Cathy’s Whim Cathy’s Whim

“Your Yom Ha’Atzmaut celebration was so wonderful. It reminded me of the good old days!” This comment from a passionate and engaged community member keeps reverberating in my mind. For one, I am incredibly happy this person enjoyed our celebration this past Sunday. We had an amazing day. Over 210 people joined us for an afternoon of music, children’s activities, mosaics, dancing and delicious authentic Israeli cuisine. And to set a festive atmosphere, we decorated our room to look like Independence Hall in Tel Aviv. It was the perfect way to celebrate Israel’s 70th birthday. The second reason I keep...

This past Sunday, over 450 people came together for the Yom Hashoah remembrance program at Beth Jacob Synagogue, where we remembered the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust and heard stories of inspiration from local survivors and their families. I have no doubt the event left an indelible impression on those who attended. As I sat in the sanctuary and listened to our keynote speaker Dr. Felix Garfunkel share his personal story of survival, I was struck by his kindness, gentleness and strength. What an inspiration to those of us who were lucky enough to hear him speak....

Thursday, April 4, 1968. My father was in our living room practicing his flute. Since the only other room in our home with a television was my parents’ bedroom, I decided to go in there to watch the latest episode of Ironside. Suddenly the program was interrupted with a special report. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., leader of the civil rights movement, had been assassinated. I was rather young, and not familiar with this man. So I went into our living room and asked my dad if he knew of him. That was the moment I learned about Dr. Martin...

I like visiting Washington D.C., but I don’t see myself spending a lot of time there. The city has some amazing museums, and tells of the rich history of our country and our government. While I have a deep respect for the political process, I am not as passionate about politics as some people. However, politics play a vital role in decisions that may be of benefit to Jewish communities throughout the U.S, in Israel and around the world. So while I personally do not like to get too involved in the process, I appreciate when those who do enjoy...

As I sit in my hotel room in Newark, New Jersey on this very cold, snowy afternoon, I find myself reflecting on the excitement and energy of the past five days. Last Friday, I came to Newark for the Partnership2Gether (P2G) Interconnection Conference. The purpose of the conference was to explore best practices, share our P2G experiences and discuss innovative programming ideas and opportunities with other communities in our P2G region. Over the past 20 years, P2G has become the Jewish Agency for Israel’s (and Jewish Federations of North America’s) most successful model for creating relationships between global Jewish communities...

Typically when I write my WHIM, I take a moment to sit down and think about what has recently inspired me. Not this week though. I will tell you upfront – this is a shameless plug. We recently secured a speaker for this year’s Presidents Dinner (mark your calendars…it’s June 3rd!). His name is Lior Raz, co-creator and lead actor of the Israeli television series, Fauda, which is Arabic for “chaos.” Now anyone who knows me can tell you I love a good TV series. And this one does not disappoint! The series is based on Raz and co-creator Avi...

This past Thursday, Tara Feiner, our Jewish Family Services Director left for Israel to participate in a social worker seminar at the Galilee Medical Center. The seminar gives participants the opportunity to meet professionals from Israel, share their expertise with one another, and see how social work differs in Israel and the U.S. The seminar, which was organized and sponsored by the Federation’s Partnership2Gether program, includes two social workers from Dayton ~Sharon Guenther (Manager of Social Work Services at Miami Valley Hospital’s Department of Integrated Care Management) and Heather Hackett (Medical Social Worker at Dayton Children’s Hospital). Sadly, the group...

At our most recent JFGD Board meeting, we spent some time discussing the JCC’s Early Childhood Education program. As one of our most important programs, our Early Childhood currently has 99 children enrolled, from 6 weeks of age through kindergarten. I’ve always had the highest esteem for our Early Childhood, and the wonderful teachers and staff who work with our youngest community members. As I listened to the discussion at our board meeting, I realized this amazing program holds a very special place in the heart of our community. For many of our Jewish families, Early Childhood is the beginning...

Over the past week, I have seen numerous stories on the news about last week’s deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Sadly, 17 people lost their lives and 14 people were wounded in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Of the 14 children who were killed, four were Jewish, and one of three teachers killed was Jewish. As I continued to watch the coverage, I saw footage of makeshift memorials along a fence line. There were numerous crosses, along with four Stars of David. In that moment, people were grieving together, regardless of religious affiliation or background....