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The Centre CallG E r m A n t o W n J E W i S h C E n t r E

Volume 19, Issue No. 5 IYAR 5771 MAY 2011

www.GermantownJewishCentre.org

Germantown Jewish Centre • 400 West Ellet Street • Philadelphia, PA 19119 • tel 215.844.1507 • fax 215.844.8309

By Rabbi Adam Zeff

In the commentaries on the revelationof God at Mt. Sinai, there is much dis-

agreement about what, exactly, theIsraelites experienced as they stood atthe foot of the mountain. Did they hearthe 10 Commandments spoken in thedivine voice? Or maybe they heard just8 of the commandments and the otherswere heard only by Moses? Perhapsthey heard only the first commandment:“I am the Lord your God…”? Or is itpossible that they only heard the firstword, Anochi (“I”)? Intriguingly, somecommentators suggest that the assem-bled people only heard the first letter ofthe first word, the alef, a letter that ofitself has no sound at all. What couldthis mean?

One way to understand this teachingis to imagine that what the people expe-rienced at Sinai was the openness ofultimate potential. It was there that the

space for learning was first opened tothem, a space of infinite possibility inwhich they were able to accept all thatthey might apprehend. Like the midbar,the wild and empty place in which theTorah was given, the people themselveswere made into empty vessels into whichTorah could enter.

On Shavuot, we try to recapture thatexperience at Sinai, the experience of ourancestors. But unlike them, we live in aworld awash in information, in whichelectronic media, the printed page, andhuman interaction constantly compete forour attention. Rather than open ourselvesup to all that can be learned, we are oftenin the position of desperately trying to shutout all of this extraneous data just so thatwe can hear ourselves think.

How can we recapture the opennessthat our ancestors found at Sinai, a state ofconsciousness that allowed them not onlyto receive Torah but also to experience thedivine presence? I would suggest that thisrequires leaving our comfort zone, thetried and true ways in which we experi-ence the world. At Sinai, the Torah teach-es, “all the people saw the thunder”(Exodus 20:15) – overwhelmed by the

experience, they saw sounds and heardvisions. They used their senses in unac-customed ways, and in so doing, theyopened themselves up to somethingcompletely new.

Our Tikkun Leyl Shavuot evening pro-gram this year (beginning at 7:00 PM onWednesday, June 7th) will give usopportunities to use our senses in per-haps unaccustomed ways. We will usechant, study, meditation, and movementto open ourselves to the divine in wayswe may not have experienced before.Even though we may feel unsure at first,I encourage all of us to give each ofthese a try! May we experience ourown revelation this year.

Opening Ourselves to Revelation

Program HighlightsCarlebach Shabbat & PotluckDinner honoring Hospitality

Network VolunteersMay 6

Red Cross Blood Drive May 15

Torah Fund BrunchMay 15

ADL Walk Against HateMay 15

Hands on Holiday: Meet the Shavuot Goats

June 5

Spring Concert Honoring Hilda & Paul Minkoff

June 5

Music, Music All Around!Have you heard the buzz!? Which of our monthly musical services is right for you?

Carlebach Shabbat – Join us the first Friday of the month for a ruach (spirit) filledservice featuring the tunes of Shlomo Carlebach. Often times followed by potluckdinner. Next dates – May 6 with Potluck & June 3

Kol Zimrah – We welcome the fourth Friday of the month with a joyful service for allwho are moved by song. Followed by Wine & Cheese Oneg. Next date – May 27

Kol D’Mamah – Our NEW monthly contemplative Shabbat morning minyan featur-ing music, breath and learning. See Pg 13 for more details. Next date – May 28

www.GermantownJewishCentre.org2

i YA r 5 7 7 1 • m AY 2 0 1 1

At this time of year, the

Finance Committee meets often toexamine GJC’s budget for the com-ing fiscal year and make decisionsabout how to continue providing thequality programs and services ourmembers have come to value in theCentre while keeping our financessound. We have been fortunate inthe last few years that, despite thedownturn in the financial markets,and despite the widely-publicizeddifficulties of the conservative move-ment in attracting and maintainingmembers, GJC has not had to makedrastic cuts in our programming orstaffing. Some years have been morechallenging than others, but overallwe are doing well.

I say we have been fortunate butthe fact of the matter is that our situ-ation has also been the result of hardwork. We have maintained ourmembership for any number of rea-sons, including the vibrant program-ming, courses, and worship serviceswe offer which create diverse gate-ways to the GJC community. Thenewly-formed Chesed committeesupports our members in times ofneed and transition. Our clergy isthere to welcome new babies into theworld, to visit ECP, to engage ourcommunity’s older children inReligious School and b’nai mitzvahpreparation, to celebrate auf rufs, toofficiate at weddings, and to providesupport at funerals and shivaminyans. These initiatives and sup-port reflect our values and we areproud to offer them. GermantownJewish Centre is there for its membersat every stage of life.

We have maintained our incomethrough careful planning and thegenerosity of our congregation. TheGJC budget is now a little north of $2million. About one-third of that is

Here for You at Every Stage of LifeBy Chris Levin, GJC President

President’s Message

and every other milestone inbetween, for generations of Jews tocome. If you are already a RoshPinah member, please accept oursincere thanks. If you are not, I hopeyou will consider this membershiplevel and the tangible impact it willhave on this community in the com-ing year. Regardless of whether ornot you become a Rosh Pinah mem-ber, we thank you in advance forconsidering what contribution aboveand beyond dues you can make tothe Centre.

ECP which is generally self-supporting.Of the remaining $1.3 million, onlyabout 80% comes from dues, the HighHoliday Appeal and Religious Schooltuition. The $300,000 remaindercomes from a variety of sources,including various restricted funds, a4% draw on the Endowment (which istypically less than our income from it),room rentals, the Spring Concert andthe like. This generally leaves us witha gap that is made up through what werefer to as “special fundraising.” Whatthis means is that we ask those who areable to give more, to give more. Ourmembership values GJC, often display-ing such generosity and faith in theinstitution to contribute above andbeyond the amount we ask for duesand to contribute above and beyondHigh Holiday Appeal pledges. Thesecontributions, as well as the generoussupport of our Women’s and Men’sClubs, keep our community financiallysolvent. We are very fortunate to havesuch committed members within ourcommunity. We simply could not doall that we do without their support.Without their contributions, we wouldhave been forced to cut programs.

The Finance Committee is nowexploring alternative ways to stabilizeour funding so that we are lessdependent on these special fundrais-ing efforts and special “asks.” Amongthe strategies being discussed isencouraging members who are able togive at the Rosh Pinah level. The RoshPinah membership level is a more sig-nificant financial commitment, andincludes membership in Men’s andWomen’s Clubs, Spring Concert tick-ets, and tickets to the Women’s Clubfundraiser. Most significant, though, isthe satisfaction those members receivein knowing that they are supportingone of the 25 most dynamic, innova-tive, vibrant congregations in theUnited States. They are ensuring thatGermantown Jewish Centre will behere for births, weddings, passings,

Please join us at GJC's Spring

Concert & Fundraiser“Broadway Show Stoppers”

An Evening of Theatre Music by Theatre Horizon

honoring

Hilda & Paul MinkoffSunday, June 5

Join us at 6:30 PM for hors d'oeuvres

followed by concertat 7:00 PM

Contact the office for details on sponsorship

opportunities & ticket sales

T h e C e n t r e C a l l G E r m A n t o W n J E W i S h C E n t r E

www.GermantownJewishCentre.org 3

IN cELEBRATION…

Ruth Loew & Bob Tabak on the engage-ment of their son, Gabe, to Ruth Brown

Jill Levy & Matthew Silverman on the birth of their daughter, Miriam Simone

Cherie & Joe Goren on their 63rd wedding anniversary

Kate & Geof Margo on the engagement of their son, Ben

Reena Wolnek on becoming Bat Mitzvah

David & Nahariyah Mosenkis on the engagement of their son, Eitan, to Leah Robsman

Jake & Linda Kriger on being honored by Barrack Hebrew Academy

Bunny & Sidney Stein on their family (Michael, Jennifer & granddaughters) being honored by Barrack Hebrew Academy

Anna Kilmer on becoming Bat Mitzvah

Judy Sussholtz on becoming Bat Mitzvah

Caren Borowsky on becoming Bat Mitzvah

Myrna Snyder on becoming Bat Mitzvah

Rabbi Fredi Cooper on being elected president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association

