Oshman Family JCC Blog

Joseph Gelders speaking at Highlander Folk School, circa 1935. Photo courtesy family of Earl Hartman.

A Time for Freedom

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....

OFJCC Garden Pedagogista Debbie Togliatti at the pumpkin enclosure on the farm.

Tu B’Shvat: How We Celebrate in California

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....

star of david in a pendant and text we remember

Holocaust Remembrance Day with the OFJCC

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...

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Introducing…The Annual!

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...

sleep-better

Tips for Improving Your Sleep—Naturally

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...

OFJCC COO Sally Flinchbaugh (left) and Mandel Leadership in the North fellow Merry Kaabiya, at Merry's home in Israel

Another View on Leadership

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....

Nicole K.  and OFJCC Personal Trailer Dillon Gates

Q&A with Badminton Champ Nicole K.

Fourteen-year-old badminton star, Nicole K., has been playing badminton since she was eight. When her coach asked her to train in explosiveness and agility, she came to the OFJCC. Nicole has been working with personal trainer Dillon Gates to increase strength, improve stamina and move faster. Since her training, Nicole has excelled in tournaments and has...