2023 Torch Award Application (submit here)
# | Submitted | User | IP Address | Award Year | Documents read | Club Name | Program Name | Existing Contact | First Name | Last Name | Email of Club Rep | First Name | Last Name | First Name | Last Name | Email Current President | Category | Program Overview Summary | Detailed Program | Detail Program Documents | Program Advance Planning | Marketing | Photos | Video | Impact | FJMC | Additional Input | Program Origin | Identify Source | Certification | Award Level (to be completed by Torch Award Chairmen after judging) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | 2023-04-09 12:04 | mgetz27 | 76.152.206.153 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | Temple Israel of Sharon Brotherhood - Sharon, MA (738) | Brotherhood Shabbat & Scholar in Residence Weekend | Dr. Jeff Shore | Michael | Getz | mgetz27@comcast.net | Gary | Keimach | gkeimach@comcast.net | Michael | Getz | mgetz27@comcast.net | Mens' Club Shabbat | Our Brotherhood Weekend, officially known as the Temple Israel Brotherhood Shabbat and Annual Robert Zeitsiff Scholar in Residence Weekend, is named in memory of our club’s original founder, Robert Zeitsiff, and is typically held in early January. It is comprised of the following components: Brotherhood-led Shabbat services, a d’var Torah by our invited Scholar in Residence, a “Gala Shabbat Kiddush”, a Saturday evening social program, typically for members and their spouses, and a Sunday breakfast talk with our Scholar in Residence. | We were very proud of our club’s creativity these past two years in planning our Brotherhood Shabbat Weekend, officially known as the Temple Israel Brotherhood Shabbat and Annual Robert Zeitsiff Scholar in Residence Weekend. In January 2022, we welcomed as our Scholar in Residence Dr. Ephraim Isaac, Ethiopian Scholar of Ancient Semitic Languages for a Shabbat d’var Torah and as our Sunday morning speaker, and provided COVID-friendly “Gala Kiddush To-Go Boxed Lunches” and boxed Sunday brunches. We also held a “TV Sitcom Trivia Game Night” that Saturday evening. This year, in February 2023, we welcomed back as our Scholar in Residence Rabbi Menachem Creditor, the Pearl and Ira Meyer Scholar in Residence of the UJA Federation of New York, who served a Assistant Rabbi at our temple in the early 2000’s. At the last minute we had to scramble to reschedule the weekend from January when Rabbi Creditor came down with COVID. In addition, his wife, Neshama Carlebach, the award-winning singer/songwriter, performed a concert with her band that evening that was open to the greater community and brought in over 300 people. Our Brotherhood Weekend, officially known as the Temple Israel Brotherhood Shabbat and Annual Robert Zeitsiff Scholar in Residence Weekend, is named in memory of our club’s original founder, Robert Zeitsiff, z”l. We typically hold Brotherhood Weekend in early January, and it is comprised of the following components: 1) Brotherhood-led Shabbat services – with Brotherhood members leading all aspects of the services; 2) A d’var Torah by our invited Scholar in Residence; 3) A President’s Message, by our club president; 4) A “Gala Shabbat Kiddush” that features our famous glazed Kosher salami; 5) A Saturday evening social program, typically for members and their spouses, though in 2023, as we held a concert, we opened it to the greater community. In past years we’ve had parties in members’ homes, dances at the temple, game nights, etc. 6) Sunday breakfast talk with our Scholar in Residence. We host the Kiddush for the entire community, and invite sponsor and supporter donations for the weekend – with multiple sponsorship tiers, as can be seen in the program. We also charge a small fee for the Sunday morning breakfast. Over the past few years, our temple Sisterhood’s members have helped with set up and serving food at our Brotherhood Kiddush, and we have reciprocated at Sisterhood’s annual Shabbat and Kiddush. The smooth functioning of our Brotherhood Weekend involves many of our members and their spouses. We prepare flyers, advertisements and the program guide in Microsoft PowerPoint (attached) and PDF and use Google Forms and Google Sheets for volunteer sign-up sheets (Excel table attached). Our temple administrative office sets up a registration form with eCommerce on the temple’s ShulCloud-based web site. Given the importance of this year’s concert, we advertised throughout the temple and local Jewish community, in social media, and placed advertisements in Boston-area Jewish publications. We also reached out to other local clubs and synagogues and sent copies of the flyer. | 2023_brotherhood_weekend_concert_program.pdf (341 KB) 2023_brotherhood_weekend_concert_program.pptx (132 KB) 2023_neshama_carlebach_concert_flyer.pdf (177 KB) 2022_brotherhood_shabbat_flyer.pdf (810 KB) 2022_brotherhood_shabbat_flyer.pptx (302 KB) 2023_brotherhood_weekend_carlebach_concert_volunteer_list.xlsx (82 KB) | 2023_shul_pr_email.docx (71 KB) 2023_sample_concert_email_blast_1.pdf (781 KB) 2023_sample_concert_email_blast_2.pdf (354 KB) 2022_brotherhood_shabbat_flyer.pdf (810 KB) 2023_neshama_carlebach_concert_flyer.pdf (177 KB) 2023_brotherhood_shabbat_concert_dual_flyer.jpg (721 KB) | 2023_neshama_carlebach_photo_1.jpg (2840 KB) 2023_neshama_carlebach_photo_2.jpg (2307 KB) 2023_neshama_carlebach_photo_3.jpg (2912 KB) 2023_sunday_scholar_talk_1.jpg (2493 KB) 2023_sunday_scholar_talk_2.jpg (2676 KB) 2022_scholar_photo.jpg (2193 KB) 2022_tv_sitcom_trivia_prizes.jpg (3687 KB) | Our Brotherhood Shabbat Weekends in 2022 and 2023 were both very successful and well received, involving the participation of a large number of club members, and also bringing in a large number of synagogue and community members for the engaging Scholar in Residence, “Gala” Kiddush. This year, our synagogue President, Neil Aronson, thanked us with the following words: “Thank you all for an amazing weekend at Temple Israel. Your hard work resulted in an incredibly successful, meaningful and enjoyable weekend. From a wonderful Mishpacha Minyan and Kabbalat Shabbat to a great turnout (on a holiday weekend!) for Shabbat services and a scrumptious kiddush luncheon to a wonderful Sunday brunch and fascinating discussion with Rabbi Creditor, everyone is still kvelling. “All your efforts making this so successful was truly remarkable. And when one considers that Covid doubled the amount of work, our words cannot say enough for your redoubling (tripling?) of your efforts to make this weekend so successful. “It’s an honor to be President of a shul with such a vibrant, committed and caring Brotherhood. Please send along to the Brotherhood members the Executive Committee’s congratulations and utmost appreciation for all you do.” | Our annual Brotherhood Weekend has become an example to the entire synagogue community of ways that men can be engaged and participate in all aspects of Jewish life – with aspects of Brotherhood Weekend tying into ritual, leadership, education, and community. | Original Program | Yes | Silver | ||||
| 41 (draft) | 2023-04-02 15:29 | mikep2 | 73.197.57.108 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | South Jersey Men'S Club - Cherry Hill, NJ (503) | Best Overall | Michael | Perloff | Mikep2@comcast.net | Abe | Ferdas | aferdas@verizon.net | Phillip | Godorov | PhillipGodorov@gmail.com | Best Overall Activities | |||||||||||||||
