September 2003
ART PROGRAM FUNDRAISING
In support of the JCC Art Programs - Kazimierz World Wine Bar, 7137 E. Stetson Drive in Scottsdale, will be the scene of a benefit event for the JCC ceramics program. The $20 admission includes appetizers, door prizes, drink specials and silent auction artwork, donated by artists Betsy Rosenmiller, Chris Thompson, Helen Helwig, Jon Read, Sherrie Zietlin, Steve Hilton, Lorraine Shwer and more! Hosted by the one and only, Scott Ziegler of NYPD Pizza, funds generated during this event will help purchase a kiln for student and adult art projects at the JCC. Call event planner Stephanie Lee at 602-944-1334 for more information.NEW ADULT CERAMICS CLASS
Stephanie Lee, a noted ceramist/teacher will help you shape your artistic talents. Classes are geared for beginner to advanced students. Learn sculpting, underglaze and glazing techniques in the first 6 week session beginning October 1st in the JCC art room.Two days to choose from:
Wednesdays 9:30 a.m. - noon $75.00
Thursdays 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. $75.00
Call the JCC to receive registration information. Classes are subject to minimum enrollment. Register today!
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
As I look back on the past year, my first as president of the East Valley JCC, it has been full of success, opportunity and challenges. With the help of many dedicated members and staff, we completed the move to our interim new location.We had many outstanding events, such as the Ben Yehuda Mall, Sukkot Picnic/Open House, the progressive dinner, Hanukkah party, and the fundraiser dinner, to name just a few, and all made possible by the outstanding efforts of our members, board, and staff. Our core programs such as camp and pre-school had a successful year in their new surroundings.
Our challenges have included the difficulties of adapting to new surroundings, adjusting and responding to the ever changing needs of our members, and planning for the financial pressures which we face as we seek our permanent home. As the new Board of Managers begins the year, a great deal of attention will be focused on these topics.
The JCC is not only a Board and staff. It is members with talents, skills, and energy. By all of us having a sense of ownership of the JCC, we meet the challenges we face and seize the opportunities before us. This will also be a priority for the Board.
Opportunities! These opportunities include an 8.6 acre parcel of property at Chandler Blvd. and Gila Springs Road in Chandler. The Board voted in June to make bid on this property as a location for the site of a new, full service JCC. We are seeking the input of the East Valley Jewish community as we proceed with charting the course for our JCC in the next few years and over the long term. You should be receiving a survey soon soliciting your opinions on our future and what it will look like. The possibilities for a community gathering place for the Jewish community are truly limitless if we can harness the power and energy of our community. Drive by the site and let your imagination go to work!
I look forward to a great year. I encourage you to contact the Center staff, Board members or me to express your views, and to find out how you can help us realize the dream of a permanent East Valley JCC. No matter what your background, age or abilities, you have a contribution to make to our future.
George Jacobson
President, East Valley JCC
SAVE THE DATE
October 25, 2003
Casino Night
Life-Size Celebrity Figures
Casual Attire
Drinks •
Auction •
Raffle •
Music
Arcade games •
Kosher buckboard buffet
All at Michael Pollack's unique
has-to-be-seen, ranch house!
An amazing experience!
JCC DAY AT CARLOS O'BRIEN'S
Have a great lunch, dinner or snack at Carlos O'Brien's on September 13 between 11:00 a.m. and midnight. ASU football fans can nosh before or after the game. Reservations may be made by calling (480) 940-0565. Just bring your coupon (available at the JCC) or tell your server you are with the TCJCC and the Center will receive 20% of the proceeds of each sale. Only at the 1125 W. Elliot Road location in Tempe. Carlos O'Brien's is a fun place for the whole family. A tasty way to help raise money for your JCC, we hope you spread the word to friends and family. See you on the 13th!AROUND THE CENTER
TERRIFIC TUESDAYS FOR SENIORS
Welcome!! Hope you all had a wonderful summer, traveling to exciting places, seeing old friends and family and making new friends. Are you ready for a season filled with interesting and mind stimulating speakers and presentations? We are, and know you will be too!Programming for Terrific Tuesdays focuses on the active senior interested in a variety of educational and social presentations. All East Valley residents are welcome. Membership in the JCC is not a requirement for attendance. $1.50 for JCC Members / $2.00 for non-Members. Refreshments will be served.