Rebecca Berg Nissenbaum on celebrating her 94th birthday on May 2

IN MEMORIAMBernard Benjamin Binder, father of Abby Binder

Benjamin Marged, father of Shelley Weber and grandfather of

Corey Pontz

Selma Keiner, mother of Liz Ben-Yaacov

Lester Spear, uncle of Michael Spear

Werner Fellner, husband of Gabriella Fellner and father of David

Fellner

Sylvia Volin Nash, grandmother of Alex Avelin and great-grand

mother of Zivia

Ben Goldman, father of Lyndall Miller

Selma Brodksy, a long time member

Eric Berger, brother of Lizanne Berger

Pirkko Hollo, mother of Juha Hollo and grandmother of Matti,

Naomi & Elisheva

Peter Barnes, father of Alexa Epstein and grandfather of William

& Diana

Henry Addison, father of Rabbi Howard Avruhm Addison

March - April, 2011

Shabbat chai-LitesMay 6-7

• Carlebach Kabbalat Shabbat • Community Potluck Dinner

(honoring Hospitality network volunteers)• Mazel Tov to Sonia Reardon on her Bat Mitzvah

(Charry Service)• Marching Musical Minyan (10 AM)• Parshat HaShavua B’Ivrit (11 AM)• Pirke Avot Study (4 PM – Offsite)

May 14• Hazak Shabbat (Charry Service & Kiddush)

• Pirke Avot Study (4 PM – Offsite)

May 20-21• Tot Shabbat (6 PM)

• Mazel Tov to Hallel Raphael on her Bat Mitzvah (Charry Service at 9:30 AM)

• Pirke Avot Study (4 PM – Offsite)

May 27-28• Kol Zimrah (7:30 PM)

• Pirke Avot (4 PM – Offsite)

June 3• Carlebach Shabbat

• Marching Musical Minyan (10 AM)• Parshat HaShavua B’Ivrit (11 AM)• Pirke Avot Study (4 PM – Offsite)

June 11• Mazel Tov to Jane Pardys on her Bat Mitzvah

(Charry Service)

June 17• Tot Shabbat (6 PM)

Kabbalat ShabbatFridays at 6 PM (unless otherwise noted above)

Shabbat Morning ServicesSaturdays at 10 AM (unless otherwise noted above)

Sundays at 10 AM - $5 per sessionLast Sunday session is June 19Over the summer dancing will meet on Wednesday Nights from 7-9 PM in the CanteenRoom (July 13-Aug 10)For more info call Tamar Magdovitz at 215-247-9614

ISRAELI

dANcINg

NEW MEMBERS• Miriam Pinsker & John Von Essen

• Amy Loewenthal & Karen Greene

• Stephen Schwartz


A D A r 5 7 7 1 • m AY 2 0 1 1

Tot Shabbat &

Holidays

Early childhood Program (EcP)

Thursday, May 20

Tot Shabbat

Welcome Shabbat with RabbiAdam Zeff in a celebration

specially geared for toddlers, preschoolers and their

families!

Does your child like to….Sing, clap hands and play bells?

Dance around? Listen to puppet stories?

Do you like to…Welcome Shabbat with other

young families?Not have to worry about kids

being kids?

Join us at 6 pm for a program & cele-

bration followed by a simple yet deli-

cious catered dinner (around 6:30 pm)

Cost is $5 per person

(adults & children)

ADVANCED REGISTRATION

& PAYMENT NECESSARY

Save the Dates!

5/20 – Tot Shabbat

6/17 – Tot Shabbat

ECP celebrated Purim by bakingHamentaschen and dressing up assome of our favorite characters!

Photos by Shoshanna Wiesner

And remember our On-Line Store at:

Http://germantownjewishcentre.

judaicabeautiful.com

Hours

Sunday 9:30 - 12:30

Monday Closed

Tuesday 12:00 - 5:00

Wednesday 12:00 - 8:30

Thursday 12:00 - 6:00

Friday 12:00 - 5:00( We’ll be open all summer and will e-mail our summer

hours soon)

So much to remember:

Our wonderful 10 % specials

continue with the May

Special: Seder Plates

10% off All

Merchandise (except for Wine,

Books,Mezuzah Scrolls,

Tefillin and Sale Items)

PEOPLE OF THE BOOK

GJC’s Jewish Book Reading Group

We meet at 7:15pm at GermantownJewish Centre the SECOND Tuesday

of the month. We read fiction and nonfic-tion books of Jewish interest written mostly,but not solely, by Jewish writers and chosenby the group. Volunteer group memberslead the discussion.

For more information, contact Dena Lake at [email protected] 215-233-1414.

Tuesday, May 10th Broken for Youby Stephanie Kallos

And we have

fabulous new

merchandise which

will be great gifts

for Mother's Day,

birthdays and all

occasions for men

and women.

Adult Education 2011/5771

TTiittllee IInnssttrruuccttoorr((ss)) TTiimmiinngg DDaatteess CCoosstt

GGJJCC MMeemm--

bbeerrss//NNoonn

MMeemmbbeerrss

FFeeeeddiinngg tthhee SSoouull::

MMaakkiinngg,, TTaassttiinngg &&

SSttuuddyyiinngg HHoolliiddaayy

FFaavvoorriitteess

Rabbi Fredi Cooper

Tuesdays 7-9 pm

Shavuot Recipes

May 17, 24

$50/60 (1 holiday)

We invite you to register for our last Adult Education offering this Spring –A Shavuot Cooking lesson with Rabbi Fredi Cooper!

Contact the office for details and to register.



Member Spotlight by Linda Kriger

teered me for GJC,” he says smiling.“She said, ‘I married you for better orworse but not for lunch.’”

Steve grew up in New York Cityand went to engineering school atthe Pratt Institute. When he graduat-ed, he got a job at RCA in Camden.Steve and his first wife moved toCamden in 1965 and then toPhiladelphia about three years later.Steve got a masters degree in engi-neering at the University ofPennsylvania and continued to workin Camden, as his companychanged hands and merged repeat-edly. Nevertheless, he says, he hadthe same phone number from 1965-99.

Early in their marriage, Steve andLinda began buying apartment hous-es together. Linda managed them,and did the renovations and man-agement by herself for 22 years aswell as running her design business.When he retired, Steve joined her.They own seven buildings in Mt.Airy and Germantown with 44 units.Their daughter Leah is now helpingto manage the buildings. Linda is anavid knitter (not only does she havea knitting room, but a knittingmachine) and seamstress, sewingwedding dresses for three of herdaughters.

Now that he is semi-retired, Stevesings in the choir and has beeninvolved since 2002 in the innardsof the synagogue’s physical plant. Afew years ago, the House committeeand the Design committee weremerged. Gina Michaels, who co-chairs with Steve, handles the aes-thetic choices in the synagogue,while Steve handles, as he puts it,“the technical stuff.”

The committee – in its past andcurrent configurations - has dealtwith a number of unseen, but impor-tant features of the GJC building.“The biggest was when the chiller inthe sanctuary needed to bereplaced,” Steve recalls. “I’m anelectronics and optics engineer, not

ple were doing piecemeal things thatweren’t in the spirit of the building’sarchitecture,” she continues. Lindaretired from the committee six yearsago.

She was raised as an army brat.Her family lived in Europe andHawaii, but mostly in the South. Sheattended Tulane University with aMasters of Architecture. With her firsthusband, Linda had two daughtersand moved to Philadelphia. Linda hada residential architectural design busi-ness until 2009, and has designedkitchens and renovations for manyGJC members.

Steve and Linda met at a nurseryschool where each of them had twodaughters around the same age. Lindaand Steve married in 1974. Betweenthem they have 5 daughters: Sandra45, Erin 44, DeAnna 43, Pier 43 andLeah, 33. Sandra (Donover) and LeahCorsover are active GJC members.They also have 11 grandchildren rang-ing in age from 16 to three months.Steve’s first wife, Sandra’s mother,lives around the corner and is part ofthe family, Linda says.

Linda describes herself as a “cul-turally adopted Jew” who has neverconverted. But she appreciates theway that GJC opened its doors to herand made her feel welcome.

“There’s just such a wonderfulgroup of people at GJC. They werevery welcoming to me. Being an inter-faith family when we joined the syna-gogue around 1979, GJC was verycomfortable. Rabbi (Sanford) Hahnreally knew how to integrate interfaithfamilies. Leah was our first child tohave a bat mitzvah, and I was doingJewish stuff with her. He made it socomfortable. I felt I was the first per-son in the world to have a bat mitz-vah. I didn’t know what I was doing.After Leah’s bat mitzvah year, a parentgroup got together and gave informa-tion out for parents who were prepar-ing for the event,” she recalls.

When Steve retired from his engi-neering career in 1999, at age 55,“after a couple of years, Linda volun-

No matter how long you’ve beena member of GJC, chances are

you are not aware of the effect thatLinda and Steve Corsover have hadon the physical plant. But you expe-rience their work every time youwalk into the building and feel theair conditioning working, read in awarm library, or (and this hasn’t hap-pened yet) don’t see water leakingfrom the roof.

