In honor of my dear friend Arlene Rieger, who has just become a great-grandmother to twins!
​-Bonnie Bender

In memory of Edith Wechsler. Glenn, our deepest condolences to you & your family during this difficult time
-Jackie, Bari, Gabriel & Jared Reiter 

​On Thursday, November 18 at 7:00pm, the Joan & Alan Bernikow JCC of Staten Island will host An Evening of Celebration + Inspiration to dedicate its new Dr. Esther Grushkin Center for Arts + Culture. This virtual event will celebrate the future of cultural arts at the JCC, while raising funds to enable the center to continue offering exceptional adult education programs.
 
During the program, the JCC will honor two community leaders for their contributions to Staten Island’s cultural landscape. The inaugural event’s honorees are Amy Posner, Executive Director of Hillel at CSI, and Henry A. Salmon, President of Equity Valuation Associates Inc., Real Estate Appraisers and Consultants.
 
The JCC is pleased to feature special guest speaker Jodi Rudoren, Editor-in-Chief of The Forward. Rudoren spent more than two decades as a reporter and editor at The New York Times, where she also served as Jerusalem bureau chief. She will present a lecture, “Zero-Sum Empathy,” which discusses how polarization threatens both Jewish communities and our democracy.
 
Rudoren’s lecture offers attendees a taste of the program quality they can continue to expect from the Dr. Esther Grushkin Center for Arts + Culture. Inspired by its namesake’s dedication and lifelong love of learning, the center will present lectures, performances, and seminars led by world-class speakers and entertainers across a variety of subject areas.
 
JCC board member and cultural arts committee member Jerome Grushkin is chairing this event in honor of his late wife. He said, “Esther dedicated her adult life to education and was an extraordinary teacher and scholar. The Dr. Esther Grushkin Center for Arts + Culture is dedicated to Esther’s memory to continue and expand access to exceptional quality programming in adult Jewish learning, performing arts, and global connections as well as connect with our participants in all ways possible.”
 
Since its launch in September, the center has already begun producing engaging cultural programs for participants in Staten Island and beyond. Orit Lender, CEO of the JCC, said, “We are proud to honor Dr. Grushkin’s legacy with this new center that will enrich so many people’s lives for generations to come. We hope you will join us virtually on November 18 as we look ahead to the exciting future of cultural arts at the JCC!”
 
Registration is required for this virtual event. To register or place a message in the digital event journal, please visit https://www.sijcc.org/grushkin.

​Last Thursday, I got to go to Brooklyn to the Per Scholas headquarters for a very special announcement. We joined with leaders from government, including Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, and our community partners to celebrate an expanded effort to train more New Yorkers for thriving careers in technology. We are teaming up Per Scholas, a national educational non-profit, as a Satellite partner to offer free IT training courses for Staten Islanders. The classes, which begin November 1st, will be live streamed by Per Scholas from their Bronx and Brooklyn Campuses to our Bernikow Building. 

Throughout the different stages of the pandemic, we have had to shift gears constantly to help those in our community who were struggling. The latest need we see is a nationwide one—the issue of employment. At the JCC, we feel strongly that in order to allow Staten Islanders to have an equitable recovery from the pandemic, we need to help them get back to work. That’s why we are so incredibly excited about this partnership with Per Scholas. We could not be prouder to be the Community-Based Organization from Staten Island chosen to work on this project, and we feel honored to be here along with so many other community leaders.
 
During the pandemic, growth in the technology sector has been exponential. Unfortunately, Staten Island has mostly been left out of that growth. Our partnership with Per Scholas aims to change that and help get Staten Islanders the proper training and connections they need to get jobs in the tech sector.

For local residents, providing training and linking them with employers in tech will allow them to have a better chance at accessing good paying jobs with upward mobility. This will be a benefit not only to the newly employed, but also to the general economy in our borough. Working with Per Scholas, we will help bridge the gap for those looking for tech jobs and create a stronger future for Staten Island.
 
This partnership is just the first piece of our new programming, called JCC Career Connections. This new program, which has been in the works for many years, will provide career training along with wraparound social services to help all Staten Islanders access employment opportunities. By linking Career Connections to our already robust social services offerings, we will be able to accommodate Staten Islanders with a wide variety of needs and help them get good paying jobs. We know this is just the first step in creating programming that will majorly benefit Staten Island. 

Providing social services has always been our strength at the JCC, so this partnership with Per Scholas gives us the opportunity to expand services and successfully launch this much-needed program. I want to thank Borough President James Oddo, the Chamber of Commerce, the Staten Island Foundation, UJA-Federation of NY, Amazon, and all of our community partners for their crucial work on this initiative. Without their support, this partnership would not have been possible.
 
We look forward to launching our first class, along with a press event celebrating this new program, next week. For more information on all of our Career Connections programming, click here.
 
I’m personally so excited to see where this partnership takes us, and we look forward to all we can do together! 