Tuesday - September 2nd, 10:30 a.m. - PLEASE JOIN US. Our bagels and coffee get-together! See old friends and meet new ones after a long and hot summer.
Tuesday - September 9th, 10:30 a.m. - We start out the season with entertainer, DONNY BOYD and the "Music We Lived and Loved."
Tuesday - September 16th, 10:30 a.m. - Our guest speaker today is Harold Falk who shares his extensive knowledge of Judaism with others by teaching courses at local facilities such as temples and schools.
Tuesday - September 23rd, 10:30 a.m. - "Laughter is the Best Medicine." Humorist Bob Killackey brings us a healthy and cheerful dose today.
Tuesday - September 30th, 10:30 a.m. - The many toxins we live with each and every day and their remedies is the subject for today presented by Dr. Samuel (Skip) Feinstein, Environment Consultant.
PRIME TIME JEWISH SINGLES (45-65)
Join Us For An Authentic Ethiopian DinnerJoihn us on Saturday, Sept. 6th at 6:30 p.m. at Lalibela's Restaurant for dinner (located at 849 W. University, Tempe [near Hardy]). This is an authentic Ethiopian restaurant. Food is served as it would be in Ethiopia—no utensils—just use your hands or bread to wrap around bite sized servings. Sounds like fun. Call Marian 480-491-1455 for more information and to make reservations. We scheduled great events for the next couple of months at the planning meeting, so watch for the upcoming flyers.
LIKE TO READ?
The TCJCC Book Club will begin its fourth season this winter. Limited openings are available for those women who enjoy reading and are interested in a monthly discussion group. Meetings are hosted by various Book Club members with occasional restaurant dinner meetings. Please enroll at the front office. No fee for JCC members. Books, chosen by the members, are selected each month. Recent selections have include Three Junes, Atonement, Lovely Bones, The Queenmaker, Rough Music, Crow Lake, The Last Jew.Book Club
Davita's Harp
by Chaim Potok
Monday, September 15
7 p.m.
Hosted by Jodi Zupnick
RVSP to 480-831-2931
Join Our Team
2003 Susan G. Komen Race For The CureSunday, October 12
Join the East Valley JCC team for an inspiring, fun, easy non-competitive 3 mile walk or run to show support for breast cancer research. Our JCC team contingent will wear team shirts with the option of wearing names of those women we would like to remember or honor. Call Diana Jacobson (Team Captain) at 480-831-6185 for T-Shirt info and answer any questions regarding registration.
Register on-line at www.race4curephx.org. Our team name is "East Valley JCC" and the password is "Race4Cure." Cost before 9/17 is $18 for walkers and survivors, and $23.00 for runners. Meet at the TCJCC at 7:15 a.m. for carpooling opportunities. Everyone is invited to participate with the TCJCC Team in support of finding a cure for breast cancer, a disease which strikes 1 of every 8 women.
Men's Club
September 21, 9:30 a.m.
At TCJCC
Got Gas?
Speaker Steve Owen,
Director of the Arizona
Dept. of Environmental Quality
Will discuss recent gasoline crisis in Arizona.
Bagels & Lox Breakfast, $7.00
R.S.V.P. 897-0588 or eastvalleyjcc@aol.com
TRIBUTES
To Jodi Zupnick for her Bat Mitzvah - mazel tov! From the TCJCC Book Club.In Memory of Max White from Joan & Jeffrey Nieman and Monica Williams.
Mazel Tov to Deena & Howie Charnofsky for the Day School Fund from Linda & Richard Rickel.
With deepest sympathy to Carmen Katz on the loss of her husband, Yoram.
With sympathy to Dan & Elissa Cooper and family on the passing of Dan's mother, Estelle Cooper.
For the JCC camp program, "remembering Rachel's birthday" love Karen, Jonathon, Justin and Jared Andell.
To June Danoff, in loving memory of our Uncle Sidney Danoff from Robert and Eve Danoff.
To Shevie Zinder, wishing you continued good health, from Robert and Eve Danoff.
