Thanksgiving 2010

By Judie Jacobson-

Yes, times are tough. All you need to do is open up (or log on to) your daily newspaper for a hefty dose of doom and gloom. But there are also many good and positive things happening in our Jewish communities – programs, events and other such stuff we can all be thankful for. And, with Thanksgiving upon us, we thought we would highlight just a few.

Israel Young Emissaries, Statewide

In late August, for the thirteenth consecutive year, Connecticut’s Jewish communities welcomed a new crop of Israel Young Emissaries whose year-long mission it is to strengthen the living bridge between Israel and the communities to which they have been assigned. The 14 Israeli teenagers, all from the Afula-Gilboa region of Israel, have delayed their Israeli military service to perform an academic year of outreach in Connecticut’s Jewish communities, while living with local host families. Sponsored by SNEC, the Southern New England Consortium, which is made up of 11 Jewish Federations in Connecticut and central Massachusetts, the Young Emissary program is a project of the Jewish Agency for Israel’s Partnership 2000, which connects 400 communities worldwide with regions in Israel. Pioneered in Westport and emulated throughout North America, the program is the only Jewish Agency “shlichut” (outreach/public information) program whose members are pre-army age.

Westchester Fairfield Hebrew Academy PALS. Greenwich

Westchester Fairfield Hebrew Academy (WFHA) is a unique example of the belief that Jewish education should be available to all Jewish children. Through its PALS program – Providing Alternative Learning Strategies – WFHA enables children with language-based learning disabilities to have a full Jewish day school experience. Because children with special needs often process information differently than their peers, they require academic support, more direct intervention, and a highly structured setting. PALS covers all bases – academic, social, and emotional – to embrace the Jewish child with an identified learning disability as a full member of the greater Jewish community.

UConn Hillel House, Storrs

On Oct. 10, nearly 350 well-wishers celebrated the rededication of the newly refurbished Trachten-Zachs Hillel House on the campus of UConn in Storrs. The Jewish student organization had been active on campus since 1933 and the first Hillel facility opened its doors in 1949. The building had never been renovated. The 8,500-square-foot building, which opened in time to welcome the Class of 2014, was completely repurposed to provide a flexible, modern, and functional home away from home for the nearly 2,000-strong Jewish student population. It is named for philanthropists Morris Trachten and his wife Shirley and Henry and Judith Zachs and their families, who funded most of the project. Zachs also served on the project as general contractor. “Our friends have stepped up and decided to invest in our students, in their future, in the future of Hillel,” says UConn Hillel Executive Director Gary Wolff.

Jewish SummerFest, Danbury

There was a moment of panic earlier this year when the brisket sandwiches made famous at Congregation B’nai Israel’s Jewish SummerFest nearly disappeared from the menu. But you can’t fight tradition. And so, by the time the popular annual August festival – that brings an afternoon of Jewish and Israeli arts and culture to Danbury and its environs – unfolded, the brisket, we’re happy to report was back for an encore. Now, in its fifth year, Jewish SummerFest came about in a city known for its summertime ethnic festivals celebrating the Italian, Greek and Lebanese communities, as well as Latin music. The shul’s congregants thought “Why not add a Jewish festival to the mix to share our culture?” And so they did.

The Tikvah Funds, Stamford

Jewish Family Service of Stamford, New Canaan and Darien, Westport Weston Wilton Norwalk (JFS) established “The Tikvah Funds,” an emergency and financial need program. “Affluent communities such as Westport, Weston, Wilton and Norwalk are not immune to emergency needs. In fact, people in these areas deny and delay asking for help until their situation is really dire and then they turn to us very needy”, says JFS Case Manager Rita Halpert. “The support available from The Tikvah Funds will assist us in our efforts to help those in need.” Like Stamford, other JFS agencies around the state swung into action this year to help those left hurting by the economic crisis.

