Saturday night, November 21st. We also have many, many other great programs to share with you this week from our member organizations, ranging from an art event to a virtual fireside chat about how older adults are faring through these times. A pumpkin spiced latte in hand would work well with any of these programs.
Many of our synagogue member organizations honored some of their members at the conclusion of the holiday season on Simchat Torah. Scroll down for the list of synagogue honorees submitted to us.
By the way, thank you to JBS (Jewish Broadcasting Service) for making holiday services available via their stations. JBS can be found 24/7 on Cablevision (channel 138), Verizon FIOS (channel 798), ROKU and on https://jbstv.org/ Check them out!!
Finally, today/Thursday is the last day for the Census. Thanks for being counted!
Wishing you a joyful and healthy weekend and thanks for reading!
Shabbat Shalom
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Lisa Roberts, President
Lori Kurlander, Communications Manager
Elliot Forchheimer, CEO
WESTCHESTER JEWISH COUNCIL
"HERE WHEN YOU NEED US
YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW"
(The Council is financially supported by donations from individuals,
dues from 136 member organizations and generous grant support from UJA-Federation)
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Please support the work of the Westchester Jewish Council. Your donation makes a difference each and every day. Click here to donate
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WESTCHESTER JEWISH COUNCIL
UPCOMING EVENTS
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Distinguished Service Award Nominations are Now Open
The Westchester Jewish Council is now accepting nominations from its member organizations for the prestigious Julian Y. Bernstein Distinguished Service Award.
This year’s award celebration will be held virtually on Tuesday evening March 16, 2021.
Each year the Council honors approximately 18 volunteers for their exceptional and dedicated volunteer efforts. You may have volunteers who have worked tirelessly for years. Now is your chance to honor them! This year you may also want to consider nominating organizational heroes who have distinguished themselves by stepping up to the challenges of the pandemic.
Nominations are due by Monday, November 9, 2020 and must be submitted using this form. One nomination per Council member organization. A decision by the Award Committee will be made by mid-December. If you have any questions, please contact Donna Bartell at donna@wjcouncil.org.
The Julian Y. Bernstein Distinguished Service Award Committee thanks you in advance for your participation!
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ISRAEL'S 2020 HONOR DAY VIRTUAL DELEGATION |
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We invite the community to join our Israeli Heroes, the wounded IDF Veterans, on Thursday, November 5th at 12pm. This event is co-sponsored by The Jewish Agency for Israel and the Westchester Jewish Council and UJA. More details will be provided in the coming week. Free and open to all.
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SAVE THE DATE:
The Biennial Night of Music & Joy Virtual Celebration
Saturday, November 21, 2020 at 7:30pm
presented by Kol Hazzanim and The Westchester Jewish Council
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Kol Hazzzanim and the Westchester Jewish Council
invite you to the beloved biennial
Night of Music in a virtual format this year.
Please register in advance for this free event:
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
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WESTCHESTER JEWISH COUNCIL'S
SECURITY AND SAFETY UPDATE
"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail" B. Franklin
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As always and per protocol, please report any security concerns immediately to your local Police Department and then to the Council for follow up. Stay alert, prepared and safe.
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PROGRAMMING AND EVENTS YOU CAN ENJOY FROM HOME
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HADASSAH WESTCHESTER
PRESENTS
An Hour with Marc Chagall
Thursday, October 15th at 7pm
Featuring Ronnit Vasserman of Art Connect Group
Marc Chagall was a talented artist, a brilliant representative of the twentieth century avant-garde. He conquered the world with his unique style and special outlook on life.
In addition to the presentation, together we will enjoy a special visit with Barbara Goldstein "BG" inside the Abbell Synagogue to view the famous Chagall windows.
Please register here for this event. Thank you Hadassah -A Council member organization.
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Tzahal Shalom of Northern Westchester (Council member) presents
"Eat Pray Love Create"
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Join Tzahal Shalom for a variety of programming on October 18th, October 25th and November 1st.
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DOROT (Council member) presents Voices of Experience in a Pandemic World
Tuesday, October 27, 2020 from 1:00 to 2:00pm
For more information and to register, please click here.
