Weekly CenterScene

We’re almost there! After five years, we are very close to meeting the $5 million goal of our Capital Campaign that built our beautiful site in New Albany and that is funding our upcoming College Avenue expansion. Thanks to your support and generosity we only have $200,000 left to raise. This might mean 40 gifts at $5,000 each (which can be spread out over five years).

To those of you who have already donated to the Campaign, thank you. As the winter holidays approach, please consider the JCC one more time. Thanks to a generous matching gift, all new donations will be matched, dollar-for-dollar. Your gift will work even harder!

Make your match now. Donate now online or contact Sheila Cline at scline@columbusjcc.org (614) 559-6225 or Carol Folkerth at cfolkerth@columbusjcc.org (614) 559-6223.

As we close in on our fundraising goal, we can’t wait to welcome you into the 16,000 square feet of new space next summer—a new gymnasium, expanded cardio room, more space for group exercise, Toddler Fit and larger babysitting room, the J-Zone, a youth-specific fun and fitness area, and more.

Throughout the process different areas of our existing building will be affected. However, we are working hard to minimize your inconvenience. We want you to know exactly what is going on and where so there is as little disruption to your schedule as possible.

Once we break ground, we will notify you of major changes with signs posted on JCC doors and around the building, including the front desk and fitness desk. Construction news will be included in CenterScene and on our website.

For more frequent construction updates, please “like” the JCC on Facebook if you haven’t already. There, we will post photos and other news related to the expansion project. We want to make sure you are informed about the changes, but also because we think the progress is exciting and we’d like to share it with you!

This first phase, which should run through January, will be mostly outside. This means some changes in parking. Again, we are working hard to minimize your inconvenience so we will communicate with you in early December to let you know what is happening and where.

Remember, “like” us on Facebook for the most up-to-date construction information. Thank you for your support and patience as we grow!

Hanukkah is the Hebrew term for rededication. The holiday begins on the 25th day of the month of Kislev in the Jewish calendar. It is celebrated for eight days in honor of the Jews’ victory against the Syrian/Greeks and the miracle of the oil lasting for eight days to rededicate the temple.

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It’s the darkest time of year, but Gallery Players promises to bring audiences light with Hanukkah Lights in the Big Sky, the December children’s play. The play begins when a young boy puts a menorah in his bedroom window, and a brick is thrown through it. Based on true events that took place in Billings, Montana in 1993, the play shows how one community came together and created light from darkness.

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Gallery Players is seeking actors of all ages to audition for its upcoming March musical production of Fiddler on the Roof. Community members with little or no acting or musical experience are encouraged to try out.

Preliminary auditions will be held December 10-11, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., in the Roth-Resler Theater of the JCC. Callbacks will be held on December 12 at 7 p.m. To sign up for your five-minute audition time slot, please contact Jared Saltman at 614-559-6248 or jsaltman@columbusjcc.org.

Please bring your own sheet music to your scheduled audition and come prepared to sing a song of your own choosing for the provided accompanist. Headshots and resumes are preferred but not required. The role of Tevye will be performed by Cantor Jack Chomsky of Congregation Tifereth Israel, but all other roles are open.

There will be eight performances of Fiddler on the Roof between March 2 and March 17, 2013. Please contact Jared Saltman at the Jewish Community Center with any questions.

This year, Hanukkah is coming to YOU!

The holiday of Hanukkah goes beyond the home and into Giant Eagle with a special hands-on experience for the whole family.  Join J-Reach at the Gahanna Giant Eagle (1250 N. Hamilton Rd.) on Sunday, December 2, from 1-3 p.m. for an exciting and engaging free Hanukkah program for the entire family! Activities will include a dreidel origami station, Color-Me Calendar (featuring Elmo, Ernie, and other Muppet friends from Shalom Sesame ©2012 Sesame Workshop), Hanukkah Raffles and other fun holiday crafts!

So, head to Giant Eagle after breakfast, brunch, or religious school pick-up! This afternoon is sure to be a hit! Please contact Becca Nitzberg at bnitzberg@columbusjcc.org or 559-6215 with questions or for details! Hands-On Hanukkah is one of the Jewish Outreach Institute's Public Space Judaism programs which make Jewish experiences more accessible by bringing the culture and traditions of Judaism to people where they are.

J-Reach partners with the Kingsdale Giant Eagle Market District for a Hanukkah Cooking demonstration on Thursday, December 6, from 7-9 p.m. Chef Matt will show us how to make creative and exciting recipes for this Hanukkah season. Becca will be there with a table full of giveaways, contests, and a raffle prize!

Please contact Becca Nitzberg for details at 559-6215 or bnitzberg@columbusjcc.org.

Join us to celebrate the 2nd night of Hanukkah with your fellow Northwest-area residents! The celebration will take place on Sunday, December 9, from 4-6 p.m. at Congregation Beth Tikvah. The evening will include family-friendly activities such as hearing a Hanukkah story, making and playing with your own dreidels (edible or wooden!), and more from 4-5 p.m.

At 5 p.m., the entire Northwest Jewish Community will be invited to join in the lighting of the Hanukkiah. We will quite literally "wrap up the night" by wrapping gifts for families in need, while continuing to indulge in delicious Hanukkah delicacies such as latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (donuts)!

We ask that attendees bring a new, unwrapped gift for someone in need. These gifts will be donated to the Jewish Family Services Holiday Gift Drive.

Let's all do a Mitzvah this holiday season! Please RSVP by Thursday, December 6. Feel free to contact Becca Nitzberg with questions or to RSVP at (614) 559-6215 or bnitzberg@columbusjcc.org.

Zachary Rosen, a 2003 Bexley High School graduate, was awarded the Columbus Police Department's Medal of Valor and The Distinguished Service Medal in a ceremony on November 16, 2012. According to the Columbus Dispatch, Officer Rosen "showed great courage in the rescue of a badly injured driver trapped amid a tangle of felled power lines during the major storm that struck June 29."

Officer Rosen joined the force in 2010. He is the son of our own Leslie Rosen, Infant and Toddler Coordinator and Camp Yeladim Director. Leslie talked about her son’s brave actions during that harrowing experience that likely saved a life in the aftermath of the June 29 storm. “Every day that Zach goes to work I feel very proud of him. I am not at all surprised that he went above and beyond to help the gentleman injured in the accident. It could have ended much differently. As Zach said, he was in the right place at the right time, and luckily everyone came out alive!”

Like Leslie and the rest of the Rosen family, we are so proud of him and honored that he also provides security right here at the JCC!