Working in Israel's most disadvantaged neighborhoods, JDC's Better Together program strives to address the most outstanding risks to children and youth in the community by mobilizing residents, identifying and utilizing community resources and responding to unmet needs. In Neve Alonim, a neighborhood in the city of Ashkelon, Better Together is making a difference through the support and partnership of the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County.
Maya is Better Together’s Local Coordinator. A veteran Better Together staffer since 2004 in Haifa, Maya came to Ashkelon in 2010.
Maya employs her professional skills and experience – she holds a Masters degree in Human Resources in addition to her social work training – to all aspects of her Better Together work, in particular some of the more delicate issues involved.
Such situations range from bringing local authority staff into coalition with non-profits and encouraging their collaboration, to helping residents overcome their widespread suspicion of professionals, or convincing staff that the effectiveness of their work would be increased by involving parents.
Maya talks about the program and its progress to date:
"I see a critical need for new services in the neighborhood for pre-school children and for youth.
I am acutely aware of the need for support, such as the help we receive from the Jewish Federation of Middlesex County. It’s enabling essential change-processes and the introduction of a new approach. We are seeing its impact already as more and more people take part in programs.
The Community Center has become a focal point for the neighborhood, a place where residents can express their needs and get actively involved. The Local Professional Forum and Residents Forum are based there, which facilitates collaboration. The two groups are already working in harmony such as when they organize events that engender a sense of belonging. They are also helping to improve services while indentifying those which are lacking. This means that we are able to develop new programs and services in the most effective way.
I believe deeply in cooperation, and it is a source of daily satisfaction for me to see smiles returning to the faces of children and parents in the neglected Neve Alonim neighborhood."
Showing posts with label Federation Partners. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Federation Partners. Show all posts
December 7, 2011
November 17, 2011
Working Together for a Good Start in Life
Working in Israel's most disadvantaged neighborhoods, JDC's Better Together program strives to address the most outstanding risks to children and youth in the community by mobilizing residents, identifying and utilizing community resources and responding to unmet needs. In Neve Alonim, a neighborhood in the city of Ashkelon, Better Together is making a difference through the support and partnership of the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County.
Young mother Sarah regularly attends Neve Alonim’s Early Childhood Enrichment Room with her two children, aged three and six. Although she has a full-time job caring for babies at a day care center, the family's financial position is still precarious.
Sarah first heard about the room through the neighborhood's Community Center. When staff conducted interviews with residents prior to setting up the room, Sara stepped up and joined the Mothers’ Forum, which was established to ensure that Better Together's early learning programs fit the needs of the neighborhood's preschoolers.
Three times a week, Sarah brings her children to family literacy programs at the Playroom, and they both already feel at home there. While there, she formed a close bond with the staff, who have become a source of much needed support.
Moreover, Sarah is now employed there to run regular creative activities for parents and children. She has also recruited several new families to the Playroom, and as a member of the Mothers' Forum she is now participating in the course to develop community leadership.
As a result of her involvement with Better Together, Sarah is rapidly becoming a key figure in the neighborhood. While making an invaluable contribution to activities for very young children and their parents, she is increasing her family's income and gaining valuable, career-enhancing skills.
The following personal story of a young mother's progress, as she ensures the development of her young children while furthering her own career, encapsulates the community involvement that is the cornerstone of Better Together's success.
Young mother Sarah regularly attends Neve Alonim’s Early Childhood Enrichment Room with her two children, aged three and six. Although she has a full-time job caring for babies at a day care center, the family's financial position is still precarious.
Sarah first heard about the room through the neighborhood's Community Center. When staff conducted interviews with residents prior to setting up the room, Sara stepped up and joined the Mothers’ Forum, which was established to ensure that Better Together's early learning programs fit the needs of the neighborhood's preschoolers.
Three times a week, Sarah brings her children to family literacy programs at the Playroom, and they both already feel at home there. While there, she formed a close bond with the staff, who have become a source of much needed support.
Moreover, Sarah is now employed there to run regular creative activities for parents and children. She has also recruited several new families to the Playroom, and as a member of the Mothers' Forum she is now participating in the course to develop community leadership.
As a result of her involvement with Better Together, Sarah is rapidly becoming a key figure in the neighborhood. While making an invaluable contribution to activities for very young children and their parents, she is increasing her family's income and gaining valuable, career-enhancing skills.
July 25, 2011
'What Does It Mean To Give?'
JDC Jewish Service Corps Fellow, Elizabeth Fine, who is based in Moscow, has written a wonderful piece on her blog about the recent visit to Moscow by participants on the Jewish Federations of North America Campaign Chairs and Directors mission.
Read her post at 'What Does It Mean To Give?'
Read her post at 'What Does It Mean To Give?'
December 23, 2010
Thoughts While Watching Paul Newman
In the latest post on her blog From Leslie's Laptop, Leslie Dannin Rosenthal, who serves as Vice Co-Chair of Major Gifts at the United Jewish Communities of MetroWest New Jersey reflects on the film Exodus (1960), Israel today and the 20th anniversary of Operation Exodus when thousands of Soviet Jews made Aliyah in the early 1990s.
Leslie also makes some nice remarks about her experience at the recent JDC Ambassadors Circle Global Symposium held on December 13 in New York. Thanks Leslie!
Read the full blog post at Exodus and Operation Exodus: Resounding in Head and Heart.
Leslie also makes some nice remarks about her experience at the recent JDC Ambassadors Circle Global Symposium held on December 13 in New York. Thanks Leslie!
Read the full blog post at Exodus and Operation Exodus: Resounding in Head and Heart.
November 29, 2010
One Global Jewish Family
From Steve Schwager, CEO
I share with you below e-mails from two young women—Lisa Kudish and Marcy Bass—who were involved in the Lion of Judah Conference in New Orleans. Their story reminds us not only how we Jews yearn to care for our needy elderly as though they were our own grandparents, but also how the thread of interconnectedness binds us together as a global family. Years apart, both Lisa and Marcy had a common experience of being touched by an elderly woman half a world away; years later she is still being cared for by JDC.
Marcy Bass sent the following e-mail to Michael Novick, JDC’s Executive Director of Strategic Development.