Linda, 68, began to volunteer forthe synagogue in 1980 and laterworked with Sherman Aronson,Jonathan Friedan, Marty Kaplan,Stuart Shils and Jay Furman as amember of the design committee(now known as House and Design).

“I was doing design work for thesynagogue long before there was acommittee,” says Linda, sitting in thehome office in their commodiousGermantown Victorian home. “GJChad very little money. We did stuffeverywhere in the synagogue inevery room. For example, I designedsignage for the curved front wall ofthe sanctuary, donor plaques, andhangings for the school building,which were destroyed in the fire. Ialso worked on two versions of theold playground, and I helped designthe Canteen room kitchen renova-tion, and the bathroom, which hassince been redone.

“Then Sherman, who was work-ing on other building needs, and Idecided that there really needed tobe a design committee because peo-

Steve and Linda Corsover

continued on page 6

Kesher ProgramBy Shoshanna Wiesner


i YA r 5 7 7 1 • m AY 2 0 1 1

a civil engineer or an architect, so Ihad to learn about air conditioningsystems and the pros and cons of var-ious kinds of chillers.”

The next big job was installingstorm windows in the ECP, CanteenRoom and staff offices. “In the schoolbuilding, the original windows weresingle pane and many of themleaked air,” Steve says. “In the fall of2008, we decided to install interiorstorm windows that snap in. Overthe years, each window had devel-oped its own personality and I had toindividually measure and sketchthem. After they were manufacturedand delivered, I installed them withhelp from Eric (Word, head of main-tenance) and the maintenance staff.We installed about 150 individualwindows. This was in December2008. The fire was in January 2009and the firemen had to break about30 of them to quickly get the smokeout. We replaced the broken onesand the others were taken out andcleaned.”

One of Steve’s happiest accom-plishments at GJC was changing theway water was heated in the Marcuskitchen. He won the eternal gratitudeof the catering folks, he says,“because they would routinely runout of hot water and had to heatwater on the stove to do the dishes.

“The hot water was heated by avery inefficient system that kept thewater at 140 degrees 24/7, eventhough the kitchen was used onlyonce or twice a week,” he recalls.“So I designed a way to use two tan-kless hot water heaters up in one ofthe rooms above the kitchen andinstalled them myself with aplumber’s help for the gas and waterlines.”

Now Steve, the GJC staff and therest of the House and Design com-mittee are dealing with the roof,“which is falling apart,” he says.“After it rains, there are ponds ofwater up there. Also, the city is great-ly increasing the charge for handlingstorm water and we’ve been lookingfor ways to mitigate that expense

along with getting a new roof.” ARequest For Proposal has been writtenand sent out to get professional helpwith figuring it all out.

Another issue is that for years,“we’ve heard that the library is toocold and the Rabbi can’t work in hisoffice because it’s too cold,” Stevesays. “There were many choices to fixthe problems, but we could nevermake a decision because the choiceswere too expensive,” Steve says. “ Idesigned a system using radiant heat-ing panels that are much more afford-able.” The radiant heating panels havejust been installed on the ceilings inthe library and rabbi’s office and Steveis very confident that they will makethe rooms much more usable.

Steve says that a common problemwith volunteering at the synagogue isthat there are few people with expert-ise who have time to spend time onsuch technical issues. “It boils downto one or two people,” he notes. “Justas we moved from a seat-of-the pantsoffice to a more organized staff, weneeded to move to a staff person whoserves as project manager, someonewho gets advice from people in thecongregation with skills.

“That’s what Shoshanna Wiesner isdoing now,” he says. “I’m enjoyingthe mentor role and the increased

pace of getting things done withShoshanna able to devote so muchmore time to the issues. I’m backingout of doing physical labor – I’m get-ting older - but I’m enjoying thechallenges of helping to get some ofthe long-standing problemsaddressed.”

When Steve initially retired 12years ago, he was at a loss for whatto do. He picked out a course ondrumming offered by the Mt. AiryLearning Tree and brought “a congadrum we used as a table” to theclass. Since then, musical expres-sion has become a big part of Steve’slife. “The improvisation is just musicthat comes out of you. It’s emotionalexpression, contact with other peo-ple on a non-verbal basis, listeningto what another person does, andadding to it. I’m out three to fournights a week, doing improv, singingin the choir, and taking part, withLinda, in a neighborhood group thatgets together to sing one evening amonth. Music is a big, big part of mylife right now.”

Linda sings in the PhiladelphiaChorus, “a high level amateur cho-rus,” as she calls it.

Together, they’ve contributedcountless hours to keep GJC hum-ming.

Member Spotlight Continued from page 5

The Chesed committee had anamazing kick off this winter!

Member volunteers alongside someof our Religious School and ECP chil-dren baked challah, cooked soup,and created cards for families experi-encing a birth, illness or loss. Sincethen, a growing number of amazingvolunteers have delivered the food toour members.

We want this program to have thewidest impact possible, and for thatwe need your help. While we oftenhear about beginnings and endingsof lifecycles, we depend on you to

keep us informed if one of ourmembers is experiencing an illnessand would appreciate a meal.Please let Rabbi Zeff or someone inthe office know if you, or someoneyou know who is ill, would like aChesed delivery.

While we continue to fostercommunity ties through Cheseddeliveries of food, new mitzvahopportunities are becoming avail-able! The Chesed committee willbe organizing GJC volunteers tovisit members of our communitywho are unable to come to servic-es and programs yet still want to beengaged and remain connected. Tohear more about this initiative andget involved, please contactShoshanna Wiesner in the office:projects@germantownjewishcentre/ 215-844-1507, ext. 14.



Men’s club NewsBy Ken Weiss & Rod Griffith, Men’s Club Co-Presidents

The Club hosted a lecture by KenWeiss on February 15. The topic

was “Freud and the NinthCommandment,” and combinedethics, psychiatry, an Austrian mur-der case, pre-World War II anti-Semitism, and a celebrated photog-rapher. Bottom line: the good guyswon.

We then turned our attention tothe Passports to Israel program and aRed Cross Blood Drive. The Passportsraffle drawing took place at thePurim carnival on March 20. Ourfirst-prize winner was Kathy Axelrod.Congratulations!

You may be aware that we took abreak from the CongregationalDirectory/Greetings Book in 2010.Now it appears that people are crav-ing a new one. Due to security con-cerns, a fully functional online direc-tory is not yet feasible. So, guesswhat? We’re back! Yes, the Men’s

Club, with the staff support ofMargery Sokoloff, will be producingthe new edition for the HighHolidays. This is where YOU comein. In your Passover mailing you willsee an order form. Since this is ourmajor fundraiser (and we didn’t hityou up last year), we’re looking for-ward to robust participation fromcongregants and their businesses,and from local businesses and pro-fessionals. This is a great way to sup-port GJC, promote your cause or tobrag about the mishpoche.

Sunny Orange County, Californiainterest you? You are invited to beGJC’s delegate to the biennial meet-ing of the Federation of Jewish Men’sClubs, in Costa Mesa, July 13–17,2011. There will be a substantialsubsidy to support your travel, so ifyou have any interest, check it out atfjmc.org.

Hazak

Hazak is the United Synagogue ofConservative Judaism’s organization forJewish men and women, 55 years andolder. The name HAZAK is an acronym.The het stands for Hokhma (wisdom),that zayan for Ziknah (maturity) and thekuph for Kadima (looking ahead). TheRhea Shils Chapter of Hazak atGermantown Jewish Centre has offeredprograms that appeal to a wide audi-ence since 2003.

Programming for Adults 55+

By Hazak Co-Chairs, Cherie Goren & Sonia Dishler

Now that we’ve thawed out afterthis cold winter, Hazak has

been keeping busy. In April our bookgroup discussed A Woman inJerusalem by another Israeli authorA.B. Yehoshua. On May 11 we lookforward to discussing Sarah's Key.

Thank you to Rabbi Zeff whospoke with us about Kabbalah dur-ing our program in March. He hadso much to tell us, an hour seemedhardly enough. Maybe he will con-tinue next year!

Our membership keeps growing.Folks come to one of our interestingprograms and join instantly, for only$10, cheaper than lunch!

May 14 is our 3rd Annual HazakShabbat. And also the weekend JayFurman celebrates his 99th birthday.We will help him celebrate andpromise him a big bash next year!

Mark your calendars for anotherHazak program on Sunday, June 19,when Summer will be upon us andall the ice and snow will be forgot-ten. We plan to bring you "Operaunder the Stars" again later in thesummer, stay tuned for details.