NEW MEMBERS OF THE JCC FAMILY
Juli Ann and Matthew MichlerJonathon & Julie Goldberg
Hod and Debby Rabino
Chris & Susie Fiscus
Jason and Maia Rains
Jacquelyn and James Bergmann
Barry and Kim Gordon
Chuck and Julia Miessner
Frank and Amanda Rosenberg
Danica and Earl Stephens
Benjamin and Noelle Hufnagel
Harvey and Sandra Friedson
Erez and Jill Matalon
Timothy and Maurien Curtis
Robert and Eve Danoff
Robbin Miller
Marcus and Dana Castle
Tim and Honey Day
Marc and Wendy Winokur
Tom Marcinko and Cynthia Seelhammer
David and Susann Miller
Gil and Michelle Miller
Yohanan and Rinat Gdalia
Andrew and Melissa Ramsey
SCHOOL • YOUTH • CAMP
ADULT & YOUTH
Luau on the Lake
A big Mahalo to the talented team of volunteers who orchestrated the wonderful Spring fundraiser at the beautiful Waterfront at the Lakes. To our fabulous co-chairs Maira Zanrosso and Jodi Stoken, along with committee members Blair Dworkin, Daryl Edson, Deena Cukier, Jon Marks, Meg Gabay, Shari Davis, Jill Barenbaum, Andrea Falk and all the other helpers! A special thank you to emcee extraordinaire Howard Paley and to all the guests, auction & raffle donors, underwriters and to the many parents and JCC friends who contributed to this successful fundraiser. Our heartfelt thanks!Annual Meeting Award Recipients
Awards to outstanding individuals and committees were presented at the Center's Annual Meeting held on June 2nd. These included Michael Waxman as "Member of the Year" and Maira Zanrosso and Howard Paley who shared "The Presidents Recognition Award." The "Allen Benedict Award" for outstanding Board Member was awarded to George Goffman. Additionally, Jack Zupnick, Blair Dworkin and Alice Finn Gartell were recognized for outstanding service. Hadassah Baldinger was named "Staff Person of the Year." The Luau on the Lake Committee and the Progressive Dinner Committee were also singled out for honors.Summer Camp Shalom
Wow! Hats off to another successful summer! As usual, the campers had a great time swimming at Escalante Pool, playing on the computers and in the games room, going to Arts & Crafts with Jennifer, Sports with Howard, and Israeli Culture with Yafit and Hadassah. The campers learned lots of new camp songs that I'm sure they'll be singing throughout the year like "Ride Around My Big Fat Pony", "Gigolo" and "Shake your Tuchas"! Talk about field trips - there were many...Cosmic Bowling, Mesa Southwest Museum, Polar Ice, Phoenix Rock Gym, Stratum Laser Tag, Broadway Palm West Dinner Theater and the list goes on!Our Mitzvah Mania Week was fabulous! The kids brought in gently used clothes, toys and canned food and collected Tzedekah, which added up to a BIG donation & check to The Child Crisis Center. Our PB&J Night was a big hit! The parents and campers made over 600 PB&J Sandwiches that were donated to a local shelter to feed the homeless.
The Annual Rock Show was a big hit! The Counselors and Junior Counselors worked extremely hard and boy, did it show! The campers had a great time and put on such a wonderful performance, it made it all worthwhile! Hats off to Jason Krell and Daniel Nemet for a job well done. Weren't they great emcees?
The last week of camp was crazy and full of activities! We put on a Fashion Show and let me tell you everyone was just gorgeous! A big thanks to Helen Noonan from John Robert Powers for making the girls so beautiful and doing such a great job organizing the fashion show and, of course our last day of camp was filled with fun and sadness. Thanks to Dale Teille of Big Brothers Productions for providing us with the Karaoke music for all the kids to sing and dance to! They had a great time! A huge thanks to Hadassah, Howard, and all the camp staff for their dedication and for giving so much of themselves to help make camp such a success.
Have a great school year and we'll see you next summer, but don't forget to join us during the year for our mini camps (Fall, Winter & Spring Camp, Veteran's Day and President's Day), and please join us for our Youth Clubs for children in First through Sixth Grade.
Our next camp is FALL BREAK CAMP, the week of October 13 - 17, 2003. Please make sure to look for registration information in the mail or call Lisa directly at 480-897-0588 to enroll.
Youth Clubs
Calling all boys & girls in 1st through 7th grade! The East Valley JCC Youth Department has 3 great youth clubs: Club 12 (1st & 2nd graders), Club 34 (3rd & 4th graders) and Teens & Tweens (5th, 6th & 7th graders). These clubs meet once a month to enjoy in-house events such as recreational games, obstacle courses, bingo & pizza. Or, we will meet outside of the JCC for outings such as Fiddlesticks, bowling, ice skating, etc. There will a nominal fee charged for each event to cover any costs for the event. Group rates are passed on whenever possible to help keep the fees reasonable.Moms & Dads, the great thing about these Youth Clubs is we'll watch the kids! You just drop the kids off then come back when the event is over! Our first event for this year will be on Tuesday September 16th from 6:30 - 8:00pm at Fiddlesticks in Tempe. The cost is $9.00 per person. This event is open to all 3 youth clubs (Club 12, Club 34 & Teens & Tweens).