-Orit Lender, CEO

The Joan & Alan Bernikow JCC of Staten Island hosted Kids Front and Center, a virtual event, on Sunday, October 24 at 10am. The livestream supported JCC programs that help kids find new beginnings academically, socially, and emotionally during and after the pandemic.
 
At the event, the JCC recognized three outstanding community leaders, Lt. Rafet Awad, Rose Kerr, and Miriam Prat-Jerez, for their work benefiting children.
 
“I’d like to acknowledge and thank our honorees, Lt. Rafet Awad, Rose Kerr, and Miriam Prat-Jerez, for their tireless work serving children in our community. We are proud of your work and thank you for everything you’ve done to improve life for our children,” noted Orit Lender, CEO of the JCC.
 
Recognizing the toll the pandemic has put on children and families, the JCC has created programs to help children struggling with schoolwork and social interactions. Throughout the 2020-2021 school year, the JCC hosted five Learning Bridges sites to provide in-person support for families during remote school days. These programs mirrored a normal school day by offering academics, socialization, and recreation, allowing children to thrive as if they were in a normal school setting. The organization also provided in-person after school programs, camp, sports, and music classes throughout the past year.
 
Lender continued, “The funds raised this morning will support the JCC’s kids programs. Over the past year and a half, these programs have provided a lifeline to so many families on Staten Island. We’ve served thousands of children during the pandemic, providing in-person opportunities for education and recreation through a variety of programs, including Early Childhood Education, camp, Learning Bridges, sports, and music. With your help, we can continue to help kids find new beginnings through the next stage of the pandemic and beyond.”
 
Jozette Carter Williams, Bryn Biren, and Linda Brill were the event co-chairs. 
 
For more information or to view the live stream, click here!

The Joan & Alan Bernikow JCC of Staten Island will host Kids Front and Center, a virtual event, on Sunday, October 24 at 10am. The livestream will support JCC programs that help kids find new beginnings academically, socially, and emotionally during and after the pandemic.
 
At the event, the JCC will recognize three outstanding community leaders, Lt. Rafet Awad, Rose Kerr, and Miriam Prat-Jerez, for their work benefiting children.
 
“We are so proud to honor Lt. Awad, Rose, and Miriam for their transformative work with children. Their tireless efforts have improved the quality of life for so many kids and families in our community,” noted Orit Lender, CEO of the JCC.
 
Recognizing the toll the pandemic has put on children and families, the JCC has created programs to help children struggling with schoolwork and social interactions. Throughout the 2020-2021 school year, the JCC hosted five Learning Bridges sites to provide in-person support for families during remote school days. These programs mirrored a normal school day by offering academics, socialization, and recreation, allowing children to thrive as if they were in a normal school setting. The organization also provided in-person after school programs, camp, sports, and music classes throughout the past year.
 
Lender continued, “While many others were forced to close their doors, we were able to serve hundreds of children with in-person programs throughout the past year and a half. Our programs were a lifeline for families of essential workers struggling to find childcare options. Kids Front & Center will benefit our programs for kids and will make sure we can keep them running throughout the rest of the pandemic and beyond.”
 
Jozette Carter Williams, Bryn Biren, and Linda Brill, are the event co-chairs.  Virtual tickets are complimentary, but preregistration is required. Raffle tickets for the event are also available. For more information, visit sijcc.org/kidsfc.htm

I hope you were able to take some time during the fall holidays to relax with your family. As we’ve learned over the past year and a half, family is truly something to be cherished. At the JCC, we feel especially strongly about the importance of providing programs for the entire family to enjoy.

​A few weeks ago, we welcomed hundreds of families back to the JCC at our Fall Harvest Festival. It was wonderful to see familiar faces as well as many new ones. Our staff and I really enjoyed seeing kids play, sing, dance, and have fun outside with their families and friends. 

The festival kicked off a season of fall programming that is designed with children of all ages, interests, and abilities in mind. From sports to aquatics to School’s Out and Sunday Funday activities, we have something for everyone. We are also offering programs that the whole family can enjoy, like our parent/child music classes, self defense classes, and Pet ‘n Play event with Wild Side Zoo. For more information on all of our fall offerings, check out our Program Guide here.

​In a few weeks, we will host Kids Front & Center, a virtual event honoring the work done on behalf of children throughout the pandemic. At the event, we will honor three local leaders, Lt. Rafet Awad, Rose Kerr, and Miriam Prat-Jerez, for their transformative work with children. Their tireless efforts have improved the quality of life for so many kids and families in our community.
 
We will also recognize all the work our own JCC staff has done for kids throughout the pandemic. While many others were forced to close their doors, we were able to serve hundreds of children with in-person programs throughout the past year and a half. Our programs were a lifeline for families of essential workers struggling to find childcare options. Kids Front & Center will benefit our programs for kids and will make sure we can keep them running throughout the rest of the pandemic and beyond. You can learn more about the event here.
 
I hope to see you, either in-person or virtually, at one of our many fall kids events!

-Orit Lender, CEO