JFED Connects February 2016

JFED CONNECTS AN UPDATE OF WHAT’S HAPPENING AT JEWISH FEDERATION OF ST. LOUIS

FEBRUARY 2016

INSIDE Connecting Jewish Community..................... 2 Teen Travel to Israel…..... 2 Art & Writing Contest ..... 2 2016 Millstone Fellows ... 2 Fusing Jewish Families.... 3 The Power of Difference ....................... 3 The Rubin Israel Experience...................... 3 HMLC Sunday Film Series .............................. 4 Unique Funding Opportunities ................. 4

JFedSTL.org

FROM OUR CHAIR, Harvey N. Wallace Welcome to 2016! We hope this past year was a good one for you and that this year will be even better.

Personally, I am excited about the prospects for our community as we begin another year, and I start month five of my board chairmanship. We have a great team at the Jewish Federation of St. Louis and it is truly an honor to work with these talented and committed individuals.

It has been almost a year since a large group gathered to learn the results of the St. Louis Jewish Community Study. The Study indicated that, since 1995, there are more Jewish persons in our community, that there are more Jewish households and that the total number of people living in Jewish households has increased significantly. Also that we live throughout our metropolitan area, rather than mostly in the western suburbs of St. Louis, and that economically, more than 25 percent of our Jewish community needs assistance to manage financially. This important information will help us work with our constituent agencies to better serve the St. Louis Jewish community.

The year ended with a Chanukah Solidarity Vigil in the Loop where those in attendance heard from many of our congregational rabbis as well as our new JCRC Executive Director Maharat Rori Picker Neiss and our Jewish Federation of St. Louis President Andrew Rehfeld. Our community leaders spoke of the links between Chanukah and the recent terror attacks in Israel and throughout the world.

I am pleased to congratulate the Staenberg Family Foundation (a supporting foundation of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis) for being selected as the winner of the 2015 Philanthropic Legacy Award by the Gateway Center for Giving.

Concluding at over $9.3 million, we believe our Annual Unrestricted Campaign shows many positive trends, including more donors to the campaign and a more age diverse group of donors.

We look forward to continuing our work to preserve and enhance Jewish life in St. Louis, Israel and around the world, and we hope you will join us on this wonderful journey.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2016.

UPCOMING SERIES:

RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY IN ISRAEL: A POSSIBILITY OR NOT? Monday, February 29, 2016 • 7:00-8:00 pm Jewish Federation of St. Louis

As American Jews living in a pluralistic Diaspora, it is sometimes hard for us to understand the polarity of extremes in which many Israelis lead either secular or Orthodox lives. But, is there more in Israel than meets the eye? Join us to hear Israeli Rabbi Ariella Graetz Bartuv as she explores the issue of religious pluralism in Israel.

For more information and to RSVP, please contact Barbara Levin at BLevin@JFedSTL.org or 314-442-3752.

Learn more about the Sh'ma: Listen! Speaker Series and apply for your organization's speaker to be featured at JFedSTL.org/SpeakerSeries.

Sh'ma: Listen! Speaker Series is supported by the Lubin-Green Foundation, a supporting Foundation of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, and Hank Webber and Chris Jacobs.

CONNECTING

JEWISH COMMUNITY AN OUTREACH PROGRAM

Happy Purim!

LEND YOUR HANDS AND HEARTS WITH WOMEN’S PHILANTHROPY

Please join us for a special community service opportunity to enhance the holidays for our community members living in care facilities. We will be making care packages to be delivered to these individuals for Purim. Please bring sample-sized hand lotion, which we are collecting to put in the holiday bags at a future packaging.

Monday, March 7 11:00 am and 6:30 pm Jewish Federation of St. Louis Kopolow Building 12 Millstone Campus Drive, 63146 Register for one or both events by March 4 at WP.JFedSTL.org/PurimPackaging.

Drinks and snacks provided; dietary laws observed. Children are welcome!

Bags will benefit the Jewish Family and Children’s Service (JF&CS) Chaplaincy Program. Thanks to the Women’s Auxiliary Foundation for Jewish Aged, gift bags will also be given to Congregation B’nai Amoona, Central Reform Congregation and Temple Emanuel to distribute to their elderly members. For questions, please contact Valerie at 314-442-3751 or VBurch@JFedSTL.org.

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR TEEN TRAVEL TO ISRAEL Jewish Federation of St. Louis, through the Israel Center, announces the availability of several grants and scholarships for teens and young adults traveling to Israel in 2016 on a peer-based educational experience.

