The Fab Four: UJA, JCC, NST, Israel
STORY AND PHOTO
BY SUSAN BARTELSTONE
A lonely cry in the night…
grieving widows/widowers…
overburdened
caretakers… parents seeking a
fun place for their kids… seniors
looking for stimulating activities
and friendly people. What do these
have in common with the initials in
the title, you might ask? The North
Shore Towers UJA Fundraising
Committee found out.
In preparation for its upcoming
Israel at 70 Celebration on August
5, 2018, members of the NST UJA
Fundraising Committee visited the
Sid Jacobson JCC, located in East
Hills, Long Island, to see the work
of a UJA-Federation of New York’s
partner agency up close.
Committee Chairperson Eneas
Arkawy was joined by Victoria
Schneps, publisher of the North
Shore Towers Courier and 2018 UJA
Lifetime Achievement Award honoree;
UJA liaison Sherri Candel; and
Committee members Esther Andron,
Francine Feigenbaum, Phyllis
Goldstein, Gary Zwetchkenbaum
and me. Fellow 2018 UJA Lifetime
Achievement Award honoree, Judy
Ross, founder of the North Shore
Towers Knitting Club, which
donates wonderful knitted items
to hospital patients and others in
need, was unable to attend but will
do so at another time.
The Committee was met by
Connie Wasserman, Associate
Executive Director, who gave us a
tour and explained, “UJA not only
supports certain initiatives at the
JCC, but also the whole facility; and
without that core funding, the JCC
wouldn’t be able to do all we do.” It
was eye-opening to see UJA money
in action.
A HOME AWAY FROM HOME
AND A SAFETY NET.
Many opportunities for seniors to
socialize are available: the Golden’s
Girls, the Gezunter Men’s Club
and the Senior Passport Lecture
Series, to name just a few. Health
resources, like the Early Stage
Memory Loss Program, the Adult
Day Care Center (for those with
dementia) are offered, and the
Cancer Wellness Center provides
support for people of all ages after
diagnosis. A wide variety of fun and
sports programs for children, teens,
young adults and growing families
are also on hand.
PARTNERS IN CARING.
NST resident Barbara Goldstein,
a Social Worker in the Partners in
Caring Program (PIC), explained
that PIC partners with 22 synagogues
in Nassau County, providing
social workers who fascilitate support
groups or counseling for concerns,
like parenting, aging, marital
and family issues, or caregiving.
Goldstein runs a highly successful
bereavement program for those
who’ve lost a spouse or parent.
PIC programs are also available in
Queens, NYC and Suffolk County
through other UJA partner agencies.
All JCC and UJA-sponsored
programs are open to anyone from
any religious or societal group.
ISRAELI CULTURAL
AMBASSADORS.
A highlight of the visit was meeting
Ariel Magal, Senior Shaliach
(Emissary) from the Randie
Waldbaum Malinsky Center for
Israel. The Center provides opportunities
for American Jewry to personally
connect with Israeli life and
culture, particularly through the
Shinshinim, a group of Israeli high
school graduates who are brought
to the U.S. for a year to serve as cultural
ambassadors. They visit Jewish
organizations and any group which
wants to engage with them. Ariel
and some of the Shinshinim will be
joining the Israel at 70 Celebration
at NST on August 5 (see sidebar) to
meet and greet the attendees.
A BUS!
The Committee also talked
with Joni Cohen, Chief Operating
Officer, who explained the JCC’s
impressive expansion plans (more
parking spaces!), including the
acquisition of a shuttle bus, funded
by UJA. Hopefully, the route can be
extended to include North Shore
Towers, because the connection
between the NST community and
the JCC has always been strong,
both in program attendance and
as volunteers.
UJA IN ACTION.
The JCC is only one of more than
100 organizations UJA supports,
including the wonderful Samuel
Field Y on Little Neck Parkway,
which provides many of the same
critical services and fun activities.
Sponsored programs provide
lifelines for Jewish people and
people of all religions and races
facing challenges too difficult to
bear alone. In addition to funding
the JCC’s and the Y’s, UJA funds
summer camps; camps for disabled
children; programs which engage
with Jewish college students at
universities across the globe; programs
which address anti-Semitism;
programs in 70 countries to alleviate
hunger and rescue people in
danger; and the highly-respected
Jewish Board which provides health
and human services and legal advocacy
for any New Yorker living in
poverty or near-poverty—hundreds
of thousands of families, seniors
and adults served.
Award Honoree Vicki Schneps
said it best: “It’s my honor to be
able to help UJA to spread the word
about the quality and quantity of
programs they offer to the community.
Their extraordinary reach has
made them unique in our world,
and I’m very proud and privileged
to receive this recognition.”
GET INVOLVED.
North Shore Towers is a community
of people who’re able to give
something of themselves to others
and want to contribute. If anyone
would like to volunteer their time
(or make a monetary donation) to
UJA’s ongoing work, contact Sherri
Candel, 516-762-5896 or candels@
ujafedny.org. For more information
about programs or volunteer opportunities
at the Sid Jacobsen JCC,
call 516-484-1545.
Susan Bartelstone is a Crime
Prevention Specialist, podcaster/
blogger and amateur detective
with more than 1,000 articles,
posts and podcasts bearing her
byline. Her signature topics concern
crime prevention, domestic
violence and women’s issues and
have been featured in a long list
of media including “Yahoo Home
Page,” “MainStreet.com,” “Time
Out New York” and the “Today”
show.
Israel at 70!
To commemorate Israel’s 70th
birthday, the North Shore Towers
UJA Committee is sponsoring a
“taste of Israel” cocktail/fundraising
party on Sunday, August
5, 2018 at 5:30 p.m. in Towers on
the Green, with delicious Kosher
food, Israeli music and dancing.
Attendees will get a chance to
meet some of the young Israeli
Cultural Ambassadors from the
JCC Shinshinim program and
learn more about Israeli life.
Cost is $125 per person. Come
celebrate with your family and
friends. For more information,
contact Sherri Candel, 516-762-
5896 or candels@ujafedny.org.
(l. to r.) Phyllis Goldstein, Eneas Arkawy, Esther Andron, Victoria Schneps,
Francine Feigenbaum, Gary Zwetchkenbaum, Sherri Candel and Connie
Wasserman
July 2018 ¢ NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER 13
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