The New Jewish Voice
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An educational presentation on Non-profit Organization 3 palliative care will take place at U.S. POSTAGE PAID Temple Beth El on February 11. Permit # 184 Watertown, NY The National Yiddish Theatre 3 Folksbiene will perform in concert at Temple Beth El on March 19. Applications for the Jewish Fam- 10 ily Service-Ben and Joan Zinbarg Camp Scholarship Program are now available. February 2015/Shevat-Adar 5775 a publication of United jewish federation of Volume 17, Number 1 Greater Stamford, New Canaan and Darien TBE Scholar in Residence Super Sunday, Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin Super Community Day Two, zero, one, five, hike! It’s time to solicit donations for the 2015 UJF “You will be Shaken and Stirred” to kick-off the 2015 United Jewish campaign. Adults and students who Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin will tion about Israel? How can we Federation’s Better Together Annual volunteer will participate to raise be featured as the scholar in equip our teens to be able to Campaign. And to add to the excite- monies used to strengthen the Jewish residence on the weekend of talk about Israel when they ment of the day, this year’s Super Sun- communities here in Stamford, New February 6-8 at Temple Beth get to college? The talk will day Kickoff on February 1 is actually Canaan and Darien and support Jews El in Stamford. The theme take place during the Kabbalat Super Bowl Sunday. in 79 countries throughout the world for the weekend is “Martini Shabbat service beginning Super Sunday, UJF’s largest fund- and in Israel. Calls will end at approxi- Judaism: You Will Be Shaken at 7 pm. raising phonathon of the year, has mately 4 pm, prior to the actual start and Stirred.” On Saturday, February 7, moved from December to February of the Super Bowl game. On Friday, February 6, the topic will be “What They starting with the 2015 campaign year. In addition to the monies pledged Rabbi Salkin’s topic will be Never Taught Us In Religious The day will be filled with many ac- via the phone on Super Sunday, UJF “Israel Without Apology.” School.” He will discuss some tivities. More than 100 volunteers are tzedakah cans, distributed to the local Among the questions he will Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin of Judaism’s most controver- expected to gather at the Stamford Jewish Day schools, will be collected discuss are: What do we need sial teachings and why they Jewish Community Center to call fam- at the Jewish Community Center. The to know to be able to have a conversa- See “Scholar” on page 4 ily members, friends and neighbors See “Super” on page 6 Israeli-Developed TalkITT Aids “Chapter Two: Women People with Speech Impairments Who Can” By Maayan Jaffe ware, shortly after his grandmother had JNS.org a stroke. He describes her as “the center A New Program from UJF A little boy with autism says “I love of our family” and says it was “painful” to For some, the phrase “Chapter in the Stamford, New Canaan and you” – and you understand it. Your know she wanted to talk, but was being Two” will probably elicit thoughts of Darien communities and educate them grandfather is able to say “congratula- prevented from communicating. the 1970s romantic comedy drama about Federation and our partner agen- tions” when you graduate – despite the Weissberg, who has degrees in civil written by Neil Simon, but at United cies,” said UJF’s incoming Women’s recent stroke he suffered that impaired engineering and computer science Jewish Federation, the title “Chapter Philanthropy President Lorraine Kwe- his speech. That future is almost the and has been working in the hi-tech Two” has a very different meaning. skin. “In addition, another goal of the present thanks to new Israeli-developed industry for more than 15 years, began “Chapter Two: Women Who Can” de- program is to create a unique bond technology that can extract spoken consulting with speech therapists and notes United Jewish Federation’s new between the participants. The program words from the sounds of people with other related experts. Quickly, he real- Women’s Philanthropy program, which is primarily created for women who are speech disabilities. ized the need for TalkITT – given that will begin in March 2015. at a stage in their lives where they are Danny Weissberg in 2012 co-founded as many as 1.5 percent of the world’s “’Chapter Two’ of UJF is designed to looking to grow within the community VoiceITT, maker of the TalkITT soft- See “TalkITT” on page 19 engage women of varying backgrounds See “Women” on page 8 Family Professional Bits & Pieces 6 Candle 6 15 16 Happenings 20 Adult 21 Lighting Central Support for Seniors Education Fatherhood and Apple Pie More than 30 