Jewish High School of Connecticut, Bridgeport

Four years ago, a group of parents in Fairfield and New Haven Counties decided that it didn’t make sense to end Jewish education at 8th grade. “We saw other successful Jewish high schools around the country. We asked, ‘Why not here?'” says Susan Birke Fiedler, an original member of the organizing committee. Over the next two years, in living rooms and synagogues throughout the region, the question was answered, and the Jewish High School of Connecticut took shape. Fiedler is now president of the school’s board of trustees, who welcomed the Jewish community and the first group of 9th- and 10th-grade students at the Aug. 30 dedication of the new regional institution, housed at Congregation B’nai Israel in Bridgeport.

Women’s Mayan Seder, Greater Hartford

In the ’60s, they would have called it “a happening.” And so it was. Eight hundred and forty Jewish women, gathered together to celebrate their shared journey, raise their voices in song, and bask in the spirituality of the women’s Mayan Seder, featuring the renowned composer, singer and recording artist Debbie Friedman. “You are a tapestry of our community,” David Jacobs, executive director of the Mandell Jewish Community Center (JCC) in West Hartford, told those in attendance at the seder, held in Windsor last March. Hosted by the JCC, the evening was a communal effort supported by 30 Jewish women’s organizations and sisterhoods, agencies and study groups.

Jewish Revival, Greater Bridgeport

The old joke is that whenever you get 10 Jews in a room, you get 20 opinions. So what happens when you get 400 Jews in a room? Ask the leadership team of the Thriving Jewish Community Initiative (TJC), an all-volunteer, grassroots movement to reshape Jewish Eastern Fairfield County, greater Bridgeport. Funded by the Jewish Center for Community Services – UJA/Federation and JCC – TJC held its first community-wide “futuring” session in a ballroom at the Trumbull Marriott on Oct. 17, and had to turn people away. Participants made lists of ideas and visions that were posted on the walls around the room, and everybody voted for their favorites. TJC is planning its next community-wide event in March.

Waterbury Orthodox Community, Waterbury

In May, the new Waterbury Orthodox Jewish community celebrated its tenth anniversary. It may be the only instance of a planned Jewish community in the U.S. Today, the community boasts, a mikvah (ritual bath), kosher pizza restaurant, kosher deli, and an extensive line of kosher products in the local ShopRite. They also offer an accredited business-administration bachelors degree program through Post University of Waterbury, and the yeshiva maintains a fulltime outreach staff at Yale University, teaching courses, leading student groups to Israel, and bringing students to the Waterbury community to spend Shabbat with families. “This has been part of our mission from day one,” Kaufman says, “to be inclusive, to be here for everybody. We’re not trying to ‘convert’ people, but we want to instill a strong Jewish identity and connection.”

Solomon Schechter Academy, New London

The news was most unexpected – but certainly not unwelcome – when the Solomon Schechter Academy (SSA) in New London announced last spring that it was lowering its tuition. This year’s tuition was reduced from $10,850 to $7,950, a decrease of 27 percent, thanks to a gift made by Harry Leiser, a longtime and active member of the Jewish community. The lower tuition could not come at a more fortuitous time. According to a report last year in the Forward, the effect of the recession on day schools nationwide has been devastating, with tuition costs rising and fewer donations to help keep them afloat.

YIISA, New Haven

Just four years ago, Dr. Charles Small established the Yale Initiative for the Interdisciplinary Study of Antisemitism. Known from its inception for a rigorous public seminar series, YIISA has brought world-renowned scholars to campus who consistently shed light on the issues of contemporary antisemitism. The program has already trained two groups of graduate and post-doctoral fellows, drawing Jewish and non-Jewish young scholars from top universities throughout the world to strengthen the academic discipline. This summer, YIISA hosted “Global Antisemitism: A Crisis of Modernity,” the inaugural conference of the newly launched International Association for the Study of Antisemitism. Beyond its role as watchdog and educator, YIISA plays an essential role in supporting the small international scholarly community dedicated to an often unpopular academic discipline.

Window onto History, Westport

This fall, as part of its 80th anniversary season, the Westport Country Playhouse staged “The Diary of Anne Frank.” But the production was much more than a play. “Window onto History: Perspectives on ‘The Diary of Anne Frank'” engaged the community with a rich line-up of events designed to deepen the conversation and provide a context for the story of Anne Frank and the Holocaust. The program, partnered with 16 community organizations throughout the region, included lectures, film screenings, talkback art exhibits, and panel discussions. It was unprecedented at the Playhouse.