Greetings from Atlanta! I thought you would be interested in knowing about a wonderful coincidence that happened at the Lion of Judah Conference last week. One of the last speakers at the Conference was Lisa Kudish, a young woman from Chicago now living in Miami. She shared her Jewish story, which included a trip to Minsk and St. Petersburg in 2006. She told us about a home visit to a woman who was homebound but who had touched her heart and who she still thought about 4 years later. She flashed a picture up on the screen—and my heart leaped—I recognized that face! I was almost certain that it was Seina Meerman!
At the end of Lisa's talk, I found her and told her that I had been in Minsk this summer and had visited Seina—and that she was still alive and still being cared for. Lisa burst into tears at the news and I promised to send her my pictures from our visit. I sent her the pictures when I got back to Atlanta and her response is below. Needless to say, we were all touched beyond measure by this coincidence. It once again brought home to us the magnitude and importance of the work the Joint does. I hope this story helps to remind you that you are touching lives not only in Minsk but all over the world.
My very best to all of you,
Marcy
When Lisa received the photos of Seina, this was her response to Marcy:
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!! I literally gasped when I saw the photo of you and Seina together—her face, I knew it instantly. And, it is virtually the same EXACT photo that I took with her (same position next to the bed, with a French-manicured hand giving her a gentle touch) that I have. I am attaching my photo, and you can look at it next to yours... if the face wasn't “proof” enough, the wallpaper is!
I am just blown away... I loved your presentation in its entirety. Reading about Seina, it was just stunning to see/hear someone telling the same story that I knew, the same person that I knew, and the same feeling that I knew... yes, she would be 85... she was 81 when we visited her in May 2006.
These pictures—seeing that she is still smiling and feeling cared for—I can't tell you what a gift that is to me. I am so grateful for you sending this.
Warmly,
Lisa
When Marcy sent the photos to Lisa, she, too, was confident that they had visited the same elderly woman. And she was thrilled to report that “Seina is alive and feisty, although still homebound and still completely dependent on the angels of the JDC.”
But the story doesn’t end there; Lisa then wrote to Michael Novick and added an interesting twist:
The world gets smaller by the minute. My sister Debra is very close with Eric, Jill, and Rebecca Schwager in Chicago and my father [David Kudish] knew Steve about 20 years ago. My own involvement has grown through National Young Leadership Cabinet, and it was on our 2006 Study Mission that I had the amazing experience of meeting Seina.
The story is not just shared between Marcy and me... the day before I spoke, there was a “Next Gen” breakout session at the Lion Conference, and one of the panelists was my dear friend, Stacy Siwak, from St. Louis. Stacy and I—along with one other Cabinet member—were the group of 3 to visit Seina in May 2006. During the breakout session, Stacy was asked what her “aha” leadership moment was... she and I had never discussed this since our visit, and she did not know that Seina would be referred to in my remarks. So when she answered the question, detailing our visit to Seina's apartment, recalling her tears of gratitude and smile in the most impoverished of circumstances, I welled up then... thinking “how amazing that this visit was so profound for us both.” The next morning, when Marcy approached me after my speech—it was just unreal.
Three young women—Marcy, Lisa, and Stacy—bound together by their devotion to the Jewish people and to one elderly Jewish lady in Belarus. Their collective, meaningful, first-person encounters with a JDC client personifies why Irv and I are committed to sharing JDC’s work with the Next Generation of Jewish leaders. And their story reminds us that wherever we live, however much time and geography may distance us, we are connected as one global Jewish family.
I share with you below e-mails from two young women—Lisa Kudish and Marcy Bass—who were involved in the Lion of Judah Conference in New Orleans. Their story reminds us not only how we Jews yearn to care for our needy elderly as though they were our own grandparents, but also how the thread of interconnectedness binds us together as a global family. Years apart, both Lisa and Marcy had a common experience of being touched by an elderly woman half a world away; years later she is still being cared for by JDC.
Marcy Bass sent the following e-mail to Michael Novick, JDC’s Executive Director of Strategic Development.
Greetings from Atlanta! I thought you would be interested in knowing about a wonderful coincidence that happened at the Lion of Judah Conference last week. One of the last speakers at the Conference was Lisa Kudish, a young woman from Chicago now living in Miami. She shared her Jewish story, which included a trip to Minsk and St. Petersburg in 2006. She told us about a home visit to a woman who was homebound but who had touched her heart and who she still thought about 4 years later. She flashed a picture up on the screen—and my heart leaped—I recognized that face! I was almost certain that it was Seina Meerman!
At the end of Lisa's talk, I found her and told her that I had been in Minsk this summer and had visited Seina—and that she was still alive and still being cared for. Lisa burst into tears at the news and I promised to send her my pictures from our visit. I sent her the pictures when I got back to Atlanta and her response is below. Needless to say, we were all touched beyond measure by this coincidence. It once again brought home to us the magnitude and importance of the work the Joint does. I hope this story helps to remind you that you are touching lives not only in Minsk but all over the world.
My very best to all of you,
Marcy
When Lisa received the photos of Seina, this was her response to Marcy:
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!! I literally gasped when I saw the photo of you and Seina together—her face, I knew it instantly. And, it is virtually the same EXACT photo that I took with her (same position next to the bed, with a French-manicured hand giving her a gentle touch) that I have. I am attaching my photo, and you can look at it next to yours... if the face wasn't “proof” enough, the wallpaper is!
I am just blown away... I loved your presentation in its entirety. Reading about Seina, it was just stunning to see/hear someone telling the same story that I knew, the same person that I knew, and the same feeling that I knew... yes, she would be 85... she was 81 when we visited her in May 2006.
These pictures—seeing that she is still smiling and feeling cared for—I can't tell you what a gift that is to me. I am so grateful for you sending this.
Warmly,
Lisa
When Marcy sent the photos to Lisa, she, too, was confident that they had visited the same elderly woman. And she was thrilled to report that “Seina is alive and feisty, although still homebound and still completely dependent on the angels of the JDC.”
But the story doesn’t end there; Lisa then wrote to Michael Novick and added an interesting twist:
The world gets smaller by the minute. My sister Debra is very close with Eric, Jill, and Rebecca Schwager in Chicago and my father [David Kudish] knew Steve about 20 years ago. My own involvement has grown through National Young Leadership Cabinet, and it was on our 2006 Study Mission that I had the amazing experience of meeting Seina.