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(WELCOME IMPACT ISRAEL--FORMERLY FRIENDS OF YEMIN ORDE)
Join new Council member ImpactIsrael on October 28th
On Thursday October 28th at 8pm, ImpactIsrael’s “Celebration Of Gratitude and Hope” for ImpactIsrael, the US fundraising arm for Yemin Orde Youth Village and Yemin Orde Educational Initiatives will hold a virtual event hosted by actor, Joshua Malina, (and former New Rochelle resident) At that time, US Representative Nita Lowey will receive the prestigious Tikkun Ha’Lev award. There is no cost to participate.
Please use the link below to register. There is no charge to attend.
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WESTCHESTER JEWISH COUNCIL
MEMBER SYNAGOGUE
SIMCHAT TORAH HONOREES
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Mazel Tov to those that received a special honor this year for Simchat Torah. Thank you to all of the synagogues who submitted their honorees to us for notice.
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Bet Am Shalom : Liz Haas-Edersheim and Steven Edersheim
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Bet Torah: Joanne Lupatkin and Mark Stern
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Magen David Sephardic Synagogue
The Honorees were: Hatan Meuna: Jeff Meiliken, Hatan Torah: Zion Nefesh, Hatan Torah: Mordehai Orlando
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Pleasantville Community Synagogue
We honored past president Leyla Nakisbendi and current co-presidents, Roberta Korus and Robert Marshak.
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Shaarei Tikvah
We honored: Jerry Strassler as Chatan Torah, Ellen Cogan as Kalat Bereisheet,
Kol HaNe-arim: All of our teens whose B’nai Mitzvah celebrations
were affected by the Covid pandemic - Gabriel Tanen, Noah Auerbach, Lucy and Serena Glik, Max Glik, Evelyn Gipstein, Matthew Zeitz, Lily Streicher, Harry Wolf, Amelie Roth, Joanna and Heather Schutzer, Sophie Blieden, Marin Shandler, Ari Malz and Alex Kabakov
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Honoring Critical Care Workers
Please join us in honoring all of TIC’s critical care workers as Dr. Kimberly Greene-Liebowitz, representing all of these invaluable workers, has the Kallat Torah aliyah!
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Honoring TIC’s Hesed Circle
Co-chairs Judith Grand and Julie Breakstone have the Kallat B'reishit aliyah!
We would like to thank the dedicated Hesed Circle volunteers. Please click here for a complete list.
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Young Israel of Scarsdale
Chatan Torah: Dr. Daniel and Jillian Miller, Chatan Bereshit: Brian and Michelle Hoch, Chatan Maftir: Jason and Dena Ingerman
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NEWS AND HAPPENINGS FROM MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS |
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The Leffell School (Council member) invited local clergy—and their Torahs—to join the school as a surprise on Zoom. They were able to Spotlight, in succession, 12 clergy from the tri-state area who were each standing by with a Torah so that they could virtually dance with the school community. This moment demonstrated how anything is possible with proper virtual preparations.
To view the full video, please click here.
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WELCOME NEW MEMBER ORGANIZATION |
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It is our pleasure to welcome ImpactIsrael to the Council family. ImpactIsrael (formerly Friends of Yemin Orde) is the North American philanthropic partner of Yemin Orde Youth Village and Village Way Educational Initiatives in Israel. The mission of ImpactIsrael is to transform immigrant and at-risk youth into productive members of Israeli society through value-driven education and support. Yemin Orde Youth Village is a home, school and safe haven for 430 at-risk immigrant youth from Ethiopia, France, former Soviet Union, Brazil, and youth born in Israel. It is open year-round, 24/7, and provides each at-risk teen with the individual, peer and familial environment and support needed to succeed. Through education and educational enrichment: sports and cultural arts; guidance counselors and mentors; supportive workshops; individual and group social and psychological therapy, and financial assistance, fragile youth are given a secure foundation to gain confidence, self-esteem, grow and thrive. Village Way Educational Initiatives was established in 2006 to scale the unique “Village Way” educational methodology developed at Yemin Orde Youth Village to deliver educational solutions that empower educators and positively impact at-risk youth, families and communities throughout Israel. To date, the Village Way Educational Initiatives has partnered with 60 distinct educational communities, touching an estimated 2,500 educators and more than 22,500 at-risk youth. By 2026, the goal is to partner with 91 educational communities in Israel, impacting 4,100 educators and bringing the total number of at-risk youth helped by VWEI to over 55,000.
