e u s s I l a Inaugur Time to Celebrate: Traditions, Togetherness, and True Blessings A Message from Paul Geduldig, CEO
Finding Light in the Darkness By Rabbi Lavey Derby
Cultivate Gratitude, Connect with Family, Capture Miracles By Jeni Markowitz-Clancy
The Gevertz Family: Establishing Roots in the PJCC Preschool Community
Triple Threat: Marcyl Seidscher
Giving Back So Others May Benefit
Thank You! Your Support Makes It All Possible Thanks to your generosity, we’ve been able to continue serving our community in a myriad of meaningful ways. The programs we’ve offered during the COVID-19 pandemic have helped people to stay strong and persevere, as well as maintain a sense of connection and community. The numbers are impressive, but the positive outcomes are immeasurable. So you can take pride… your gifts make this all happen!
634 602 40
1,328 Meals on Wheels deliveries to home-bound seniors
10,671
Jewish Family Events participating households*
Summer campers enjoyed 210+ hours of virtual camp
Teens and adults attended 3 Implicit Bias workshops cosponsored by 8 Jewish agencies
Virtual Group Ex Class workouts*
✓
Pool lanes reserved 320,130 laps swam
4,140
Jewish Program participants*
2,500
Voter outreach postcards created and mailed by 40 volunteers
*People may have attended more than one class/workshop
Source: Vecteezy
500
4,100
Get Up & Go one-way rides (medical appointments, grocery shopping, and other essential errands)
TRADITION • TOGETHERNESS • TRUE BLESSINGS
Dear PJCC Friends, I am grateful for your unwavering support through this unbelievably challenging year! There were moments when it felt like we would never make it to the Hanukkah season. Thankfully, we have arrived. It feels good to have an opportunity to celebrate life, light, tradition, and family. Hanukkah commemorates Jewish continuity and resilience, and it brings people together in joy and connection. And in many ways, that is exactly what the Peninsula Jewish Community Center is about too. For more than 70 years, the PJCC has celebrated Jewish culture and Jewish Peoplehood and has gathered families, youth, and elders together in community and caring. In my home this year, we’ll gather nightly to light the Hanukkah candles and we’ll talk about all the things for which we are grateful. The boys, Gabriel 13 and Elijah 16, will probably start out by saying they are most grateful for their mobile phones, but after a bit of directive conversation, we will arrive at our true blessings—family, health, home, and friends. Another tradition that my family carries on is making my Grandma Lillie’s Special Potato Latkes. Somehow, even though we follow the exact recipe that she gave us, they still never taste quite as good as when she made them. — continued—
Time to Celebrate Continuedfrom previous page
When I used to ask her why this was true, she would say mischievously, “I put a lot of love and a little bit of my fingertips into the mix when I grate the potatoes.” When I was a child I always found that answer to be a little disturbing. As the years have passed, however, I think what she was partially saying is that we all sacrifice a little of ourselves when we care for or take care of others... and that love and sacrifice are noticeable. This year has certainly been a year of sacrifices but it has also been a year where people have shown up to care for others. The PJCC continues to serve our community during this pandemic. We provide essential childcare and preschool services, virtual programs and Jewish education for adults and seniors, and safe in-person and online ways to stay fit and healthy. Thank YOU for helping to make those things happen with your support and for ensuring that the PJCC endures. I am personally grateful that we can count on you! Wishing you a light-filled Happy Hanukkah in a year unlike all others. With gratitude, Paul Geduldig Chief Executive Officer
Legacy Society Your legacy. Their future. Your gift to the Legacy Society will ensure our Center is there for future generations, with the flexibility to evolve and address needs as they arise. Questions about legacy giving? Please contact the Development Department 650.212.7522 | development@pjcc.org
Donald “Don” Williams 1946 – 2020
ז”ל
Our PJCC family pays tribute to a man who helped make our JCC in Foster City a dream come true. Don Williams fearlessly chaired our Board of Directors during the PJCC building project. Don and Kathy Williams’ leadership and generosity have blessed our Center for decades.
We honor Don as an exemplary community leader and philanthropist, and an extraordinary friend. May his memory be a blessing for generations to come.
If you would like to make a gift in memory of Don Williams, please consider supporting the Don and Kathy Williams Endowment Fund. For more information, please email development@pjcc.org or call 650.378.2742 or make your gift online at pjcc.org/donate.
Your Generosity Makes PJCC Magic Happen The PJCC Supporter Spotlight: You Make It Happen! is written and produced for YOU—to express our gratitude for your life-affirming philanthropic support. The real magic of connection happens between people who love and care for one another, and who cherish rich, shared philosophies and cultural exchanges. The PJCC brings diverse people together for experiences of belonging, vibrant health, cultural understanding, and Jewish journeys. As a donor YOU make all this happen.
