August 2015

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Push it! 31-Day Side Plank Challenge

This month, get ready to turn your workout on its side. For September, Specialized Trainer Bryan Osuna demonstrates three variants of one of his favorite exercises, the side plank. You’ll flex your abs while strengthening your back and shoulders with this simple balancing act. You can visit our website for a free workout...

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Playback: What’s the Deal with the Iran Deal?

On Tuesday, August 25th the Oshman Family JCC hosted a live panel discussion on the highly-debated Iran Nuclear Deal, featuring well-respected experts on both sides of the topic: Abbas Milani, the Hamid and Christina Moghadam Director of Iranian Studies at Stanford University and Professor (by courtesy) in the Division of Stanford Global...

Nine Lessons We Learned from Being a Host Family

The summer of 2015 will be remembered in the Snell household as the “Summer of Shai.” It was the summer we welcomed an Israeli shaliach into our home for three months while he worked as a counselor at J-Camp, and when we discovered that “host family” is less about being hosts than it is about being family....

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Club J is the Place to Be After School

It’s the fundamental quandary for working parents: How do you find after-school care for your kids that feels as good for them as having you there? Is it possible to find something even better? Parents tell us that the Club J Afterschool Program offers the whole package: caring support, homework help, free-play time, the...

Summer Slimdown Success Story: Jackie Vanacek

Who would have thought that as a brand new member in the JCC’s Summer Slimdown Healthy Weight Loss Challenge I would actually win? I’ve reached my preferred weight from 15 years ago and I feel like a million dollars! I had been trying to get back to my skinny self for a while, in...

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Five Tips to Conquer the Post-Vacation Blues

1. Give yourself a day. If possible, leave yourself a day after you get back to go grocery shopping, do laundry, recover from jet lag… and mope. You’re allowed to feel sorry for yourself. If you enjoy cooking, use the groceries you just bought to make yourself something that allows you...

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My Fitness Journey: Jamie Winslow-Mozetti

When Assistant Fitness Director at the Oshman Family JCC Jamie Winslow-Mozetti found out she was pregnant she set a goal of keeping her overall weight gain to a healthy level. Under the supervision of her doctor, she embarked on a fitness plan with her personal trainer, Bryan Osuna, at the OFJCC....

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Playback: Former Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren

The Oshman Family JCC recently welcomed author and former Israeli ambassador to the United States Michael Oren to discuss the journey behind his recently-released book Ally: My Journey Across the American-Israeli Divide. A former member of the Israel Defense Forces, Oren gained ambassadorship in 2009 under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a post he held until 2013. Oren is...

How to Beat the Boring-School-Lunch Blues

To ease your family from lazy summer days into the new school year,  here are a few tips from my kitchen and my favorite bloggers. You can find even more great ideas on our Pinterest board dedicated to healthy, kid-friendly lunch ideas. I’m always searching for ways to sneak broccoli into my daughter’s diet. Although...

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My Jewish Journey: Lawrence Seeff

I want to start by giving a quick South African overview. South African Jews came mainly from Poland and Lithuania in the early 1900s. During the 1930s many Afrikaners (the kernel of the future apartheid government) came strongly under the influence of the Nazi movement. The primary reason for this was that Germany...