• Israel Travel Grant – Open to all teens and young adults, the award is based on length of stay in Israel; $750 for summer programs, $1,000 for semester programs and $1,500 for gap year programs. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis from teens and young adults upon completion of 9th grade through age 26.

To learn more, visit the new Israel Center website at JFedSTL.org/Israel-Center. The website includes information about Passport to Israel, scholarships and grants (including applications), travel resources and trip/mission information for teens, young adults and adults. For more information, contact Karen Rader at KRader@JFedSTL.org or 314-442-3756.

CREATIVE ENTRIES SOUGHT FROM STUDENTS FOR HOLOCAUST ART & WRITING CONTEST The Holocaust Museum and Learning Center (HMLC) is seeking entries for the 2016 Art and Writing Contest.

The contest asks creative middle and high school students to express the difficult and inspiring lessons of the Holocaust.

This is the 13th year that the annual competition has been held in dedication to the memory of the 1.5 million children who perished in the Holocaust and in honor of the grandchildren of sponsors Dr. Ira (of blessed memory) and Judith Gall.

Winning entries in each division will be awarded cash prizes and will be displayed at the HMLC. Official rules, submission details and further information are listed on the entry form, which can be picked up at the HMLC at 12 Millstone Campus Drive or can be downloaded at HMLC.org/ArtandWriting. Entries must be received by the HMLC no later than 4:30 pm on April 13, 2016 (postmarks not accepted). For additional information, contact Dan Reich at DReich@JFedSTL.org or 314-442-3714.

2016 MILLSTONE FELLOWS

Jewish Federation of St. Louis is proud to announce the 2016 class of Millstone Fellows, the Millstone Institute’s premier program for emerging and established leaders in the St. Louis Jewish community. This select eight-month leadership program creates the space to effectively tackle challenging conversations and community situations.

Facilitated by local and national trainers and educators, participants will explore values based leadership, create shared visions, examine trends in Jewish life and strengthen skills for community building.

The program kicked off with an opening retreat on Sunday, February 7.

Jake Asher, Naomi Barasch, Beth Deutsch, Karen Dubinsky, Daniel Ginsburg, Weston Manley, Ken Levine, Scott Kaar, Emily Luten Maltby, Carolyn Morris, Andrew Oberman, Bill Remis, Marissa Berkow Rosen, Jonathan Sachs, Debbie Banashek-Twist, Andrew Sharon, Rachel Weiss, Esther Zuravin

The Rubin Israel Experience Take the trip of a lifetime

Find out more about the trip at our information session:

The Rubin Israel Experience is a no-cost trip to Israel for St. Louisans 27 to 45 years old who have never been to Israel.

September 11-21, 2016

March 8 at 7:00 pm

Applications are due by March 30.

Download at at RubinIsrael.org.

Jewish Federation of St. Louis Kopolow Building

• Make a deeper connection with Israel • Engage in the St. Louis Jewish community • Develop leadership skills

Contact Mindee Fredman at MFredman@JFedSTL.org or 314-442-3734 for additional information.

12 Millstone Campus Dr.

RSVP to TSever@JFedSTL.org.

This trip is made possible by Pam and Ron Rubin RubinIsrael.org

Fusing Jewish Families JOIN THE JEWISH FAMILY EDUCATORS’ NETWORK FOR SPORTSFUSION: FUSING JEWISH FAMILIES An afternoon of interactive fun for families with children 3-10 years old; open to the entire Jewish community. The event will take place at SportsFusion (140 Long Road, Chesterfield) on Sunday, February 21, 2016 from 4:00-5:30 pm.

A staffed respite room will be available for children with special needs. Reservations preferred, but walk-ins are welcome. This event is $5 per person; maximum $18 per family. For more information, call 314-442-3760 or email JWolchansky@JFedSTL.org. RSVP online at JFedSTL.org/SportsFusion.

SportsFusion: Fusing Jewish Families is sponsored by Center for Jewish Learning of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis in partnership with the Jewish Family Educators’ Network, Congregation B’nai Amoona, Central Reform Congregation, The J’s Family Center, Kol Rinah, Congregation Shaare Emeth, St. Louis Jewish Community Inclusion Initiative, Temple Emanuel, Congregation Temple Israel and United Hebrew Congregation.

