The April Edition Includes:

Register and Join Us for "An Evening With John Paul Thornton",

Spring Youth & Adult Basketball Leagues, Summer Sports Camp, Speakers Series, Today's Montessori Students learn about climate change, Maj Jongg, Readers Club,

Meet Emily Tufeld and Debbie DuVal, Passover Facts, Passover Recipe,

Letter From Jeff Rubin

Executive Director, Valley JCC



Remember the children’s book “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein? The relationship between the apple tree and the boy spans the boy’s lifetime from a young child through manhood and old age. Through the years, the tree “gives” what it can to the boy: tree limbs to swing upon, a trunk to climb, apples to eat, shade from the sun, and ultimately, a stump to sit upon when he is an elderly man. The moral of the story has been interpreted as the tree’s happiness depends on what it could offer the boy. The story is a parable on the joys of giving.

There’s also an old adage, “It’s better to give than receive.” There are many benefits of giving to others, it: makes us feel happy, is good for our health, helps social connection, and evokes gratitude. There are also many stories about “paying it forward” when the beneficiary of a good deed repays the kindness to others instead of back to the original benefactor.

We found out the impact of giving this past December when Valley JCC held our Hanukkah Candle GiveAway throughout the community. Based on the warm reception and compliments from the patrons of the various locations where we held the giveaway, we have decided to follow that positive experience with a Matzo GiveAway on April 2nd.

Valley JCC will be distributing 150 boxes of matzo to families in the community. Each box has a label with our Valley JCC logo and the words: “Happy Passover! From Your Friends At Valley JCC". Our volunteers will be stationed at several deli’s throughout the Valley: Brent’s in Northridge, Brent’s in Westlake Village, Lovi’s in Calabasas, and Famous Label’s in Tarzana. We wish to thank the restaurants for their cooperation and hospitality.

It’s good to give! If you’re in the neighborhood of one of our deli locations on Sunday,

please stop by. If you have any other ideas for ways that Valley JCC can give back to

the community, please let us know. 

Happy Passover to you and yours!

Chag Sameach!

Thank You,

Jeff

Several Valley JCC members attended an exhibit and presentation by art historians and speakers Leora Raikin and John Paul Thornton. The event was held at Hillel818 near the CSUN campus.

Pictured (L to R): Wendy Fishman, Ollis Haas, Donna Haas, Leora Raikin, John Paul Thornton, Susan Menkes, Gabi Menkes, Stephanie DuCaine. Attended, but not in photo: Michael Fishman and Lois Julien.

Valley JCC Offers Two Chances to participate with John Paul Thornton in April & May

Register HERE for "An Evening With John Paul Thornton" Saturday, May 20th, 7PM

Message From Ollie Haas,

Valley JCC President, Board of Directors



As Jewish families get together this month for Passover Seders and read their Haggadahs, we will do what Jews have done for millennia, that is, we’ll discuss, debate, interpret, agree and disagree with one another. Why do the Four Questions have no answers? Why ten plagues? Why can’t we learn from struggles of the past? “Why” is a very Jewish word. Jews question, investigate, examine, analyze, in order to better understand what our traditions expect us to do.

As we celebrate leaving Egypt and our journey to safety, the images of Ukrainians fleeing their homes and, in many cases, their country, to find safety from invaders, fill the news. Like Jews of the Passover story, many Ukrainians are fleeing for survival. 

Let’s hope that Ukrainians won’t have to wait the 400 years as Jews did before returning home.

Thus, the Jews in historical times and the Ukrainians in real time share a common source for both migrations. The Haggadah warns us to be vigilant. Beware the tyrant! “In every generation there are those who rise up against us and seek to destroy us.” Pharaoh is not a one-time thing. Pharaohs exist in many forms, even today.

What’s different is that now we interpret the text differently. Rather than believing that God will save us, many of us believe that we cannot wait for miracles such as the parting of the Red Sea, but we need to take action. It’s now our turn to do for ourselves and our fellow human beings.

Joachim Prinz, civil right leaders and rabbi, delivered a compelling speech at the March on Washington in 1963. In his speech, Prinz boldly suggested that the problem in Germany was not that the German masses supported the Nazis, but that the opposite was true - they did nothing about it. “A great people which had created a great civilization had become a nation of silent onlookers.” Their silence was the problem. In the face of hate, in the face of brutality, and in the face of mass murder, they did nothing.

The Seder is a yearly reminder of the need to struggle to preserve and advance the cause of freedom and human dignity. “Every person, in every generation, must regard him/herself as having been personally delivered from bondage in the land of the Egyptians.”

Prinz didn’t believe the majority of Americans supported discrimination and segregation. He feared that they would do nothing to oppose these injustices and that, America too, would be a “nation of silent onlookers.”

Wishing you a Happy Passover! Chag Sameach!

Best wishes,

Ollie Haas

We're collecting items for our Silent Auction

to be offered Saturday, May 20th at "An Evening With John Paul Thornton"

If you have:

Gift Certificates

Sports Memorabilia

Catered Dinner

Vacation or Time Share Packages

Movie or Theater Tickets

or any other auction item

Please call: (818) 360-2211

Meet:

Emily Tufeld

SCORE LOS ANGELES

We welcome Emily Tufeld, Certified SCORE Mentor, who will facilitate and help promote our Women In Business panel discussion on June 29th, 2023. 

