com.UNITY
FROM THE DESK OF MARK L. GOLDSTEIN
Executive Director | Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley markg@jflv.org
Describing the elephant is not the challenge You may know the story of the six blindfolded people who are asked to touch different parts of an elephant. The one who touches the leg declares it a pillar, the one who touches the tail calls it a rope, the one who touches the trunk thinks it’s a snake and so on. For most people, the part of Jewish Federation that’s most visible is fundraising. True, Federation is an extremely efficient and effective fundraising organization - mobilizing more than $3 million annually for Jewish needs, with about $2.25 million coming from our annual campaign alone. But fundraising isn’t our sole mission, and that’s not all we do. And focusing on our fundraising loses sight of the programs we fund. Federation is committed to the ongoing development and enhancement of a thriving Jewish community, locally and abroad. We achieve that in many ways – primarily through the funding of high quality services provided by an international network of Jewish organizations. So, if you’re a JCC member and send a child to day camp or day care, or if your child is enrolled at the JDS, or if you seek counseling and case management at JFS, you are a beneficiary of Federation funds. Even if you pay membership dues, activity fees, and tuition, your participation is made more affordable because of unrestricted funds Federation grants to these agencies. Frankly, even reading this column in HAKOL is made possible for you by the Federation and its annual campaign. Most people will acknowledge that Federation does “good
work.” Yet many still have trouble answering the question, “What’s in it for me? Why should I care?” If your child or grandchild participates at a synagogue family life education program in the Lehigh Valley, we’ll take some credit. If your teen seeks a scholarship to go to a Jewish youth group leadership program or to compete in the Maccabi “Jewish Olympics” program, they come to us. If your granddaughter, nephew, or son traveled to Israel on Birthright Israel, Federation funds played a big part. If you just moved to the Lehigh Valley and you attended a Young Adult Division mixer, you’ve met the Federation. If you’re a young parent and a volunteer stopped by with a wonderful “Shalom Baby” gift bag, Federation funds are at work. If you’re deepening your own Jewish knowledge through the Yachad University adult education programs on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at the JCC, we’re helping you learn. If you want to send your child to a Jewish resident camp but find the costs prohibitive, chances are you encountered a Federation camp scholarship program. If you found yourself in a precarious financial situation and visited Jewish Family Service for emergency financial assistance and help from the food pantry, that’s also Federation dollars at work. If your child faced antiSemitism in their public school and you sought out assistance to work with the school and the
school district, we were able to assist because of our annual campaign. But the Jewish world doesn’t end at the Lehigh or Delaware rivers. Federation is your agent – meeting Jewish needs in Israel and around the world. We are bringing Ethiopian Jews to Israel, feeding destitute seniors in Belarus and Lithuania and getting Jews out of Tunisia and Yemen. For the past few years our system, made possible by this and other Jewish Federations, has devoted millions of dollars of services to aid Jews in war-torn Ukraine. And as you read this, our system is partnering with the Israeli government to insure that Ethiopian Israelis receive necessary educational support services to enable the educational success of their children. And through our Community Relations Council, and partners like ADL, we are advocating for Israel, fighting boycotts and de-legitimization and countering bias. We are lobbying in Harrisburg and Washington for stronger senior services funding and the protection of the tax-favored status of charitable donations and nonprofit organizations. Nor do we serve only Jews. Most Federation-funded agencies are open to all. The Holocaust Resource Center helps public and private school teachers develop curricula on the Holocaust and delivers custom programs which, this past year, engaged over 2,000 students at their schools. And the IJCU’s Prejudice Reduction Workshop uses lessons of the Shoah to promote tolerance and fight racism to nearly 1,200 middle and high school students each year.
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Dear Readers, At first glance, this issue’s stories seem to focus on endings. Some teens in our community have finished one stage of their schooling and are moving on to another, as others celebrate their confirmation of their Jewish faith. Local youth groups elect their new boards as local agencies do the same at their annual meetings. Photos and stories are all that remain from a variety of events that have come and gone. At a time like this, it can be all too easy to feel wistful. It might feel like yesterday that a retiring board member was elected or a graduating high school senior was starting preschool. And yet, this issue also fea-
tures a great number of beginnings. Our high school seniors are moving onto an exciting new stage of life. Camp JCC is beginning a partnership with JFS to teach childen about volunteering. And what may seem like an end of a celebration – like Israel’s 69th birthday – can also be the beginning of a new cause to celebrate. As I reflect back on my first year here, it’s hard for me to believe how many people I’ve met, how many stories I’ve told and how much I have learned about this vibrant Jewish community. And even though my first year is coming to an end, I can’t help but see it as the beginning of something new. There will be more opportunities to meet new people, more community events
HAKOL
deciding what we do without. Please call us at 610-821-5500 or go to www.jewishlehighvalley.org and make your increased commitment to our annual campaign. Our need at this time is a pledge, a commitment to make a contribution. Your contribution is not due for some time. But we need your pledge by the close of our fiscal year to count in our allocations process.