The Jewish Family Educators’ Network is comprised of family educators from St. Louis congregations, the J and Jewish Federation of St. Louis. This program is funded by a grant from the Gladys K. Crown Foundation, honoring the memory of Shirlee Green, and a matching grant from the Jewish Federation of St. Louis’ Rich Fund.

THE

Join the Jewish Family Educators’ Network for

RubinIsraelExperience

POWER f DIFFERENCE A JProStl Professional Development Series FOR STAFF THROUGHOUT THE ST. LOUIS JEWISH COMMUNITY

The Power of Difference will be the theme of a year-long series for staff who work throughout the St. Louis Jewish POWER OF LISTENING community,THE under the auspices ofamJProStl. Weaved Wednesday, February 17, 8:30-10:00 at the Jewish Federation of St. Louis Kopolow Building throughout the seven 2016 programs will be opportunities for professionals to deepen their knowledge and acquire a THE POWER ASKINGto help their organizations reach a wide toolbox ofOFskills Wednesday, March 16, Noon-1:30 pm at The J’s Beit Midrash audience and open up new opportunities for connections.

The series kicks off on Wednesday, February 17 at 8:30 am at theTHEJewish Federation POWER OF AN INVITATION of St. Louis’ Kopolow Building with Thursday, April 14, Noon-1:30 pm at the Jewish Federation of St. Louis Kopolow Building Rabbi David Ingber, named by The Forward as one of the most newsworthy and notable Jews in America. Rabbi Ingber willTHEshare unique perspective and full-bodied approach to POWER his OF LANGUAGE Thursday, July 21, 11:30 am-1:30 pm at the Jewish Federation of St. Louis Kopolow Building community building. Future programs include The Power of Asking, The Power of an Invitation, The Power of Language, The Power of Hospitality and The Power of Belonging.

Deepen your knowledge and acquire a toolbox of skills to help you and your organization respond to an urgent need in the community – reaching a wider audience and opening up new opportunities for connections.

In what ways can we bring mindfulness and physical awareness into every work relationship?

Join Rabbi David Ingber, named by The Forward as one of the most newsworthy and notable Jews in America, to experience his rich perspective and full-bodied approach to community building.

How can we shift the conversation from what we already know to what we need to know?

Asking the right questions, rather than leading from certainty, allows us to better address the needs of ever changing communities. Experience how to craft questions that unlock creativity and open up new possibilities for dynamic decision making. Facilitated by JProStl leadership.

Who is missing from the table and why?

Together we’ll continue to challenge assumptions as we unpack the 2014 Jewish Community Study and explore what has engagement. Facilitated by Andrew Rehfeld and Susan Scribner.

What are people hearing when we speak?

McWhorter, Ph.D, is a linguistics professor at Columbia U. and has written numerous books on language and race. His TEDTalk “Txtng is Killing Language” has been viewed by more than 1.5 million people.

BONUS OPTION JProStl also offers the opportunity for staff teams to experience The Power of Difference on-site at their own organizations. JProStl staff and board members are available to lead an interactive program to explore individual COMING IN 2016 perspectives on difference, how difference can lead to COMING IN 2017 disengagement and the greatest opportunities around difference to build community. JProStl is a professional association for staff who work in 50+ nonprofit organizations within the St. Louis Jewish community. JProStl is affiliated with the Jewish Federation of St. Louis’ Millstone Institute.

All programs are supported by the Lubin-Green Foundation, MillstoneSTL.org a supporting Foundation of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. For information, contact Marci Mayer Eisen at 314-442-3810 or MEisen@JFedSTL.org.

50+ nonprofit organizations within the St. Louis Jewish August–The Power of Speech–A Jewish Approach September–Turning Words into Action of St. your Louis’ Millstone Institute.

Programs are supported by Using a 10 minutePower trigger of filmHospitality to stimulate conversation, we’ll engage staff in a 75 minute program to explore their own lens November–The the Lubin-Green Foundation, a supporting foundation on difference, how difference can lead to disengagement and identifying the greatest opportunities around difference for yourof December–The Power of Belonging the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. organization and the community.

For more information and to RSVP, contact Marci Mayer Eisen at MEisen@JFedSTL.org or 314-442-3810.