Over her 30-year career, Emily has held diverse senior level executive positions in marketing at three local Fortune 500 Companies: KB Home, Public Storage and Amgen. In addition, she has had vice president tenures in advertising client service roles, working her way up the ladder at J. Walter Thompson, Grey Advertising, Dailey & Associates, BBDO and 5th Gear Advertising.

Now in retirement, Emily is a volunteer with SCORE, a national non-profit organization dedicated to helping entrepreneurs and small business owners. SCORE is a resource of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Emily is currently District Marketing Chair for the Los Angeles, Long Beach, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Chapters. She also serves as the Los Angeles Chapter Chair of Marketing and helps with workshop and program development. Emily has been a member of SCORE for over six years, volunteering as one of their 75 local mentors in Los Angeles. 

“Today, women are starting businesses at a record pace which is becoming a driving force in our local and national economy,” Emily explains. “The best way to help women entrepreneurs is for successful women to pay it forward with mentorship and advice. At SCORE, we like to help our clients avoid the pitfalls we faced during our careers and be a sounding board as they think through immediate short-and long-term challenges.”  

“I am looking forward to the Valley JCC Speakers Series that will shine a light on what it takes to be successful, and it takes a lot! Through personal stories and insights, the panelists will be setting the course for others to follow in their footsteps.” 

Emily is a graduate of Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications and resides in Tarzana.

Emily Tufeld – SCORE.org/Los Angeles

Email: emily.tufeld@scorevolunteer.org

Member Profile:

Debbie DuVal

We know Debbie DuVal as a long-time Valley JCC Board of Directors member. She has also been another type of director - for the movies! Debbie has balanced her family, career and involvement in the Jewish community throughout her life.

Born in Los Angeles and raised in the San Fernando Valley, Debbie enjoyed programs at Valley Cities JCC throughout her childhood and teen years. She attended Sherman Oaks Elementary School and Van Nuys Middle and High Schools. During her college years, Debbie studied both education and marketing at California State University Northridge. After receiving her Bachelor's degree in marketing, she entered the Ph.D program at UCLA in that field. She later returned to CSUN and earned her teaching credential and a Master’s Degree in Education. She served as an elementary substitute teacher for LAUSD with yearlong assignments in second grade, pre-K, and special needs pre-K.

An opportunity introduced Debbie to the film industry, where she worked on catering trucks, as a driver, and ultimately became an assistant director. Her experiences included feature films and films produced for television. In addition to Los Angeles area film locations, Debbie traveled with the crew to Atlanta, Memphis, Seattle, Portland, and other cities across the country. She worked on “Dynasty”, “Frances”, and “Irreconcilable Differences”.

Around 2012, when Valley JCC was “A Center Without Walls”, Debbie joined the Singles at Seven social group. A few years later when Valley JCC opened their office in Woodland Hills, Debbie was invited to be on the Board of Directors. She’s been active with our organization since that time. She serves on the Fundraising Committee and always participates in preparing for the annual gala fundraising event. She enjoys many of the activities Valley JCC has offered through the years, including Bunco, Trivia Games, and Dining Out.

“I find Valley JCC a warm, welcoming community and I like serving with the other members. I’m interested in welcoming more people to our organization,” Debbie explains.

Debbie lives in Van Nuys, and has two grown sons (and son Devon who passed away in 1989) and four grandchildren. In addition to Valley JCC, she volunteers with Valley Outreach Synagogue, the California Retired Teachers Association, the Red Cross, and Valley University Women. In her spare time, she is an avid reader and enjoys crossword puzzles and trivia.

Art & Artists: Highlights of the CMA’s French, Spanish & German Collections

Three Mondays, April 3, 17 & 24

(no class on 4/10)

1-2pm (PT) on Zoom  

Save! Order before April 1st for “Early Bird” pricing!

For details & tickets, click here.

Bryant’s Broadway: Lerner & Loewe

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

1-2pm (PT) on Zoom  

Save! Order before April 17th for “Early Bird” pricing!

For details & tickets, click here.

Exploring Opera: Baroque Delights

Two Thursdays, April 20 & 27, 2023

1-2:15pm (PT) on Zoom  

Save! Order before April 18th for “Early Bird” pricing!

For details & tickets, click here.

Basketball

The Wayne League

by

Jason Moser



April is looking great for our Wayne Basketball Leagues. We are pleased to announce the addition of the El Camino High School gym to our portfolio. With this addition, our youth leagues have grown to 32 teams with 10U, 12U, and 14U divisions. We also have a girls junior high division. We are hoping to add an 8U division mini league which will push our total to 38 teams. 

This growth is both exciting and unprecedented since we have only been operating for one year. We also are projecting more than 60 Wayne Adult League teams. 

Spring is the season for growth and we are certainly doing our part!

Please join us - Shalom!