| 40 | 2023-03-31 07:52 | Dale | 134.228.138.72 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | Park Synagogue Men's Club - Cleveland, OH (335) | Discussion of Heart Health - Combined FJMC & MRJ Learning Opportunity | Dr. Jeff Shore | Dale | Levy | dlevy82@gmail.com | Richard | Price | parkmcpresident@gmail.com | Richard | Price | parkmcpresident@gmail.com | Health and Wellness | This is a combine FJMC and MRJ event on Heart Health education. It is presented by Dr. Dale Levy, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, President of KIO at the Temple Emanuu El (TEE) a Reform Shul in Cleveland, Ohio. It is a hybrid in-person and zoom event reaching people from New York to Ohio. | On March 19th, Dr. Dale Levy spoke at TEE in Cleveland, Ohio on Heart Health. The talk was called Heart Health, Don't Eat The Schmaltz! (Of course schmaltz was served for breakfast!!!) The talk focused on the risk factors for developing heat disease and how to change your risk factors. Since most risk factors are due to lifestyle decisions, making lifestyle changes will impact the heart health in your life! The talk finished with an educational session on using an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). The AED is present in nearly every institution, yet nearly no one knows where it is! So we showed where it is. We discussed how long it takes to get the AED (seconds) compared to getting EMS (Minutes) to show the importance. We also had a demonstration to show how east the AED is to use. The temple had nearly 40 people in attendance and about 35 people attended by zoom. Zoom attendees were from MRJ in NY anf KIO in Ohio. This is the 1st combined FJMC & MRJ event in our region. I'm not sure how many othe regions have done combined events, but this is a model event for regions to use to develop for combined events. As time goes on, the differences between MRJ and FJMC decrease! It is to both of our benefits to have combined programming. I met Len Gold from TEE over a year ago when he approached me to have a zoom event with KIO with Ron Blomberg (the first designated hitter in MLB - A Jew) which was a successful event. When he approached me about this event I thought that KIO should be actively involved. Park Synagogue Men's Club promoted this event locally and TEE promoted it in the Cleveland Jewish News. We sent promotion to KIO and members from Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati connected by zoom. TEE promoted to synagogues in NY and Westchester connected by zoom. The Hybrid model is here to stay and is to be used to our advantage! We are now able to have NY and Ohio attend an event in which we discuss important information like heart health! Not only that, we are able to have men from reform and conservative shuls come together and learn together. When I looked around the room, I saw friends from elementary school, high school, synagogue in Cleveland and then on zoom, friends from Columbus, Cincinnati and NY. This is amazing! The Torch Award Designation is kind if irrelevant! - Health, Combined, Programming, Whatever! This event IS A TORCH AWARD. Prove me wrong! | event_flyer.pdf (567 KB) | This was a successful event that reached many people across many divisions: men & women, young & old, Reform & Conservative. | The program was a complete success. After we finished i received texts from people on zoom telling me they loved the event. Those present were very happy and congratulated me. Most importantly, both the reform and conservative communities were happy with the event and llok forward to similar events in the future. | This program is an important step in advancing relations with FJMC & MRJ. It can be a model for other FJMC regions to build relations with their brothers in MRJ in their own cities!!! As membership in FJMC locally diminishes and likewise in MRJ we need to acknowledge our commonalities and get together! Common programming is the way of the future! In addition hybrid programming is the way to reach more people! Think about it! | Original Program | Yes | Gold | |||||
| 39 | 2023-03-23 09:46 | sarbital | 69.119.105.62 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | Temple Beth Ahm Men's Club - Aberdeen, NJ (923) | The Holy Temple LEGO Model - A Unique Experience | Dr. Jeff Shore | Seth | Arbital | smarbital@gmail.com | Seth | Arbital | smarbital@gmail.com | Seth | Arbital | smarbital@gmail.com | Joint Programming | On March 19, 2023, five temple Men's Clubs joined together to bring Scholar and LEGO Master builder, Yitzy Kasowitz to Temple Beth Ahm. He brought the Second Holy Temple to life using his accurate 1/613 scale LEGO model as a tool. We flew Ytizy in from Florida. He used his model as a tool to discuss details of the Temple that most people never knew. The model and his presentation was based on extensive research. His presentation was about 90 minutes, followed by a question and answer session that lasted another half hour. This Q&A was followed by many gathering around his model and continuing the conversation with him for another hour. | LEGO Master, Yitzy Kasowitz of jbrick.com has done extensive research of the Second Holy Temple from a variety of sources such as Maimonides, the Talmud, and other scholars to develop his expertise of the Second Holy Temple. He used his research to build what has been identified as the most accurate model of the Second Holy Temple in existence. The model contains over 6000 LEGOS, and is 1/613 size of the actual Temple. It is amazing all the minor details included for accuracy. Ytizy used the model to bring the Temple to life in full detail, including: the Antonia Fortress, Tiropian highway, Kidron Valley, bridges and the grand stairs of the Chulda gates. The different modules of the temple were lifted to show the attendees the details of the different parts of the Temple. He also has a larger model of one of the entry doors and wall with a LEGO figure that showed the enormous size of the Temple, relative to the size of an average man. As he discussed the main sanctuary, the walls of the Holy and Holy of Holies were peeled away exposing the magnificence of the structure, and provided details we never knew. His lifting the Temple Mount section revealed many hidden and unseen details (tunnels, archways, etc.). He also made a prediction of where the arc of the covenant may be buried. We brought together 5 Men's Clubs from Old Bridge, Aberdeen, Marlboro, and Manalapan. About 90 attendees were in gathered around to learn about the Holy Temple. We did have