Be sure to check out their upcoming event, "Celebration of Gratitude and Hope" on October 28th. Details can be found in the Programming and Events section of this newsletter .
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WESTCHESTER COUNTY GOVERNMENT NEWS |
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RESCHEDULED DATE - THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22nd at 7pm
State of the County Address -
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BICYCLE SUNDAYS TO CONTINUE
THROUGH OCTOBER
Westchester’s recreation tradition, Bicycle Sundays, will continue for two more Sundays to end the extended 2020 season on October 18 and 25, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Bronx River Parkway.
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As of today, well over 99.9% of housing units have been accounted for in the 2020 Census. Self-response and field data collection operations for the 2020 Census will conclude today, Thursday, October 15, 2020.
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UJA-FEDERATION OF NEW YORK IN WESTCHESTER |
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Services for Unemployed Professionals
Talented professionals are essential for a thriving Jewish community. Unfortunately, thousands of colleagues have lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic.
UJA has a longstanding commitment to support and strengthen the professionals who work in our Jewish nonprofit sector. For those experiencing temporary unemployment, we offer this suite of services and networking opportunities to help you transition to your next position.
Check out these relevant resources and share with your colleagues. Career coaching and networking can make a real difference on their journey to their next job in the Jewish nonprofit sector.
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WESTCHESTER JEWISH COUNCIL ROUNDTABLES (ConnecTables) |
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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)
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We will be hosting our roundtables via Zoom until further notice.
Some Upcoming Council Roundtables:
Security - Tuesday October 20th, 7:30 pm
Mosaic LGBTQ Roundtable - Wednesday October 21st, 7:30pm
Synagogue Presidents +1 - Tuesday November 10th, 7:30 pm
Synagogue Executive Directors - Weekly (In running for Roundtable of the year award)
Greening Roundtable - coming soon
Marketing Roundtable - coming in the fall
Contact the Council office at (914) 328-7001 or info@wjcouncil.org for information on these and other Roundtables--a key offering of the Westchester Jewish Council.
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We received the long-awaited news that Facebook would be removing messages containing Holocaust denial from their site. ADL has been fighting this tough battle for more than a decade, culminating in the recent Stop Hate For Profit campaign. This campaign resulted in a pause in advertising by over 1,200 companies this past summer, and a one-day blackout of Instagram posts by celebrities a few weeks ago. Our job is now to ensure Facebook lives up to this pledge, and ADL will be monitoring this closely. For the full press release, click here.
We thank the many other Council member organizations that have supported this initiative including Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), AJC, Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center and more.
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Foremost Caterers new Fall menu is now available.
Click on the image to view the full menu.
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Mazel Tov to:
Rabbi Joan and Elliot Forchheimer (our very own Council CEO) on the engagement of their daughter, Ilana to Bradley Goldman, son of Nanci and Walter Goldman.
Rabbi Eytan Hammerman (JCCH) and Rebecca Hammerman on the b’not Mitzvah of their daughters, Rena and Ary
Deepest Condolences to:
Jon and Lisa Roberts (Council President) on the passing of Jon's mother, Gloria B. Roberts (z'l).
Refuah shlema to:
Rabbi Shmuel Greenberg, rabbi of the Young Israel of White Plains. To include Rabbi Greenberg in your tefilot and for a misheberach, please note that his name is now Alter Shmuel ben Chava Leah.
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Westchester Jewish Council Teen Organizations include:
Thank you to the Jewish Education Project for working so closely with our Teen professionals and volunteers!
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JBS can be seen live 24/7 on Cablevision (channel 138), Verizon FIOS (channel 798), ROKU and on https://jbstv.org/
The Hudson Valley 211 Helpline is Here
This is a service of United Way of Westchester and Putnam.
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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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The next Community Connection will be published on or about October 22, 2020
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