The story is not just shared between Marcy and me... the day before I spoke, there was a “Next Gen” breakout session at the Lion Conference, and one of the panelists was my dear friend, Stacy Siwak, from St. Louis. Stacy and I—along with one other Cabinet member—were the group of 3 to visit Seina in May 2006. During the breakout session, Stacy was asked what her “aha” leadership moment was... she and I had never discussed this since our visit, and she did not know that Seina would be referred to in my remarks. So when she answered the question, detailing our visit to Seina's apartment, recalling her tears of gratitude and smile in the most impoverished of circumstances, I welled up then... thinking “how amazing that this visit was so profound for us both.” The next morning, when Marcy approached me after my speech—it was just unreal.
Three young women—Marcy, Lisa, and Stacy—bound together by their devotion to the Jewish people and to one elderly Jewish lady in Belarus. Their collective, meaningful, first-person encounters with a JDC client personifies why Irv and I are committed to sharing JDC’s work with the Next Generation of Jewish leaders. And their story reminds us that wherever we live, however much time and geography may distance us, we are connected as one global Jewish family.
November 4, 2010
JDC at the 2010 GA in New Orleans
If you plan on attending the 2010 JFNA General Assembly in New Orleans, don't miss out on these sessions and plenaries.
JDC at the 2010 JFNA General Assembly and International Lion of Judah Conference
Sunday, November 7
12:15-1:45 pm
Stay at Your Own Risk? Jewish Communities in the Face of Peril
(Session designed by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee)
Speakers:
Betty Kane, JDC Board Member
Jordana Horn, Jerusalem Post
Amir Shaviv, JDC, Special Operations
Jorge Shulman, JDC Latin America
12:15-1:45 pm
Do Jews Help Non-Jews? Love Your Neighbor as Thyself
Featured JDC Speaker:
Will Recant, JDC-International Development Program
12:15-1:45 pm
Israel's Economic Gap: How Investing in Social change in Israel Can Strengthen Your Community
Featured JDC Speaker:
Dan Ben-David, Taub Center for Social Policy Studies
8:00-11:00 pm
FILM SCREENING: After the Cup: Sons of Sakhnin United
(Foundation for Jewish Culture Film Festival is co-sponsored by Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues and the JFNA Social Venture Fund for Jewish-Arab Equality)
Speaker:
Roger Bennett, Documentary Filmmaker, After the Cup: Sons of Sakhnin United
Monday, November 8
10:45-12:00 pm
Overseas Plenary
Featured JDC Speakers:
Steve Schwager, CEO
Zsuzsa Fritz, JDC Hungary
4:00-5:30 pm
What's Jewish About Jewish Service Learning?
(Session designed by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee)
Speakers:
Rabbi Will Berkowitz, Repair the World
Rabbi Kenneth Brander, Yeshiva University
Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, Tufts University Hillel
Sarah Eisenman, JDC Next Generation and Service Initiatives
Tuesday, November 9
8:15-9:30 am
Creativity, Innovation, and Consciousness-Raising: New Approaches to Promoting the Strengths and Addressing the Needs of Individuals with Disabilities and their Families
Featured speaker:
JDC Board Member Jay Ruderman, President, Ruderman Family Foundation
8:15-9:30 am
Why Israeli Arabs are a Jewish Issue and What Federations Can Do to Ensure a Secure, Jewish and Democratic State of Israel
(Session designed by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues)
Speakers:
Avishay Braverman, Ph.D. Minister of Minority Affairs, Government of Israel
Jeffrey Solomon, President, Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies
9:45-11:00 am
The Adventure of Venture Philanthropy
(Session designed by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee)
Speakers:
Stuart Brown, JDC Board Member
Laura Spitzer, JDC Global Resource Development
Reuben Romirowsky, UJA-Federation of New York
Shlomo Dushi, Sheatufim
Galina Leytes, Israel Strategic Alternative Energy Foundation
9:45-11:00 am
Responsible for One Another: Why Overseas Giving Matters Today
(Session designed by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the Jewish Agency for Israel)
Speakers:
Skip Schrayer, JDC Board Member
Violetta Shmulenzon, JDC, former Ralph I. Goldman Fellow
Joy Sisisky, JDC, former Ralph I. Goldman Fellow
Seth Cohen, JAFI,
Shlomit, JAFI
2:00-3:30 pm
Why Empowering Israeli Women—Jewish and Arab—Is Important to Building a Peaceful and Prosperous Israel
(Session designed by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues, which is co-chaired by JDC CEO Steve Schwager)
Moderator:
Carol Smokler, Ph.D. NWP Past President and Founding Chair, JFNA Social Venture Fund for Jewish-Arab Equality and Shared Society
Speakers:
Alisa Doctoroff, Chair, UJA Federation of New York and Member of JFNA’s Social Venture Fund for Jewish-Arab Equality and Shared Society
Ronit Segelman, Deputy Director, Parnership, Rashi Foundation
Vivian Silver, Co-Executive Director, Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Development
Wednesday, November 10
8:45-9:45am, repeated 10:00-11:00am
From Crisis to Hope: Women on the Frontlines Share Their Experiences
(Session designed by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee)
JDC Speakers:
Irina (Ira) Lipsky, JDC represenative in Georgia, FSU
Anne Heyman, Founder, Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village in Rwanda and
Nela Hasic, JDC, Regional Director of the Women’s Health Empowerment Program in Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro
JDC at the 2010 JFNA General Assembly and International Lion of Judah Conference
Sunday, November 7
12:15-1:45 pm
Stay at Your Own Risk? Jewish Communities in the Face of Peril
(Session designed by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee)
Speakers:
Betty Kane, JDC Board Member
Jordana Horn, Jerusalem Post
Amir Shaviv, JDC, Special Operations
Jorge Shulman, JDC Latin America
12:15-1:45 pm
Do Jews Help Non-Jews? Love Your Neighbor as Thyself
Featured JDC Speaker:
Will Recant, JDC-International Development Program
12:15-1:45 pm
Israel's Economic Gap: How Investing in Social change in Israel Can Strengthen Your Community
Featured JDC Speaker:
Dan Ben-David, Taub Center for Social Policy Studies
8:00-11:00 pm
FILM SCREENING: After the Cup: Sons of Sakhnin United
(Foundation for Jewish Culture Film Festival is co-sponsored by Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues and the JFNA Social Venture Fund for Jewish-Arab Equality)
Speaker:
Roger Bennett, Documentary Filmmaker, After the Cup: Sons of Sakhnin United
Monday, November 8
10:45-12:00 pm
Overseas Plenary
Featured JDC Speakers:
Steve Schwager, CEO
Zsuzsa Fritz, JDC Hungary
4:00-5:30 pm
What's Jewish About Jewish Service Learning?
