The Westchester Jewish Council's
Community Connection
March 4, 2021 20 Adar 5781
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Interesting fact of the day - On March 4, 1791, the first Jewish member of
US Congress, Israel Jacobs (PA), takes office.
Greetings!
It is hard to believe that it has been a year or so since the first case of coronavirus appeared in this area. We have all learned to function in a different manner, to take on new roles, to have much patience and to rely on community in more ways than we may have in the past. We anticipate the days and months ahead as we work through this next stage of normalcy. We will continue to bring meaningful programs to the community whether virtually or when the time is right in person.
Thank you to the Westchester County Government for hosting a Facebook Live event yesterday which commemorated that day in the County's history. Thank you to UJA for hosting a commemoration this past Monday. And thank you to the JCC of Mid-Westchester for hosting a commemoration on March 11. As we acknowledge the pain and struggles of the past year, we look forward to working with each of you towards brighter days.
It was a sacred moment and privilege for the Council staff and volunteer leadership, to work in coordination with the Westchester Department of Senior Services to personally help register and schedule over 60 vaccination appointments for seniors. These 60 seniors will have their vaccinations today and we hope the appointments go well. We look forward to working with the county again as needed to expedite the vaccination process within our community.
Looking ahead, please read on for all of the great programs taking place in the upcoming weeks. In particular, we are very proud and excited to promote the upcoming Julian Y. Bernstein Distinguished Service Awards ceremony which will take place on Tuesday, March 16th. Read below for details on how to register.
Also, did you know that the Council has a YouTube Channel which houses a collection of many of our recorded events? Visit the channel here - WJ Council YouTube.
We wish you a restful weekend and Shabbat Shalom.
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Lisa Roberts, President
Lori Kurlander, Communications Manager
Elliot Forchheimer, CEO
WESTCHESTER JEWISH COUNCIL
"HERE WHEN YOU NEED US-YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW"
(The Council is financially supported by donations from individuals,
dues from 132 member organizations and generous grant support from UJA-Federation)
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Please support the work of the Westchester Jewish Council. Your donation makes a difference each and every day. Click here to donate.
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WESTCHESTER JEWISH COUNCIL
UPCOMING EVENTS
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The 26th Annual Julian Y. Bernstein Distinguished Service Awards Ceremony
March 16, 2021, 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Ever year, the Westchester Jewish Council honors deserving member organizations and their leaders with the Julian Y. Bernstein Distinguished Service Award (DSA). Julian Y. Bernstein was a former Westchester Jewish Council board member, who was a visionary communal leader. Julian believed that doing tzedakah was just as important as giving tzedakah. In tribute to his passion and devotion to the Jewish community, we honor those who follow in his footsteps.
To view the complete invitation and list of honorees, please click on the image.
To register, please click HERE. The event is free and open to all.
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WESTCHESTER COUNCIL LOOKS BACK |
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Columbia Doctors (Council business partner) and the Westchester Jewish Council presented a second program together entitled, "Parent's Guide for Supporting Children in Online Learning" on March 2nd. Thank you to Alyssa Ames-Sikora, PhD for leading this program, to Tugba Pal for arranging the details and to everyone who attended.
If you missed this event and would like to view it, please click here.
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COVID VACCINE RESOURCES AND UPDATES |
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Resources regarding the COVID 19 vaccine from
211 Hudson Valley Region
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
CDC COVID-19 Page
NYS COVID-19 Page
Pfizer Vaccine Fact Sheet
Moderna Vaccine Fact Sheet
NYS Eligbility
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List of specific sites (hospitals, pharmacies, NYS vaccine sites) in Westchester where eligible persons can go to receive the vaccine after making an appointment.
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If you are age 65 to 75 or are eligible under another category in Phase 1a or Phase 1b, you can sign up for the Health Department’s Alert system, which will alert you when more vaccine doses become available.
- To be clear, this will not sign you up for an appointment, this will only sign you up to be alerted when there are appointments available. The Department cannot set up the appointment system until we have confirmation of receiving the vaccine.
- If you do not fall under Phase 1a or Phase 1b, you will not be able to sign up.
- Going forward, this link will be updated to accommodate further phases as those become better defined.
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WESTCHESTER JEWISH COUNCIL'S
ISRAEL CONNECTION
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SAVE THE DATE FOR
THE NEXT ISRAEL CONNECTION PROGRAM -
WEDNESDAY MARCH 24th 12:00 - 1:00 PM
Israel’s Elections: Now What?
