The Jewish holiday of Chanukah began last night. Known as the festival of lights, Chanukah celebrates a miracle from 167 BCE, when the Maccabee freedom fighters’ only supply of pure oil, enough to light the temple for one night, lasted for eight. This year, if we...
JCCA’s alumni comprise a rich and complex group of people who come from diverse communities, backgrounds, and generations. Having suffered serious trauma in their early years, with the help of JCCA’s services, they have moved on to a wide range of occupations and...
We know too well the hardships of not having a loving family or enough food to eat throughout the year and especially during the holidays. Indeed, we work to build and strengthen families and to make sure children are safe, nurtured, and nourished. On Thanksgiving,...
Forty children who are residents of JCCA’s Pleasantville Cottage Campus gave a terrific, heartfelt performance in their production of “The Lion King” on Wednesday evening, November 15. The cast sang and danced their hearts out to an audience of approximately 300...
In the first half of the last century, Morris Abramowitz was a NYC police officer patrolling a beat in the Bronx. Born in Russia in 1905, and the second of six children, he was six months old when his parents immigrated to the US. In his teens, his mother became sick...
On Sunday evening, a gunman opened fire on an outdoor concert in Las Vegas, killing at least 59 people and wounding hundreds more. It is the deadliest mass shooting in our nation’s recent history, and a horrifying tragedy. Our hearts go out to the families who lost...
In a city as large and diverse as New York, we all know someone affected by recent natural disasters across the Caribbean, Florida, Texas, and Mexico. All of us are concerned for our JCCA colleagues who are heartbroken with worry for their parents, grandparents,...
Rosh Hashanah, which begins tonight at sundown, and Yom Kippur are once again upon us. We commence the ten days that culminate on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year — the Day of Atonement. During this period, Jews reflect on their actions during the past...
There are many well-known traditions observed during the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. Even though we repeat them every year, each one is special. We share a holiday meal with loved ones and community, eat symbolic foods, and recite prayers to commemorate the...
Reaching out when we need each other most As we prepared to send a message to share our deep concerns about the Trump Administration’s decision earlier this week to rescind DACA, dramatic natural disasters have overwhelmed our thoughts. So many people all across our...