Call Lisa to sign up or for more information. Deadline to sign up is Monday Sept. 15th.
Calling All High School Students
Recruitment to the TCJCC Award winning BBYO chapters Reznikoff AZA and Tovah BBG has begun for the new school year. Boys and girls who are currently in high school are eligible to join BBYO, the largest and oldest youth-led Jewish teen group in the world. Teens meet at the JCC most Wednesday evenings from 7-8:30 p.m. and participate in a variety of social, recreational, education and Judaic activities throughout the year, forming friendships with youth throughout the Southeast Valley. Affiliation with the JCC or any congregation is not a requirement. Please call Gabe Wright at 480-838-5871 to find out how your teen can become involved.SCHOOL: EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Back to School
Another school year has gotten off to a great start. Our enthusiastic staff welcomed new and returning children to our seven classrooms.Our yearly parent orientation, held the Thursday before school started, had the best attendance we've enjoyed in years. Parents were given the school year curriculum, daily schedule, and discipline procedures and had an opportunity to visit with teachers after their presentations.
While openings remain in some classes, old twos, young threes and fours are close to filling and some days are already closed. Please call Cynthia or Diane at (480) 897-0588 for school information or a tour of our facility.
Meet the Teacher
The JCC welcomes Hilla Schneider as a new preschool teacher. Hilla attended college at Haifa University where she earned a B.A. degree in Social Work and an M.A. in Special Education/Art Therapy. Most recently, she worked for the Haifa Municipality Welfare Department where she managed a center for at-risk children.Hilla's daughter, Keren, is in her second year at the JCC School and her newborn brother, Shahar, is in Centercare while Hilla is working.
We are delighted to have Hilla on our staff as the teacher of our Young Two's. Hilla, husband Lior, and their children make their home in Tempe.
Lindi Samakosky has joined us as our Fourth/Fifth Grade Combo Teacher. We are excited to have expanded to fifth grade this year and brought Lindi on board! Lindi received her Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of Arizona. She majored in Education and minored in Judaic Studies. Currently Lindi resides in Chandler.
Maria Ventura is our new Spanish teacher. Maria is from Barcelona, Spain and is currently living with her husband in Tempe. Maria has experience teaching English as a special language to adults and providing private Spanish lessons to children at her own company, "Viva Languages," located in Gilbert.
We welcome these three special ladies to our school and look forward to a fantastic school year!!
After-School Enrichment
This year's offerings of "After-School Enrichment" classes provide opportunities for children to experience gymnastics and movement, scrapbooking, music, drama, adventures in literature, tumbling for twos, ceramics and karate for kids. See insert for full information.DAY SCHOOL NEWS
Welcome to Lindi Samakosky to the staff at the East Valley JCC. Lindi, along with Deena Charnofsky, Emily Zappa and Hadassah Baldinger spent countless hours over the summer ordering new materials, refining curriculum and planning for an exciting year!School has been in session since mid-August and already the students have settled into a routine starting with Shaharit services each morning and ending with assigned homework. Please come and enjoy Shaharit or Kabbalat Shabbat with us. We would love to have you join us!
First Aid Class
On Tuesday, September 16, a first aid class will be held at the JCC. Although the class was scheduled for staff certification, parents are welcome to attend. The class will run from 6-8 p.m. and costs $20 per person. If you're interested in attending, please call Diane or Cynthia at (480) 897-0588.Fundraiser Season Begins
Innisbrook Gift Wraps and AccessoriesThe TCJCC School will be selling Innisbrook gift-wrap and accessories again this year. In addition to high quality, beautiful gift bags, wrapping paper and ribbons, this years catalog features candles, delicious candy, cocoa & apple cider mix, nuts, cookies, holiday frames, spices and more! Innisbrook catalogs are available at the JCC or you can order online at www.Innisbrook.com. Be sure to mention our school number 102328 when ordering online. Our school receives a full 50% of all sales. Proceeds will be used to enhance our classrooms with new manipulatives, dolls and books.