sponsorships, that were recognized and had preferred seating. Even those most learned about the Holy Temple learned details that were previously unknown. Refreshments were served at the event (cookies, pastries, hot & cold beverages). | jbrick_sponsors.pdf (420 KB) jbrick.xlsx (11 KB) jbrick_0.xlsx (11 KB) | jbrick.pdf (422 KB) | 337146074_3425502534359537_7047491046083720722_n.jpg (179 KB) 337035433_799872594810620_4898640039489086350_n.jpg (56 KB) 336994880_748634476720655_2495636483966379311_n.jpg (52 KB) 336877955_746346320356988_1661584121520688398_n.jpg (82 KB) 337039108_157716520164574_2480254358295077831_n.jpg (35 KB) 337126992_1233124690934584_7384453275028909795_n.jpg (73 KB) 20230319_142755.jpg (2550 KB) | This event brought the Jewish community of 5 shuls across 4 towns together. There was the social aspect of the program. In addition, the presentation brought knowledge of Holy Temple that was previously unknown. Feedback received from attendees was extremely positive, some saying that they will take a sort of pride with them from what they learned, and that it brings more meaning to some of their prayers. Everyone was engaged. Our club, like all has suffered from lack of programming due to Covid. This program ws a great way to show that the Men's Club programming is back and relevant. We are also positioned as the Men's Club that is actively working to strengthen Jewish community both within our shul and across the Jewish Community at large. | FJMC promotes the idea of Jewish Community and Jewish learning. This program achieved those goals. In addition, 2 of the clubs were from reformed congregations, who have now expressed possible interest in joining the FJMC. Follow-up meetings will be had between our local regions and those clubs. | Yitzy is very open to joining the FJMC speakers bureau. | Original Program | Yes | Silver | |||
| 38 | 2023-03-20 12:14 | jimhandler0711@... | 70.231.35.134 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | West End Synagogue Men's Club - Nashville, TN (1706) | Yom Hashoah Yellow Candle Distribution | Dr. Jeff Shore | Jim | Handler | jimhandler0711@gmail.com | Jim | Handler | jimhandler0711@gmail.com | Jim | Handler | jimhandler0711@gmail.com | Yom HaShoah Yellow Candle | We distribute our Yellow Candles in our Sisterhoods mishloach manot bags, each bag is hand delivered to each congregant by another member. | By doing this we save about $1,000 in postage and boxes. We hesitated to do this because our members would receive these 6 weeks early, also afraid to ask for donations at the same time we are giving out treats. We put the candle in a yellow bag, with a letter on Men's Club letterhead (see attached), and a return envelope to Men's Club for a check. he yellow bag goes into the mishloach manot bag. Our Rabbi wrote a perfect letter, it should be attached. About 2 weeks prior to Yom Hashoah we send a follow up reminder letter with a meditation to recite while lighting the candle and another return envelope for a contribution. Our members help Sisterhood deliver the bags. If our receipts are larger than our expenses, we donate a portion to Sisterhood. We also put a blurb in the Synagogues weekly Email the 3 weeks prior to Yom Hashoah, telling them if they did not receive the candle in their masloach manot bag, to let us know and we send them one, also a reminder when to light the candle. | yom_hashoah_letter_2022x.doc (25 KB) | The program is a success. We have no complaints, can't tell you how many people actually light their candles. Everyone gets a candle. | This program is a reminder to all our congregants that Men's club is a valued part of our community. It supports a program that is extremely important to the entire Jewish World | Original Program | Yes | Honorable Mention | ||||||
| 37 (draft) | 2023-03-20 12:14 | jimhandler0711@... | 70.231.35.134 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | West End Synagogue Men's Club - Nashville, TN (1706) | Yom Hashoah Yellow Candle Distribution | Jim | Handler | jimhandler0711@gmail.com | Jim | Handler | jimhandler0711@gmail.com | Jim | Handler | jimhandler0711@gmail.com | Yom HaShoah Yellow Candle | |||||||||||||||
| 36 (draft) | 2023-03-19 17:30 | bruce | 67.83.69.79 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | New City Jewish Center Men'S Club - New City, NY (1850) | test | Bruce | Sicherman | bruce@sibro.biz | Bruce | Sicherman | bruce@sibro.biz | Bruce | Sicherman | bruce@sibro.biz | Shomrei Ha'aretz | |||||||||||||||
| 35 | 2023-03-18 11:16 | Hal Marcus | 67.243.96.238 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | Temple Sinai Men's Club - Middletown, NY (1858) | Hall of Remembrance Program | Dr. Jeff Shore | Hal | Marcus | hmarc57@yahoo.com | Hal | Marcus | hmarc57@yahoo.com | Hal | Marcus | hmarc57@yahoo.com | Jewish Observance | The Hall of Remembrance is a Temple Sinai Men's Club program for honoring those of blessed memory of loved ones. The program creates a beautiful and touching physical focal point in the Synagogue lobby during Yom Kippur and Yom Hashoah. Yahrzeit candles are personalized with the names of those being remembered, as well as the name(s) of those honoring their memory. There is one honoree per yahrzeit along with up to three names of those honoring their memory. The candle label also includes the Temple Sinai Men’s Club logo, identifying it as a Temple Sinai Men’s Club project. | The Hall of Remembrance is a Temple Sinai Men's Club program for honoring those of blessed memory of loved ones. The program creates a beautiful and touching physical focal point in the Synagogue lobby during Yom Kippur and Yom Hashoah. Yahrzeit candles are personalized with the names of those being remembered, as well as the name(s) of those honoring their memory. There is one honoree per yahrzeit along with up to three names of those honoring their memory. The candle label also includes the Temple Sinai Men’s Club logo, identifying it as a Temple Sinai Men’s Club project. We use LED tea lights for safety and economy. The LED candle batteries last up to 100 hours. The Hall of Remembrance is installed any time before Kol Nidre, Yom HaShoah or any other Yizkor event where it will be promoted, and the LED tea lights are turned on shortly before the holiday or event begins, so it is illuminated when people begin arriving. After the end of Yom Kippur or other program the candles are turned off, labels removed, glasses wiped with alcohol to remove any adhesive residue and they are ready for their next use. If someone asks, we let them take their candles home, but we do not actively promote that. We are promoting “sponsoring” rather than “buying” the memorial candles. We promote the candles at $10 for one, $18 for two and $5 each additional above two. They cost less than $1.00 to produce initially, and are reused, so there is an excellent fundraising potential. We also promote the program through social media. If you would like more information or