JCLP Presidents’ Forum March 1, 2023
JCLP Presidents’ Forum Congregant Engagement Experiences of Selected Congregations Wednesday, March 1, 2023 David Feldman: Malverne Jewish Center, Malverne, Long Island, NYC Engagement has increased in my congregation as a result of: Personal Congregant Interviews Remarks by David Feldman, President, Malverne Jewish Center Good evening. I’ll be briefly discussing our efforts to increase congregant and […]
How to help our friends and family in storm-damaged Florida
The Jewish Federations of North America are collecting donations on behalf of the victims of Hurricane Ian. This ferocious storm swept across Florida with sustained winds gusting at over 150 mph. Many are without power, water, or a roof over their head. The hurricane has already caused billions of dollars of damage, and it will […]
Ohio Congregation’s Legacy Plan Reaches Worldwide
When the members of Emanuel Jacob Congregation in Mansfield, Ohio, gather this year to observe the High Holidays, the congregation’s cherished spiritual leader will as ever conduct services. They will not, however, assemble in their longtime synagogue building, which was recently sold. Instead, a member will graciously host the community in a different space. The […]
JCLP Guides Massachusetts Congregation Coming to Closure
Arrival of the pandemic with its disruptions and isolation only clarified years-long problems of attrition that Temple Emanuel of the Merrimack Valley in Lowell, Massachusetts (TEMV). Established in the late 1940s, the congregation was now running out of both finances and people. They pared down to the essentials by holding services in a rented commercial […]
War in Ukraine Inspires Small Ohio Congregation to Action
With war in Ukraine continuing as the High Holidays approach, the kind initiative of a small Ohio congregation halfway between Dayton and Cincinnati continues to resonate. Rachel Lewitt is president of Middletown’s Temple Sholom, a JCLP Legacy congregation. Her great grandparents donated land for the temple’s building and her passion for her Jewish community is evident. […]
New Association Seeks to Preserve Small Town Cemeteries in the South
The pioneering Jews who found their way to small towns in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and southwestern Tennessee established cemeteries even before they built synagogues. The highest level of gemilut hasadim –the giving of loving kindness that Jewish tradition calls for—is caring for the dead. Before anything else, these pioneers buried and honored their dead. For years, travelers […]
JCLP Names New Officers
Leslie Dannin Rosenthal is the new Chair of the Board. She follows Michael Z. Kay, a well-respected leader in the Atlanta Jewish and general communities, who stepped aside after serving in that position from the time JCLP was a committee of its fiduciaries through incorporation in 2016 as a non-profit organization. He will continue his […]
From a Writer’s Perspective
A recent assignment for The Forward had a special, personal resonance since, as she stated in the piece, the history of Jews in Texas is a subject close to her heart for reasons of family and geography. She was writing about the process of securing the legacy of Temple Emanu-El in Longview, Texas, about a four-hour drive […]
An Elegant Ending
When Roslyn Palmer, president of Temple Beth-El in Bainbridge, Georgia, first met with Noah Levine to learn about the Jewish Community Legacy Project, the ravages of time had already diminished her once-vital Jewish community. Bainbridge, in southwest Georgia, began as a Native American trading post. The town was officially established in 1824 and was named […]
The Legacy of a New York State Congregation Spans the World
Kingston has a history stretching back to the arrival of the Dutch. In 1777, it became the first capitol of New York State. Later that year, the British burned the city in retaliation for their loss in the Battles of Saratoga. The 19th century saw an influx of commerce driven by the discovery of natural cement […]