At the end of an unprecedented fourth round of elections in just two years, Israel has been going through considerable political turmoil in recent years. What can we expect from the outcome of the elections and should we brace ourselves for a fifth round? This event will be presented by Shahar Azani, founder and principal at Fourth Dimension Strategies and a Senior Vice President at JBS, Jewish Broadcasting Service
(a Council member).
For more information, please contact Helene Schonbrun, helene@wjcouncil.org
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"Israel Connection", a monthly virtual series of the Westchester Jewish Council, offers presentations and discussions on diverse topics of interest regarding the culture, politics and society of Israel presented by our member organizations. All welcome.
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WESTCHESTER JEWISH COUNCIL ROUNDTABLES (ConnecTables)
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Westchester Jewish Council
Upcoming Community Roundtables
(The Council thanks the hundreds of people that dedicate time to attend our Roundtables -a signature initiative of the Council often sponsored with wonderful partners from among our member organizations)
Upcoming Virtual Council Roundtables:
Synagogue Executive Directors - Wednesday, March 17th
Security Roundtable - Thursday, March 11th
Greening Roundtable - Tuesday, April 6th
Youth Professional Roundtable - Tuesday, April 6th
Mosaic Roundtable - Wednesday, April 21st
Marketing Roundtable - coming soon
Seniors - coming in March or April
Contact the Council office at (914) 328-7001 or info@wjcouncil.org for information on these and other Roundtables--a key offering of the Westchester Jewish Council.
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PROGRAMMING AND EVENTS YOU CAN ENJOY FROM HOME
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Scarsdale Synagogue – Jews & Blacks in the Civil Rights Era – A Discussion
March 5, 2021, 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Following the 7:30 p.m. Shir Shabbat service via Zoom, join Scarsdale Synagogue’s Brotherhood and Billy Planer to explore the reality of the relationship between the Jewish & Black communities during the Civil Rights era.
Billy Planer founded Etgar 36 in 2003 as a political and social justice summer program for Jewish teens and continues to lead students across America and engage them in difficult and uncomfortable conversations with multiple sides of social and political issues to develop their opinion and voice.
To attend via Zoom, please email Temple Administrator, Fawn Mendel at fawn@sstte.org.
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Bet Am Shalom has been holding a Judaica Craft show for 25 years. In response to the pandemic, this year they developed an online version of the show at http://betamshalomcraftshow.org which has been live since October. Although the site is always open for shopping, they are presenting periodic shows and events along with the shopping. Bet Am Shalom is pleased to announce that the site now has two affiliates, Hebrew Institute of White Plains and The Leffell School.
The next show that will take place is as follows:
“The Passover Table, The Centerpiece: Seder Plate”
March 7, 2021, 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Watch a lively zoom discussion among Rabbis Harry Pell (The Leffell School), Chaim Marder (Hebrew Institute of White Plains), and Les Bronstein (Bet Am Shalom), as they explore the meaning of the Passover table’s centerpiece, the seder plate, our special connection to it, and the way we elevate it with art. Then learn how artists Jennifer Wankoff, Amy Gilron, Amalia Flaisher and Frann Addison use their respective mediums — ceramics, wood, glass, metal — to bring these meanings to life.
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WJCS-Rethink and Reinvent Your Resume
March 9, 2021, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
This workshop is for those who are new to the WJCS Covid Relief Hub, as well as for those who have not updated their resume in a while. Join this small group to learn more about the program and to discuss the current trends in resume writing to effectively present your qualifications to potential employers. Learn about the latest techniques to help your resume stand out from the competition and be noticed. This class is a requirement before meeting individually with a career specialist. Please send a copy of your current resume to hubs@wjcs.com.
Facilitated by: Naomi Koller, WJCS Career Specialist
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The Legacy of Morocco's Jewish Life
Friday, March 12, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Join us when Dr. Roy Mittelman, director of the Jewish Studies Program at City College, presents this introduction to the long and storied legacy of Jewish Life in Morocco. In addition, Dr. Mittelman will discuss aspects of Muslim-Jewish relations in Morocco, as well as share photos and stories of Jewish life based on his travels there over the past 40 years.
To register and receive the link, please click: Morocco
Lasting Impressions: DOROT’s Legacy Project is generously supported by a grant from the Keller-Shatanoff Foundation
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Pardes Daily
Making Order of Passover - Our Texts, Beliefs, and Traditions
March 8th to 26th
Join hundreds of other Pardes Daily listeners, cultivate your own learning routine, and prepare for the upcoming Hagim (Jewish holiday)!