have any questions, please feel free to contact Hal Marcus at hmarc57@yahoo.com. | hall_of_remembrance_program_description_final.docx (38 KB) | hall_of_remembrance_timeline_1.pdf (93 KB) | yom_hashoah_hor_marketing.pdf (205 KB) yom_hashoah_hall_of_remembrance_form.pdf (148 KB) yom_hashoah_holocaust_rememberance_flier.pdf (205 KB) hall_of_remembrance_candle_components_costs.pdf (107 KB) | yom_hashoah_hall_of_remembrance_picture.pdf (5493 KB) hall_of_remembrance_yom_hashoah.pdf (5493 KB) | The reception and response from the Temple Sinai congregation to the Hall of Remembrance Program for both Yom Kippur and Yom Hashoah has been tremendous. Candle purchases have averages between $900 and $1000 for each ceremony. The inserts of 2 names from people who have died during the Holocaust in the Yom Hashoah Candle packets with a request to read their names on Yon Hashoah as they light the candles has received much appreciation from members who have lost family members during the Holocaust. Seeing their loved ones names on the candle glasses amongst several other Temple Member's relatives on one table also gives the impression of unity. Members have said that their loved one's memory is among many loved ones and that they are not recognized alone. Since first introduced in 2017, this program has been a success and reportedly is being duplicated in other synagogues around the country. | The observances of Yom Kippur and Yom Hashoah, two ongoing memorials recognized each year, continues to remind us that loved ones and people who died during the Holocaust are not forgotten. As those who have survived the Holocaust are aging out, we need to continue to recognize this tragic and historic event so that we make sure it never happens again. The Hall of Remembrance is just that kind of program we need to do this. It is also a way of bringing the Jewish Community closer together, especially in lieu of the Hate crimes directed toward the Jewish Community. This program perpetuates leadership and innovation, while involving the entire Jewish Community in its mission and purpose. | I hope the Hall of Remembrance program will become one of the FJMC's premier programs to unite the Jewish Community in its efforts to "Never Forget" our Jewish heritage and Jewish roots. | An adaptation or enhancement of a previous Torch Award entry TAxx-xxxx| | Hall of Remembrance adaptation & update | Yes | Gold | |
| 34 | 2023-03-16 21:13 | gersonl | 99.166.173.40 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | Beth Torah Sha’aray Tzedek’s Men’s Club - Tamarac, FL (1321) | Yom Hashoah Candled program | Dr. Jeff Shore | Larry | Gerson | gersonl@bellsouth.net | Larry | Gerson | gersonl@bellsouth.net | Larry | Gerson | gersonl@bellsouth.net | Yom HaShoah Yellow Candle | This program is to inspire our youth to never ever ever forget about the Holocaust | We mail out approximately 250 candles along with a letter that was designed by fjmc that list a person from the Holocaust and we also invite our complete congregation to a program that is put on by our youth. In the past we had some survivors but as you know there are very few left | 20230316_191541.jpg (2894 KB) 20230316_191159.jpg (3225 KB) 20230316_191151.jpg (3256 KB) 20230316_191137.jpg (3148 KB) 20230316_191130.jpg (3692 KB) 20230316_184937.jpg (3227 KB) 20230316_184925.jpg (2998 KB) 20230316_184916.jpg (3950 KB) | This yellow candle program ensures that every congregation member has a chance to light the candle and think about the Holocaust and how it affected everyone in the world | Fjmc has helped us so much with the whole candle project from obtaining the candles to helping us with our letters helping us with our mailing and it's a great organization to be part of | Hopefully nobody will ever ever forget the Holocaust | Original Program | Yes | ||||||
| 33 | 2023-03-15 23:27 | jsalant | 100.15.88.93 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | B'nai Israel Men's Club - Rockville, MD (1103) | Yellow Candles | Dr. Jeff Shore | JONATHAN | SALANT | jds15@aol.com | JONATHAN | SALANT | jds15@aol.com | JONATHAN | SALANT | jds15@aol.com | Yom HaShoah Yellow Candle | Many synagogues participate in the Yellow Candle program to mark Yom Hashoah. But at B'nai Israel, we send a candle to every member of our congregation, all 1100 of them. | Using Men's Club volunteers and often sixth graders in our Hebrew School, we make sure that every member of our congregation gets a candle to light on Yom Hashoah. | candle.pdf (69 KB) mensclubletter.pdf (173 KB) yom_hashoah_signed_rabbis_ltr_2023.pdf (728 KB) | helpus.pdf (628 KB) | help.pdf (6 KB) | 20230315_203719.jpg (2945 KB) 20230315_203710.jpg (2886 KB) | The Yellow Candle program engages the entire congregation as everyone gets a candle, even members who have moved far away but remain connected to the synagogue. It also engages our Hebrew School sixth graders as they learn about the Holocaust while helping to ensure everyone in the congregation is able to mark Yom Hashoah by lighting a candle. In addition, we include a donation envelope and ask for contributions to help cover the cost of the Yellow Candle program.We get a wonderful response. | The program engages our members in helping to mark one of the most solemn occasions on the Jewish calendar and gets the entire synagogue community to participate in Holocaust remembrance. | Original Program | Yes | Bronze | |||
| 32 | 2023-03-15 19:56 | jsalant | 100.15.88.93 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | B'nai Israel Men's Club - Rockville, MD (1103) | Political Forum | Dr. Jeff Shore | JONATHAN | SALANT | jds15@aol.com | JONATHAN | SALANT | jds15@aol.com | JONATHAN | SALANT | jds15@aol.com | Community Outreach | Every two years, before voters in Maryland begin early voting, the Men's Club holds a political forum featuring candidates for state and local office. | Evcry October in even-numbered years, the Men's Club holds a political forum that regularly features candidates for governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House and Montgomery County executive. Some 100-200 congregants and members of the public fill a large meeting room to hear from the candidates. We serve bagels and cream cheese, donuts and coffee, and question the candidates on issues of concern to the attendees. Our moderator is an award-winning political reporter and a former National Press Club president and we use the same format as the nationally televised Press Club luncheons, where attendees submit questions on cards and the moderator sifts through them and picks the most newsworthy and appropriate questions. There are no speeches from the floor by attendees or gotcha questions to make them look bad, only questions seeking detailed answers on the issues and followups. The event is routinely covered by Washington Jewish Week and other media, especially when the gubernatorial candidates come, as they have for the greater part of two decades. During 2020, we did