com.UNITY
FROM THE DESK OF MARK L. GOLDSTEIN
Executive Director | Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley markg@jflv.org
A dissatisfied nation We have all cited the joke of the waiter dealing with a table of difficult, demanding and seemingly not-to-be-satisfied Jewish diners. At other tables he checks in and asks “Is everything okay?” but at this particular table he asks “is anything okay?” Perhaps our tradition teaches us never to be satisfied. With the joy of the Exodus from Egypt, our Passover seder recalls the plagues which befell the Egyptians., and in modern times we all know the jokes of the Jewish mother unable to relish in her son’s election to president of the United States simply because he did not become a doctor or lawyer. Israel’s immediate past president Shimon Peres wrote a wonderful essay describing Jews as the “dissatisfied nation” and said that dissatisfaction is what characterizes the Jewish People. “From our early days,” writes Peres, “we rejected ignorance and postponed satisfaction. Jewish children are taught to question everything and the habit is never lost. It is that ongoing quest for betterment which has made us a people of research, a people of demand, a people of questions, a people of Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World),
never content with the world as it is and always believing and striving to improve it.” Is anything okay? You bet. We just need to notice. In this issue of HAKOL we tout the closing of our 2015 Annual Campaign at $2,316,626! This achievement is in excess of our 2014 Annual Campaign and in excess of our closing projections. Kudos to our Annual Campaign leadership – Iris Epstein, general campaign chairperson, and Judy Diamondstein, assistant executive director – for leading a campaign volunteer and professional team to a fine achievement. Their accomplishment is all the more impressive since this was a year when crises required additional special fundraising efforts for emergencies in Israel and Ukraine. There is nothing wrong with Peres’ articulation of our being a dissatisfied nation, as long as it is within the context of our achievements. Without a doubt our Annual Campaign did not raise enough to meet all of the needs of our local and international service partners, but let us not mask what we have accomplished. This year we focused funding on programs that promoted collaboration among agencies:
the JCC received funding for an afterschool program being implemented in partnership with the Jewish Day School; Muhlenberg College Hillel will be engaging an Israel Fellow to promote pro-Israel understanding on the college campus and within our broader Jewish community; Congregation Brith Sholom and Bnai Abraham Synagogue will enjoy an off-site Shabbaton weekend; Jewish Family Service will grow its therapeutic services for seniors at various locations in the Lehigh Valley; and the Jewish Day School received funding to strengthen its Israel curriculum and its school twinning program with Yoav, our partnership community in Israel. Is everything okay? Of course not! And neither should we ever think so. It is tremendous that our fundraising efforts are as successful as they are. And we should rejoice in the diligent use of those funds as recommended by our allocations process. But, as warranted as it would be, it is hard for us to rejoice in our accomplishments without being a bit uncomfortable. Another dollar could have bought another meal for a pensioner in Odessa or Kiev.
HAKOL wins Rockower Award! The ballots are in and the Rockower Award goes to HAKOL! Jennifer Lader’s piece on the cultural impact of the TV show “Bewitched” took first place for Excellence in Arts and Criticism News and Features. The award covered all circulation levels. Known as “the Jewish Pulitzer,” The Simon Rockower
Awards honors excellence in Jewish journalism and are sponsored by the American Jewish Press Association. The awards will be presented at the AJPA conference in November. Congratulations to Jennifer and all those involved with HAKOL for this remarkable achievement!
Think what another $10 could do. Another hundred. Another thousand. It’s not a game. We don’t want to raise more money so we can say we raised more money. We understand what we do with the generous funds we raise. We know how we help. We know the impact. It’s not wrong to never be satisfied. It is challenging. It enables us to be creative. It forces us to make smart decisions. Paraphrasing Peres, dissatisfaction has led us thus far, and I am fully confident that it will carry us to new heights in the neverending quest for enriching and enhancing our Jewish community. Every day we have things to be proud of as a dynamic,
HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY HAKOL is published 11 times per year for the Jewish communities of Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton and vicinity by the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley.
caring, responsive Jewish people, and every day we struggle to determine what we can do better, how we can increase certain programs and how our Jewish Federation can enhance its value to our donors and our partner agencies. Thank you for your support, generosity and confidence.
