The Joan and Alan Bernikow Jewish Community Center of Staten Island will host a virtual lecture with international journalist Paul Alster, who will discuss his debut novel Kin or Country. The event will take place on Thursday, October 22nd at 2pm. The lecture is presented by the Dr. Esther Grushkin Seminars for Adult Jewish Education.
 
Paul Alster is an Israel-based journalist who has covered both sports and political news for a variety of international outlets. His work has been featured in The Jerusalem Report, The Investigative Project on Terrorism, Forbes, DailyMail Online, The Hill, The New York Post, and others. Alster previously served as the regional correspondent covering current affairs, intelligence, and terrorism in the Middle East for FoxNews.com, where he continues to be a featured commentator.
 
Most recently, Alster penned his debut novel, Kin or Country, published this summer. A thriller set in 2048 Israel, the novel weaves together political intrigue and a murder mystery. Drawn from the author’s experiences living and working in Israel, the story highlights tensions between secular and religious groups and raises questions about the nation’s future.
 
The JCC will host Alster on Zoom for a presentation and Q&A on Kin or Country. The event is sponsored by Eileen and Alan Bernstein in memory of Miriam and Eli Cohen. The fee for the program is $10 per household.
 
“When I wrote Kin or Country last year, I genuinely believed it might take until the end of the 2040s for the massive demographic challenge presented by the growth of the ultra-Orthodox communities to reach a head. However, recent events prompted by the Coronavirus-driven financial crisis and its fallout have already seen many of the issues I envisioned rush to the fore much faster than expected. Seismic changes in the way Israel is governed and in the attitude of the many peoples living within its borders need to take place very soon to avoid a scenario similar to the premise of my book,” Alster said about his book.
 
This upcoming program joins several lecture series and standalone events hosted by the Dr. Esther Grushkin Seminars for Adult Jewish Education at the JCC. Also known as SAJE, this endowment created by Jerry Grushkin in honor of his late wife allows the JCC to host various events that promote intellectual curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge.
 
When the pandemic began, the JCC quickly adapted its programming to an online setting and continues to add new virtual programs on a variety of subjects. Recently, the JCC hosted SAJE lectures on the evolving “Jewish American Princess” stereotype in Hollywood films, the roots of Christianity in Judaism, and leading contemporary Israeli artists. All lectures were led by experts in their respective fields.
 
Given the online nature of these events, the JCC has been able to reach beyond the Staten Island community to welcome virtual guests from across the country and around the world to enjoy its programming.
 
Orit Lender, CEO of the JCC, said, “We feel so fortunate to be able to host these interesting, thought-provoking events on a diverse range of topics. Our Cultural Arts team has truly made the most of these challenging times, not only by keeping our members connected with each other, but also by connecting them with amazing speakers worldwide and showing people from around the world all that our community has to offer.”
 
Upcoming SAJE lectures include:

• American Jewish Women in Politics with Amy Posner: Tuesday, October 27 at 12:30pm
• How Sandy Koufax Made Every American Jew Feel 10 Feet Tall: Thursday, November 5 at 7pm
• Memories of a Child Holocaust Survivor in Terezin: Wednesday, November 18 at 7pm (free event)
  
  

To learn more about these programs and purchase tickets, click here.

Each month, our Murray Berman Art @ the J Gallery is proud to showcase the work of a local artist. The newest exhibition, which will open in March, features oil paintings of Staten Island scenes done by Victor Zucconi.

Zucconi’s love for art and color began when he received a set of colored pencils from his parents as a child. This gift sparked a lifelong study of art and a passion for another medium—oil paint. A Lifetime Member of the Art Students League, Zucconi began studying part-time at the league in 1968. After retiring from his position as a NYC Board of Education teacher in 1999, he transitioned to full-time study. Over the years, he received several merit scholarships to both the Art Students League and the National Academy School of Fine Arts in NYC.

Zucconi’s talent for capturing scenes both past and present in impressionistic oil paintings has been recognized and lauded at several local art shows. He has participated in juried shows, in which a panel of judges evaluates applicants’ work and chooses to display the best—at the Broome Street Gallery, the Salmagundi Club, the Staten Island Museum, and the Snug Harbor Art Lab. He also received an Honorable Mention for a portrait that appeared in a “Best of NY Artists” feature in 2006. The Staten Island Museum has commissioned and archived 35 prints of his oils of Staten Island scenes as well as an oil painting of the building which houses the museum.

Join us at an Artist’s Reception unveiling our new display of Victor Zucconi’s work on Thursday, March 19 from 6:30-8:30pm at the Murray Berman Art @ the J Gallery. The reception is free and open to the public. The exhibition will be on display through April, so if you’re in the Bernikow Building, stop by and take a look! 

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.
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Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate the Festival of Lights with us! We wish you and your families a very happy Hanukkah!

Our newest art exhibit features the work of Michele Guttenberg. Guttenberg, who works with various media including watercolor and oil paint, began cultivating her talent as a young woman. She took up drawing as the mother of three young children, searching for something to sustain her beyond her household life. Initially amazed to find that she could draw, this first foray into art sparked a lifelong passion.