SERIES IS GENEROUSLY L ROSENBERG

D GE AN CHAR

ail or em line 714 on 442-3 o listed ls a ings rg Day. uis.o orial Mem d. due to te o n ise therw ess o

6 1 20

January 31

Directed by Joseph Losey France/Italy, 1976, 123 minutes French with English subtitles

St. Louis Premiere:

The Port of Last Resort Written and directed by Joan Grossman and Paul Rosdy USA, 1999, 80 minutes This award-winning documentary focuses on the story of nearly 20,000 European Jewish refugees who fled to Shanghai from 1938 to 1941. Shanghai, a free port that did not require papers for entry, became the "last resort" for many Jews seeking a safe haven from the Nazis.

Writer, director and award-winning media artist Joan Grossman will be present to introduce the film and facilitate a post-screening discussion.

Ron Silver, Lena Olin and Anjelica Huston star in this complex story of love and relationships in the years after the Holocaust.

Based on the novel by Isaac Bathshevis Singer.

RNING CENTER Chair ector ctor of Education ograms & Logistics

TION OF ST. LOUIS ace, Board Chair h.D., President & CEO

Introductory remarks and post-screening discussion facilitated by Pier Marton (http://piermarton.info), presently the “Unlearning Specialist” at the School of No Media. Besides Yad Vashem, he has lectured on his artwork at the Museum of Modern Art, the Carnegie Museum and the Walker Art Center. He has taught at several major national universities. Marton’s father, photographer Ervin Marton, was in the French Résistance.

Jew Suss: Rise and Fall Directed by Oskar Roehler Germany, 2010, 114 minutes German with English subtitles

April 17

This historically based film dramatizes the production of the 1940 antisemitic Nazi propaganda film, Jud Süss. The film focuses on the dilemmas facing the lead actor, Ferdinand Marian, as his conflicts with Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels intensified.

Directed by Paul Mazursky USA, 1989, 119 minutes

g Center teaches the inspiring all people to y and prevent genocide.

Alain Delon stars in this suspenseful film set in 1942 Paris. By taking advantage of French Jews who need to sell artwork, the Catholic art dealer, Robert Klein, thrives under Nazi occupation until he realizes there is another “Mr. Klein,” a Jew who is using his identity to cover anti-Nazi resistance activities. This homonymy attracts the close and menacing attention of the police. This award-winning film co-stars Jeanne Moreau.

(Jud Süss: Film ohne Gewissen)

Enemies: A Love Story

calling 31 edSTL.or 4-442-3711 g.

March 27

Introductory remarks and post-screening discussion facilitated

by Brad Prager, Professor of Film Studies and German at the University of Missouri. His research areas include Film History, Contemporary German Cinema and Holocaust Studies. His publications include the recent book After the Fact: The Holocaust in Twenty-First Century Documentary Film (2015), as well as a book on the German director Werner Herzog, and an edited volume entitled Visualizing the Holocaust: Documents, Aesthetics, Memory (2008).

February 28

Introductory remarks and post-screening discussion facilitated by Robert A. Cohn, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus, St. Louis Jewish Light.

2016 SANDRA AND MENDEL ROSENBERG SUNDAY AFTERNOON FILM SERIES All screenings are free of charge and begin at 1:00 pm at 12 Millstone Campus Drive.

For more information, call 314-442-3714 or email DReich@JFedSTL.org.

Screenings also listed online at HMLC.org/FilmSeries.

There will be no film in May due to Memorial Day. Films will be in in English unless otherwise noted.

Please RSVP for each film by calling 314-442-3711 or by emailing AGoldfeder@JFedSTL.org.

Don’t miss these unique funding opportunities for your Jewish organization!

ST. LOUIS JEWISH COMMUNITY INCLUSION INITIATIVE MINI-GRANTS Now through February 29

Make your organization more inclusive to individuals with disabilities and their families.

Apply at JFedSTL.org/Inclusion-Mini-Grant

WOMEN’S AUXILIARY FOUNDATION FOR JEWISH AGED

WOMEN’S AUXILIARY FOUNDATION FOR JEWISH AGED GRANTS Now through March 14

Receive financial support to ensure the dignity and honor of the Jewish elderly in St. Louis.

Apply at JFedSTL.org/Womens-Auxiliary-Foundation

All applicants must be a 501(c)3 status non-profit organization. No individuals or for-profit businesses, please.

For more information about Women’s Auxiliary Foundation Grants, contact Mindee Fredman at MFredman@JFedSTL.org or 314-442-3734. For information about Inclusion Initiative Mini-Grants, contact Rinat Kisin at RKisin@JFedSTL.org or 314-442-3801.