An ancient Jewish legend relates that on the day of his creation when Adam saw the sun sinking into the western sky before him, he wept, saying: “Woe is me! The world is returning to darkness and chaos.” When the dawn slowly broke, he ceased weeping, saying: “This is the natural order of things.” Fear of the darkness is ingrained in human consciousness. No wonder that in the depth of December, when the nights are the longest and we are enveloped by darkness, Judaism and other spiritual traditions invite us to light candles or fires as a ritual. Jewish mystics teach that there is a spark of light embedded in every human heart, a light so bright it has the power to roll away the darkness. What if we were to take fifteen minutes each day to sit quietly, to contemplate the light inside us, and to consider how to bring our light into the world? We might begin to see the light in the face of another; to offer kindness to anyone near us and healing to those in need of it. In that light we might find the courage to stand up for love and compassion and justice, and to see the blessings found even in the darkness. However you celebrate the winter holidays, find the ways to let your light shine like radiance of the sun, and illumine our world. The month of December is a terrific time to make “a practice” of intentionality. I will be sitting each day. I invite you to join me in a practice that lights you up—so that you may be illumination for others.
giving back
So That Others May Benefit
When You are Faced with Breast Cancer Many things you take for granted are quickly realized in a different light. Before, I had always found fitness came rather easily. Then faced with many other decisions, fitness and mobility really took a back burner to ‘just trying to get myself together’ emotionally again.
— Katie, Pink Power @ the PJCC Participant
Katie, a program participant and her now-husband, Graham, generously chose the PJCC’s Pink Power program to be a beneficiary of gifts in honor of their recent wedding. Katie found our program for post-operative breast cancer survivors, as many women do, through word of mouth. She recently told us how the story unfolded:
Katie, a Pink Power @ the PJCC program participant and her now-husband, Graham.
To make a donation, please email development@pjcc.org or visit pjcc.org/donate
“[My] great friend, Suzanne, works at the PJCC. She knew the physical effects would be a challenge for me before I did. From the beginning of my diagnosis, through my surgeries and recoveries, she softly encouraged me to meet with Vicki, the Breast Cancer Exercise Specialist, to learn more about the Pink [Power] program. Finally, the day came, when I decided it would be time to see what this “new” body could do. I had a double mastectomy, then under-the-chest muscle reconstruction. All movement was a different “feeling.” I was very weak. Recently recovering from a frozen shoulder didn’t help the situation. I met with Vicki, where she introduced me to the Pink [Power] program. I started quickly, truly because I didn’t want to overthink what my challenges could be. I was very apprehensive as to what I could and could not do. Vicki introduced me to my trainer, Charity. I was pushed kindly into
trying exercises that I was very nervous to attempt. Up to this point, the different feeling I had raising my arms to put dishes in the cupboard was a scary event. The Pink [Power] program was instrumental in building my confidence and strength. I started slowly working with weights, using the elliptical again and feeling more like I could hike in the beautiful area around our home. I truly appreciate what the Pink [Power] program did for me. I encourage other women to join. It is great to have this type of program in a positive environment for women going through or have gone through breast cancer. The PJCC is dedicated to understanding what we need. The annual luncheon introduced me to women with shared experiences. Knowing others is truly helpful to your recovery. I am reminded every day how Pink [Power] started my journey back to having better fitness in my life.” Thanks to the generosity of donors like Katie and Graham—and you—Pink Power @ the PJCC continues to provide hope and healing to women throughout the Bay Area, regardless of financial ability; more than 50 percent of participants receive financial assistance.
By Jeni Markowitz-Clancy, Jewish Family Programs and Engagement Manager
Winter provides extraordinary opportunities to reflect on connection, memory-making, and gratitude. We invite you to dive in to the cultivation of gratitude with us! The Jewish value corresponding with gratitude is hakarat hatov, literally translated as “recognizing the good.” This year, take time with family to recognize the good and the miraculous with the ones you love. So this December, remember to crank up the music, enjoy the sugar rush of a Hanukkah donut or chocolate gelt, and party like it’s Hanukkah!
Create a Family Miracle Jar Cultivate a joyful habit by dedicating a place in your kitchen counter to recording your family’s unique miracles. Kids can help decorate your miracle jar with colored tissue paper and a light coat of white glue; or, dress the jar with colorful stickers. Place a small bowl or basket with slips of wrapping paper, Post-It notes, or a notepad beside the jar and begin jotting down small miracles and examples of goodness that have touched your family. For more warmth, drop a battery-operated tea light into the jar and let your miracles shine. Model gratitude by adding your own notes often. Let the jar linger in your kitchen throughout the winter and make time to read the notes together as a family.