HAKOL STAFF Stephanie Smartschan
JFLV Director of Marketing
LEHIGH VALLEY
Michelle Cohen
HAKOL is published 11 times per year for the Jewish communities of Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton and vicinity by the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley.
Graphic Designer
COMMUNITY SUBMISSIONS Submissions to HAKOL must be of interest to the entire Jewish community. HAKOL reserves all editorial rights including, but not limited to, the decision to print any submitted materials, the editing of submissions to conform to style and length requirements, and the placement of any printed material. Articles should be submitted by e-mail or presented as typed copy; “Community Calendar” listings must be submitted by e-mail to hakol@jflv.org or online at www. jewishlehighvalley.org. Please include your name and a daytime telephone number where you can be contacted in the event questions arise. We cannot guarantee publication or placement of submissions.
Mail, fax, or e-mail to: JFLV ATTN: HAKOL 702 N. 22nd St. Allentown, PA 18104 Phone: (610) 821-5500 Fax: (610) 821-8946 E-mail: hakol@jflv.org
Editor
Allison Meyers Diane McKee
Advertising Representative TEL: 610-515-1391 hakolads@jflv.org
JFLV EXECUTIVE STAFF Mark L. Goldstein Executive Director
Jeri Zimmerman
Assistant Executive Director
Temple Coldren
Director of Finance & Administration
Jim Mueth
Director of Planned Giving & Endowments
Aaron Gorodzinsky
Director of Outreach & Community Relations
Mark H. Scoblionko JFLV President
EDITORIAL BOARD
Monica Friess, Acting Chair Barbara Reisner Judith Rodwin Sara Vigneri
Member American Jewish Press Association
All advertising is subject to review and approval by The Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley (JFLV). JFLV reserves the right to decline, withdraw and/ or edit any ad. The appearance of any advertising in HAKOL does not represent an endorsement or kashrut certification. Paid political advertisements that appear in HAKOL do not represent an endorsement of any candidate by the JFLV.
I’ll be excited to attend and more stories to tell. I can’t wait to see what we can do together in the coming year! Shalom, Michelle Cohen
JEWISH FEDERATION OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY We gratefully acknowledge those individuals who have offered expressions of friendship by requesting that trees be planted in the Yoav--Lehigh Valley Partnership Park. IN HONOR CAROL BUB FROMER Thank You Charlotte Orenstein
IN MEMORY HOWARD FINK (Father of John Fink) Robie and Don Barga and Family
TAMAR AND NATE WIENER Birth of their son, Raphael Aryeh Wiener SHALOM BABY
JASON WEINSTEIN (Husband of Elana Weinstein) Neil and Linda Dicker (Son of Elaine and Jeremy Weinstein) Neil and Linda Dicker
TO ORDER TREES, call the JFLV at 610-821-5500 or visit www.jewishlehighvalley.org. 2 JUNE 2017 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY
Federation does this and more by bringing people together, shaping a communal vision, assessing needs, devising programs to meet those needs and raising the funds to implement them. Whether it’s services to seniors or Jewish education, Federation’s leadership and collaborative approach makes us more effective by working together. So, like an elephant – it may be hard to get your arms around Federation. And describing just the piece that you might come across simply does not do justice to the totality of your Jewish Federation. But accurately describing the elephant is not the challenge. We will be closing our current annual campaign in about 30 days. However, we can’t accomplish the items listed, and more that are not listed, unless we raise sufficient funds. Without sufficient funds, the challenge is not describing what we do, but
JEWISH FEDERATION OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY MISSION STATEMENT In order to unite, sustain, and enhance the Lehigh Valley Jewish community, and support Jewish communities in Israel and around the world, the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley is dedicated to the following core values:
• Supporting Jews in need wherever they may be. • Supporting Israel as a Jewish homeland. • Supporting and encouraging Jewish education in the Lehigh Valley as a means of strengthening Jewish life for individuals and families. • Supporting programs and services of organizations whose values and mission meet local Jewish needs. To accomplish this mission the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley is committed to the following operating guidelines: • Raising and distributing funds to support the core values. • Developing Jewish leaders. • Building endowments to support implementation of core values. • Committing to ongoing Jewish community strategic planning. • Fostering cooperation among organizations and community building. • Evaluating all decisions with respect to fiscal responsibility. • Identifying unmet needs and investing in community initiatives to help get them started. • Coordinating and convening a community response as an issue or need arises. • Setting priorities for allocation and distribution of funds. • Acting as a central address for communication about events, programs and services of the Jewish community as a whole. Approved by the JFLV Board of Directors on November 15, 2000