Hospitality Network Volunteers to be

Celebrated at Shabbat Potluck on May 6

By Milt Cohen

This year is the twentieth anniversary of Germantown JewishCentre’s service to homeless families in Philadelphia through it’s

participation in the Northwest Interfaith Hospitality Network. The program is made possible by the contributions of meals or vol-

unteering a few evenings or overnights a year by caring Centre mem-bers during the time that our homeless guests are living in the Centre.

At the Centre’s regular potluck dinner on Friday evening May 6, at7:00, we will be honoring some of our most reliable volunteers:

Marian Darmstadter, Paul Shane, and Martha & Chuck Schleifer.We will also be honoring those who helped start this

program and/or have served as volunteer coordinators: Elaine Dushoff, Howard Spodek, David Mosenkis, and Herb Levine.

Come on May 6, to help us honor our volunteers! Contact ElanaShaw in the office to reserve your place.

New volunteers are always welcome and needed. If you wouldlike more information about how you can be part of the Network,Please contact Milt Cohen at [email protected] or 215-247-6186.

Special Thanks to the

Wolfe Family Foundation

for generously supporting

programming at GJC.


i YA r 5 7 7 1 • m AY 2 0 1 1

In the cold and wet month ofFebruary, we had the pleasure of

listening to and learning about theworld of the Jewish language fromThe Word Mavens, Ellen Scolnicand Joyce Eisenberg. We laughed,learned and remembered muchabout the Yiddush aspects of ourchildhood. In addition, we werecomplimented on our knowledge ofYiddushkeit by the presenters, par-ticularly due to the participation ofJoe Goren (Cherie Goren’s hus-band), who shared his memories ofthe past with us. Thank you to ourprogram chairs, Joan Silver andDena Lake from Women’s Club andCherie Goren of Hazak for a veryentertaining morning.

The gala was beginning, the redcarpet was in place, the lights weredazzling, the paparazzi were run-ning about trying to catch glimpsesof all the stars that attended our 2ndannual Purim Bash on March 12.What a festive exciting night it was!There was a star studded revue writ-ten and produced by our ownChuck Schleifer and directed byRabbi Zeff. The choir provided thesinging power and caused laughterand applause to fill the Marcus dur-ing the Spiel. We danced and ate,and then were treated to a costumeparade by many of our partygoers.

Women’s club News

By Judy Schwartz and Bev SomersonCo-presidents of Women’s Club

The judges, after much deliberation,chose three winners. First place wentto Beth Stearman, Mitchell Berk andPhill Goldberg who were hysterical asthe stars of Gilligan’s Island (see photoabove). Second place went to Lindaand Jake Kriger who were a couplefrom China and third place went toDenise Wolf and Paul Rudnick asNapoleon and a flapper. The auction,led by Mike Robinson, was enjoyed byall. For Bev and myself, the highlightof the evening was the very generouscheck that we (Women’s Club) gave toMathieu Shapiro to go towards ourfinancial commitment to the Centre.Thank you to the patrons, sponsors,and all the guests who made this afinancially successful and fun filledevening. Very special thanks go toMarlene Hilkowitz, Nan Daniels,Marcy Bacine, Connie Katz and allthose who planned, organized, andworked so tirelessly to make this ahappening. Mark your calendar fornext year’s affair - our Third AnnualPurim Bash on Feb.25, 2012

At the very end of March, we hadthe pleasure of listening to Dr. SherryBlumenthal, a gynecologist, whospoke about intimacy, health, andacceptance. Following her presenta-tion, the women asked questionsabout a variety of health concerns.The presentation and the discussionwere lively and informative. Our pro-gram chairs, Joan and Dena have real-ly selected outstanding programs forus.

Many of us had the pleasure of lis-

tening to our own version of MeetThe Press (without commercials) onSunday, April 3 at GJC. The topicthat the panel discussed was Israeland the Media. Sam Katz acted asmoderator of the panel composed ofAmi Eden, Editor in Chief of JTA;Jane Eisner, Editor of The Forward;Jennifer Rubin, Right Turn Blog fromThe Washington Post; and Eli Lake,National Security Correspondent forThe Washington Times. One of thepoints that the panel made was thatpeople who want to be informedand knowledgeable must listen toand read a variety of sources thatdeal with Israeli issues and thendraw their own conclusions. Try toread or listen to both sides of an

issue. The audience asked a varietyof questions which the panelistsanswered in depth. Thanks go toWomen’s Club, Men’s Club, SocialAction, and Israel Affairs Committeefor making the morning possible.Additional kudos go to Sam Katz forhis leadership and moderating abili-ties, to Joan Silver and Dena Lake formaking an idea come alive, and forthe office staff, particularly ElanaShaw, for taking care of the manydetails that make a program like thispossible.

Coming activities in May areTorah Fund Brunch on Sunday, May15, Installation of new officers andBoard on Sunday, June 5. In addi-tion, we will have a Retreat againthis year on Sunday, June 12 at thehome of Connie and Sam Katz.

Thank You, Sam Katz!

On behalf of our Israel & theMedia Event Committee, wewant to express, publicly, ourdeepest appreciation to youfor your dedication and tire-less efforts to make thisProgram a highlight of thisGJC year.

And Our Thanks Go To........



…a few words from the GJC Education DepartmentGenerously supported by the GJC Women’s Club

At this time of year, having com-pleted the preparations and cel-

ebrations of Purim and Pesach, it issometimes easy to get caught up inthe excitement of the completion ofanother academic year, look forwardto summer and forget – there’sanother major Jewish holidayaround the corner!!......Shavuot.

And believe it or not, it is indeedmajor, one of the three biblical pil-grimage holidays, or shalosh regal-im. Shavuot always seems to get theshort end of our attention. Perhapsit is the distraction of the end-of-yearactivities or festivities. Perhaps it isthe lack of major rituals associatedwith the holiday, with neither aPassover Seder nor a Sukkah toaccompany its’ celebration. Perhaps

IMPORTANT FUTURE PROGRAM DATES

RELIGIOUS SCHOOL• May 8th, No religious school

for the strict observance of…..Mother’s Day!

• May 29th No religious school,Memorial Day Weekend

• June 12th Last day of Sundayreligious school

BBMM(Bar Bat Mitzvah Mehina)

• Shabbat Dates: May 7th and June 4th

• Sunday date (with parents) May 15th

CONFIRMATION CEREMONY• Shabbat, June 4th

KADIMA (Youth Group for 4th

and 5th graders)

• May 15th – final activity

the length of the holiday – either oneor two days only, with no intermediatedays (hol hamoed) or final festive daysto cap of the celebration – that makesus accidentally minimize the holiday.

Whatever the reasons for this inad-vertent downplaying, Shavuot remainsa holiday centered around at least twovery important concepts in Judaism,especially for those of us concerned(and consumed!!?) with raising chil-dren. First, we celebrate and com-memorate receiving the Torah onShavuot. For the Israelites in thedesert, they received their rules – theirguide for how to live their lives. Theholiday offers us the opportunity torelate to and discuss our rules – ourpersonal rules, our family rules, ourcommunity rules and our society

dIVRAY cHINUcH

Young Adult gJc Israel correspondent

continued on page11

Alina Bamberger is a high school jun-ior who spent her fall semester in Israelat the EIE (Eisendrath InternationalExchange) program located at KibbutzTzuba. She is one of our Young AdultGJC Israel Correspondents – TodahRabba Alina!!

Iapplied for the EIE (EisendrathInternational Exchange) program in

March of last year. I knew I loved totravel and had always heard that Israelwas an amazing place and wanted togo for quite some time. My father thencame to me with the idea of doing asemester in Israel. I was immediatelyexcited and thought it sounded like anamazing experience to be on a trip forfour months in Israel with Jews from allover the country. I applied for the tripand received my acceptance letter inJune.

The next thing I knew, I was ready togo to Israel. Walking into JFK airportfor the first time about to embark onmy journey to Israel, I knew I waswhere I wanted to be. I didn’t knowanyone, but all of the kids were so

friendly, and the madrichim (staff)were so nice and helpful. When Igot off the plane in Jerusalem, I felt Iwas home. I had an unbelievableimmediate connection to Israel sole-ly because I was Jewish and had thetime of my life in Israel.

The programs and activities that Iwas able to participate in wereastonishing. I was able to leave mycomfort zone on this trip and do somany things that I would not nor-mally have the opportunity to do. Ilearned through all of the tiyulim(day trips), Hebrew classes, andJewish history classes. The tiyulimwe went on ranged from one-daytrips near by, places with amazinghistory, to a one week stay in Polandwhere we learned extensively aboutthe Shoah. Every week in Israel wasexciting - I hiked from one end ofIsrael to the other, was in the Israeliarmy for a week, stayed in Bedouintents, hostels and Israeli homes onsome weekends. We always hadbeautiful services on Friday nights

rules. Each of these categories, withtheir individual and/or specific rele-vance to different age groups of ourchildren, can be a topic of discus-sion at our family gatherings.