HAKOL STAFF Laura Rigge
HAKOL Editor
Stephanie Smartschan
JFLV Director of Marketing
Allison Meyers
Graphic Designer
Diane McKee
Advertising Representative TEL: 610-515-1391 hakolads@jflv.org
COMMUNITY SUBMISSIONS Submissions to HAKOL must be of interest to the entire Jewish community. HAKOL reserves all editorial rights including, but not limited to, the decision to print any submitted materials, the editing of submissions to conform to style and length requirements, and the placement of any printed material. Articles should be submitted by e-mail or presented as typed copy; “Community Calendar” listings must be submitted by e-mail to hakol@jflv.org or online at www. jewishlehighvalley.org. Please include your name and a daytime telephone number where you can be contacted in the event questions arise. We cannot guarantee publication or placement of submissions.
Mail, fax, or e-mail to: JFLV ATTN: HAKOL 702 N. 22nd St. Allentown, PA 18104 Phone: (610) 821-5500 Fax: (610) 821-8946 E-mail: hakol@jflv.org
JFLV EXECUTIVE STAFF Mark L. Goldstein Executive Director
Judy Diamondstein
Assistant Executive Director
Temple Coldren
Director of Finance & Administration
Jim Mueth
Director of Planned Giving & Endowments
Aaron Gorodzinsky
Director of Outreach & Community Relations
Mark H. Scoblionko JFLV President
EDITORIAL BOARD
Monica Friess, Acting Chair Barbara Reisner Judith Rodwin Sara Vigneri
Member American Jewish Press Association
JEWISH FEDERATION OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY We gratefully acknowledge those individuals who have offered expressions of friendship by requesting that trees be planted in the Yoav--Lehigh Valley Partnership Park. IN HONOR SHEILA BERG Pomerantz Award for Campaign Excellence Roberto and Eileen Fischmann AARON BERGER AND NISSA GOSSOM Birth of their daughter, Norah Gwynn Berger SHALOM BABY TRACEY AND JASON BILLIG Birth of their daughter, Madison Leigh Billig SHALOM BABY KEVIN AND SARAH DANNA Birth of their son, Lev Samuel Danna SHALOM BABY ROBERTO FISCHMANN Happy Birthday Steven Aronsky ROBERTO AND EILEEN FISCHMANN Marriage of Claudia to Ryan Stan and Vicki Wax VERONICA FISCHMANN In honor of completing Master’s Degree Steven Aronsky HARVEY HAKIM Pomerantz Award for Campaign
Excellence Roberto and Eileen Fischmann ANDREW AND DEBORAH KIMMEL Birth of their granddaughter Roberto and Eileen Fischmann JAY AND EVELYN LIPSCHUTZ In honor of the birth of their grandson Roberto and Eileen Fischmann TAFFI NEY Lifetime Achievement Award Roberto and Eileen Fischmann Stan and Vicki Wax RABBI MOSHE RE’EM Honorary doctorate from Jewish Theological Seminary Beth and Wesley Kozinn TAMA TAMARKIN George Feldman Achievement Award for Young Leadership Roberto and Eileen Fischmann IN MEMORY PHOEBE ALTMAN (Wife of Arthur Altman) Mary Jane Long and Family IVAN GORDON Elaine Lerner
TO ORDER TREES, call the JFLV at 610-821-5500 or visit www.jewishlehighvalley.org. 2 JULY/AUGUST 2015 | HAKOL LEHIGH VALLEY
All advertising is subject to review and approval by The Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley (JFLV). JFLV reserves the right to decline, withdraw and/ or edit any ad. The appearance of any advertising in HAKOL does not represent an endorsement or kashrut certification. Paid political advertisements that appear in HAKOL do not represent an endorsement of any candidate by the JFLV.
JEWISH FEDERATION OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY MISSION STATEMENT In order to unite, sustain, and enhance the Lehigh Valley Jewish community, and support Jewish communities in Israel and around the world, the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley is dedicated to the following core values:
• Supporting Jews in need wherever they may be. • Supporting Israel as a Jewish homeland. • Supporting and encouraging Jewish education in the Lehigh Valley as a means of strengthening Jewish life for individuals and families. • Supporting programs and services of organizations whose values and mission meet local Jewish needs. To accomplish this mission the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley is committed to the following operating guidelines: • Raising and distributing funds to support the core values. • Developing Jewish leaders. • Building endowments to support implementation of core values. • Committing to ongoing Jewish community strategic planning. • Fostering cooperation among organizations and community building. • Evaluating all decisions with respect to fiscal responsibility. • Identifying unmet needs and investing in community initiatives to help get them started. • Coordinating and convening a community response as an issue or need arises. • Setting priorities for allocation and distribution of funds. • Acting as a central address for communication about events, programs and services of the Jewish community as a whole. Approved by the JFLV Board of Directors on November 15, 2000