Jewish Gay Personals

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Yachad should be in addition to the Jewish life in this country. This site is in Hebrew. Kim Dao is known because of her massive presence online.

I was very happy to share my knowledge with them and also lend my support to a group who are talked about frequently in the news but for the most part are abandoned and forgotten about. Generous support for JCC literacy programs is provided, in part, by The Louis and Anne Abrons Foundation, Inc.

Jewish Gay Personals

Over the years the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan has become a gathering place, where members and friends can discuss the topics of the day, from advances in medicine to the latest from Jerusalem. The JCC is also a living organism, actively shaping 21st-century Jewish life. The stories in this section, which originally appeared in our seasonal program guides, serve as an introduction to some of the people and programs that represent that change, that make us so much more than a community center. We hope they inspire as well as inform! Several of the stories that appear in both our program guide and online have short video companions. To watch these videos, click the link at the link at the end of each story. To watch all of the videos now,. STORIES FROM THE Fall 2018 PROGRAM GUIDE ImmerseNYC: Mikveh Ritual for a Diverse Jewish Community From its earliest days, the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan has been dedicated to innovating in the Jewish space. One way it does this is by presenting rituals and traditions to the community it serves in new and inspiring ways. To read more, To watch Rabbi Abigail Treu talk about ImmerseNYC, Experiment in Dialogue: Breaking Bread + Bridging Gaps In an era in which gatherings of families and friends have become potential minefields, community members with divergent political views are choosing to come together to discuss issues that may divide them—and break down barriers in the process. To watch Alli Choi talk about Experiment in Dialogue,. STORIES FROM THE Summer 2018 PROGRAM GUIDE For the JCC, the Silvers Are Pure Gold Since the Adaptations program at the JCC opened its doors in 2005, more than 600 adults in their 20s and 30s have discovered the community, purpose, and valuable connections that are so important to all of us, but even more so to those who have difficulty finding them. For that, they can thank Shirley and Jack Silver. To read more, Compassionate Partner: Plaza Jewish Community Chapel Forming community connections may not be the first thing people associate with a funeral home. In elementary school, they were students in the program themselves. To read more, STORIES FROM THE FALL 2017 PROGRAM GUIDE Ruth Messinger: Blazing New Trails While the JCC's Joseph Stern Center for Social Responsibility was just launched this summer, it already has significant muscle behind it. Its origins are in Ma'yan, which, through nearly 25 years at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, provided feminist, social justice, and leadership training to women and teen girls. And with decades of political and social justice experience, Ruth Messinger, the center's social justice activist in residence, and its staff, are working to spread justice and activism throughout the JCC and the community as a whole. To read more, 10 Years of ReelAbilities In 2011, the ReelAbilities NY Film Festival screened the film Wretches and Jabberers, a documentary about two nonverbal men with autism. Afterward, the film's stars used electronic devices to answer questions from the audience, but it was the communication between the men and the nonverbal children in the audience via keyboards or pointing to letters on pages their parents were holding that festival director Isaac Yitzi Zablocki found particularly moving. To read more, To watch Sammy Kanter talk about Out at the J, STORIES FROM THE SUMMER 2017 PROGRAM GUIDE Classes—but Even More, Community David Hatcher and his husband, Herbert Godoy, found their son, Jaylen, through David's job, but they found a community through the JCC. An executive news producer at WNBC in New York, Hatcher was responsible for a recurring segment called Wednesday's Child, which highlights a child in the foster care system who is up for adoption. In May 2015, the JCC demonstrated its commitment to that value when it first collaborated with Israel Story, a podcast which has been characterized as the Israeli version of This American Life. The result was a multimedia program called Israel Story Live. Israel Story Live was conceived to share podcasts that focus on everyday Israelis with American audiences that don't have regular access to thoughtful, provocative, and entertaining material on Israeli culture and life. Through storytelling, animation, video, and music, it aims to amplify Israeli voices and stories rarely heard in the mainstream community. To read more, Fly Fishing Vets Cast their Sights on The JCC The Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan's third-floor gym may not be the first place you'd expect to see a group of anglers practicing their fly fishing skills, but the JCC is a surprising place. JCC member and fly fisherman John Enochty discovered Project Healing Waters eight years ago through an ad in a fly fishing magazine. The organization helps disabled veterans learn a new skill while interacting socially with others. Though he had no connection to the veteran community, Enochty was immediately drawn to the idea. I was very happy to share my knowledge with them and also lend my support to a group who are talked about frequently in the news but for the most part are abandoned and forgotten about. The site, formerly a German biergarten known as the Platzl Brauhaus, quickly morphed into a state-of-the-art Jewish day camp we named Camp Settoga, complete with a heated Olympic-size pool, a 16-element challenge course, tennis courts, basketball, gymnastics, golf, culinary arts, a working garden, and much more. To read more, A JCC Opens in Harlem In the years since it opened its doors in 1989, the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan has worked to shape a vision of 21st-century