Orchard Street Shul, New Haven

Seven years ago, the fate of the 85-year-old Orchard Street Shul – home to Congregation Beth Israel – once the anchor of the Oak Street-Legion Avenue Jewish neighborhood of New Haven, was unknown. The building was in disrepair and had been barely used since the ’80s. There was talk of selling the building that is listed on the Connecticut state Register of Historic Places, as well as the National Register of Historic Places. Then, this September, with a new board just elected, the synagogue once again opened its doors to worshippers for Rosh Hashanah services. With the extensive Frontage Road development, an influx of professionals is expected over the next few years, perhaps bringing renewed interested in the shul, says Lee Liberman, the shul’s new president who first became a member in 1947. “That’s the reason I want to hold onto the building for the future,” he says. “I would like future generations to be able to see what the old-fashioned Orthodox synagogue was like.”

Global Day of Jewish Learning, Statewide

On Sunday, Nov. 7, many Connecticut Jewish communities joined Jews around the world to take part in the Global Day of Jewish Learning, the first worldwide, nondenominational event devoted to Jewish learning. The Global Day of Jewish Learning celebrated the culmination of world renowned scholar Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz’s 45-year quest to translate the Talmud and unlock its wisdom for modern Jews.

Kosher galore, Greater Hartford

There is a kosher renaissance in greater Hartford – thanks in large part to the community’s Hartford Kashrut Commission (HKC). “It’s a good time for this Jewish community,” says Rabbi Yitzchok Adler, rabbinic administrator of the HKC, a local supervisory agency. “Keeping kosher here has never been easier.” By the end of the year, kosher caterer Steve Shuman plans to open the only kosher restaurant in greater Hartford; the new Big Y at Bishops Corner, which took over Waldbaum’s, is continuing to offer glatt kosher prepared foods and a kosher deli at Bishops Corner; the Crown Market recently introduced a new glatt kosher fresh meat department and more; and Windsor-based Yosi Kosher Catering is expanding its offerings as well.

Jspace, Westport

When it opened a year ago, the folks at Chabad of Wesport, Weston, Wilton and Norwalk promised that JSpace, its new center at 20 Ketchum St. in Westport, would be dedicated to creating a “Jewish learning and discover center that will engage people of all ages, regardless of level of observance, to explore the richness, depth and diversity of our heritage.” And that’s just what JSpace has offered this first year – a multitude of hands-on, experiential Jewish activities, such as Israeli dance, Torah study, cooking, conversational Hebrew, camp reunions and more.

Chai Mitzvah, Greater Hartford

At a community celebration on June 9, 50 Jewish adults from throughout greater Hartford marked a milestone: the culmination of their year-long personal Jewish journeys as the pioneer group of Chai Mitzvah, a new program that engages adults in a lifelong pursuit of meaningful Judaism.

Piloted in the community in Sept. 2009, Chai Mitzvah was conceived by New Yorker Scott Shay in his 2006 book, “Getting Our Groove Back: How to Energize American Jewry.” The new effort encourages Jews to reconnect with or deepen their Judaism every 18 years post bar- or bat-mitzvah. “Chai Mitzvah recognizes that adults grow throughout their lives and offers an opportunity to mark these life transitions in a Jewish context,” says executive director Audrey Lichter. This year, Chai Mitzvah will create pilot programs in New York City and on Long Island, thanks to a grant from the UJA-Federation of New York. The greater Hartford area will enter its second pilot year, welcoming another 80 participants.

Connecticut Cantors Connect, Statewide

Spearheaded by Cantor Deborah Katchko Gray of Temple Shearith Israel in Ridgefield and Cantor Sanford Cohen of The Emanuel Synagogue in West Hartford, the newly formed group Connecticut Cantors Connect (CCC) is off to a running start, meeting recently at Congregation Rodeph Sholom in Bridgeport. The group’s mission is to bring cantors from all across the state together to share ideas and information and organize events and concerts. Still in the planning stage, CCC’s first concert is tentatively scheduled to take part sometime this spring in the Bridgeport area.