(Session designed by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee)
Speakers:
Rabbi Will Berkowitz, Repair the World
Rabbi Kenneth Brander, Yeshiva University
Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, Tufts University Hillel
Sarah Eisenman, JDC Next Generation and Service Initiatives
Tuesday, November 9
8:15-9:30 am
Creativity, Innovation, and Consciousness-Raising: New Approaches to Promoting the Strengths and Addressing the Needs of Individuals with Disabilities and their Families
Featured speaker:
JDC Board Member Jay Ruderman, President, Ruderman Family Foundation
8:15-9:30 am
Why Israeli Arabs are a Jewish Issue and What Federations Can Do to Ensure a Secure, Jewish and Democratic State of Israel
(Session designed by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues)
Speakers:
Avishay Braverman, Ph.D. Minister of Minority Affairs, Government of Israel
Jeffrey Solomon, President, Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies
9:45-11:00 am
The Adventure of Venture Philanthropy
(Session designed by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee)
Speakers:
Stuart Brown, JDC Board Member
Laura Spitzer, JDC Global Resource Development
Reuben Romirowsky, UJA-Federation of New York
Shlomo Dushi, Sheatufim
Galina Leytes, Israel Strategic Alternative Energy Foundation
9:45-11:00 am
Responsible for One Another: Why Overseas Giving Matters Today
(Session designed by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the Jewish Agency for Israel)
Speakers:
Skip Schrayer, JDC Board Member
Violetta Shmulenzon, JDC, former Ralph I. Goldman Fellow
Joy Sisisky, JDC, former Ralph I. Goldman Fellow
Seth Cohen, JAFI,
Shlomit, JAFI
2:00-3:30 pm
Why Empowering Israeli Women—Jewish and Arab—Is Important to Building a Peaceful and Prosperous Israel
(Session designed by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues, which is co-chaired by JDC CEO Steve Schwager)
Moderator:
Carol Smokler, Ph.D. NWP Past President and Founding Chair, JFNA Social Venture Fund for Jewish-Arab Equality and Shared Society
Speakers:
Alisa Doctoroff, Chair, UJA Federation of New York and Member of JFNA’s Social Venture Fund for Jewish-Arab Equality and Shared Society
Ronit Segelman, Deputy Director, Parnership, Rashi Foundation
Vivian Silver, Co-Executive Director, Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Development
Wednesday, November 10
8:45-9:45am, repeated 10:00-11:00am
From Crisis to Hope: Women on the Frontlines Share Their Experiences
(Session designed by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee)
JDC Speakers:
Irina (Ira) Lipsky, JDC represenative in Georgia, FSU
Anne Heyman, Founder, Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village in Rwanda and
Nela Hasic, JDC, Regional Director of the Women’s Health Empowerment Program in Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro
November 2, 2010
From Leslie's Laptop: Budapest and Prague
Leslie Dannin Rosenthal of the United Jewish Communities of MetroWest New Jersey recently traveled to Prague, Vienna and Budapest with her husband. During their trip, the Rosenthals spent time with the Jewish communities in Budapest and Prague, wanting to see Jewish life in both cities as it is today.
One stop on their tour of Budapest was the JDC supported Balint House Jewish Community Center. On her blog, From Leslie's Laptop, Leslie shares her impressions of the Balint House JCC in her post titled Matzah Balls in the Budapest JCC?
Leslie also recounts her time in Prague at Our History is Captured in the Sidewalks of Prague and Prague Part II.
One stop on their tour of Budapest was the JDC supported Balint House Jewish Community Center. On her blog, From Leslie's Laptop, Leslie shares her impressions of the Balint House JCC in her post titled Matzah Balls in the Budapest JCC?
Leslie also recounts her time in Prague at Our History is Captured in the Sidewalks of Prague and Prague Part II.
September 28, 2010
Making a Difference in Ashkelon Through AMEN Youth Volunteering City
The ASSOCIATED: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore is a major partner and supporter of JDC programs in Ashkelon, Israel through the Baltimore-Ashkelon Partnership. One program that has made a profound impact on the youth of Ashkelon is JDC's AMEN Youth Volunteering City program. Since the program's inception in 2005, AMEN has created over 65 different volunteering programs for teens in the city.
Read more about AMEN in Ashkelon at The ASSOCIATED in Israel: AMEN and watch the video below of Erez Menashe, winner of the President's Prize for Volunteering, and chairman of the Youth Council in Ashkelon. In the video Erez talks about how AMEN has had an impact on his life and how the support of the The Associated has allowed the AMEN program to grow in Asheklon.
About AMEN:
The AMEN (Youth Volunteering City) program develops volunteerism and leadership capabilities among teenagers and young adults in Israel, including those from Israel’s most vulnerable communities. AMEN also aims to cultivate volunteerism and solidarity among the youth of Israel’s diverse groups, including Jews, Druze, and Bedouins. It uses forums, training initiatives, and the development of attractive new frameworks to attract greater numbers of participants who want to help in meeting local needs.
More than 4 million volunteer hours have been contributed to local communities by some 50,000 youth through the AMEN Youth Volunteer City program. A staggering success, the program has raised youth involvement nationally, going from 10 percent to more than 50 percent in the pilot cities, and has set the stage for future volunteer efforts across Israeli society.
Read more about AMEN in Ashkelon at The ASSOCIATED in Israel: AMEN and watch the video below of Erez Menashe, winner of the President's Prize for Volunteering, and chairman of the Youth Council in Ashkelon. In the video Erez talks about how AMEN has had an impact on his life and how the support of the The Associated has allowed the AMEN program to grow in Asheklon.