A second emphasis of Shavuot isstudy. Though access is limited forour children (and perhaps also totired parents), we traditionally cele-brate study on Shavuot with a TikkunLeyl, all night study. The holiday isan opportunity to celebrate study,and discuss with our children whystudy is so important to us as a peo-ple, and to each of them as individ-uals.

Wishing all of you a terrificspring, end of the year festivitiesand…..meaningful Shavuot!!


i YA r 5 7 7 1 • m AY 2 0 1 1

and Saturday mornings at the kib-butz I lived on, Kibbutz Tzuba. Theteachers were incredibly accommo-dating and put so much effort intomaking sure that I knew and under-stand all of the material that wasrequired for my school at home.Every person on the staff was incred-ibly helpful, and made sure that eachand every one of the kids felt likethey were in a safe and welcomingenvironment. The best part of mywhole trip, aside from experiencingso many aspects of Israel, are thefriends that I was able to make. I waslucky enough to have been put withforty four amazing, funny, bright,loving, warm, kind-hearted andunique people. I have also never felta stronger connection to my Jewishreligion. I learned so much aboutJudaism and Israel, taught by peoplewho really opened my eyes to thethings about Judaism that make itsuch a complex yet amazing reli-gion.

Finally, living in Israel, and havinglearned the history of my land andhow to speak the language, makesme feel so much closer to my reli-

Young Adult GJC Israel Correspondent Continued from page 10

Messima

Messima literally means mission,but it refers to the community serviceprojects that we do here on our pro-gram. There are many different proj-ects all in education, among themworking with students on welfare listsor working with last chance highschool students. My project involvesteaching English in Arab towns in thesurrounding area of Karmiel. We runactivities which teach English, but wealso convey our values (especiallypeace) with our students.

I work three days a week, and intwo different places. On Sundays Iwork in Tamra for the day. I (with oneother person) teach in a high schoolfor four class periods. Our first class isvery good at English and is a smallgroup of about 15 people, mostlygirls. We can run actual lessons forthem because they have a strongEnglish foundation and don't need tobe taught the basics. Last week wehad them write dialogues that demon-strated scenarios in which the registerof speaking would be very different.For example, we had two friends talk-ing and of course their dialoguelooked like a plain conversation thatwas informal and full of slang. The

conversation between a felon and apolice officer, however, was very for-mal and linguistically rigid. All of thestudents performed their dialoguesand it was really fun. We spend a lotof time trying to get them to loosenup and just practice their English,because in the Arab villages theyhave no native speakers to talk to,not even their teachers. In fact, theteacher in that school isn't fluent inEnglish and often asks me to trans-late things into English.

On Tuesdays we work in KfarManda, a pretty small village nestledin the side of a hill. Our studentsthere are 12 and 13 and they arereally angels. We like to run funEnglish activities, but we also havehad a few serious conversations withthem already. In our class last weekwe had a discussion about differ-ences and similarities between Arabsand Americans. Most of the studentsagreed that in order to understandwhat is the same, you need to firstreconcile and understand what isdifferent. In the afternoons in KfarManda we run another activity for agroup of 15 girls and 1 or 2 boys. Sofar it has been playing basketball,making bracelets, and just hangingout (since it's for two hours afterschool), but we've started theprocess of talking about Americaand cultural reflection. Part of whatwe're trying to do is teach aboutAmerican culture and acceptancewhile helping the students refinetheir own cultural identity throughself reflection. For example, wemight talk about American schools,but then we always talk about whatthey do in their schools, too. Also,we're thinking of dividing them upand having conversations separatelyabout growing up and becomingmen or women. There are a lot ofopportunities for the group in KfarManda.

So far messima has been reallyrewarding and a lot of fun, too. I'mexcited to go through a process withthe students, teaching them Englishand also getting to know them andunderstand them better.

Tikkun Leyl

ShavuotAll the people saw the sounds:

Experiencing the divine

through voice, body, mind and

breath

Some experience revelationthrough prayer or study, othersthrough movement, music, or

stillness. Please join us for TikkunLeyl Shavuot at 7PM on June 7th,when we will explore these paths

to revelation together. Moredetailed information will follow.

The following is an excerpt from theblog of Shula Smith. Shula graduatedhigh school last June, and is completingher (“gap”) year on the 60th Habonim-Dror Workshop, a year long post highschool program of the Habonim-DrorLabor Zionist youth movement. She isour second Young Adult GJC IsraelCorrespondent – Todah Rabba Shula!!

gion, and so much prouder to beJewish. My experience in Israel couldnot have been more perfect; I lovedevery single moment. Never had I sus-pected that the trip would be such anamazing, life-changing program, butnow, I do not know what my lifewould be like had I not had this oncein a lifetime experience.

�



Social Action Update

On Sunday, February 6 we raisedover $4300 for Darfur Alert

Coalition! This is about 3 times whatwe've netted previous years. Kudosto “CEO” Genie Bud Ravital and theenormous crew of people whoworked on publicity, set-up, “sales”,and packing. About 65% moreclothes were taken, so our outreachto women in need of clothes wasvery successful. And it was reallyfun. The live music, the cafe withtreats, and the mobs of women allhappily shopping - there was plentyfor everyone. Here's feedback: “Ihad such a good time at the swap,and so many things worked for me! Inow have a very full, cute wardrobe,including good stuff for my officejob downtown. It was a hugely suc-cessful day for me!”

6th Annual GJC Women'sClothing GiveAway A

Huge Success

To stay informed about our advocacy efforts and upcoming events, we encourage you to sign up for the SAC list serve by sending an e-mail to [email protected].

Henry School Library StoryProgram Going Strong!

By Renee Levine

February 6 was a "reduce, reuse,recycle" kind of day at GJC. In

addition to the Women’s ClothingGiveaway, the Social ActionCommittee organized an ElectronicsRecycling Event. With the assistanceof a few strong volunteers from Men’sClub, we collected 7198 lbs. of elec-tronics! Members of GJC and thecommunity brought in old computers,monitors, fax machines, batteries, cal-culators—even CFL bulbs—to thisdrive-through electronics-recyclingevent. That's a lot of junk that we keptout of a landfill. To congratulate GJC’stremendous success, eForceCompliance (the company that col-lects the waste) generously donated$500 to the Germanton Jewish CentreSocial Action Fund! Thank you toeveryone who conceptualized, organ-ized, and was out on Ellet Streetdirecting this amazing event!

Electronics Recycling EventCollects 7198 lbs!

As the Centre Call goes to press,the Library Story Program will be

in the last few weeks of its fourthyear. We are ending the year with afull roster of Story Tellers. The ninepeople currently doing the readingare just as enthusiastic reading thebooks they bring as the students andteachers are listening to the storiesand poems. The Story Tellers havedone a wonderful job. The programhas also expanded its work withEugene Okamoto of the HarvestBook company, to distribute books tothe children in the classes in theStory Program. Mr. Okamoto is aHenry Alumna.

Story Tellers this year have includ-ed: Jeanne Allen, Roberta Berg,Betty Ann Fellner, Gloria Hoffman,Barbara Jaffe, Dena Lake, JessicaLember, Renee Levine, RonaPietrzak, and Margery Sokoloff.

Imagine WALKing along Martin Luther King Drive with your friends, family, and neigh-bors with one common goal: WALKing Against Hate.

Join ADL for the inaugural 5K WALK Against Hate on Sunday, May 15, 2011. Takepart in a one of a kind initiative in which people from various backgrounds are unit-ed to stand together in acceptance of diversity.

Join the GJC Team at www.walkagainsthate.org/gjc and follow the simple steps tostart making a difference.

This is an opportunity for both youth and adults to make strides against bigotry andhatred in their communities.

The registration fee for the WALK is $10 for adults and $5 for youths.

Funds raised through the WALK Against Hate will be used to support ADL’s mission and the research and development of programming such as No Place ForHate®, the A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE® Institute, and the BearingWitness™ Program.


i YA r 5 7 7 1 • m AY 2 0 1 1

granger committee Update: conversation about Integration in Mt. Airy

Our 27th Annual GrangerMemorial Shabbat held in

January highlighted the challenge ofracial integration in Mt. Airy. Thetopic touched a nerve in our com-munity, and has sparked interest incontinued programming in this area.On Tuesday evening, March 22,more than twenty members of theGermantown Jewish Centre gath-ered in the Canteen Room to talkabout life in West Mount Airy. Intwo small focus groups, communitymembers shared stories of theirexperiences of moving to and livingin the integrated neighborhood.