Zoom interviews with the congressional candidates in the two districts where our congregants live, but returned to live events in 2022. | forum.pdf (70 KB) | newsletter.pdf.docx (15 KB) promo.pdf (185 KB) | img_4544.jpg (104 KB) img_4593.jpg (97 KB) | The political forum is a major event on our calendar every other fall, with the rabbis attending to meet the candidates,.with the synagogue gaining favorable publicity, and with the congregants and area residents packing the place to hear from the candidates. We had one local daily newspaper and two weeklies close in our county so there is little coverage of the candidates and what they stand for. We fill in the gap. In addition, the reporter who was asked to moderate the forums 20 years ago got involved in the Men's Club because of that and is now co-president. | We give the congregants and community residents a unique chance to question the candidates, and our format encourages the candidates to come because they know they are going to be asked substantive questions. | From 2006 to 2018, we had at least one of the major party nominees for Maryland governor. | Original Program | Yes | ||||
| 31 | 2023-03-15 18:23 | mikep2 | 73.197.57.108 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | South Jersey Men'S Club - Cherry Hill, NJ (503) | Toys for Tots From Afghanistan | Dr. Jeff Shore | Gary | Sternberg | sternberg.gary.54@gmail.com | Abe | Ferdas | aferdas@verizon.net | Philip | Godorov | PhillipGodorov@gmail.com | Inclusion | In September 2021, the South Jersey Men’s Club (SJMC) donated dozens of teddy bears to Afghanistan refugee children being housed at the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in Burlington County, New Jersey. At that time, when a flood of refugees was coming to the United States following America’s withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, the SJMC undertook this effort to help the refugee families cope with a very difficult situation. | As part of a relief effort organized by American Legion Post 372 and the Jewish War Veterans Post 126, both based in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, the SJMC determined that helping refugee Afghan children cope by providing them with teddy bears would be a very worthwhile endeavor. This effort showed our Jewish organization’s concern for all persons in need, regardless of their ethnicity. The SJMC had already donated over one thousand teddy bears to various law enforcement organizations because the toys help children deal with difficult times. The SJMC was able to work seamlessly with the veterans' organization in a similar effort because some of our SJMC members are also active in those veterans' organizations. From the SJMC’s past experiences in donating teddy bears to children going through difficult situations, the SJMC knows that teddy bears work wonders with children in helping them settle down and give them comfort. Young children are innocent and should not suffer. These refugee children had lost their homes and so many things they were used to, and we wanted to make their transition easier and lessen the trauma they were experiencing as much as possible. The SJMC’s effort received front-page coverage in the local Jewish newspaper – the Jewish Community Voice of Southern New Jersey. | inclusion_teddy_bears_for_afghan_children.jpg (147 KB) | Even though the Afghan refugees were not Jewish, the SJMC believes that helping anyone in need is the right thing to do in Judaism. Showing concern for refugees particularly resonates for Jews, as so many of us or our ancestors had been refugees. | One of the missions of both the FJMC and the SJMC is to involve Jewish men in Jewish life. Part of that is to practice tzedakah which benefits all humanity. Because in part many of our members were refugees or descendants of refugees, we were able to relate to the trauma the Afghan refugees – especially the children – were experiencing. Our efforts clearly demonstrated to the overarching community that Jews have compassion for all persons in need. | Original Program | Yes | |||||||
| 30 | 2023-03-15 17:38 | jsalant | 100.15.88.93 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | B'nai Israel Men's Club - Rockville, MD (1103) | Shamash Award | Dr. Jeff Shore | JONATHAN | SALANT | jds15@aol.com | JONATHAN | SALANT | jds15@aol.com | JONATHAN | SALANT | jds15@aol.com | Mens' Club Shabbat | Every synagogue holds a Men's Club Shabbat. But we are unique in that we use the occasion to also bestow on our congregants the Shamash Award, which recognizes a congregant's service to synagogue or community. Just like the Shamash lights the candles of the menorah, we honor our congregants who uniquely give of themselves in the hope that this will light the way to others to volunteer to fulfill the mitzvah of Tikkun Olam. | During Men's Club Shabbat, the president of the club gets to address the congregation and discuss the group's activities, past and president. Then he steps aside and invites the chair of the Shamah Award committee to announce the winners, and to present them with engraved memorahs. Since you won't accept mp4 attachments, here's the video of the presentation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OTvaLiCeaFiLqVS4A3n4JUjIxfJwMKDz/view | guide.pdf (69 KB) | timeline_1.pdf (69 KB) octnewsletter.pdf (190 KB) | newsletter_0.pdf (213 KB) scroll_1.pdf (435 KB) weekahead_1.pdf (455 KB) | By bringing in representatives of the Sisterhood and others, we ensure that we will have synagogue-wide input in choosing the winner. By using such a high-profile event to hand out the award, we hope to inspire others to give of themselves to the synagogue and the outside community. And we hope that the committee members will be encouraged to expand their involvement in the Men's Club and join the leadership ranks. | The current president of the National Press Club got her start by volunteering on an awards committee, and we used the Shamash Award panel as a vehicle to get new people involved in our activities. The committee chair is a relatively new member of the Men's Club as are two of the four club members who sit on the committee. We hope that by participating in the awards selection, members will want to be more involved in the club and perhaps climb the leadership ladder. This program involves the entire synagogue community; is unique, making it innovative; and is a way to groom future leaders of the Men's Club. | This is a chance for the Men's Club to do something special for the congregation and say thank you to those congregants who go above and beyond. There was nothing like it until we developed the award. | Original Program | Yes | Gold | |||