About AMEN:
The AMEN (Youth Volunteering City) program develops volunteerism and leadership capabilities among teenagers and young adults in Israel, including those from Israel’s most vulnerable communities. AMEN also aims to cultivate volunteerism and solidarity among the youth of Israel’s diverse groups, including Jews, Druze, and Bedouins. It uses forums, training initiatives, and the development of attractive new frameworks to attract greater numbers of participants who want to help in meeting local needs.
More than 4 million volunteer hours have been contributed to local communities by some 50,000 youth through the AMEN Youth Volunteer City program. A staggering success, the program has raised youth involvement nationally, going from 10 percent to more than 50 percent in the pilot cities, and has set the stage for future volunteer efforts across Israeli society.
August 19, 2010
STRIVE Employment Program Featured in Jewish Press
Read about Nechama at Striving For Success in Israel.
July 28, 2010
Personal Impressions Part III - Israel
Gary Geller, Vice President and Campaign Director of the United Jewish Federation of Greater Stamford, New Canaan and Darien, recently returned from a Jewish Federations of North America mission to Hungary and Israel. In this final travelogue entry, he shares his impressions and insights about his time visiting JDC programs in Israel:
Israel
Today was such an action and information filled day. It will be very tough to capture in this short piece.
Our first site visit of the day was to the JDC Supportive Community for the Elderly at Moshav Nir Galim. The goal for this program is to allow individuals to age in place/ to provide emergency health care, home assistance and maintenance and social activities for the elderly (including an adult day care center) without their having to move. It sounds very similar to programs already in place in many Jewish communities in America and this is true. But it is a fairly new idea in many parts of Israel. Here, it is a partnership of the municipality, the moshav, the individual and JDC helps out in a few of the activities. There are 240 of the Supportive Communities around Israel.
Here we met three people who use the program: Shlomo, Duggo and Yonah. Shlomo and his family made Aliyah in 1969 from Chicago. In 1944 he fought with the US Army in the Normandy invasion. Sitting right next to him was Duggo who was originally from Hungary (a theme that continues to show up). In 1944 Duggo was sent to Birkenau (Auschwitz) and came face to face with Dr. Mengele. As a 14 year old he both survived (through some trickery) Mengele's selection process and the death march. We had not expected to meet Duggo so we were not fully prepared to hear his complete story, which was not easy to hear, but serves as another reminder of what took place over 60 years ago. Yonah was a hidden child in Germany and France who eventually made her way (at the age of eight) to Switzerland and then was reunited with her mother in Belgium. What does this have to do with Supportive Communities you ask? There is an intergenerational program there called Holocaust Theatre where teens hear the stories and then act them out on stage. It is a way for the survivors to connect with the next generation, the third generation.
From there we drove further south to Kiryat Gat where we learned about Garin Kehillati. Here we learned about a program for Ethiopian Jews by Ethiopian Jews. Not all immigrants are initially fully 'absorbed'. Those Ethiopians, usually older adults, who have not mastered Hebrew and have no trade beyond agriculture are left behind. What is found are often households where the 'alpha male' stays home all day with nothing to do which causes both financial and social problems. Domestic abuse is not unseen in some of these families. Here in Kiryat Gat a community garden was created to give some of these families a place to go during the day. The group reclaimed some unused land from the Ministry of Agriculture and split the plot between 12 families. Our lunch included vegetables we picked there. Moshe, the leader of the Garin gave a full explanation of the theory behind what is being done and why.
Our final stop for the day was in Netivot where we met a group of incredible teens. When asked about their volunteer activities, they each rattled off four or five different places they volunteer, whether it was running a blood drive or organizing a 'Happening' for the city or packing and delivering weekly vegetable packages for some 350 families. For these teens, volunteering is about the values they were brought up with; it is their chance to give to others and to help to build themselves up. It is a social activity. They come together in different small groups to be together and to have fun, though through doing a lot of hard work. For one girl, Moriya, her summer is spent working and when not working volunteering, with little or no 'free' time. These kids were truly amazing.
I could go on and on, and I will, about what I saw today. It was an exhausting though exhilarating day.
Israel
Today was such an action and information filled day. It will be very tough to capture in this short piece.
Our first site visit of the day was to the JDC Supportive Community for the Elderly at Moshav Nir Galim. The goal for this program is to allow individuals to age in place/ to provide emergency health care, home assistance and maintenance and social activities for the elderly (including an adult day care center) without their having to move. It sounds very similar to programs already in place in many Jewish communities in America and this is true. But it is a fairly new idea in many parts of Israel. Here, it is a partnership of the municipality, the moshav, the individual and JDC helps out in a few of the activities. There are 240 of the Supportive Communities around Israel.
Here we met three people who use the program: Shlomo, Duggo and Yonah. Shlomo and his family made Aliyah in 1969 from Chicago. In 1944 he fought with the US Army in the Normandy invasion. Sitting right next to him was Duggo who was originally from Hungary (a theme that continues to show up). In 1944 Duggo was sent to Birkenau (Auschwitz) and came face to face with Dr. Mengele. As a 14 year old he both survived (through some trickery) Mengele's selection process and the death march. We had not expected to meet Duggo so we were not fully prepared to hear his complete story, which was not easy to hear, but serves as another reminder of what took place over 60 years ago. Yonah was a hidden child in Germany and France who eventually made her way (at the age of eight) to Switzerland and then was reunited with her mother in Belgium. What does this have to do with Supportive Communities you ask? There is an intergenerational program there called Holocaust Theatre where teens hear the stories and then act them out on stage. It is a way for the survivors to connect with the next generation, the third generation.
From there we drove further south to Kiryat Gat where we learned about Garin Kehillati. Here we learned about a program for Ethiopian Jews by Ethiopian Jews. Not all immigrants are initially fully 'absorbed'. Those Ethiopians, usually older adults, who have not mastered Hebrew and have no trade beyond agriculture are left behind. What is found are often households where the 'alpha male' stays home all day with nothing to do which causes both financial and social problems. Domestic abuse is not unseen in some of these families. Here in Kiryat Gat a community garden was created to give some of these families a place to go during the day. The group reclaimed some unused land from the Ministry of Agriculture and split the plot between 12 families. Our lunch included vegetables we picked there. Moshe, the leader of the Garin gave a full explanation of the theory behind what is being done and why.
