By: Emma Nowak, Lead Teacher/Parent & Family Education Coordinator April is Autism Awareness month, but this year you might be seeing some different information. Why is the autistic community shifting from awareness to acceptance? As our world and culture evolve, we as individuals and our language must evolve with it. We are all well aware… read more »
By Deb Smith As someone who never lived during time of the Holocaust, I think that everyone should have an understanding of how and why it occurred. The Holocaust sheds a light on the hazards of prejudice, discrimination, and anti-Semitism and raises important questions about the motivation of people to act or not. It… read more »
By Deb Smith, Program Director, Bearing Witness: Holocaust Education and Advocacy, York JCC/IDEAS Center. During this time of self-isolation and the unknown, let’s discuss acts of resilience of the human spirit. Have you ever heard of Emanuel Ringelblum and the Oneg Shabbat archives? Ringelblum was a historian and community figure in the Warsaw Ghetto of… read more »
By Melissa Plotkin Everyday there is a story surfacing about acts of hate and bias in our community. Whether it is property being spray painted, letters in driveways or on cars or even direct hate speech, it surrounds us. There are days where this overwhelms me and other days, it ignites me. I am one… read more »
Thank you to the York County Economic Alliance for this first-ever Diversity Impact Award. The York JCC (Jewish Community Center) has been an integral part of the IDEAS Center development. Thank you to Elliott and Sue Weinstein for their generosity in its formation. We were honored to be joined by Karen Fitch from the City… read more »
By Gina Kohr Today, we come full circle as 24 individuals on our way home excited to share unique experiences with loved ones, community members, and coworkers. The past 10 days we have walked many miles and traveled many destinations and eaten so much food that I don’t know when I will ever be hungry… read more »
By Jon Liss At breakfast, we learned that Israeli forces had assassinated a well known terrorist in Gaza. Then rocket attacks began into southern Israel and parts of Tel Aviv. Fortunately, as of this writing, there haven’t been any significant injuries in Israel, but some buildings have been hit. Iron Dome has been about 90%… read more »
By Kim Soderberg “Journey to the wilderness…”, is how our itinerary description for this day begins. We wake up in an oasis. You know, like the ones you see in the cartoons amid the desolation of the desert. This green, lush beautiful place full of wildlife. An oasis. The Kibbutz Ein Gedi. We have one… read more »
By Lise Levin I thought this morning about friendship. Friendships of longstanding and new ones. The real joy of sharing this experience of Israel with dear friends and of watching how my JCC friends care for each other. From Patty keeping a laser focus on us so we wouldn’t be swallowed by the mob at… read more »
By Bruce Bushwick Shortly after our plane landed in Ben Gurion airport, our guide explained that we are in a uniquely Jewish space— in language (modern Hebrew), with food (kosher restaurants are everywhere), in official holidays, and in religion. I would also add that in Israel, we are in Jewish time, with the week separated… read more »