Jewish life on the Upper West Side and beyond. That vision is the inspiration behind JCC Harlem, a 6,000-squarefoot space opening its doors to the public in January 2017. To read more, Judy Gross: Making A Difference at the JCC and Beyond The Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan's literacy programs rest on one basic truth: One person can make a huge difference in another person's life. Shabbat Shabbang and Shabbat Shabbang Jr. To read more, To watch Sarah-Kay Lacks talk about Shabbat programming at the JCC,. Stories from the Fall 2016 Program Guide On the Front Line: Meet Colton Tracy If you've stopped by the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan's Box Office to ask a question or register for a program, chances are you've met Director of Registration Colton Tracy and his team of registration associates—the smiling, patient souls who share the impossible task of knowing a little bit about everything that goes on at the JCC—and the Upper West Side in general, for that matter. Managing registration for approximately 1,200 programs in any given season can be a challenge, but with a decade at the JCC under his belt, Tracy has got it down. But for the past nine years, the Edmond J. In elementary school, they were students in the program themselves. The boys were accompanying younger siblings to tutoring this summer when they were encouraged to volunteer. They are the first to have been in the program as both students and tutors, and among 35 teens out of 80 volunteers total who volunteered in the Gift of Literacy and Math program this summer. Jason and Kevin understand firsthand the value of volunteer tutors. When he entered the program as a grade schooler, Jason, now, a freshman at Eagle Academy for Young Men of Harlem, struggled with reading. Jason and Kevin, both 14, worked with first-graders at PS 163 on the Upper West Side. Teen tutors tend to be very flexible about using different methods, particularly in math. Teen volunteers are able to earn community service hours for their work. Generous support for JCC literacy and math programs is provided, in part, by The Louis and Anne Abrons Foundation, The New Land Foundation, The Taft Foundation, and other generous donors. To learn more, please contact Judy Gross at jgross jccmanhattan. Some may view the link between physical fitness and brain health as a brand-new discovery. The Gural Mind Matters series was established in 2012 to explore the effect of fitness on the brain. Z-Health classes boost balance and vision by strengthening the signals from our eyes and ears to our brain. Over 600 people attended classes that demonstrated the direct impact of fitness on brain function. In a panel moderated by Margaret I. By focusing on emerging research, Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan is able to continue offering programs that reflect the needs of the community. Generous support for the Gural Mind Matters Series is provided by the Aaron and Marion Gural Foundation, Jeffrey Gural, Barbara Gural, and Jane Senders Gural. Safra Philanthropic Foundation and NYU Langone Medical Center. The program came to New York City in 2012 through Selfhelp Community Services, established in 1936 to help those fleeing Nazi Germany and which remains the largest provider of comprehensive services to Holocaust survivors in North America. Selfhelp brought Witness Theater to our JCC in 2014, working with juniors and seniors at Trinity School and the Abraham Joshua Heschel School. The program has expanded to other cities as well. Prior to participating, some of the adults had never shared their stories— not even with their families, explains Udesky. Five years later, she says, students are still calling the adults every Shabbat, and sometimes getting together with the others as a group. Witness Theater is a commitment— physically, emotionally, and timewise— for both the students and adults. Calls for applications and essays are sent to participating schools at the end of the school year, and recruiting continues throughout the summer. Teens who are chosen to participate meet on Tuesday evenings from September through May. Before meeting with the adults, the students come together and discuss their expectations of the program, and what is expected of them as well. All are either clients of the agency who are recommended by their social workers or others who meet with Selfhelp social workers prior to joining the program. Social workers are also part of the team throughout the process. We support them as much as we can. Witness Theater provided these adults with a support group of people who shared their histories and received them with love. Crater shares the story of a woman who participated in the 2017 program, who had been able to escape with her parents and brothers following Kristallnacht; the rest of her family was not so fortunate. And just before Witness Theater, she lost her brother as well. While the JCC's Joseph Stern Center for Social Responsibility was just launched this summer, it already has significant muscle behind it. Its origins are in Ma'yan, which, through nearly 25 years at Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, provided feminist, social justice, and leadership training to women and teen girls. And with decades of political and social justice experience, Ruth Messinger, the center's social justice activist in residence, and its staff, are working to spread justice and activism throughout the JCC and the community as a whole. She helps give us access to organizations and individuals we might not have had access to. It's a win-win for the JCC. In 1998, she became president of American Jewish World Service, created to make visible the importance of the Jewish community in the fight for global social justice. She became its global ambassador in 2016. JCC Executive Director Joy Levitt joined AJWS on trips to Haiti and Senegal. In 2004, when AJWS created the Save Darfur Coalition, the JCC was instrumental in encouraging Upper West Side synagogues to support the groundbreaking Save Darfur March in Washington, as well as helping organize buses to transport scores of New Yorkers to the march itself. Raised with Activism Messinger has