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On Sunday, December 29, our Lucille and Jay Chazanoff Sunrise Day Camp families celebrated the holidays together at a special Sunrise Sunday event. Sunrise families were led in a series of fun games and challenges such as a tug of war, a dance contest, and a tough round of Simon Says. Everyone loved playing the “Brain Challenge” trivia game show, which pitted kids, parents, and counselors against each other in the ultimate test of wits. The kids really wowed everyone with their knowledge! Later, the campers headed off to the gym for other fun activities. Some played gaga, one of their favorite camp games, while others played ball and played with a parachute. Our CEO David Sorkin even got in on all the fun—check out the video below! The highlight of the afternoon was when all of our campers received holiday gifts. Parents and staffers loved seeing the kids’ faces light up as they unwrapped their presents. We are thankful for all of our generous donors who make Sunrise Day Camp and year-round events like this possible. We are especially grateful to IAmEmpowering and the David Harris Collection for donating the gifts that brought so much joy to our campers and their families. To conclude the event, Sunrise Day Camp Director Sandy Haft announced this year’s camp dates—July 6-August 13. We can’t wait to see all of our campers again, but, until then, we’re gearing up for walk season to raise the funds needed to give these kids the best summer ever!
 No matter what your kid loves, we have a program for them! Check out our winter schedule, and click on each class to get more information on how to sign up!
Soccer Our winter soccer program, led by our new Head Coach Alejandro Jimenez, includes classes for players at all levels. The session runs from January 5 - April 10. There will be no programs the week of February 16 - 21. All classes take place at the Bernikow Building.
Basketball Our winter basketball program includes introductory classes for players of various ages, as well as advanced training opportunities. The session runs from January 5 - April 11. There will be no classes February 17 - 21. We offer classes at both the Avis building and the Bernikow Building.
Tennis Our winter tennis program runs on Sundays from January 5 - April 5. There will be no classes on February 16. Lessons take place at the Bernikow Building or Staten Island Academy (715 Todt Hill Road). Private lessons are also available. Get more information and sign up here Aquatics Winter swimming lessons are a great option for swimmers at every skill level! If your child is new to the pool, you can be sure that they’ll learn the skills they need to have a safe and fun summer in a few months. And more advanced swimmers can continue having fun in the pool year-round! There will be 6 classes during the winter swim session, with one make-up class offered. Classes begin the week of January 5. All classes take place at the Bernikow Building.
Get more information and sign up here Music The winter session is a great time to introduce your child to the joys of music! We have class options for children of all ages and we also offer opportunities for parents and children to make music together!
ALSO AVAILABLE:
 Here at the JCC, we believe in promoting wellness. We want all of our members to get the most out of our facilities and achieve their goals. This is why we’re launching our official fitness app!
With our app, you can set goals, challenge yourself, and record all of your workout data to track your progress. On this user-friendly mobile platform, you can access specials, see our fitness schedules and add classes to your calendar, and more! It is also integrated with wearable technology—like that Fitbit you might have received for the holidays—and other fitness apps you may be using. And, because every goal is so much more attainable when we have support from others, you can even virtually cheer on all of your friends at the J! We’re so excited about how this app can improve your experience at the JCC and hope that you’ll take advantage of all it has to offer. It is available on the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store—just search for “JCC of Staten Island.” You can also visit https://qrco.de/bbMVKI to download the app.
We've got several great upcoming events in January and February!
First is Sunshine Sunday, our annual event benefitting Lucille and Jay Chazanoff Sunrise Day Camp! This year, we are proud to recognize Marie DiTommaso; Rosemarie Stazzone, RN, MS, CNE; and our Sunrise Walk Basket & Event Committee: Dawn Petermann, Debbie Monello, Andria O’Leary, and Joanne Vitale. The event will take place on Sunday, January 26th at the Old Bermuda Inn from 1-5pm. Learn more and buy tickets here We will also host the #RememberMe Brunch on Sunday, February 23rd from 10am-1pm at the Joan & Alan Bernikow JCC. At the event, which benefits the JCC’s Family Solutions to Memory Loss, we will honor Cherine Hanna, Adele McMahon, LCSW-R, Jackie Reiter, LMSW, and Rabbi Stephen Stern, PhD. Learn more and buy tickets here We hope to see you at our events this winter!  This cold weather has us dreaming of sunny summer camp days...but summer won't seem so far away when you join us for our Camp Reunion! Reunite with your friends and counselors from camp and enjoy bouncy inflatables, Jester Jim’s Juggling Show, and a make-your-own-sundae bar!
Sunday, January 5, 4-6pm Bernikow JCC, 1466 Manor Road $10 per child / Bring a new friend to camp and each pay only $5 Contact Glenn Wechsler at gwechsler@sijcc.com to register by January 2. Throughout the year, the JCC is proud to offer family-oriented programs that bring children and their families together to create special memories. The most recent in our great lineup of events was a Hanukkah party on December 15. The Cultural Arts department put together a fabulous party with activities for everyone to enjoy together. Partygoers were entertained by a clown and a magician, who performed an act with a live rabbit. The entertainers also painted the children’s faces and made balloon animals! Everyone got into the Hanukkah spirit with the help of a costumed dreidel character. Families decorated Hanukkah-themed gingerbread houses with candy and gelt. No party would be complete without food, so guests were treated to delicious latkes and soufganiyot. Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate the Festival of Lights with us! We wish you and your families a very happy Hanukkah!  Did you receive a few gifts or gift cards that you don’t plan on using? Instead of returning or exchanging… donate! This is a great way to make a donation to the Joan and Alan Bernikow Jewish Community Center of Staten Island while also receiving a tax deduction for your gift! The donated items will be used at upcoming fundraisers to help raise money for all of our great programs.
