Dedication of Dr. Esther Grushkin Center for Arts + Culture to take place on November 18th

​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.