Trending in Our Jewish Community

TRENDING IN OUR JEWISH COMMUNITY

July 14, 2023

Shabbat Shalom CT!

Am I the only one who is waiting with bated breath until the release of Greta Gerwig’s new Barbie movie?

I don't think so!

The buzz for the film has been terrific. But long before the craze over the movie, most people could conjure the image of the doll -- an impossible standard of beauty who was the Popular Girl. She was a perky, blonde, ever-smiling American enigma to this nice Jewish girl from New York.

But Barbie was also Jewish, or at least her 'mother,' Ruth Handler, was Jewish. I didn't know that when I was playing with Barbie.

I also didn't know that Ruth was a smart and strong businesswoman whose family had fled poverty and antisemitism in Poland. I didn't know that Barbie's ancestry was nearly identical to my own.

With a woman like Ruth Handler behind her, how could Barbie not be Jewish? That's when I I finally realized I could always find a piece of myself in Barbie.

My family survived the Holocaust and arrived in New York from the shtetls of Russia and Lithuania to live and flourish.

With that history behind me, I grew up knowing that I could be anyone and anything that I wanted to be -- which was exactly what Ruth Handler hoped for her Barbie girls.

Am Yisrael Chai. I wish you a safe and peaceful Shabbos.

Carin Savel, CEO

carin@shalomct.org

Gala Registration

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An invitation from Senator Murphy

Join U.S. Senator Chris Murphy for a listening conversation with the Jewish community of Greater Norwalk and Westport.

Some of the topics to be discussed include the rise of antisemitism, U.S.-Israel relations, and other topics you feel the Senator should hear about. Your perspective and insights would be a valuable addition to this dialogue. Sen. Murphy looks forward to hearing your experiences, recommendations, and opinions on how these issues have impacted your life, your community, and our state.

Monday, July 17, 1:15 pm

Congregation Beth El-Norwalk,109 East Ave., Norwalk

THE FUTURE FUND

We created the Future Fund to help our young Jewish community members develop an understanding of and connection to Israel.

From summer programs in Israel, to studying in Israel for a semester, to Jewish pre-college and gap-year programs, there are plenty of enriching opportunities available for funding.

Applications are now open for the Future Fund, a program of the Jewish Federation.

Students in 8th grade through college undergraduate who reside in and/or who are attending school in our catchment can apply for $1,000 grants for programs connected to Israel.

Applications are blind submissions and will be reviewed and evaluated by the Future Fund committee.

The Future Fund applications are here.

The Future Fund is a program supported by the Jewish Federation. If you wish to further support the program and increase the number of participating applicants, you can donate HERE!

The Jewish Federation of Greater Fairfield County has joined Jewish Federations across America in advocating for Israel to be added to the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).

A group of 10 bipartisan Members of Congress led by Rep. Schneider wrote to Secretaries Blinken and Mayorkas to express support for efforts to include Israel in the Visa Waiver Program by the end of FY23.

While recognizing that there are outstanding issues that need to be addressed, they encouraged all sides to continue their efforts to complete the process before the September 2023 deadline.

The Federation sent a strong message of support to the administration and signed the letter of endorsement.

The VWP presently allows citizens of 40 countries to travel to the U.S. for up to 90 days without visas and for U.S. citizens to receive reciprocal visa-free treatment when traveling to those participating countries. The narrow window to enter the program closes on September 30.

Approximately 450,000 Israelis travel annually to the United States, and that number has been increasing each year. Significant travel demand exists, with 93 weekly direct flights from Israel to U.S. airports.

These flights arrive in all regions of our country, including the Northeast, South, Midwest, and West Coast. Israel’s inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program would significantly increase the potential for both tourism and business travel, providing benefits to both countries.

Here is more information.