Our final stop for the day was in Netivot where we met a group of incredible teens. When asked about their volunteer activities, they each rattled off four or five different places they volunteer, whether it was running a blood drive or organizing a 'Happening' for the city or packing and delivering weekly vegetable packages for some 350 families. For these teens, volunteering is about the values they were brought up with; it is their chance to give to others and to help to build themselves up. It is a social activity. They come together in different small groups to be together and to have fun, though through doing a lot of hard work. For one girl, Moriya, her summer is spent working and when not working volunteering, with little or no 'free' time. These kids were truly amazing.
I could go on and on, and I will, about what I saw today. It was an exhausting though exhilarating day.
July 27, 2010
Personal Impressions of Budapest - Part II
Gary Geller, Vice President and Campaign Director of the United Jewish Federation of Greater Stamford, New Canaan and Darien, recently returned from a Jewish Federations of North America mission to Hungary and Israel. In the second of several travelogue entries, he shares his impressions and insights:
Budapest – Day 2
Just got back from the day at Szarvas and I have a few moments before we have Kabbalat Shabbat.
This morning we began the day at the Shoes Memorial on the Danube Promenade. This memorial is 'bronzed' shoes in various positions representing the hundreds of Jews who were shot to death and thrown into the Danube River by the Arrow Cross, the Hungarian pro-Nazi militia. To Hungarian Jews, this single act represented a total rejection of the Jews belief that they had been totally emancipated and accepted by the Hungarian people as full members of society. Again, this is an ongoing theme of the past two days, that Hungarian Jewry believed that they were safe in Hungary, having fought and died for Hungary in World War I, but learned otherwise in the 1940's.
Next came a long drive to Szarvas camp. On the way we heard about JDC's goals in Hungary: Renewal, Revival and Rebuilding. JDC serves 5,300 holocaust survivors and 900 children at risk. A big role is providing home heating subsidies in the winter. 1,400 individuals receive kosher daily meals, but everything is meant to be a partnership. All who receive assistance are expected to pay something or give something in return.
The best way to think about Szarvas Camp is through stories of people who have gone there.
Lela is from Macedonia. She is from a town of 200 Jews who got together every Friday night for dinner at the Jewish Center. For these Macedonians, Shabbat and Jewish holidays was a meal, not a holiday. At age 11 her family sent her to Szarvas where she learned that Judaism is more than a meal. The camp was/is twelve days of immersion in living Jewishly. Many of these kids return home changed and feeling Jewish and wanting to be Jewish and wanting to come back the following year. Lela now works for JDC and is based in Budapest.
Sondra is from Serbia and has been coming to Szarvas since 1991, first as a camper, then a madricha and now a unit leader. Her mother brought her to Szarvas when the camp in Zagreb closed. For Sondra, this was the first time she felt what it is like to live in a Jewish environment. Now she always looks for a job that will allow her to spend her summers at Szarvas, first as a teacher at a Jewish day school until she was downsized and now as a translator. Szarvas defines her Jewish life and it is a priority in her life.
Arten is originally from Moscow, but made Aliyah last year and is back at Szarvas for the summer. He too is back this year on staff. For him being Jewish began for him in 2000 when he first came to camp. He still remembers his first Shabbat. When all the campers are together in the 'square', they write their wishes on a piece of paper which are then attached to balloons and are then released into the air. Upon his return to Moscow he attended his first Rosh Hashanah service in Moscow. All because he spent 12 days in Hungary.
Szarvas draws campers from some 20 countries, mainly from Central and Eastern Europe and the FSU. In past years, there were 4 sessions and thus 2,000 campers each summer. Due to budget cuts at JDC and due to smaller overseas allocations, this year there will be only 2 sessions, only 1,000 campers. What this means is that the priority is to take campers from Hungary and new campers. What this means is Arten and Sondra and Lela might not have been able to attend if they were just now trying to attend.
For these young adults there were no alternatives for being exposed to being Jewish. What we are seeing is that it is the young who are teaching the old about being Jewish. This is something we will also be seeing when we meet with Ethiopian Jews in Israel, a new generation of Jews living jewishly.
It is amazing to see the differences we are making in the work we do.
Budapest – Day 2
Just got back from the day at Szarvas and I have a few moments before we have Kabbalat Shabbat.
This morning we began the day at the Shoes Memorial on the Danube Promenade. This memorial is 'bronzed' shoes in various positions representing the hundreds of Jews who were shot to death and thrown into the Danube River by the Arrow Cross, the Hungarian pro-Nazi militia. To Hungarian Jews, this single act represented a total rejection of the Jews belief that they had been totally emancipated and accepted by the Hungarian people as full members of society. Again, this is an ongoing theme of the past two days, that Hungarian Jewry believed that they were safe in Hungary, having fought and died for Hungary in World War I, but learned otherwise in the 1940's.
Next came a long drive to Szarvas camp. On the way we heard about JDC's goals in Hungary: Renewal, Revival and Rebuilding. JDC serves 5,300 holocaust survivors and 900 children at risk. A big role is providing home heating subsidies in the winter. 1,400 individuals receive kosher daily meals, but everything is meant to be a partnership. All who receive assistance are expected to pay something or give something in return.
The best way to think about Szarvas Camp is through stories of people who have gone there.
Lela is from Macedonia. She is from a town of 200 Jews who got together every Friday night for dinner at the Jewish Center. For these Macedonians, Shabbat and Jewish holidays was a meal, not a holiday. At age 11 her family sent her to Szarvas where she learned that Judaism is more than a meal. The camp was/is twelve days of immersion in living Jewishly. Many of these kids return home changed and feeling Jewish and wanting to be Jewish and wanting to come back the following year. Lela now works for JDC and is based in Budapest.
Sondra is from Serbia and has been coming to Szarvas since 1991, first as a camper, then a madricha and now a unit leader. Her mother brought her to Szarvas when the camp in Zagreb closed. For Sondra, this was the first time she felt what it is like to live in a Jewish environment. Now she always looks for a job that will allow her to spend her summers at Szarvas, first as a teacher at a Jewish day school until she was downsized and now as a translator. Szarvas defines her Jewish life and it is a priority in her life.