strong philanthrophic roots. Her grandfather was the first president of Federation of Jewish Philanthropies and first chairman of the board of Surprise Lake Camp, the oldest Jewish overnight camp in the US. Her mother was involved with negotiations about the NYC foster care system and joined Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and Martin Luther King Jr. She is the third generation of her family to live here, and raised her three children here as well. She has eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. For Messinger, social justice work is never-ending. In addition to her role at the JCC, her position as AJWS global ambassador allows her to encourage rabbis and interfaith leaders to speak on behalf of the oppressed and persecuted. She is a social justice fellow at the Jewish Theological Seminary, developing and supporting social justice activities in congregations across the country. At the JCC, we're saying that very often there's a Jewish connection to the work people want to do. Its origins are in Ma'yan, which, through nearly 25 years at Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, provided feminist, social justice, and leadership training to women and teen girls. And with decades of political and social justice experience, Ruth Messinger, the center's social justice activist in residence, and its staff, are working to spread justice and activism throughout the JCC and the community as a whole. She helps give us access to organizations and individuals we might not have had access to. It's a win-win for the JCC. In 1998, she became president of American Jewish World Service, created to make visible the importance of the Jewish community in the fight for global social justice. She became its global ambassador in 2016. JCC Executive Director Joy Levitt joined AJWS on trips to Haiti and Senegal. In 2004, when AJWS created the Save Darfur Coalition, the JCC was instrumental in encouraging Upper West Side synagogues to support the groundbreaking Save Darfur March in Washington, as well as helping organize buses to transport scores of New Yorkers to the march itself. Raised with Activism Messinger has strong philanthrophic roots. Her grandfather was the first president of Federation of Jewish Philanthropies and first chairman of the board of Surprise Lake Camp, the oldest Jewish overnight camp in the US. Her mother was involved with negotiations about the NYC foster care system and joined Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and Martin Luther King Jr. She is the third generation of her family to live here, and raised her three children here as well. She has eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. For Messinger, social justice work is never-ending. In addition to her role at the JCC, her position as AJWS global ambassador allows her to encourage rabbis and interfaith leaders to speak on behalf of the oppressed and persecuted. She is a social justice fellow at the Jewish Theological Seminary, developing and supporting social justice activities in congregations across the country. At the JCC, we're saying that very often there's a Jewish connection to the work people want to do. Afterward, the film's stars used electronic devices to answer questions from the audience, but it was the communication between the men and the nonverbal children in the audience via keyboards or pointing to letters on pages their parents were holding that festival director Isaac Yitzi Zablocki found particularly moving. ReelAbilities gives them a voice…and an awareness that there are others just like them. Festival cofounder Anita Altman, who ran a network of disability organizations through UJA-Federation of New York, had wanted to take that work forward through film. She believed that a film festival sharing the lives and aspirations of people with disabilities could raise the consciousness of the community about the value of each person, regardless of ability. The festival's original goal was to share films with typically abled viewers, but it very quickly became more than just that. They are coming out at so many levels. They are forever changed because they realized something about themselves while watching these films. Suddenly they realize they are not alone. She recalls several post-screening discussions at which audience members were upset over issues such as the appearance of nondisabled actors in disabled roles. She was convinced to join the ReelAbilities screening committee four years ago by her friend and JCC board member Jordana Manzano, who stepped down as festival cochair in 2015. Ten years ago, they had to seek out films to screen. In recent years, they've received as many as 800 submissions annually. As the festival has evolved, so have the opportunities to learn. Sadly, many of the films we've shown do not get screened anywhere but ReelAbilities. She saw its impact firsthand when a friend of hers, a doctor, brought her daughter, a member of the JCC's swim team, to see Swim Team, a film about a New Jersey team made up of teens with autism. At the screening, she saw a former patient, whose physical limitations made it difficult for her to come to the doctor's office. Both this patient and the festival's offerings made the doctor realize how unaccommodating her office was for those with disabilities, leading her to make it more accessible. Feig is inspired that the festival continues to highlight films with both educative and entertainment value. Safra Parkinson's Wellness Program, and Shabbat Shabbang Jr. Currently ReelAbilities welcomes audiences in 15 cities nationwide, as well as in Canada, with plans for further growth. As directors of the national program, the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan ReelAbillities team selects the films and sets the model for the festivals in the other cities. Zablocki hopes to make the films even more accessible by launching a streaming site. The festival's impact spans generations as well. For the past two years, Manzano's son Charlie, now 12 and a seventh-grader at York Prep in NYC, has made a special request of friends and family attending his birthday party--in lieu of gifts, he has asked for donations to ReelAbilities. It