Nov 15, 2023
On October 9, 2023, the airplane lifted off the Tel Aviv tarmac. As the flickering lights along Israel’s coastline grew smaller in the distance, my eyes swelled with tears. I had waited since summer to visit my family in Israel. Two days into my holiday, war had broken out and...
Sep 8, 2023
I’ll take any opportunity to spend time with my adult kids, travel and be outdoors. Earlier this year, my daughter Hayley had a friend working at the Krakow JCC and, out of the blue, asked me, “Hey Mom, want to do this bike ride with me called Ride for the Living?” My immediate...
Sep 7, 2023
This summer, the New York Times ran a full-page, front-section article entitled, “If Loneliness Is an Epidemic, How Do We Treat It?” The authors wrote, “More than one-fifth of Americans over 18 say they often or always feel lonely or socially isolated.” And they went on to quote Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who said, “Addressing the...
Apr 11, 2023
As we begin to wind down this Passover 2023, our thoughts turn from the struggle for freedom in the Biblical story of Exodus to more recent struggles for freedom in our own land. Earl Hartman is a community member and former operator of Caffee Mediterranneum at the Food Oasis on campus....
Feb 2, 2023
And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” -Genesis 1:11 It’s the birthday of the trees! It arrives on the 15th day of Shevat in Israel and February 5– 6 here....
Jan 27, 2023
Today, Friday, January 27, is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Designated by United Nations, the date of January 27 commemorates the day on which the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated in 1945. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum states, “On this annual day of commemoration, the UN urges every member state to honor the six million...
Dec 2, 2022
By Seth Leslie, Chief Development Officer Shalom, chaverim (friends)! Greetings from the OFJCC’s Team Development. We are here today dropping some big news. For those of you in the know, the OFJCC has hosted our Annual Benefit for as long as many of us can remember. We followed the traditional...
Nov 9, 2022
Here are a few simple, drug-free tips for improving your sleep. We all know that a good night’s sleep is essential to maintaining physical and mental health and wellbeing, but how many of us are getting the right amount of quality sleep? According to the CDC, the average adult needs seven...
Nov 2, 2022
By Amanda Klein OFJCC Ulpanon Preschool Program Educator Once the air is crisp, the apples ripen and students return to school, we know it is the season for the High Holidays! The Jewish High Holidays at the Leslie Family Preschool and in the Ulpanon Hebrew immersion classrooms are a...
Sep 22, 2022
With Rosh Hashanah and the new year upon us, it’s time to celebrate this special Fall holiday. We’ll blow the shofar and dip apples in honey in hopes for a sweet new year. Apples are prevalent during the fall. There are approximately 7,500 varieties of apples grown in the world...
Jul 22, 2022
In June, our Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President Sally Flinchbaugh was able to travel to Israel as a hands-on learning component of the Mandel Executive Leadership Program. The 18-month program empowers leaders of Jewish nonprofits to sharpen their vision of Jewish communal life and expand their leadership skills....