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To make a donation, please email development@pjcc.org or visit pjcc.org/donate
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You could say that expertise about children and early childhood education runs in both sides of the Gevertz family. Bryant’s family used to own the baby furniture store Lullaby Lane, and Jenn’s mother runs her own daycare in Foster City, which their young daughter Sofia attended as a baby. When Sofia turned 2-1/2, Jenn and Bryant were ready to establish her in the type of structured educational environment that a preschool offers. As they researched the best option for their family, many factors played into their decision-making process. They knew they wanted a Jewish preschool, a strong connected community, and a philosophy of child-led learning where Sofia could socialize, play, and explore.
The PJCC is welcoming to all families. We love the diversity!
Put these factors together, and you get the PJCC! Jenn and Bryant shared, “We chose the PJCC because we were looking for a school that encompasses Jewish faith, because we are a Jewish family. We love the structured interaction that she gets to do—her weekly PE class, music class, and art. We feel safe, since they are taking [COVID-19] precautions seriously.”
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Jenn adds, “It doesn’t feel like school, it feels like community. It’s nice to connect with other Jewish families and also to have diversity. The PJCC is welcoming to all families. We love the diversity.” As an added benefit, the family’s participation at the preschool strengthens their already deep roots in the PJCC and local community. The couple grew up together on the same street in Foster City, and have been Center members for many years, even before Sofia was born. What’s more, Bryant’s family has been involved with the Center since its days in Belmont, where he attended summer camp as a child. He shared his own fond memories of being up on the hill in Belmont, singing songs and doing art projects. Now, Sofia is creating PJCC memories of her own. The family loves the art projects Sofia creates at school (“We don’t have to clean up at home!,” Bryant enthuses). She also learns Shabbat blessings and loves to sing Hamotzi, the blessing over challah, during the family’s Shabbat time. A blessing, indeed.
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Prior to the pandemic, you could count on Food for Thought’s twice-monthly, Monday-afternoon meetings to bring you in contact with an engaging, enlightening speaker at the PJCC. Since 2004, tireless community volunteer Marcyl Seidscher has been the charming host of the ever-popular series, which has brought—in Marcyl’s own words—a panoply of speakers, from authors, to scientists, to artists. Notable guests have included former SF Chronicle columnist Leah Garchik and Rabbi Peretz Wolf-Prusan from Lehrhaus Judaica. Now that classes have moved online, Food for Thought is taking a break, but Marcyl certainly isn’t! “As a senior, my interactions are on Zoom now. The PJCC is that lifeline to programs, like my morning exercise, and Rabbi Lavey Derby’s classes. The PJCC is offering important connection, to me, and to many others who are sheltering in place.” One of the things Marcyl loves about the PJCC is the great diversity of our members. “It’s nice to walk in and see different people—young, old, different cultures and backgrounds,” she shares. Before retiring in 2000, Marcyl served as Director of Administration at Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills. Marcyl then began to volunteer with the PJCC’s Adult Department. In addition to volunteering, Marcyl proudly supports the PJCC as part of our Chai Society leadership giving circle, and is also a member of our Legacy Society. “I don’t take Jewish institutions such as my synagogue or the PJCC for granted. I enjoy it, and I love coming, and I want to come again at a future time. I want to put my money where my mouth is!”
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continuedfrom previous page
CHAI SOCIETY Chai Society is the PJCC’s leadership giving circle, for those who donate $1,000 or more annually to support our mission-driven programs. Each year, we invite Chai Society supporters to join us for special opportunities and events. Marcyl fondly remembers a Foster City resident who initially requested a speaker fee of $750, which far exceeded the program’s budget. With her charm and can-do spirit, she convinced him to speak for a case of Fiji water. And, she mentions, he was one the most entertaining speakers she has ever booked! Over the years, Marcyl has worked with many of the PJCC staff. She tells us, “I feel close to the JCC because I know the staff and they are all wonderful. It makes me want to do more. Which is why I love doing Food for Thought and would like to continue when possible. But also why I give money—because I want the PJCC to continue, not just for me, but for the people who follow me.”
Our next Chai Society event: Virtual Movie Night with Rabbi Lavey February 13, 2021
For more information, please contact Shari Rubin-Rick at 650.378.2742 or email srick@pjcc.org
We support the PJCC because the JCC is vital for the health and vibrancy of our Jewish community. We think it’s an important ingredient in our community. To learn more about the PJCC’s Legacy Society, please contact our Development team at development@pjcc.org.
— Carol & Jerry Rosenblatt PJCC Chai Society Members
Todah Rabah! (Thank You!)
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