shows that having a difference doesn't mean that you can't do something, and doesn't define you. This is the kind of world we have been working to create within the four walls of the JCC and, through the power of the Reelabilities Film Festival we have been able to impact a much broader universe with this vision. We wanted to make sure there was something for everyone. The new name is just one step. Support programs, a staple of the JCC's LGBTQ programming will continue. Today LGBTQ programs are being woven into pre-existing ones. Out at the J has teamed up with Honeymoon Israel, which provides trips to Israel for newly committed couples, and with Circles of Welcome, also for young couples and families, to develop a gay and lesbian cohort. Lastly, Kanter plans to team up with Engage Jewish Service Corps to establish an LGBTQ group to work on service projects through the JCC and partner organizations. Watching our work with this population has been incredibly gratifying. An executive news producer at WNBC in New York, Hatcher was responsible for a recurring segment called Wednesday's Child, which highlights a child in the foster care system who is up for adoption. Jaylen, then 5, had been born prematurely, at only 6½ months. As a result, he had fine motor skill issues. He also had ADHD. A few months after Hatcher and Godoy brought him home, testing revealed that he was on the autism spectrum. His adoption became final in November 2015. The new family's relationship with Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan started when a former colleague of Godoy's, Allison Hoffman, whose kids had attended programs here, told them about Boost! In these programs, says Hatcher, Jaylen has excelled. At a previous swim program he participated in elsewhere, the instructors weren't able to deal with his special needs, but that's not the case with the Marlins. He always has a huge smile on his face and is eager to demonstrate and even race with his friends in the pool. His friends and instructors look forward to seeing him each week. Now he understands consequences, and how conversations happen. They helped the couple with the process of getting Jaylen into a school that would best meet his needs, as well as finding a doctor. There are places where we're tolerated…but there's a huge difference between being tolerated and accepted. Everyone has been really wonderful. Our community is stronger because of David, Herbert, and Jaylen—and each of you! Scholarships for the JCC's special needs swim programs are supported by Autism Speaks. Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan has long prided itself on its deep connection to Israel; in fact, that connection is one of our core values. In May 2015, the JCC demonstrated its commitment to that value when it first collaborated with Israel Story, a podcast which has been characterized as the Israeli version of This American Life. The result was a multimedia program called Israel Story Live. Israel Story Live was conceived to share podcasts that focus on everyday Israelis with American audiences that don't have regular access to thoughtful, provocative, and entertaining material on Israeli culture and life. Through storytelling, animation, video, and music, it aims to amplify Israeli voices and stories rarely heard in the mainstream community. Creating a podcast may very well have been the furthest thing from Israel Story cocreator Mishy Harman's mind when he set out on a road trip through 32 American states in 2011 before returning to Israel to begin his Ph. Harman had never even heard of podcasts, much less listened to any. For the first time, I understood what life looked like from different vantage points. It didn't take me long to figure out that this was going to be my next project. The only problem: No one knew anything about radio. It was a year before they completed their first episode. What began solely for friends and family started to gain an audience and soon went viral. Not long afterward, Israel Story had a prime-time slot on Israeli national radio. The collaboration between Harman's team and the JCC was initially enhatcher-godyvisioned as a one-time event, for the JCC's Yom Ha'atzmaut celebration in 2015. Harman was less confident. During its inaugural season, Israel Story performed four live shows, each of which was performed twice at Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan to sold-out crowds, reaching 800 audience members. Its success led to a more formal relationship with Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan to develop and produce live multidisciplinary events for audiences in New York City and beyond. Three shows followed in 2016: Israel in Love, 68 and Counting, and That's What She Said. The podcasts achieve further reach through podcast subscription services. This year brought another Yom Ha'atzmaut program, with additional programs planned for the fall and spring of 2018. For more information on Israel Story Live, visit Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan's third-floor gym may not be the first place you'd expect to see a group of anglers practicing their fly fishing skills, but the JCC is a surprising place. JCC member and fly fisherman John Enochty discovered Project Healing Waters eight years ago through an ad in a fly fishing magazine. The organization helps disabled veterans learn a new skill while interacting socially with others. Though he had no connection to the veteran community, Enochty was immediately drawn to the idea. I was very happy to share my knowledge with them and also lend my support to a group who are talked about frequently in the news but for the most part are abandoned and forgotten about. Elkins was eager to share our space for a good cause. Ultimately, it's an extraordinarily beneficial environment for them to be a part of. Usually referred through veterans' hospitals and centers, participants have both physical and emotional disabilities; many are dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. Both men and women take part in the program, but according to NYC program leader Warren Stern, women tend to be the more active participants. In fact, Project Healing Waters was founded by a