Some had grown up in the area.Others moved to the region asadults, to take advantage of lessexpensive housing, to send theirchildren to the local schools, to livenear the park, to be a part of anexperiment in interracial living.

Everyone in attendance had aunique connection to the area, butall agreed that Mount Airy represent-ed something different from other

neighborhoods in and around the city.More than anything else, attendeessaw Mount Airy as a place for peoplewho support and feel supported by theintentionally inclusive community.

The event was moderated andrecorded by historian Abigail Perkiss(with the gracious help of her mother,Cindy Perkiss), who is writing a bookon integration in West Mount Airy inthe decades following the SecondWorld War.

At the event members JoanKopeland Silver and her sister, EllenKopeland shared some of their familyhistory in Mt. Airy . . . Joan and Ellengrew up on South Mt. Pleasant Road inWest Mt. Airy in the 1950's. Their par-ents, Marjorie and Sol Kopeland werevery active life long members of GJC,as well as activists in maintaining anintegrated community.

When the overcrowded EmlenSchool began bussing AfricanAmerican children to Henry School,Marjorie, who was President ofHenry's PTA, and the principal, Earle

Hargreaves, were determined tokeep the school community diverse.At the same time, the neighborhoodwas beginning to experiencechange. Rabbi Charry and the localclergy went door to door in theirattempt to encourage neighbors toremain.

At the corner of Greene St. andSouth Mt. Pleasant Rd. the first fami-ly in that group of 32 semi detachedhomes built by Sol Kopeland andHarry Pontz, father of Curt Pontz,sold their home to an AfricanAmerican family. Marjorie and Solorganized weekly "Meet and Greet"evenings to encourage discussionsabout the vitality of West Mt. Airy.Out of these conversations, evolvedthe birth of Allens Lane Art Center, aplace for ALL people to meet, learnand be stimulated by all of the Arts.

The Granger Committee is work-ing to put together additional pro-gramming. Stay tuned for moredetails.

Kol D’mamah: Contemplative Minyan

Connect with the Divine through music, breath, andlearning! Join Nina Peskin and a rotating group of

service leaders for this one hour minyan (from 11AM tonoon) that will include chant, hand percussion, medita-tion, and a contemplative teaching. In consideration ofeveryone participating in the service, we ask that every-one arrive on time.

“Kol D’mamah” is from I Kings 19:12 where Elijah hasan experience of God and hears the “still small voice” or(in the Etz Hayim translation) “a soft murmuring sound.”The Hebrew term is a verbal paradox intended to conveya spiritual experience that is otherwise beyond words:“kol” (sound) + “d’mamah” (silence). In the Elijah story,it stands in contrast to the sound and fury of the wind, theearthquake, and the fire, none of which contain God.

If you have any questions about this minyan, pleasecontact Genie Ravital at: [email protected] us on April 30 and also on May 28!

New Monthly Minyan

Starting April 30th


i YA r 5 7 7 1 • m AY 2 0 1 1

Contributions For the period ending mid-February. 2011 through mid-Apri, 2011Todah Rabbah!Sincere thanks and appreciation to those who remember to honor their friends and loved ones through their generous contributions.

The fastest way for your contribution to be processed is for you to fill out a Contribution Form (available in the office or on our website) and returnit to the office along with a check. Or just send in a check with a note.

FUND BY OCCASIONAdult Education Fund Frank & Sherri Feinberg in honor of Samuel Feinberg, on his special birthday

Norman & Adina Newberg in honor of Chuck Schleifer, on his special birthdayin memory of Stanley Sapon, father of Daniel Saponin memory of Nancy Kuriloff, sister of Peter Kuriloffin memory of Miriam Ferleger, mother of David Ferlegerin memory of Steven Halbert, brother-in-law of David Ferleger

Bar/Bat Mitzvah Fund David & Keira Axelrod in honor of Reena Wolnek, on becoming Bat MitzvahNorman & Adina Newberg in honor of Bob Epstein, on the Bar Mitzvah of his son, William

in honor of Beulah Trey & Steve Masters, on the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Ari

Hideko Secrest & in memory of Selma Keiner, mother of Liz Ben-YaacovLaurance Rosenzweig

Beck Scholar-in-Residence Fund Rose Beck in memory of Bill Conner, brother of Chris Levinin memory of Stanley Sapon, father of Daniel Saponin memory of Werner Fellner, husband of Gabriella Fellner & father

of David Fellnerin memory of Henry Addison, father of Rabbi Howard Avruhm

Addisonin honor of Sidney & Bunny Stein, on their 65th wedding anniversaryin honor of Cy Cohen, on his 75th birthdayin honor of Jill Levy and Matthew Silverman, on the birth of their

daughter Miriam Simonein memory of Eric Berger, brother of Lizanne Berger

Carol & Marty Kaplan in memory of Eric Berger, brother of Lizanne BergerBess Schick Memorial Fund Bev & Ira Somerson in memory of Nathaniel Feldman, nephew of Maurice & Maxine

Feldmanin honor of Cy Cohen, on his 75th birthdayin honor of Sam & Connie Katz, on the engagement of their son, Phil,

to Leah GreenbergCamp Scholarships Fund Philip J. Berg & Carol Miller in honor of the birth of their grandson, Ryan Kyle Berg

Philip J. Berg, Carol & Jessica Miller in honor of Rebecca Berg Nissenbaum, on her 94th birthdayShelby, David, Sienna & Scarlett Epstein

Rebecca Berg Nissenbaum in honor of the birth of my great-grandson, Ryan Kyle BergThe Berg Children in honor of Rebecca Berg Nissenbaum, on her 94th birthdayLynne & Art Ellis in honor of Ivan & Rebecca Wolnek, on the Bat Mitzvah of their

daughter, ReenaHarry Kissileff in memory of Bertha Reisman, grandmotherRebecca Nissenbaum in memory of Norman B. Berg, son

in memory of Jennie Fishbein, sisterThe Berg-Nissenbaum Family in memory of Maria Criniti

Chesed/Kesher Fund Diane Ajl & Neil Kitrosser in memory of Bill Conner, brother of Chris Levinin memory of Ben Goldman, father of Lyndall Millerin memory of Pirkko Hollo, mother of Juha Holloin memory of Morton Charlestein, father of Ellyn Phillipsin honor of Nini Engel, on her special birthdayin honor of Sam & Connie Katz, on the engagement of their son, Phil,

to Leah GreenbergDan & Marcy Bacine in memory of Bill Conner, brother of Chris Levin

in memory of Violet West, mother of Bill Moodyin memory of Eric Berger, brother of Lizanne Berger

Paul & Hilda Minkoff in memory of Stanley Moses, uncle of Joan Silver & Ellen Kopelandin memory of Bill Conner, brother of Chris Levinin honor of Sam & Connie Katz, on the engagement of their son, Phil

to Leah Greenbergin honor of Chuck Schleifer, on his special birthdayin honor of Cy Cohen, on his 75th birthday

CORRECTION:FUND BY OCCASIONInterfaith Hospitality Network Edith Klausner in honor of Chuck Schleifer, on his special birthday



Contributions Continued

Nan Myers & Mark Lipshutz in honor of Kate & Geoff Margo, on the engagement of their son, BenAlex & Stefanie Seldin in memory of Bill Conner, brother of Chris Levin

Children's Services Fund Dan & Marcy Bacine in memory of Lester Spear, uncle of Michael Spearin memory of Pirkko Hollo, mother of Juha Hollo

Dorshei Derekh Myrna Snyder in honor of Rabbi Fredi Cooper, on being elected president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association

Early Childhood Programs Fund Dan & Marcy Bacine in memory of Selma Keiner, mother of Liz Ben-Yaacovin memory of Ben Goldman, father of Lyndall Millerin memory of Benjamin Marged, father of Shelley Weber

Lynne & Art Ellis in memory of Ben Goldman, father of Lyndall MillerHideko Secrest & in honor of Noah Boyer, on becoming Bar Mitzvah

Laurance Rosenzweigin honor of Gabriel Gluskin Braun, on becoming Bar Mitzvahin honor of Ari Shalom Trey-Masters, on becoming Bar Mitzvahin honor of Max Mines, on becoming Bar Mitzvahin honor of Rebecca Spivack, on becoming Bat Mitzvahin honor of Reena Wolnek, on becoming Bat Mitzvah

Joan Silver in honor of Susan & Berel Sternthal, on the birth of her new grandson,Samuel

Bev & Ira Somerson in honor of Susan & Berel Sternthal, on the birth of her new grandson,Samuel

