Mar 19, 2020
Greetings from my fancy new office—“Shelter in Place.” It is quite lovely here and I am adjusting well to my new working conditions and office mates. My current priority is remembering that my daily Zoom calls focused on helping the OFJCC navigate this unprecedented health and economic crisis warrant at...
Mar 9, 2020
This article was originally published on the website of BINA: The Jewish Movement for Social Change and can be found here. It is easy to understand why Purim might be someone’s favorite Jewish holiday. There are costumes, noisemakers, jam-filled triangle cookies, and even a theological justification for drinking without inhibition!...
Feb 25, 2020
In 2019, Tara Pipia earned the distinction of being the Number One Spartan Female Point Leader in the World in her age group. This year, she is on track to do the same with four first-place finishes to start the year off. A Spartan Race is an intense obstacle course...
Jan 28, 2020
“She is such a force of nature,” says Susan Wolfe, good friend of Deb Kurland and a longtime leader at the OFJCC, having served as Director of Communications, Vice President of the Board and Chief Development Officer. But Susan is not the only OFJCC leader that has clear memories of those...
Jan 7, 2020
The Oshman Family JCC is lucky to have Master Trainer and health & wellness expert Jorge Garza-Contreras, Doctor of Chiropractic as a resource and source of inspiration. We sat down with him to speak about his 2018 New Year’s Resolution and why it still matters today. Two years ago, Jorge...
Dec 4, 2019
Introducing our youngest blogger! With the support and encouragement of his parents, Yuval was able to pursue his musical theatre passion and shine in the OFJCC School for the Arts production of Aladdin as the youngest performer in the troupe. Since then, the eight-year-old has co-produced, co-directed and acted in his...
Sep 27, 2019
As we begin a new year, it is a tradition to take stock of the last year, reflect on what we did well and what we would like to improve, and set some goals for ourselves for the coming year. In that spirit, I humbly offer a week-by-week guide for...
Aug 30, 2019
Shuli Zilberfarb Sela is closing the door on a meeting room so full of school supplies, you can’t sit down. It all came out of the power of weaving an idea across multiple groups who were primed to help. Two weeks ago, in a Hebrew-speaking Facebook group where people can give...
Aug 26, 2019
If you’re picturing an absolutely irresistible, hilarious member of the community who you wish was your aunt, you’ve found her in Deb Kurland. A retired LCSW, Deb and her husband got involved in this JCC in 1984. “My kids went through preschool, summer camp and our daughter became a counselor...
Aug 5, 2019
For longer than the biblical Israelites wandered in the desert, the Jewish Community Center of Palo Alto wandered in search of a home. Although the Palo Alto JCC existed in some form since 1961, we didn’t have a permanent location until 2009. It was a miracle that the Taube Koret...