woman, Tamar Franklin, in 2007. During warmer months, participants in the New York City program go on approximately six outings per season. Several are local day trips, while others are overnight. In between, they hone their skills in Central Park. The group uses the JCC gym twice a month from October through March, to learn and practice casting techniques, and occasionally watch an instructional video. Between four and ten veterans show up per session, and there are approximately 15 active volunteers. Volunteers work one-on-one with anglers, imparting skills and providing support. Observing volunteers and veterans as they gracefully cast their lines across the expanse of the gym—and hearing the lines' swishing sound as they fly through the air—is an experience unlike any other at the JCC. But as with other JCC programs, the social benefits are key. Sometimes catching fish is secondary. They open up to each other and trade stories. It's a good form of therapy. It's also inspired others within the JCC community to recognize the sacrifices of our veterans. Last November, in honor of Veterans Day, kids in the JCC After School program sent thank-you notes and artwork to the participating veterans. For Stern, Healing Waters run deep, thanks to his personal roots. I have a sense of obligation—it's my way of giving back. The JCC purchased a beautiful 21-acre property in Pomona, NY, in January 2016. The site, formerly a German biergarten known as the Platzl Brauhaus, quickly morphed into a state-of-the-art Jewish day camp we named Camp Settoga, complete with a heated Olympic-size pool, a 16-element challenge course, tennis courts, basketball, gymnastics, golf, culinary arts, a working garden, and much more. Our first summer in our new camp home was excellent in every way imaginable! In a summer of firsts, there were many highlights. For Metzger, the best moment was the creation of a new tradition—the first Shabbat stroll. To see the kids walking through the trees together… was an amazing juxtaposition of nature and city kids. The older kids had written a song on huge pieces of paper that we were going to hang above the stage, so all the kids could sing it. Just as we were about to start, the skies opened up. There was no space in which everyone would fit comfortably. This time, we brought everyone into the main building and we were able to still hang the songs on the wall and sing. To support Camp Settoga, visit. In the years since it opened its doors in 1989, Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan has worked to shape a vision of 21st-century Jewish life on the Upper West Side and beyond. That vision is the inspiration behind JCC Harlem, a 6,000-squarefoot space opening its doors to the public in January 2017. Located at 318 West 118th Street, between Frederick Douglass Boulevard and Manhattan Avenue, JCC Harlem will base its programming on the needs and interests of the diverse and unique community it serves, rather than simply replicate the offerings of Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. It all began when UJA-Federation of New York identified Harlem as an emerging Jewish community with a need for organized resources, Schub explains. The JCC saw an opportunity to create a mission-driven community organization. Everyone we meet introduces us to someone else. Meg Sullivan is JCC Harlem's program director and director of community engagement. We hope and expect much of what happens there will be a reflection of the fabric of the Harlem community and those who live there. There's a lot of excitement in the question marks. What will be similar are the values that animate and inspire us. JCC Harlem is generously supported through UJA-Federation of New York. To support JCC Harlem, visit jccmanhattan. Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan's literacy programs rest on one basic truth: One person can make a huge difference in another person's life. Judy Gross, Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan's Director of Literacy + Math Programs, embodies this principle while inspiring thousands of others to make a difference as well. Gross was raised with the value of helping others. Just a few months later, she ran into a second-grader she had tutored who greeted her with a smile and hug, and it occurred to Gross that this could be a captivating career path. She enrolled at Teachers College, earning a degree as a reading specialist while continuing to volunteer with the JCC. Not only was she interested in teaching, but she also appreciated the value of recruiting and training dedicated volunteers to help students succeed. Upon graduating, she was hired as a Gift of Literacy afterschool teacher, and in 2001 became the program's coordinator of volunteers. I meet committed, devoted people. We see the kids grow, and get to know their families. I also enjoy getting to know our volunteers, most of whom have had fascinating work lives and all of whom value the importance of academic achievement to ensure success in life. It's expanded from two public schools to six, with ten literacy and six math programs. The program also works with three community-based partner organizations: Stryckers Bay Neighborhood Council, The Dome Project, and West End Intergenerational Residence. But promoting literacy is only one way Gross works to help others. An avid bicyclist, she is the JCC team captain for the annual Hazon Ride and Retreat, helping to raise money for environmental organizations under Jewish auspices. During Labor Day weekend, riders travel to the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Connecticut, coming together for Shabbat services, discussion groups, exercise classes, and ride days. Gross is proud that her daughters have adopted her values in their own lives. Rebecca works and lives in the African nation of Malawi, where she began her own nonprofit organization, teaching financial literacy and business skills to high school girls and dropouts. Generous support for JCC literacy programs is provided, in part, by The Louis and Anne Abrons Foundation, Inc. Funding for the Gift of Math Program is provided in loving memory from the estate of Robert V. For information on how you can make a