General Fund Emanuel Burd in memory of Louis A. Burd, fatherDorshei Derekh in memory of Hannah Seckel Drucker, mother of Nina Israel

in memory of Freda & Joseph Brownstein, parents of Eleanor Brownstein

in memory of Miriam Nagelberg, mother of Audrey Fingerhoodin memory of Steven Halbert, brother-in-law of David Ferlegerin memory of Miriam Ferleger, mother of David Ferleger

Mikael Elsila & Dina Pinsky in memory of Sylvia Volin Nash, grandmother of Alex AvelinAudrey Fingerhood in honor of Noah Boyer, on becoming Bar Mitzvah

in memory of Miriam Ferleger, mother of David FerlegerHenry Langsam in memory of Elsie Allen, motherJim & Sandy Meyer in honor of Jill Levy and Matthew Silverman, on the birth of their

daughter Miriam Simonein memory of Werner Fellner, husband of Gabriella Fellner & father of

David Fellnerin memory of Ben Goldman, father of Lyndall Millerin memory of Morton Charlestein, father of Ellyn Phillips

George & Debbie Stern in honor of Noah Boyer, on becoming Bar Mitzvahin memory of Bill Conner, brother of Chris Levin

The Wolf-Rudick Family in honor of Reena Wolnek, on becoming Bat MitzvahHazak Fund Dan & Marcy Bacine in memory of Minnie Greenspan, mother of Allan Greenspan

Cherie Goren in memory of Leo Fleischman, fatherCarol & Marty Kaplan in honor of Cherie & Joe Goren, on their 63rd wedding anniversaryElizabeth Richman in memory of Mae Rosner, motherSusan & Berel Sternthal in memory of Werner Fellner, husband of Gabriella Fellner & father of

David Fellnerin honor of Jeanette Dudnick, on her move

Aaron & Lucille Weber in honor of Jill Levy and Matthew Silverman, on the birth of their daughter Miriam Simone

Aaron Weber in memory of Ida Weber, motherInterfaith Hospitality Network Louie Elfant Asher in memory of Daniel Raz, father of Pearl Raz

in honor of Della Lazarus, on being honored by West Mt. Airy Neighbors

Gisha Berkowitz in memory of Lily Berkowitz, mother-in-lawin memory of David Berkowitz, sonin memory of Raymond Berkowitz, husband

Yona & Howard Dansky in honor of Teddy Diamond, mother of Yona Diamond Dansky, on her 90th birthday

Edith Klausner in honor of Chuck Schleifer, on his special birthdayJudah Labovitz in memory of Jerome Labovitz, fatherBarbara Porges in memory of Nandor Porges, fatherNora Pincus Schwarz in memory of Marjorie Magaziner Pincus, mother

in memory of D. Arthur Magaziner, grandfatherIsrael Affairs Fund Yona & Howard Dansky in honor of Teddy & Willy Diamond, parents of Yona Diamond

Dansky, on their 70th wedding anniversaryDena Lake in appreciation of Sam Katz, for his involvement in the Israel & the

Media Event


i YA r 5 7 7 1 • m AY 2 0 1 1


Cyrilla Rosen in honor of Cy Cohen, on his 75th birthdayin memory of Fred, brother of Shirley Sevingerin memory of Eric Berger, brother of Lizanne Bergerin memory of Morton Swingerin honor of Susan & Berel Sternthal, on the birth of her new grand

son, Samuelin honor of Joan Silver, on being honored by the Women's Club at the

Torah Fund Brunchin honor of Hilda & Paul Minkoff, on being honored by the GJC

community at the Spring ConcertCyrilla Rosen & Family in memory of Irving RosenHideko Secrest & in honor of David Treatman, on becoming Bar Mitzvah

Laurance RosenzweigJoan Silver in memory of Eric Berger, brother of Lizanne Berger

in honor of Myrna Snyder, on becoming Bat Mitzvahin appreciation of Sam Katz, for his involvement in the Israel & the

Media EventIsrael Garden Fund Mitchell Berk in memory of Mollie Needleman, grandmother

Shellie Holl in memory of Miriam Ferleger, mother of David Ferlegerin honor of Noah Boyer, on becoming Bar Mitzvah

Laura Marshall & Steve Clarke in memory of Ben Goldman, father of Lyndall MillerMarc Newman in memory of Rina Goldberg, niece of Corri Gottesman

in honor of Bob Epstein, on the Bar Mitzvah of his son, WilliamPatty Segal in honor of Connie & Sam Katz, on the engagement of their son, Phil,

to Leah GreenbergMindy Shapiro & Alan Mendelsohn in memory of Ben Goldman, father of Lyndall Miller

in memory of Lester Spear, uncle of Michael Spearin memory of Werner Fellner, husband of Gabriella Fellner & father

of David Fellnerin memory of Sharon Shapiro, sisterin memory of Elaine Mendelsohn, motherin memory of Stanley Sapon, father of Daniel Saponin memory of Pirkko Hollo, mother of Juha Holloin memory of Rebecca Tobias, wife of Stephen Tobias

Kiddush Fund Louie Elfant Asher in memory of Martin Elfant, fatherin memory of Stanley Sapon, father of Daniel Sapon

Sonia Dishler in memory of Isaac Feinberg, fatherin memory of Ben Goldman, father of Lyndall Millerin memory of Eric Berger, brother of Lizanne Berger

Jacob Staub & Michael Spitko in memory of Sylvia Volin Nash, grandmother of Alex AvelinJoan Stern in memory of Frances Winderman, aunt

Library Fund Linda Dzuba in memory of Rose Pinkenson, motherMen's Club Irene Feldman in memory of Bernard Feldman, husband

in memory of Ellis Dashevsky, fatherMinyan Masorti Memorial Norman & Adina Newberg in memory of Ben Goldman, father of Lyndall MillerShabbat Fund

Wendy Weingarten in memory of Rose Weingarten, mother-in-lawin memory of Robert M. Traub, father

Miriam Ferleger Fund Shelly & Elliot Barnathan & Family in memory of Miriam Ferleger, mother of David FerlegerNettie Beloff in memory of Miriam Ferleger, mother of David FerlegerBarbara Breitman & Avruhm Addison in memory of Miriam Ferleger, mother of David FerlegerChristopher & MaryAnn Bursk in memory of Miriam Ferleger, mother of David FerlegerJeannie & Don Friedman in memory of Miriam Ferleger, mother of David FerlegerCharlotte, Gordon & Matthew Getter in memory of Miriam Ferleger, mother of David FerlegerCarolyn Halbert in memory of Miriam Ferleger, mother of David FerlegerSonnie & Bob Katz in memory of Miriam Ferleger, mother of David FerlegerBarbara Lissy & Ellen & in memory of Miriam Ferleger, mother of David Ferleger

Ruth Lissy RosenbergBarbara Rosenau in memory of Miriam Ferleger, mother of David FerlegerBillie Schnall & family in memory of Miriam Ferleger, mother of David FerlegerFlora Schnall in memory of Miriam Ferleger, mother of David FerlegerDaniel & Sheila Segal in memory of Miriam Ferleger, mother of David FerlegerMindy Shapiro & Alan Mendelsohn in memory of Miriam Ferleger, mother of David FerlegerMartin & Wilma Steinberg in memory of Miriam Ferleger, mother of David FerlegerErna Tatarka in memory of Miriam Ferleger, mother of David FerlegerSteven & Marjorie Victor in memory of Miriam Ferleger, mother of David Ferleger




Sylvia & Len Voynow in memory of Miriam Ferleger, mother of David FerlegerDeborah Waxman & Christina Ager in memory of Miriam Ferleger, mother of David FerlegerPatricia B. Wisch in memory of Miriam Ferleger, mother of David FerlegerNathan Zahn in memory of Miriam Ferleger, mother of David Ferleger

Music Fund Marc, Dianna & Samuel Falkowitz in honor of Laurance & Hideko Rosenzweig, on the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Shigeo

Playground Fund Debbie Stern in memory of Myron Schoen, fatherPrayerbook & Ritual Items Fund Dan & Marcy Bacine in memory of Werner Fellner, husband of Gabriella Fellner & father

of David FellnerHideko Secrest & in honor of Nita Rome, on becoming Bat Mitzvah

Laurance Rosenzweigin memory of Stanley Sapon, father of Daniel Saponin honor of Samuel Falkowitz, on becoming Bar Mitzvahin honor of Alexandra Frazier, on becomiing Bat Mitzvahin memory of Ben Goldman, father of Lyndall Millerin memory of Lester Spear, uncle of Michael Spearin memory of Pirkko Hollo, mother of Juha Hollo