Arten is originally from Moscow, but made Aliyah last year and is back at Szarvas for the summer. He too is back this year on staff. For him being Jewish began for him in 2000 when he first came to camp. He still remembers his first Shabbat. When all the campers are together in the 'square', they write their wishes on a piece of paper which are then attached to balloons and are then released into the air. Upon his return to Moscow he attended his first Rosh Hashanah service in Moscow. All because he spent 12 days in Hungary.
Szarvas draws campers from some 20 countries, mainly from Central and Eastern Europe and the FSU. In past years, there were 4 sessions and thus 2,000 campers each summer. Due to budget cuts at JDC and due to smaller overseas allocations, this year there will be only 2 sessions, only 1,000 campers. What this means is that the priority is to take campers from Hungary and new campers. What this means is Arten and Sondra and Lela might not have been able to attend if they were just now trying to attend.
For these young adults there were no alternatives for being exposed to being Jewish. What we are seeing is that it is the young who are teaching the old about being Jewish. This is something we will also be seeing when we meet with Ethiopian Jews in Israel, a new generation of Jews living jewishly.
It is amazing to see the differences we are making in the work we do.
July 25, 2010
Personal Impressions of Budapest - Part I
Gary Geller, Vice President and Campaign Director of the United Jewish Federation of Greater Stamford, New Canaan and Darien, recently returned from a Jewish Federations of North America mission to Hungary and Israel. In the first of several travelogue entries, he shares his impressions and insights:
Budapest – Day 1
Where do I begin!!
This morning we arrived in Budapest. A lot of what I am feeling is a comparison to what I saw 5 years ago in Bucharest. The ride in from the airport was not nearly as dreary as in Bucharest. Yes, we saw many apartment buildings of Soviet era style, but there wasn't that same feeling of grayness.
Our first stop after lunch (or breakfast as it was 6 am Stamford time) was the Dohany Synagogue. Walking in it felt like a museum, not a house of worship. A fee is charged and there are two kiosks selling t-shirts and challah covers. Our Scholar in residence … made a statement that rang so true with me. "A big building does not make a community; rather a community fills a building." The Dohany Synagogue is huge, sitting 3,000 easily, including two levels of balconies. While at the Dohany Synagogue we heard a brief cantorial performance by two cantors, one from Dohany and the other from the rabbinic seminary. It really set the mood and made it clear that we were not in a museum, but in a house of worship…
...We then visited the Rumbach synagogue, a remodeling job in progress. During World War II and the Soviet period the synagogues were not in use and were in horrible shape. The symbolism of the work being done to recreate the Rumbach is as a phoenix. A bird that fell in flames and out of the ashes rose a new bird. This too is true of Jewish community of Hungary, now totaling over 100,000.
Our final visit of the day was to the Balint JCC to learn about some of the JDC programs. The director of the JCC told us her story. Her grandparents were married in the Dohany synagogue, but in the years that followed, especially until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989, religion, and especially Judaism, was de-emphasized. Hungarian Jews saw themselves as Hungarians and not Jews. Nothing was being passed on to the children. After the death of her grandfather, it hit the director that she was in fact Jewish. Her personal exploration led her to her current position, at the forefront of a revitalization of Jewishness in Hungary. Her story is one of shared leadership, of partnership, not one of the JDC doing all the work. Hungarians want to rebuild their community themselves.
We [were] told of the unseen poverty in this cosmopolitan city. Homeless families have found new homes in community-owned apartments. The JFS (funded by the Jaffe family of Tidewater, VA) saw that there are some 2,000 children in need. To date they are serving 450 families including 800 children. Our campaign dollars to overseas and JDC are making a real difference in people's lives.
Volunteerism is something the Hungarian Jewish community is learning for itself. Under a communist regime, there is no such thing as volunteering, unless it is 'mandatory'. A typical reaction when a Jewish volunteer tells a friend that they are volunteering their time is, "you are being exploited". When a teen was asked how she was chosen to be part of a leadership training program, her response was 'my own free will'. Things we take for granted are things these people do not.
This is a Jewish community on the mend, one that is making great strides because of the work we are doing.
More tomorrow when I get back from our visit to the Szarvas Summer camp.
Budapest – Day 1
Where do I begin!!
This morning we arrived in Budapest. A lot of what I am feeling is a comparison to what I saw 5 years ago in Bucharest. The ride in from the airport was not nearly as dreary as in Bucharest. Yes, we saw many apartment buildings of Soviet era style, but there wasn't that same feeling of grayness.
Our first stop after lunch (or breakfast as it was 6 am Stamford time) was the Dohany Synagogue. Walking in it felt like a museum, not a house of worship. A fee is charged and there are two kiosks selling t-shirts and challah covers. Our Scholar in residence … made a statement that rang so true with me. "A big building does not make a community; rather a community fills a building." The Dohany Synagogue is huge, sitting 3,000 easily, including two levels of balconies. While at the Dohany Synagogue we heard a brief cantorial performance by two cantors, one from Dohany and the other from the rabbinic seminary. It really set the mood and made it clear that we were not in a museum, but in a house of worship…
...We then visited the Rumbach synagogue, a remodeling job in progress. During World War II and the Soviet period the synagogues were not in use and were in horrible shape. The symbolism of the work being done to recreate the Rumbach is as a phoenix. A bird that fell in flames and out of the ashes rose a new bird. This too is true of Jewish community of Hungary, now totaling over 100,000.
Our final visit of the day was to the Balint JCC to learn about some of the JDC programs. The director of the JCC told us her story. Her grandparents were married in the Dohany synagogue, but in the years that followed, especially until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989, religion, and especially Judaism, was de-emphasized. Hungarian Jews saw themselves as Hungarians and not Jews. Nothing was being passed on to the children. After the death of her grandfather, it hit the director that she was in fact Jewish. Her personal exploration led her to her current position, at the forefront of a revitalization of Jewishness in Hungary. Her story is one of shared leadership, of partnership, not one of the JDC doing all the work. Hungarians want to rebuild their community themselves.