difference, visit , email , or call 646. Shabbat Shabbang and Shabbat Shabbang Jr. The goals are many, but first and foremost, Shabbat Shabbang seeks to provide those without a Jewish community or Shabbat practices a chance to learn and connect with others. It encourages them to build relationships with others they may know only peripherally, if at all. We built our own cohort, and are building new communities as well. In May 2015, representatives of these JCCs came to New York to experience Shabbat Shabbang Jr. Lacks then visited each site and trained their staff on-site. Adults thank us for doing something that's not only focused on the kids— these are sophisticated evenings for adults as well. During the past decade, the generosity and leadership of philanthropists have been able to help extend the reach of some of our signature programs. Safra Parkinson's Wellness Program, which began as a partnership between NYU's Movement Disorder Clinic and the JCC, has now serves Boston; Greater Washington; Tampa, FL; and Evanston, IL. Adaptations, a social, vocational, and recreational program for young adults with disabilities, has been replicated in Allentown, PA; aspects of it serve as models for dozens of other agencies. The ReelAbilities Film Festival hosts festivals in 20 cities, portraying stories of those with disabilities on screen and allowing communities to understand the strengths, challenges, and lives of people living with disabilities. For more information on Shabbat Shabbang Jr. To hear Sarah-Kay Lacks talk about the importance of Shabbat at the JCC as well as to her own family,. If you've stopped by Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan's Box Office to ask a question or register for a program, chances are you've met Director of Registration Colton Tracy and his team of registration associates—the smiling, patient souls who share the impossible task of knowing a little bit about everything that goes on at the JCC—and the Upper West Side in general, for that matter. Managing registration for approximately 1,200 programs in any given season can be a challenge, but with a decade at the JCC under his belt, Tracy has got it down. A native Montanan, Tracy, now 35, moved to New York in 2006 after graduating from the University of Vermont. He learned about Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan and joined the staff as a membership and registration associate, thinking he would stay a year. But the JCC apparently had other plans for him. The more time he spent here, the more entrenched in operations he became. Three years ago, after being recognized for his penchant for problem-solving and trademark ability to keep cool under pressure, Tracy was promoted to director of registration. To illustrate the complexity of managing both the adult and children's program registration needs for an entire community, consider that the box office staff shepherded 38,368 transactions last year either over the phone or in person, almost 60 percent of the total registration load. The remaining registrations were online. That load is shared by Tracy's staff of five, who collectively cover 168 hours of open box office time for up to 12 hours a day six days a week. Much of what drew Tracy to New York City is also what keeps him at Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. The JCC is like that for me. Even though I've been here a long time, every day is truly a new experience with new challenges. I find they are intelligent, engaging, creative, and inspired. Navigating unfamiliar territory is often easier when you don't have to go it alone. This applies to learning to play a new sport, buying property, or discovering how to raise a Jewish family, whatever that means to you. In October, Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan's Center for Jewish Living will begin to help couples explore Jewish life on their own terms. A new program, Circles of Welcome, will create chavurot, or small groups, of five to seven couples who may share common interests, age, life stage, or geographical location. Rabbi Miriam Farber Wajnberg, the Center's director of adult learning and interfaith engagement, will oversee the program, which has been made possible through generous funding from The Covenant Foundation, the Neshamot Fund, and a grant from the Genesis Prize in partnership with the Jewish Funders Network. Cohen, former director of the Center for Jewish Living. Whether both partners are Jewish or only one is, they often struggle with decisions on rituals at home, Hebrew school, holiday observances, and more. Since the participants are often not affiliated with other Jewish organizations, it can be difficult for them to find a place to turn to ask questions. Each chavurah will have a mentor who will help guide the group throughout the year and build community among the participants. Adding a level of intimacy to the program, the ten cohorts, which include recently married couples and couples with young children, will meet monthly in members' homes. Two of the cohorts will be in Brooklyn in partnership with Congregation Beth Elohim. Recruitment for the program began this summer. Rabbi Wajnberg reached out to couples who had taken Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan's Basics of Judaism class or interfaith programs, as well as to participants in the Honeymoon Israel program. Our hope is that relationships among the participants will form the foundation for each Circle, as couples and families build community together. For more information on Circles of Welcome, contact Rabbi Wajnberg at or visit. In fact, the 28-year-old Manhattanite takes it literally. He sells the finished products through his website, bottle2vase. Passantino first became interested in turning bottles into vases, glasses, and more as part of the Adaptations Glassware Cooperative AGC. The idea to create glassware was suggested by former JCC board member Marc Warren, who saw an opportunity to create a social enterprise of the Adaptations program. His intelligence, dedication, and high standards of excellence helped launch and maintain the Adaptations Glassware Cooperative. Sandblasting designs onto the glass came later, when the AGC brought