Wayne Girls Basketball

Girls league playing Sundays at A. E. Wright Middle School

Valley JCC sports leagues are named

in memory of beloved former

Executive Director Jerry Wayne

From Today's Montessori...

Valley JCC Men's Club

Meet and socialize

with other 55+ men in the Valley!

Past outings include special tours of Santa Anita Park, Jet Propulsion Laboratories in Pasadena, experiences at Dodger Stadium, the Getty Museum, and Axe Throwing at Lumberjack's in Northridge.

The Men's Club meets the first Monday of the month, unless there is

a national or religious holiday.

The Men's Club will not meet in April 2023.

Stay tuned for the next activity...

We are planning trips for 2023

For more information, contact sandnl@verizon.net or call 818-360-2211

Link to Event:

https://www.hillsidememorial.org/holocaust-remembrance-day/?utm_source=PNPP

MACAROON TRIPLE-LAYER CHOCOLATE CAKE FOR PASSOVER

by Jamie Geller

It’s that time of year to break out the Kosher for Passover recipes! Let’s get chocolatey with this decadent chocolate layer cake with a macaroon crust.

For Recipe, go to:



https://jamiegeller.com/recipes/macaroon-triple-layer-chocolate-cake-for-passover/

Five Interesting Facts

About Passover

1. In Gibraltar, there's dust in the Haroset

The traditional haroset is a sweet Passover paste whose texture is meant as a reminder of the mortar the enslaved Jews used to build in ancient Egypt. The name itself is related to the Hebrew word for clay. In Ashkenazi tradition, it is made from crushed nuts, apples and sweet red wine, while Sephardi Jews use figs or dates. But a tiny Jewish community Gibraltar takes the brick symbolism to another level, using the dust of actual bricks in their recipe.

2. Abraham Lincoln Died During Passover

The 16th American president was shot at Ford’s Theatre on a Friday, April 14, 1865, which coincided with the fourth night of Passover. The next morning, Jews who wouldn’t normally have attended services on the holiday were so moved by Lincoln’s passing they made their way to synagogues, where the normally celebratory Passover services were instead marked by acts of mourning. American Jews were so affected by the president’s death that Congregation Shearith Israel in New York recited the prayer for the dead — usually said only for Jews — on Lincoln’s behalf.

3. Arizona Is a Hub for Matzah Wheat

Hasidic Jews from Brooklyn have been increasingly sourcing wheat for their Passover matzah from farmers in Arizona. Excessive moisture in wheat kernels can result in fermentation, rendering the harvest unsuitable for Passover use. But rain is scarce in Arizona, which allows for a stricter standard of matzah production. Rabbis from New York travel to Arizona in the days leading up to the harvest, where they inspect the grains meticulously to ensure they are cut at the precise moisture levels.

4. About the Orange on the Seder Plate (Get wording from video)

Some progressive Jews have adopted the practice of including an orange on the seder plate as a symbol of inclusion of LGBTQ and other groups marginalized in the Jewish community. The story goes that the practice was instituted by the feminist scholar Susannah Heschel in the 1980’s. It’s said that spitting out the seeds represents the act of repudiating homophobia.

5. “Afikomen” Isn’t Hebrew

For many seder attendees, the highlight of the meal is the afikomen — a broken piece of matzah that the seder leader hides and that the children search to find. Most scholars believe the word “afikomen”derives from the Greek word for dessert. Others say it refers to a kind of post-meal revelry common among the Greeks. Either theory would explain why the afikomen is traditionally the last thing eaten at the seder.

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/9-things-know-passover/

Book Suggestion

The Bear

by

Andrew Krivak

From National Book Award in Fiction, finalist Andrew Krivak writes a gorgeous fable of

Earth’s last two human inhabitants and

a girl's journey home.

In an Eden-like future, a girl and her father live close to the land in the shadow of a lone mountain. They own a few remnants of civilization: some books, a pane of glass, a set of flint and steel, a comb. The father teaches his daughter how to fish and hunt and the secrets of the seasons and the stars. He is preparing her for an adulthood in harmony with nature, for they are the last of humankind. But when the girl finds herself alone in an unknown landscape, it is a bear that will lead her back home through a vast wilderness that offers the greatest lessons of all, if she can learn to listen. A cautionary tale of human fragility, of love and loss, The Bear is a stunning tribute to the beauty of nature’s dominion.

www.goodreads.com

Valley JCC is looking forward to engaging in continuous outreach in the community.

Stay tuned for details...

Fundraising Opportunity

On Your Birthday!

"How To" Use Ralphs To Benefit Valley JCC

1. Go to: www.ralphs.com
2. Click on "Sign in" to the right of the search box. (If you don't have an online account, click on "Register")
3. Click on your name to the right of the search box at the top
4. You will now be on your Account Summary page
5. Scroll down to "Community Contributions" and click on "Enroll"
6. Complete the online form and Click on "Save"
7. Enter organization number SK677 and click on the "Search" button
8. "Valley Jewish Community Center" will be displayed. Click "Enroll"
9. You will see a confirmation at the top of the Account Summary page
10. A percentage of your purchases will be donated to Valley JCC