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Meeting Mark Lazar
Mark Lazar is a “Valley Boy” who studied in San Francisco, lived in Holland and lived in Israel for 23 years. The JCC’s new director of Jewish education and head of its Center for Jewish Life is a professional Jewish educator with more than 40 years’ experience spanning diverse global settings, topics and audiences. [su_simplepullquote]New JCC head of education wants to facilitate programs for…
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True Tikkun Olam
They look the same – a group of 67 teens laughing, running, jumping, dancing, and even a bit of flirting. But they don’t always sound the same. Fluent Hebrew and Spanish are sprinkled amongst the English jokes and stories. [su_simplepullquote]JCC Teen Global Fellows and JCC Cares volunteer together with Heritage Pointe seniors.[/su_simplepullquote] This summer, the Merage JCC hosted 67 teens – 21…
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Investing in Education
The Merage Jewish Community Center has launched a new education initiative to “invest in the future of Jewish education for all in Orange County,” according to a press release. The closure of the Bureau of Jewish Education left no central resource in Orange County for Jewish education. The JCC intends to “deliver multiple and flexible forms of Jewish education to all ages,” including everything…
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Going for the Gold
Going for the Gold
The Merage JCC received three Zahav (gold medal) awards at the recent JCCs of North America Biennial in Baltimore, Maryland. The prestigious Zahav Award – the highest award available to JCCs from the global association – recognizes outstanding, visionary initiatives with maximum impact on Jewish communities. The awards went to the Merage JCC’s programs in: “JCC Cares Family Volunteering,” “From…
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Making a Difference with OC Families
Making a Difference with OC Families
JCC Cares, a social action volunteer program, of the Merage Jewish Community Center was recently honored at OneOC’s 40th annual “Spirit of Volunteerism” gala luncheon celebrating volunteers who make a difference in our community. At the Disneyland Hotel, a sold-out room of 1000 corporate, nonprofit and volunteer representatives recognized this year’s honorees. Nominated by Families Forward, a…
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Ethical Writes: Unorthodox
The JCC Annual Book Fair always provides an opportunity to stock up on many titles. One 2015 find was Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hassidic Roots, a Memoir by Deborah Feldman (Amazon). The title tells the essence of the story: how Deborah Feldman grew up in the Satmar Hasidic community and how she left the traditions behind. Anytime someone does so, there is a scandal attached. Satu…
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Thirty-two teens and families woke up early on a Monday morning to pack meals for Orange County’s most vulnerable and hungry. Partnering with the OC Food Bank, the intrepid volunteers, made this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a day of service. From 4-years to well over 40-years, the volunteers packed and hauled over 520 boxes of food for our community’s poorest seniors. Each box was designed to serve 8 balanced, and nutritious meals for 4,160 meals total.
“We were grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the community in a meaningful way. My kids had a great time and really took pride in their contributions!” – Olga Goldman Suttner, with two children at the event.
JCC Cares was launched in 2010 by a group of spirited volunteers eager to make a difference in our community. They called it JCC Cares. The JCC Cares program, co-chaired by Nancy Chase and Adrienne Matros, is a social action group of volunteers that reach out to those in the community with the greatest needs. With monthly programs, many designed for families, JCC Cares is open to the entire community. The JCC Cares mission is to bring the community together to perform Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) and Gemilut Hasadim (acts of loving kindness) because “together we make a difference!”
Families and Teens Pack Meals for OC’s Hungry Thirty-two teens and families woke up early on a Monday morning to pack meals for Orange County’s most vulnerable and hungry.
Above and Beyond
As part of the OC Jewish Arts Festival, Nancy Spielberg, sister of the legendary “Schindler’s List” producer, will present a screening of “Above and Beyond,” a documentary on the lesser-known heroes of Israel’s 1948 War of Independence. Spielberg, the film’s producer, will lead a Q&A session after the 87-minute film screening, which will take place November 12 at the Irvine JCC. “Above and…
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