Whether you’re learning on your own, with a havruta, or with friends and family, be a part of this incredible community of online learners.
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One Year Later: COVID Commemoration Thank you to the Westchester County Government for organizing this program which was held on Wednesday, March 3rd via Facebook Live to commemorate the one year anniversary of COVID first appearing in Westchester County. Shout out to our County Executive George Latimer and Rabbi Annie Tucker of Temple Israel Center of White Plains representing the Westchester Board of Rabbis.
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Hon. George Latimer,
Westchester County Executive
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Rabbi Annie Tucker,
Temple Israel Center of White Plains
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The Hon. Israel Nitzan, Consulate General of Israel - New York shared the following article from Reuters with us:
Palestinian COVID-19 vaccine rollout under fire over doses for VIPs
RAMALLAH (Reuters) - The Palestinian Authority on Tuesday confirmed that it diverted some COVID-19 vaccination doses meant for medical workers to VIPs as critics charged but said this involved a small fraction of inoculations.
A health ministry statement said 10% of the 12,000 doses it received were given to the Palestinian national football team, government ministers, presidential guards and members of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s topmost Executive Committee. Another 200 doses went to the Jordanian royal court, after a request from Amman.
But it said the other 90% went to health workers treating COVID-19 cases in intensive care units and emergency departments, and health ministry workers.
To read the article in its entirety, please click the following link -
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WESTCHESTER JEWISH COUNCIL'S
SECURITY AND SAFETY UPDATE
"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail" B. Franklin
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The next Security Roundtable will be held on Thursday, March 11th.
Also, if anyone requires help with security grants, please contact security@wjcouncil.org.
As always and per protocol, please report any security concerns immediately to your local Police Department and then to the Council and to CSI/Bill Hayes for follow up.
Stay alert, prepared and safe.
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UJA-FEDERATION OF NY IN WESTCHESTER |
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At times, it feels like the whole world has moved online – and we know that most of us can use a little help navigating the online world at times. Now, more than ever, a bit of technical assistance could make all the difference .
GOOD NEWS! Help is just a phone call away
Tech Helpline is a great way to get personalized, 1:1 support over the phone for help with things like:
How do I open an attachment? What happened to my WIFI? How does someone see me on a Zoom call? Or, what’s Zoom? And how do I get it? I touched something, and now the screen is blank
Tech Helpline is free, easy to call, and available in English, Russian and Spanish. So, call your family when you want a good schmooze, and call us to get the 1:1 help you need to feel comfortable and confident online.
For more information, please click here. |
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WESTCHESTER COUNTY EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES |
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Financial Assistant
Jewish Community Center of Harrison (JCCH)
The Financial Assistant (FA) at the JCCH is a part-time position (est. 10 hours/week).
In this position you will work closely with the Executive Director (ED); with other members of the Synagogue staff; and with our outsourced accounting company in helping to manage the finances and record keeping at the Synagogue.
The FA will be responsible for
i. administrative tasks liaising with the outsourced accounting company;
ii. reviewing the monthly P&L and Balance Sheet and escalating potential issues to the ED
iii. running monthly reports and distributing them as agreed
In addition, the FA may be called on to assist the ED in drafting policy documents and ensuring that policies are being adhered to.
The successful candidate will have some experience in a bookkeeping capacity, and will have performed a similar role elsewhere.
In addition, candidate should have:
· Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
· Computer proficiency in particular Excel and Word, Quickbooks, and Google Docs.
· Strong interpersonal skills, positive attitude, commitment to engendering and maintaining healthy relationships with members of staff, vendors and volunteers.
· Experience in a synagogue or other nonprofit a plus.
· Experience with Shulcloud or other online database system preferred, but not essential.
· Willingness to take on other administrative tasks as required.
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We invite teens in the community to represent their agencies and synagogues at our WJC Youth Volunteer Roundtable. We ask our Youth Professionals to recommend a teen(s) to join us at the table. Please send the name and contact and any questions to Donna Bartell - Donna@WJCouncil.org
Westchester Jewish Council Teen Organizations include:
Thank you to the Jewish Education Project for working so closely with our Teen professionals and volunteers!
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For a complete and timely schedule and other television providers, go to www.jbstv.org
The Hudson Valley 211 Helpline is Here
This is a service of United Way of Westchester and Putnam.
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Westchester Jewish Council
925 Westchester Avenue, Suite 200, White Plains, NY 10604
914-328-7001 | info@wjcouncil.org | www.wjcouncil.org
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The next Community Connection will be published on or about March 11, 2021
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