in an instructor for a lesson in the hopes someone would be able to help produce more unique products. Adaptations members sold the glasses at the JCC, but the program came to an end in late 2012 when the price of making the glass became too high—and demand dwindled. But Passantino wasn't ready to give up his newfound passion. He credits Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan and the Center for Special Needs with helping him secure spots at art fairs and other venues. The AGC also gave rise to the Center's own job program, Adaptations Job Services. Passantino, who lives with his family on the Upper West Side, rents space at UrbanGlass, where he turns out his creations. Each piece takes one and a half to six hours to make, with the average being about three hours. Today, Passantino has a greater appreciation for how hard it is to make art. He's grateful to Kleinman and the Center for Special Needs. For more on Passantino's work, visit. To learn more about Adaptations and Adaptations Job Services, visit From its earliest days, the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan has been dedicated to innovating in the Jewish space. One way it does this is by presenting rituals and traditions to the community it serves in new and inspiring ways. ImmerseNYC was founded by Rabbi Sara Luria in 2012 with a similar goal. It was modeled on Mayyim Hayyim, a pluralistic, inclusive community mikveh established in Newton, Mass. If it could be done in Boston, she thought, why not New York? Immersions were facilitated in an Upper West Side mikveh around the High Holidays in 2013. This summer, ImmerseNYC found a new home at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. That will not be changing. Historically, mikveh use has been related to intimacy, marriage, or conversion, in which it is primarily a ritual practice of both Orthodox women and men. ImmerseNYC looks beyond the traditional uses, for both celebratory and somber life moments, appealing to Jews across a range of observance levels. Heidi Rieger, a JCC board member and part of the ImmerseNYC transition team, experienced the healing properties of the mikveh following a health crisis in 2016. Everyone knows people who see the proverbial glass as half-full. For most, training for and participating in even one such event would be an impressive undertaking. But for Heller, who had to relearn how to walk and talk after a car accident at age 9 left her with a traumatic brain injury, such an accomplishment is nothing short of extraordinary. This November will mark the seventh year Heller is running the New York City Marathon, with the assistance of a team of trainers from Achilles International, which pairs volunteers with disabled athletes to train for and participate in triathlons, marathons, half-marathons, and other long-distance events. The role of the volunteers, called guides, varies by event. During road races, they run alongside athletes; in open water events, guides and athletes swim together, but guides may be in or out of the pool during training; and for biking, the pair uses a tandem bike, with the guide taking the lead. Achilles athletes train in the JCC pool several weekday mornings and on Saturdays, when facilities including the pool are open free of charge to underserved children and adults from across the city through our Saturday Morning Community Partners program. That Heller is even alive today, much less the holder of approximately 50 athletic medals, is something her parents and eight older sisters never expected, following the accident in which she was initially pronounced dead. Successfully resuscitated, she was put in a medically induced coma for a month, and then spent several more months in the hospital and rehab. This was followed by a move to Oregon, where she took more classes, and even became a member of a dragon boat team. She did not become a serious runner, swimmer, or biker until she moved to NYC in 2010. Always excited to try new things, Heller signed up with Achilles her very first day in town and has been training and competing with them ever since, losing 50 pounds in the process. Athletes run in Central Park two mornings a week, and are matched with guides who run at their pace—Heller runs a 12- to 13-minute mile. Another two days each week are devoted to biking and swim training. Heller and other athletes ride tandem bikes in Central Park with their guides for about two hours, then head to the JCC for a dance class followed by swim training. Training for and competing in events brings her great joy, but nothing beats the medals. After each race, she confesses, she wears her medal to bed. Heller professes an overwhelming gratitude for everything she has been given since moving to New York City. It would be so easy not to do what I do. A whole new world opened for me here. I learned that you can do anything if you put your mind to it. Saturday Morning Community Partners is generously funded by IDB Bank and an anonymous donor. The swimming portion of the program is generously funded by the Douglas B. To learn more about Saturday Morning Community Partners, contact Todd Elkins at. For more on Adaptations, contact Caitlin McInerney at. For more on Achilles International, contact Michael Anderson at. In an era in which gatherings of families and friends have become potential minefields, community members with divergent political views are choosing to come together specifically to discuss the issues that may divide them—and break down barriers in the process. Experiment in Dialogue EID hosted its first dinner in April 2017, with subsequent dinners taking place approximately every two months. In October 2017, the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan opened our doors to EID and has hosted each dinner at the JCC since then. The dinners have been filled to capacity since they began, each bringing together 10 to 12 fellow New Yorkers, carefully selected to create an equal balance of conservative and liberal viewpoints. Diners pay nothing to participate and are paired off to discuss current topics, with the help of discussion guides—with conversations often reaching into the political realm. While pursuing a certificate in