Guttenberg credits many others in her life with teaching and inspiring her to create art of her own. Her brother Steven pointed her in the direction of drawing when she was seeking purpose and gave her helpful tips to improve her craft. Her cousin Alice helped her learn watercolor. Guttenberg’s passion for art is shared with her husband Neil Besignano—she recalls that when they took up oil painting, they were each other’s teacher and muse. Another influence on her work was Jeanne Meisels, an instructor at the Art Lab in Snug Harbor. Today, Guttenberg gives back to her many teachers, and to all that art has given her, by teaching other students in her own classes at the Lab.

Michele Guttenberg’s work is a powerful reminder that it’s never too late to learn something new or discover one’s passion. It also reminds us that we should share our talents with one another—we never know where inspiration will come from!
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Come see her work at our exhibit on display at the Murray Berman Art @ the J Gallery at the Bernikow building. An Artist’s Reception, free and open to the public, will be held there on Thursday, November 21st from 6:30-8:30 p.m. The exhibit will be open through December.

Our newest Art exhibit features the work of Len Rachlin. Len Rachlin is a photographer and sculptor who was born in Ellenville, N.Y.  He graduated from Stony Brook University with both B.A. and M.A degrees. Later he obtained an M.B.A. degree from Baruch College. He studied sculpture at the Brooklyn Museum Art School, the Art Students League and the New York Academy of Art. He learned the basics of photography from his father who was a baby photographer and is otherwise self-taught. He worked for a hotel photographer, as a photography counselor at a summer camp and for Stony Brook University’s Office of Public Relations to earn money for college expenses. Later he did wedding photography before becoming interested in the artistic side of photography. Rachlin juggled being a math teacher as well as doing sculpture and photography.

He has exhibited, mostly in group shows, at various locations including Stony Brook University, Wagner College, St. John’s University, Brooklyn Museum Community Gallery, Staten Island Museum, Salmagundi Club, Numeroff Gallery, R.K. Parker Gallery, Rosenberg Gallery, Valsamis Gallery, SVA East Side Gallery, Red Carpet Gallery, Gallery 6, Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, Fort Wadsworth Visitors Center, Greenbelt Nature Center, Blue Heron Park and Planting Fields Arboretum. His sculptures are realistic figurative bronzes. He works first in clay, then plaster and finally casts his work into bronze using the lost wax casting process. The primary subject of his photography is people- mostly candid shots. Other subjects he has pursued are landscapes, nature, still lifes, nude studies and portraits.

Rachlin’s sculptures and photographs are in many private collections. His bronze portrait bust of George W. Curtis can be seen in the entrance vestibule of Curtis High School on Staten Island. He has published two books of his photographs, Photographic Visions, Blurb Press, 2008 and Coney Island Views, Blurb Press, 2008.

Come see the exhibit, on display at the Murray Berman Art @ the J Gallery at the Bernikow Building through October!

The concert is a continuation of a Polish-Jewish dialogue that focuses on nurturing heritage, religion and multiculturalism. The concert will be accompanied by Poland’s leading tango ensemble Tango Attack. The concert will take place at the Bernikow Building on Sunday, September 22nd at 3pm.

​The multilingual repertoire of this project includes songs in Polish, Yiddish, and Hebrew, reflecting the distinct international expressions of interwar Warsaw. As the tango craze swept through Europe, Warsaw became the eastern European capital of tango and bore witness to the birth of the dance form’s most eclectic permutation, combining Slavic and Jewish elements with Argentinian musical influences.
 
It was upon her discovery of one such song, Białostocki’s “Rebecca,” that Olga first fell in love with Yiddish tango, fascinated by how the music reflects the complexity of Polish-Jewish coexistence. Raised a devout Catholic, Olga was inspired to dive deeper into Jewish culture after a life-changing interfaith visit to Auschwitz. After the visit, she began to study Yiddish and made it her mission to bring Yiddish back to the Jewish people. Today, Olga practices Orthodox Judaism and resides in Israel.
 
Olga’s repertoire includes a wide variety of songs from the 1920s, 30s and 40s, some of which were popular tunes in their time, and others that had been forgotten and only recently revived by Olga and her band for a contemporary audience. In the concert program, Olga shares the unique history of each melody, weaving together compelling stories of Yiddish stars from the Old World.

Last year, Olga presented Yiddish Tango from Warsaw at Toronto’s Ashkenaz Festival and presented concerts and workshops at the internationally acclaimed klezmer gathering KlezKanada. Olga’s concerts often feature special guest singers and musicians such as legendary singer Sława Przybylska, acclaimed jazz pianist from Toronto Ron Davis, and leading Israeli performers. In 2013, Olga toured North America with a project Polesye – Jewish Folksongs from Shtetl, a project inspired by the repertoire of Miriam Nirenberg, with concerts at Atrium at Lincoln Center, Chutzpah! Festival, Jewish Music Festival in Berkeley, and the JCC East Bay in Berkeley. 

The concert is part of a tour that includes performances at the JCC of Manhattan and the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. It is presented in partnership with the Polish Cultural Institute New York.

Tickets are $18 in advance and $25 at the door. The event will be followed by a dessert reception. To purchase tickets, contact Sigalit Grego at sgrego@sijcc.com or 718.475.5276.