Newsletter
FEBRUARY/March 2012
Federation Receives Grant from Community Foundation
The Jewish Community Federation of the Mohawk Valley has been awarded a grant in the amount of $65,700 from The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, Inc. These funds will be used to repair and prevent further water damage to our foundation, repair our entrance bridge and repair other damage to the face of our building. “This generous gift will allow us to repair damage to our building caused by almost 40 years of harsh Upstate New York winters. It will also help insure that our building remains a safe, inviting place for our members, donors and patrons for many years to come,” said Victor Pearlman, executive director of The Jewish Federation.
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January 2012
Hanukkah Party a Great Success
On Wednesday, Dec. 21, the J.C.C. hosted our annual Preschool Hanukkah Party. Our own Leslie Cohen organized this “Mother of all Hanukkah Parties,” consisting of delicious latkes and jelly donuts, music, digging for gelt, and so much more. Children from all backgrounds learned to light the Menorah and play the dreidel game.
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December 2011
Help Support the Preschool Using the Giving Tree
The preschool children have made a tree and hung it in our lobby at the J.C.C. It is called the Giving Tree. The leaves on the tree are from each classroom. Written on them are some items that each classroom can use
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Evan Philipson Accepts Job at AIPAC
Evan Philipson, a native of New Hartford, recently accepted a job at AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, in Washington, DC. He will be working in the political department as a political assistant. Evan graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in May
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October 2011
How Full is your Bucket?
In each of the four year-old classes in the preschool, we read the book "How Full is Your Bucket", by Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton. We talked about the concept of bucket filling with the children. The bucket filling concept is simple. Each of us has an invisible bucket that is constantly emptied or filled, depending on what others say or do to us. When our bucket is full, we feel great. When it’s empty, we feel awful.
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September 2011
Healthy Ideas for Back to School Lunches by Kim Thompson
It is that time of year when kids are ready to go back to school and parents frantically run around buying clothes and school supplies. But let's not forget to plan for those school lunches! They can be healthy and fun for the kids to eat.
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July/August 2011
Share the Vibe with the Israeli Scouts on August 10
I think most of us would agree that it’s almost always a good time to celebrate. And if you like to sing and dance, on Wednesday evening, August 10 at 6 p.m., you will have a great opportunity, as The Jewish Federation presents a live performance by the Israeli Scouts.
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June 2011
Celebrating the Diversity of the Mohawk Valley
As mentioned in last month’s newsletter, your Jewish Community Center spearheaded a program in the Utica City Schools entitled, “We’re all in the same boat now,” which focused on teaching Utica school children about the importance of respecting all people, regardless of their situations or backgrounds. The program, which ran from April 25 – April 29, was an overwhelming success. Our committee, which consisted of representatives from several local Utica organizations, as well as institutions of higher learning, sent student mentors from the Utica College “Young Scholars Program” to Proctor, Donovan and Kennedy Schools to speak with students about their views on such topics as stereotyping, prejudice, and tolerance.
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APRIL 2011
HISTORY TEACHER WILL SPEAK AT HOLOCAUST REMEMBERANCE PROGRAM ON MAY 2
The Leon and Helen Sperling Annual Holocaust Lecture will take place Monday, May 2, at 7:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center in Utica. This year's speaker will be Matthew Rozell, a high school history teacher from Hudson Falls, NY. He is the founder of The World War II Living History Project.* In addition to rememberance, his talk will cover "Completing the Circle: Honoring the Hour of Liberation and Defeating the Legacy of Hitler."
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