Rabbi Zeff's Discretionary Fund Elizabeth Ben-Yaacov in memory of Selma Keiner, motherElayne BlenderNewlin Booth in memory of Judy Fowler, sisterLinda Cherkas & Chaim DworkinThe Fellner Family in memory of Werner Fellner, husband & fatherLynne Furman in memory of Nathan Klieman, fatherChris Levin in memory of Bill Conner, brotherPhyllis Lieberman in memory of Blanche Crane, motherRichard Menin in memory of Irvin Menin, uncleLee & Herb Pincus in memory of Marcus Bressler, brother of Hilda MinkoffChuck Schleifer in memory of Betty Schleifer, motherBev & Ira Somerson in honor of Jill Levy and Matthew Silverman, on the birth of their

daughter Miriam SimoneNan DanielsYona & Howard Dansky in honor of the GJC community, for their support during Mia's

treatmentKatherine Donner in memory of Morton J. Weiner, fatherEd & Dena Lake in memory of Pirkko Hollo, mother of Juha HolloHoward LangerRichard Mandel in memory of Henry S. Mandel, father

in memory of Lucille B. Mandel, motherRobert Zimring in memory of Lester Zimring, father

Religious School Fund Charlotte Adler in memory of Fanny Gerson, motherLynne & Art Ellis in memory of Pirkko Hollo, mother of Juha HolloNan Myers & Mark Lipshutz in honor of Jill Levy and Matthew Silverman, on the birth of their

daughter Miriam SimoneMathieu & Jessica Shapiro in honor of Noah Boyer, on his inspiring Bar Mitzvah

in memory of Clara Striar, grandmotherSocial Action Fund David & Keira Axelrod in honor of Nini Engel, on her special birthday

Roberta Berg in memory of Elizabeth Frank, motherBev & Stan Diamond in memory of Werner Fellner, husband of Gabriella Fellner & father

of David FellnerDavid & Betty Ann Fellner in memory of George Gordon, father of Nina Gordon

in memory of Stanley Sapon, father of Daniel SaponEd Lake in memory of Morris Lakernick, fatherNorman & Adina Newberg in honor of Kate & Geoff Margo, on the engagement of your son, Ben

in memory of Werner Fellner, husband of Gabriella Fellner & father of David Fellner

in memory of Bill Conner, brother of Chris Levinin honor of Charlie & Lyndall Miller, on the wedding of their son, Ari

Carolyn Seplow in memory of Elsie Allen, grandmotherMathieu & Jessica Shapiro in memory of Bill Conner, brother of Chris Levin

Special Education Fund Nancy Fredland in memory of Samuel Berkowitz, father George & Kathy Amrom in memory of Ben Goldman, father of Lyndall Miller

in honor of Ivan & Rebecca Wolnek, on the Bat Mitzvah of their daughter, Reena

Maurice & Maxine Feldman in memory of Eric Berger, brother of Lizanne BergerCarol & Marty Kaplan in honor of Jill Levy and Matthew Silverman, on the birth of their

daughter Miriam Simonein memory of Bill Conner, brother of Chris Levin


i YA r 5 7 7 1 • m AY 2 0 1 1

• New! MAT Classes Tuesday and Thursday evenings.• Offering scheduled Group classes, Privates,

Duets and Trios.• Early morning, mid day and early evening

classes Monday through Friday. Saturdays 8 a.m. and 9:15 a.m.

• Top notch Balanced Body equipment.

• Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express accepted.

5904 Greene St. (at Rittenhouse) Philadelphia, PA 19144

215.848.3275www.PilatesInGermatown.com

For class schedules, please visit:www.PilatesInGermatown.com

GJC has cemetery plots for sale at King David Cemetery in the Northeast.Questions? Contact Nina Peskin in the Office.

Sort It All Out!Who better than a librarian to help you get organized?• Sort papers, reduce clutter• Set up home or office files• Fill out forms, make calls

Debbie Stern, MLS215-848-9503 [email protected]

Please consider making a planned

gift to the Germantown Jewish

Centre’s endowment fund. Planned

gifts come in many forms, including

for example – charitable gift

annuities, life insurance, trusts, or

even a bequest in your will.

For more information about how

youcan join the Ner Tamid Society

please contact the office.

Join the Ner Tamid

Society by Making a

Planned gift togJc

Joan Silver in honor of Nan Daniels, on the marriage of her daughter, JessicaWomen's Club Irene Feldman in memory of Rhoda Dashevsky, sister

Frances D. Gold in memory of Gertrude Meloff, sisterCarol & Marty Kaplan in honor of Connie & Sam Katz, on the engagement of their son, Phil,

to Leah Greenbergin honor of Cy Cohen, on his 75th birthdayin memory of Nathaniel Feldman, nephew of Maurice & Maxine

Feldmanin memory of Stanley Moses, uncle of Joan Silver & Ellen Kopeland

Myrna Snyder in honor of Joan Silver, on being honored by the Women's Club at theTorah Fund BrunchYouth Activities Fund Bev & Stan Diamond in honor of Cy Cohen, on his 75th birthday

Curt Pontz in memory of Selma Goodman, auntin honor of Jill Levy and Matthew Silverman, on the birth of their

daughter Miriam SimoneJoan Stern in memory of Charles B. Stern, husband




7112 Germantown Avenue

Philadelphia, PA 19119

elfantwissahickon.com

We are moving, how about you?

Neil Kugelman, GRI, CRS215-247-3600 x228 office215-431-5095 cell

Marilyn Silberstein, ABR215-247-3600 x328 office215-859-1749 cell

Visit our website - www.NeilTheRealtor.com

for listings and good information about our area.

4 to 8 Week Sessions

Mini-Day Option (3, 4, & 5 year olds)

Great Lunches & Snacks*

Teen Travel Program Available for 6th through 9th Grades

Door-to-Door Transportation

American Red Cross Swim Program

Arts & Outdoor Adventure Activities

Extensive Sports Program & Much More!

Offering Your Child the Finest in Caring Staff, Diverse Programming & Outstanding Facilities.

Howard & Dale Ba�erman, Owners/Directors

*Food served is not under Kosher supervision.

610.275.CA M P www.srdaycamps.com

Valley Green Bank & Lutheran Seminary’s

every TUESDAYstarting mid-May3:00 - 7:00pm

Park at Valley Green Bank; Walk across the street to William Allen Plaza at the Seminary

Plenty of on-site parkingwww.valleygreenbank.com

community partners:

East Mt. Airy Neighbors

West Mt. Airy Neighbors

Mt. Airy Learning Tree

Mt. Airy USA

Weavers Way Co-op

Mt. Airy Business Improvement District Member FDIC

Providing funeral counseling and pre-need arrangements

215-927-5800 •1-800-622-6410

For hearing impaired: 866-824-4260 (Sorenson VP)

Where Tradition Meets Compassion

Family Owned and Operated • Available 24 hours a day • www.GoldsteinsFuneral.com

www.GermantownJewishCentre.org

First Class Pre-Sort

u.S. Postage

PA I D Horsham, PA

Permit No. 179

400 West Ellet Street

Philadelphia, PA 19119

Chris LevinP R E S I D E N T

Rabbi Adam ZeffR A B B I

Rabbi Leonard D. GordonR A B B I E M E R I T u S

Nina PeskinE x E C u T I V E D I R E C T O R

Gloria Geissler F I N A N C E D I R E C T O R

Rabbi Kevin Bernstein E D u C AT I O N D I R E C T O R

Mindy PitkofskyEC P D I R E C T O R

Elana ShawP R O G R A M D I R E C T O R

Jill LevyS T u D E N T R A B B I

Ken Weiss & Rod GriffithM E N ’ S C L u B C O -P R E S I D E N T S

Bev Somerson & Judy Schwartz W O M E N ’ S C L u B C O -P R E S I D E N T S

Affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

Please submit all articles via email to

[email protected].

Deadline for the online only Summer Issue is June 1

(215) 844-1507 fax: (215) 844-8309Web: www.GermantownJewishCentre.org

Save the Dates

There is something for everyone on May 15!

Red Cross Blood Drive

Torah Fund Brunch

ADL Walk Against Hate

Please join us on June 5Hands on Holiday: Meet the Shavuot Goats

Spring Concert honoring Hilda & Paul Minkoff

Inside centre callRabbi’s Message . . . . . . . . . . .Page 1

President’s Message . . . . . . . . .Page 2

Shabbat Chai-Lites . . . . . . . . . .Page 3

What’s New in the Mishpoche . .Page 3

Adult Ed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 4

ECP & Tot Shabbat . . . . . . . . . .Page 4

Little Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 4

People of the Book. . . . . . . . . .Page 4

Member Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . .Page 5

Men’s Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 7

Hazak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 7

Women’s Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8

Education Dept. . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 9

Social Action Committee . . . .Page 11

Contributions (begin on) . . . . .Page 14

the centre call - germantown jewish centre · the centre call germantown jewish centre volume 19,...

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