conflict resolution and mediation, she learned that when people are in conflict and feel threatened, they tend to remember only the negative things that are said. Both Choi and Sachar are conservatives, which Messing felt would help attract a good mix. That balance applies to more than just political leanings. While the current groups are made up mostly of millennials, there is a good balance of males and females, as well as people of different races, ethnicities, and backgrounds. Divisiveness is not the norm. Folks can agree, disagree, be respectful and be heard. Dinner participants and their interests drive the conversations. Through word of mouth, interest has grown, necessitating waiting lists for future dinners. In response, this summer the group planned to train people who have attended dinners to become facilitators so that additional groups can launch in the coming year. For more on the Joseph Stern Center for Social Responsibility, visit. To hear Eve Landau,. To hear Allison Choi talk about Experiment in Dialogue,. Since the Adaptations program at the JCC opened its doors in 2005, more than 600 adults in their 20s and 30s have discovered the community, purpose, and valuable connections that are so important to all of us, but even more so to those who have difficulty finding them. For that, they can thank Shirley and Jack Silver. From elementary school to college, children and young adults with special needs are guided toward peers in the classroom, through extracurricular activities and their parents. But what happens once those structured years come to an end? This was the question the Silvers asked themselves nearly 15 years ago, when a family member with learning differences graduated from college. Finding no programs that would allow young adults with special needs the chance to socialize, grow, and develop life skills, the couple decided to establish one themselves. It was open, vibrant, and innovative. Among those enterprises have been the Shabbat Shop, which sells Judaica gifts and foods in the JCC lobby, and Adaptations Glassworks, through which members produced and sold handmade glassware. Shirley was 25, Jack two years older. They began dating a year later and married two years after that. At the time they met, Shirley, a Brooklyn College graduate, was a social studies teacher, and Jack, a University of Vermont alum, worked for an investment company. When she left teaching, Shirley worked for European American Bank, training employees in how to work with customers. After their two children were born, she continued training companies, this time through her own consulting business. My role has been the planning of how to preserve, grow, and distribute the wealth to keep it moving forward. She asks, how do we keep being innovative and creative? Jack is a strategic coach, a motivator. He thinks anything is possible—and encourages others to make sure it is. Jack is always encouraging me to think big and pushes us to be more than we are. Their philanthropy radiates outside the JCC as well. Shared interests in art and travel—and often the intertwining of the two—keep them busy as well. A vacation two years ago to India, Shirley says, was among their favorites. But back at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, the work of Adaptations is a source of true nachas to the couple. Forming community connections may not be the first thing people associate with a funeral home. Among those connections are two made through a partnership with the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan: cemetery trips for those looking to visit the graves of family members or friends and What Matters: Caring Conversations About End of Life, an advance care initiative that helps ensure end of life wishes are honored. Plaza provides transportation to and from the JCC to individual graves. Cemetery visits have included more than 12 locations on Long Island and in New Jersey and Queens. About 300 people have participated in the five years Plaza has partnered with the JCC on this program. The majority are seniors. Going with others make it less isolating. What Matters: Caring Conversations About End of Life enables people to take comfort in the fact that their healthcare wishes will be known and honored by their loved ones and healthcare professionals, should they be unable to speak for themselves. What Matters trains volunteer facilitators to offer guidance and resources to those who want to engage in advance care planning. For more on What Matters: Caring Conversations About End of Life, visit www. What Matters is made possible by our founder, funder, and partner, Plaza Jewish Community Chapel, Inc. For those affected by Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurological illness, life can seem an endless series of challenges—to one's mobility, to one's physical and mental well-being, even to interactions with others. But for the past nine years, the Edmond J. Safra Parkinson's Wellness Program—NYC, a partnership between the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan and the Fresco Institute for Parkinson's and Movement Disorders at NYU Langone, has helped New Yorkers with Parkinson's and their families turn those challenges into opportunities. Alessandro DiRocco, executive director of the Fresco Institute, reached out to JCC Executive Director Rabbi Joy Levitt. Yoga has a dedicated following, says Lemen, while Nia is the signature program. Classes seven to nine each season take place five days a week and are designed for people with all levels of Parkinson's. Support groups for people with Parkinson's or their caregivers, forums on research and developments, and exercise classes ranging from yoga to water exercise are among the JCC's offerings. Approximately 100 patients attend classes each week; 40 to 60 more are on the wait list every season. Oftentimes our patients are only doing as well as their support systems. Safra National Parkinson's Wellness Initiative. The Initiative is a partnership between NYU Langone, Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, and National Parkinson Foundation. Safra Parkinson's Wellness Program—NYC, visit.

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