We [were] told of the unseen poverty in this cosmopolitan city. Homeless families have found new homes in community-owned apartments. The JFS (funded by the Jaffe family of Tidewater, VA) saw that there are some 2,000 children in need. To date they are serving 450 families including 800 children. Our campaign dollars to overseas and JDC are making a real difference in people's lives.
Volunteerism is something the Hungarian Jewish community is learning for itself. Under a communist regime, there is no such thing as volunteering, unless it is 'mandatory'. A typical reaction when a Jewish volunteer tells a friend that they are volunteering their time is, "you are being exploited". When a teen was asked how she was chosen to be part of a leadership training program, her response was 'my own free will'. Things we take for granted are things these people do not.
This is a Jewish community on the mend, one that is making great strides because of the work we are doing.
More tomorrow when I get back from our visit to the Szarvas Summer camp.
July 21, 2010
PACT Program In Ashkelon - Three Years of Successful Partnership
The Ashkelon-Baltimore Partnership In Israel recently celebrated the third year of JDC's Parents and Children Together (PACT) program in Ashkelon working to help Ethiopian Israeli children succeed in school.
Read more about the celebration at Focus on Ashkelon.
Video of PACT program and participants in Ashkelon - in Hebrew only
About PACT:
Parents and Children Together (PACT) is a comprehensive initiative addressing Ethiopian-Israeli preschoolers' educational and developmental needs by working to close critical educational and social gaps between Ethiopian-Israeli children under the age of six and their veteran Israeli peers.
By promoting the enrollment of every Ethiopian-Israeli youngster in a preschool framework and providing culturally sensitive support, PACT helps the children acquire the social and cognitive skills that Ethiopian-Israeli parents—raised in a rural, oral-based society—cannot provide.
JDC's partnerships with American and Israeli communities have made PACT a pioneer among efforts aimed at closing immigration-related social gaps.
Read more about the celebration at Focus on Ashkelon.
Video of PACT program and participants in Ashkelon - in Hebrew only
About PACT:
Parents and Children Together (PACT) is a comprehensive initiative addressing Ethiopian-Israeli preschoolers' educational and developmental needs by working to close critical educational and social gaps between Ethiopian-Israeli children under the age of six and their veteran Israeli peers.
By promoting the enrollment of every Ethiopian-Israeli youngster in a preschool framework and providing culturally sensitive support, PACT helps the children acquire the social and cognitive skills that Ethiopian-Israeli parents—raised in a rural, oral-based society—cannot provide.
JDC's partnerships with American and Israeli communities have made PACT a pioneer among efforts aimed at closing immigration-related social gaps.
July 19, 2010
Impressions of Haiti
The Ottawa Citizen recently featured an article about a mission to Haiti sponsored by the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA). Jack Silverstein, Executive Campaign Director of the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, Canada was among the participants who had the opportunity to see the situation on the ground and visit JDC sponsored programs that are working to make a difference. In this piece by The Ottawa Citizen writer, Ellen Mauro, he describes what he saw.
Read the entire article at Haitians ‘need our help,’ campaign director says.
Read the entire article at Haitians ‘need our help,’ campaign director says.
June 23, 2010
JDC Makes the 'J List' in Middlesex County
Earlier this month the 'J Team', the Jewish Youth Philanthropy Team at the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County awarded a total of $7,000 in grants to four organizations, including JDC.
For participants, students from 8th grade to 10th grade, the ceremony was the culmination of a year of learning about philanthropy and tzedakah. They heard presentations from several non-profit organizations, learning about their mission and work and then sat down to the task of deciding which four organizations should receive a grant and how the money should be divided.
Of the four recipient organizations, JDC received the largest allocation.
We thank the J Team for their generous gift and the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County for their ongoing support and partnership.
Read more about the J Team and the award ceremony, including a list of winners at Teen tzedaka mavens finds four ways to 'repair world'.
For participants, students from 8th grade to 10th grade, the ceremony was the culmination of a year of learning about philanthropy and tzedakah. They heard presentations from several non-profit organizations, learning about their mission and work and then sat down to the task of deciding which four organizations should receive a grant and how the money should be divided.
Of the four recipient organizations, JDC received the largest allocation.
We thank the J Team for their generous gift and the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County for their ongoing support and partnership.
Read more about the J Team and the award ceremony, including a list of winners at Teen tzedaka mavens finds four ways to 'repair world'.
May 21, 2010
Reflections on the Jewish Community's Response to the Crisis in Haiti
William Bernstein, President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County attended the JDC Board meetings earlier this month, where he heard presentations on JDC's response to the earthquake in Haiti, both from JDC professional staff and representatives from two of our partner organizations on the ground. On his blog, Bill's Blog, he reflects on JDC's relief efforts in Haiti and the quick and tremendous response by the Jewish Federations in answer to this crisis.
Read the blog post at A Light Unto the Nations.
Read the blog post at A Light Unto the Nations.
April 30, 2010
Changing the Future in Ethiopia
Check out this moving video showing JDC humanitarian assistance programs in Ethiopia, 2010, funded by the Mary L. and William J. Osher Foundation, in partnership with the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston.
April 29, 2010
Official Launch of the Dallas JDC Ambassadors Circle
The Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas has formally announced the formation of their local JDC Ambassadors Circle chapter. They will be holding a community JDC Ambassadors Circle event in May featuring Mandie Winston, Senior Program Officer and Jennifer Kraft, Director of Community Relations.
You can read more about the chapter and the event in the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas newsletter, Community Connections.
You can read more about the chapter and the event in the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas newsletter, Community Connections.
April 27, 2010
"The Bond of Rememberance"
In this recent blog post from Leslie Dannin Rosenthal, President of Women's Philanthropy at the United Jewish Communities of MetroWest New Jersey, Leslie shares more reflections from last month's Women's Philanthropy mission to Cuba.
Read the latest on From Leslie's Laptop.
Read the latest on From Leslie's Laptop.
April 2, 2010
JDC CEO's Visit Featured in Local Jewish Press
When Steve Schwager, CEO of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee visited the United Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh, he shared stories the local Jewish newspaper, The Jewish Chronicle, was on hand to hear what he had to say.
You can read the article in The Jewish Chronicle HERE.
You can read the article in The Jewish Chronicle HERE.
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