For more information, contact Stefanie Racano at sracano@sijcc.com or 718.475.5213. We will be collecting donations now through January 31.  This firsthand account was written by Allison Cohen, Director of Marketing & Communications at the JCC. Barre class is one of the hot new millennial fitness trends, with studios dedicated to it popping up all around the country. But on Staten Island, barre is incredibly hard to find. That’s why I was so excited when—partially based on my urging—the JCC’s Fitness Department started offering classes this October. I felt like I had to try it, not just because I’m a millennial and wanted to look as cool as the influencers I follow on Instagram, but because it looked like a fun workout. I’m no fitness newbie, but I usually stick to spin class or yoga, with an occasional weight-lifting session thrown in. Still, I was scared, because from everything I had heard, barre is hard.  Unsure of whether or not to brave barre, I took an Instagram poll to see what my friends thought. The results were overwhelmingly positive, with many friends and followers DM-ing me to tell me how much they loved barre. One friend who messaged me happens to work out at the JCC regularly and offered to take the class with me. We made plans to meet up that Tuesday after work. Tuesday night rolled around, and despite the fact that I wanted to chicken out, knowing that my friend was coming forced me to take the class. Our instructor, Teri, asked everyone in the class if we had taken barre before, and it turned out we were all fist timers. Thankfully, Teri went slowly and gave modifications for anyone who needed them (aka me). Here are a few things I learned from class:
 Overall, I had a great time in class. It was tons of fun, and I felt great afterwards, despite the burning sensation in my legs. I would definitely recommend checking it out if you’re interested in trying barre as a first timer, since it’s an uncompetitive and accommodating class. And if you see me in the back of the class, come say hi!
Pictured: Me right after barre class, in all my sweaty glory  Our iTeens group has been having lots of fun these past few weeks! On November 23, they took on an escape room challenge at Staten Island’s Amazing Escape Room. They didn’t quite beat the game, but they still had a great time working together to solve puzzles! The teens also recently celebrated Hanukkah together with a party. Highlights of the evening included a holiday grab bag gift exchange and a game of dreidel! After the holidays, the iTeens group will host a Gaga tournament on January 5. Please contact Sara Doyle at sdoyle@sijcc.com for more information.   This year, we’re celebrating the Joan & Alan Bernikow JCC of Staten Island’s 90th birthday. As the JCC turns 90, we reflect back on the milestones the organization has achieved over the years. Traditionally, the holidays are a time to gather round the table with the ones you love. But for some of our neighbors, food insecurity makes this an even harder time of the year. That's where the JCC steps in, offering food and other social services to those in need through our Kosher Food Pantry. The pantry provides food to over 450 households in our community annually, regardless of race, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, ability, or ethnic background. We distribute over 7,500 packages of food every year to those in need! What makes our food pantry unique is that is it set up "supermarket-style" and by appointment only. Those who need food receive personal and confidential service. They are able to "shop" up and down the aisles for the food they desire. Volunteers and staff also provide healthy recipes and explain how to cook items. For many, the Kosher Food Pantry is a supplement to low or fixed income, loss of income due to illness or job loss, or loss of second income for single parents. For others, it is considered emergency assistance, assisting households’ transition through crisis. Our Kosher Food Pantry helps provide nutritious food to babies, children, seniors, veterans, and struggling families. The people who utilize our food pantry may be your friends, neighbors, or relatives. We treat all we serve with kindness, respect, and dignity. We understand the special dietary needs of our participants and provide the appropriate food supply to maintain a healthy lifestyle according to individual need. On each visit, we provide enough groceries for a minimum of 3 meals per day for at least 3 days for each person in the household.  The food pantry is run by volunteers and staff, as well as participants from our Day Hab program who have developmental disabilities. These young adults are responsible for stocking and packaging items. We also have five other volunteers who are trained to assist pantry participants. Some of our volunteers have also been food pantry recipients themselves and want to give back to the place that helped them when they needed it most.
To supply our food pantry with enough food to feed the hungry and funds to address the growing need in our community, our program relies on support from Food Bank, UJA, Met-Council, RCSF, and ShopRite, as well as caring individuals and businesses. Without their support, we couldn't do the work to ensure that people in our community have access to fresh and healthy food. This year, we were proud to receive the award for best food pantry on Staten Island from Food Bank NYC, the food pantry network and supplier to hundreds of pantries citywide! With the support of the community, our volunteers, and the JCC’s incredible staff, we will continue to ensure that any hungry member of the Staten Island community is able to put food on their table this holiday season. If you or someone you know is facing food insecurity, please contact Devorah Weiss, LMSW, at dweiss@sijcc.com or 718.475.5245. If you're interested in donating to help keep the food pantry stocked, click here. |
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February 2023
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LocationSBERNIKOW/MID-ISLAND
1466 Manor Road Staten Island, NY 10314 718.475.5200 ABERLIN/NORTH SHORE
485 Victory Blvd Staten Island, NY 10301 718.475.5290 |
AVIS/SOUTH SHORE
1297 Arthur Kill Road Staten Island, NY 10312 718.475.5270 BERMAN EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER
2221 Richmond Ave. Staten Island, NY 10314 718.475.5100 |
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