Bi-Cultural Day School dads met at one of the school’s recent “Dads Drop Off” mornings. Fathers with students in the school get the opportunity to drop off their children at school, walk them into their classrooms and visit their children in their own environment. BCDS dads then get a chance to socialize and have breakfast with each other in an informal and casual setting. Created by BCDS parent Craig Price, Dads Drop Off happens six times throughout the school year. (Photo by Joanne Karow) 2 THE NEW JEWISH VOICE ■ FEBRUARY 2015 FEBRUARY 2015 ■ THE NEW JEWISH VOICE 3 Meet UJF’s New President COMMUNITY NEWS By Ellen Weber coming president of UJF, an To Shoshana, Jim, the members of my mind. The placard read, “The Incoming President Ellen organization committed to the 2014 board, committee members value of one’s life is based not on its Weber gave the following address embracing every member of and our professional staff, I thank you duration, but on its donation.” It hit Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene Presents “From Rosenfeld at the Annual Meeting of United our Jewish community. for giving me such a solid platform on me that our value is in what we do Jewish Federation of Greater Over the last two and which to begin my term. for each other, how we give of our Stamford, New Canaan and a half years, significant I’ve taken on this responsibility as time and the financial support we to Robeson” Darien on December 10. changes have been made president of UJF for one reason: I’m provide – all to improve the lives of For me, it all started in 2003 to our Federation, which passionate about our Federation and others. The very next year, once again Tribute Concert in Memory of Hesh Romanowitz z’l when I retired from Verizon will help us better serve the fully believe in its mission. The answer we rode past that same church. This The entire community is invited to the National of revolutionary poets and Holocaust era partisans, Verona, Sicily, Sweden and Norway. after 27 years. I was looking needs of both our local and to “Why Federation?” seems so obvious time, the placard read. “You make a Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene concert, “From Rosenfeld and Broadway favorites. Mlotek is the artistic director of the National Yid- for volunteer opportunities Ellen Weber, international Jewish com- to me! We help people. Together we living by what you get, you make a to Robeson,” starring Elmore James and Zalmen “Hesh loved Yiddish music and culture. He routinely dish Theatre-Folksbeine and an internationally rec- where I could help people lo- UJF president munities. With Shoshana help Jews here and globally. life by what you give.” Mlotek, to be held on Thursday, March 19, at 7:30 encouraged our family and friends to join him in attend- ognized authority on Yiddish folk and theatre music. cally – making a difference in [Dweck] and Jim [Cohen’s] Last month, along with 12 other I fully believe that our lives are made pm, at Temple Beth El in Stamford. The concert ing performances and concerts. Many will recall ‘My Mlotek brought Yiddish-klezmer music to Broadway their lives – and came across an article guidance, our leadership worked tire- representatives from our commu- richer and more meaningful when we is presented free of charge to the community by Yiddishe Chanukah,’ a concert presented by Folksbeine, and off-Broadway stages. His award-winning shows in the Advocate that drew my attention. lessly to design a new structure that, nity, I attended Jewish Federation of give back. I’m excited about the work Stamford’s Holocaust Memorial Committee and the that he arranged to bring to the community, in Decem- include “Those Were the Days,” “The Golden Land” It was about a program comprised of as Shoshana said in her June Town North America’s (JFNA’s) General of Federation and hope to motivate and United Jewish Federation’s Levy Romanowitz fund, ber 2012. On March 19, ‘From Rosenfeld to Robeson’ and “On Second Avenue.” He has served as music volunteers reading with students in the Hall Meeting remarks, will ensure Assembly, where I was inspired by a engage Jews in our community to be as a tribute to Dr. Harry S. “Hesh” Romanowitz, z’l. will be presented in tribute to Hesh. The theme of this director for theatrical productions across the U.S. and Stamford elementary schools. Recog- that we meet our recipient agencies’ myriad of presenters. We heard Car- equally excited and involved. Join me The mission of the National Yiddish Theatre particular concert resonated for him. When he saw and has performed in Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Krakow, nizing how important reading is to a short-term needs while planning for ole Sebbah, a young French Jewish by becoming ambassadors for UJF.