| 29 | 2023-03-15 17:29 | mikep2 | 73.197.57.108 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | South Jersey Men'S Club - Cherry Hill, NJ (503) | A Connection Between Israel and the United States | Dr. Jeff Shore | Mike | Perloff | Mikep2@comcast.net | Abe | Ferdas | aferdas@verizon.net | Philip | Godorov | PhillipGodorov@gmail.com | Israel / Masorti | Since the first Gulf War, the South Jersey Men’s Club (SJMC) has been collecting Hanukkah Cards for Jews in the U.S. military. However, in the last few years, we expanded the program, which we call “Operation Maccabee,” to include a segment of soldiers in the Israel Defense Force referred to as “Lone Soldiers” – soldiers with no family in Israel to support them. Done in collaboration with other organizations we invited to participate, the program has had a wide range of participants from across the United States. | Operation Maccabee is a program to send Hanukkah cards to U.S. and Israeli Jewish troops. U.S. soldiers have received purchased and/or hand-crafted cards every year since the first Gulf War. A few years ago, SJMC expanded the program to include “Lone Soldiers” in the IDF. Cards destined for Israel may contain English or Hebrew. Participating organizations with the SJMC include the Jewish War Veterans, Hadassah, synagogue schools, and others. Background A “lone soldier” is a soldier in the IDF with no family in Israel to support him or her: a new immigrant, a volunteer from abroad, an orphan, or an individual from a broken home. Loneliness is a major problem for many lone soldiers. In the army, camaraderie is a very essential part of daily life. However, when most Israeli soldiers go home on weekends, they go to their homes in Israel and enjoy their time with their families and friends. Lone soldiers are not as lucky. They all too often go to an empty apartment. If friends from their units do not live close by, they are stuck alone without anyone to talk to or spend time with. Receiving Hanukkah cards from people in the United States is a powerful morale booster for these lone soldiers. Potential Partners (* = Actual South Jersey Men’s Club Partners) *Jewish War Veterans Friends of Israel *Hebrew Schools FJMC Men’s Clubs *Friends of the IDF Volunteers For Israel *Chabad Local social groups of Israeli expatriates Implementation Make or purchase Hanukkah cards (no envelope needed). Suggest a table set up in a high-traffic area in your synagogue or Jewish Community Center. On the table should be blank Hanukkah cards for people to fill out, plus a receptacle for cards that are brought in from home. Get a stamp and stamp pad to put your email on every card. Provide an appropriate short message of appreciation (okay to send sample messages). Provide separate bundles for Israeli and U.S. troops. Cards for Israel Defense Force may be in Hebrew, English, or both. No personal contact information is to be included if sent by children. Deadline - At least 3 - 4 weeks before Hanukkah (Late submissions will be held for next year). Include the address for participating organizations to send the cards to SJMC for review and sorting. Organize a committee to screen the cards: - Separate cards for those to be sent to Israel and those for U.S. troops. - Check for appropriate text. - Check that minors did not include their last name or contact information. - Stamp each card with the Operation Maccabee email address (and have a person assigned to check for emails). Contact Lone Soldier Centers in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Be’er Sheva about the anticipated delivery date. Arrange for delivery of cards to Lone Soldier Centers, usually by a local person or persons traveling to Israel for business or pleasure. NOTE – If your club wants to do a similar program, the SJMC would be willing to handle the delivery of the cards to the Lone Soldier Centers | israel.operation_maccabee.jpg (205 KB) israel.operation_maccabee_jcc.jpg (256 KB) israel.operation_maccabee_boxes.jpg (259 KB) | The program was a success for several reasons. Feedback via the email link provided was consistently positive. Our members expressed a closer connection to Israel. More than once, recipients of the cards mentioned that this was the first time they had heard of FJMC. The program has had a positive impact on the morale of the soldiers and enhanced people’s connection to Israel. Our partner organizations expressed a desire to participate in this program in the future. The program has had a positive impact on the morale of the soldiers and enhanced people’s connection to Israel, helping to fulfill part of the FJMC’s worldwide mission. | The SJMC’s innovative program, Operation Maccabee, helped develop a sense of community and connection between the Americans who participated and the Israeli Lone Soldiers who received the Hanukkah cards. The SJMC is proud of being in a position of leadership for this effort. | Original Program | Yes | Silver | ||||||
| 28 | 2023-03-15 17:11 | mikep2 | 73.197.57.108 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | South Jersey Men'S Club - Cherry Hill, NJ (503) | SJMC to the Rescue for a Food Pantry | Dr. Jeff Shore | Stan | Shumas | sshumas@comcast.net | Abe | Ferdas | aferdas@verizon.net | Philip | Godorov | PhillipGodorov@gmail.com | Fundraising | When the Betsy and Peter Fischer Food Pantries of the Jewish Family and Children Service (JFCS) of Southern New Jersey lost its funding for obtaining toiletries in the latter half of 2022, the South Jersey Men’s Club (SJMC) stepped to the plate and raised funds and obtained toiletries to fill the void as part of a humanitarian endeavor. As part of this effort, SJMC members actually purchased the toiletries themselves and delivered the items to the pantry building. | The Men’s Club has been supporting and facilitating pantry outreach to help feed and supply food and necessary supplies for needy individuals and families in the Cherry Hill and contiguous areas for more than five years. Every other week, teams of club members take turns volunteering their services to stock shelves, bag supplies and deliver provisions to those in need. The SJMC also provides other services to the pantry. For example, when the pantry badly needed new shelves for its facility, the club stepped forward and raised funds to purchase new shelving units and then donated and assembled the shelves. When it became necessary for the pantry facility to move to a new location in 2022 to better meet its expanded needs, SJMC assisted in the transfer process. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the pantry experienced a steady increase in the number of clients requesting help. Unfortunately, due to a change in regulations by a major source of funding, the funding for the purchase of toiletries came to an end. The result was that hundreds of needy clients would no longer have received items such as toilet paper, paper towels, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, and deodorant. The SJMC challenged its members to make donations, with a $1,000 match to be put up by the club. We exceeded our expectations with donations of funds and actual products totaling more than $1,600 in value for a total to date of more than $2,600. When we learned that the JFCS had been paying high prices for the items, rather than just providing the funds to the pantry, the SJMC put in the time and effort to do the actual shopping, going to places like Dollar General and Dollar Tree. We shopped for the best prices and used our tax-exempt status to purchase the items. The result was that the pantry has been getting nearly 25 percent more items than if the SJMC had just donated the money so they could make the purchases through their normal channels. We have been providing toiletries for the last three months and are about to begin a second round of fundraising. | fundraising_toiletries.shopping_1.jpg (150 KB) fundraising_toiletries.trunk__0.jpg (428 KB) fundraising_toiletries_purchase_0.jpg (270 KB) fundraising_toiletries.shelved.jpg (213 KB) | We continue to put in the time and effort necessary to meet the sustenance and personal hygiene needs of our surrounding community, not just during exceptional times such as in the case of Covid. Our members’ participation in the pantry project has not only enabled us to demonstrate and maintain our current member philanthropic involvement, but doing so gives also our members a sense of pride and fulfillment. | One of the missions of the FJMC and the SJMC is to involve Jewish men in Jewish life. We stress that while writing a check is an important element of being involved, there are other rewarding aspects beyond that to support that mission. Our efforts to help the Jewish Family and Children’s Service panty encouraged all our members to experience the satisfaction of hands-on helping of others in need. Our involvement in fundraising and purchasing items for the pantry addressed both elements of fulfilling this mission. | Original Program | Yes | |||||||
| 27 | 2023-03-15 16:56 | mikep2 | 73.197.57.108 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | South Jersey Men'S Club - Cherry Hill, NJ (503) | Connecting With American Jewish History | Dr. Jeff Shore | Barney | Kaplan | barney126@comcast.net | Abe | Ferdas | aferdas@verizon.net | Philip | Godorov | PhillipGodorov@gmail.com | Educational Programming | The South Jersey Men’s Club (SJMC) provided its members with a field trip to the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia. | On October 23, 2022, approximately 50 SJMC members and spouses went on a field trip in a classic yellow school bus to the National Museum of American Jewish History, located on Independence Mall and directly across from the Liberty Bell in the heart of Philadelphia. Our purpose was to connect with the 350-year-plus history of Jews in America. We were welcomed by the museum’s director, ushered through security, and then divided up into smaller groups, each with a trained docent. The docents took us chronologically through our history, highlighting George Washington’s letter to the Hebrew congregation in Newport, Rhode Island (to bigotry no sanction), colonial life, the Civil War, westward expansion, the great immigration (1880-1920), World War I, the Depression, World War II, the Holocaust, and movement to the suburbs. Also, there were exhibits on Jews in the arts, entertainment, politics, and the military. | educational_programming_.bus_group6.jpg (249 KB) educational_programming_trip.jpg (178 KB) educational_programming._guide_group9.jpg (222 KB) | There was a lot to cover in our 2 hours at the museum, but the enthusiasm was palpable and many of our members expressed the desire to return with their families, to pass along this important history. Perhaps other clubs may be encouraged to visit the National Museum of American Jewish History. Despite current concerns about antisemitism, our members are prouder of our history in this country and realize how fortunate we are to be in this place in this time. | One of missions of the FJMC and the SJMC is to involve Jewish men in Jewish life. Part of that is knowing your roots and history of your people. The guided tours of the National Museums of American Jewish History helped instill that into our members. For some it had a profound impact, while for others it instilled a sense of community | Original Program | Yes | |||||||
| 26 | 2023-03-15 16:33 | gersonl | 99.166.173.40 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | Beth Torah Sha’aray Tzedek’s Men’s Club - Tamarac, FL (1321) | World Wide Wrap | Dr. Jeff Shore | Larry | Gerson | gersonl@bellsouth.net | Larry | Gerson | gersonl@bellsouth.net | Larry | Gerson | gersonl@bellsouth.net | World Wide Wrap | Our goal is to give the opportunity to all to learn about Tfilin. Young, old ,male,female. Everyone needs to know. | This is the first time we were able to conduct a worldwide wrap program in person since covid. We had approximately 65 Youth and adults participate in their program. We even had a cut away model is Tfilin in to show how the parchment is placed inside. | screenshot_20230315-164140_1.png (866 KB) screenshot_20230315-164239_1_0.png (817 KB) screenshot_20230315-164212_1_0.png (719 KB) screenshot_20230315-164205_1_0.png (1042 KB) screenshot_20230315-164151_1_0.png (928 KB) screenshot_20230315-164146_1_0.png (1025 KB) | Many many of the participants were extremely enlightened by this event. And some of them even come to our minions now. | We are placed on the earth to educate Our Generation and future Generations Ldor Vdor | Original Program | Our own program with our Rabbis | Yes | Silver | |||||
| 25 | 2023-03-15 16:27 | mikep2 | 73.197.57.108 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | South Jersey Men'S Club - Cherry Hill, NJ (503) | Not Letting Covid Stop Us | Dr. Jeff Shore | Marty | Raffner | marty.raffner@gmail.com | Abe | Ferdas | aferdas@verizon.net | Philip | Godorov | PhillipGodorov@gmail.com | COVID-19 | Continuity is a very important attribute of the success of the South Jersey Men's Club (SJMC). Consequently, immediately after Covid-19 started shutting down the world, the SJMC successfully implemented a plan to continue its monthly meetings along with a concerted effort to keep in touch with its members. In addition, we continued our distribution of Yom HaShoah Yellow Candles in such a manner as to address safety concerns due to the pandemic. | Part I Our monthly in-person meetings had provided members with a tasty breakfast, social camaraderie, and informative speakers. After Covid-19 struck and our board decided to stop holding live meetings, a questionnaire was sent to all SJMC members asking them if they would be comfortable with Zoom meetings. Included in the questionnaire was an offer to assist individuals who had limited computer skills or a lack of knowledge regarding Zoom. The board began holding its monthly meetings using Zoom, learning virtual etiquette, and determining the optimal way to run an effective remote session. One of the earliest programs was a Zoom meeting titled “COVID-19 and You,” in which a physician who is the director of the Infectious Diseases department at the Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia gave a very informative presentation and answered numerous questions regarding COVID-19. Another meeting featured a physical therapist discussing “Staying Active during a Pandemic.” Very popular was a virtual LIVE meeting which featured a walking tour of the old city part of Jerusalem. Our members were able to ask the tour guide questions and hear the answers. Additionally, for the first few months after Covid struck, the board contacted each member via phone. The main purpose was to determine if Covid had affected them or their family and to ask if any assistance was needed. Members expressed a great deal of gratitude for the contact during those isolated times, especially those members living alone. Feedback related to virtual monthly meetings was also discussed. About 40 percent of the members attended the average monthly meeting. Overall, well over half of our members participated. Feedback related to holding these meetings was very positive. Members thanked the board for holding the meetings; significantly, for some, the monthly meeting was the only activity with which they were involved. The board continued to monitor government organizations such as the CDC concerning Covid-19 recommendations and status. In addition, the board monitored Covid activity as it affected local municipalities. About two years after the Covid-19 pandemic had started, the board decided to resume holding live monthly meetings with a full breakfast. The board stipulated that no member or guest could attend unless they could prove that they had been vaccinated. This proved to be very successful, with virtually no negative responses and helped members feel comfortable in resuming normal activities. Live meetings have continued. With the acquisition of computer-linked hardware, SJMC is now also providing a hybrid breakfast meeting, permitting members who cannot attend a live breakfast to enjoy the monthly presentations via Zoom. Part II During the pandemic, when the Jewish Community Center in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, was closed, and, later, when many people were reluctant to be near others due to concerns over infection, the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey decided to hold its Yom HaShoah virtually. As part of the Yom HaShoah observances in the past, when everyone attended in person, the SJMC obtained and then handed out Yellow Candles so that attendees could light a candle when they returned home. In both 2021 and 2022, when the celebrations were only held virtually, the SJMC asked for and received permission from the Federation to distribute the Yellow Candles curbside in front of the Jewish Community Center. Hundreds of candles were distributed. Part III In a related item, after one of our members lost his wife, the SJMC learned that both his son and daughter lived overseas (Southeast Asia and Germany) and could not fly back to the United States due to Covid. In response, the SJMC enabled the son and daughter to join their father remotely and say Kaddish at a minyan conducted via Zoom by the SJMC. | covid.picture_in_the_dark.jpg (527 KB) covid.infectious_diseasedocs_zoom.jpg (123 KB) covid.yellow_candle_distribution_.jpg (146 KB) | Members routinely thanked the Board for holding the meetings. For some, the monthly meeting was the only activity in which they felt they could safely participate. It also resulted in our retaining members who moved out of the area because they can still be part of the Men’s Club meetings. Our “snowbirds,” members who spent the winters in Florida, also maintained their connection to the organization. As a result, during the pandemic, our membership increased rather than decreased. Once we began in-person activities, a higher percentage of members participated than before the pandemic. | The mission of both the FJMC and the SJMC is to involve Jewish men in Jewish life. Our reformatting to offer our monthly programs online had a profound impact on our members. It helped build community while reducing the sense of isolation felt by so many during the shutdown. | Original Program | Yes | Gold | ||||||
| 24 | 2023-03-15 16:04 | mikep2 | 73.197.57.108 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | South Jersey Men'S Club - Cherry Hill, NJ (503) | Remembering 9 11 | Dr. Jeff Shore | Ron | Ettinger | ettinger0502@gmail.com | Abe | Ferdas | aferdas@verizon.net | Philip | Godorov | PhillipGodorov@gmail.com | Community Outreach | In a tribute to the 2,977 people who perished in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, about 15 members of the South Jersey Men’s Club (SJMC) helped plant approximately 3,000 American flags around the perimeter of the Jewish Community Center and a neighboring synagogue in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, on September 8, 2022. This special event was so noteworthy it was covered by the Philadelphia Inquirer. | Approximately 3,000 American flags were obtained on loan through the efforts of the Jewish War Veterans. We also met with the JCC Executive Director of Security to gain the necessary approvals. The Jewish Community Relations Council of Southern New Jersey was also involved in planning the event. In the days preceding 9/11, we met at the JCC campus, and on September 8, 2022, breaking into small teams, we proceeded to plant the flags in the grassy areas around the perimeters of the JCC and the Temple Emanuel Synagogue (now Congregation Kol Ami) across the street. The flags were planted 2 to 3 feet apart and encompassed the entire perimeter of the JCC and a portion of the synagogue. While the majority of the participants were from the SJMC, the Jewish War Veterans Post 126 of South Jersey, and members of various local police departments were also involved, including the Cherry Hill Police Department and the New Jersey State Police. The JCC and Congregation Kol Ami share an extremely busy corner in Cherry Hill, so this awesome display was viewed by countless vehicles and pedestrians over the course of the week. Much positive feedback was received by the public as they observed us planting the flags. Further enhancing the impact of this program, pictures and commentary were provided to the entire community by the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Jewish Community Voice of Southern New Jersey. Later in the week, the SJMC removed, cleaned, and returned the flags to the Jewish War Veterans. Some South Jersey Men’s Club members who could not assist with the initial planting helped in the removal. | 9.11_flagging_jcc_corner3.jpg (281 KB) 9.11_flagging_sidewalk1.jpg (356 KB) 9.11_flagging_state_police2.jpg (317 KB) 9.11_flagging_take_down4.jpg (290 KB) | Our members felt a great sense of pride, patriotism, and community support by playing such an important role in remembering a dark day in American history. Feedback from this event indicated a positive impact on the overall perception of the Jewish community. | The mission of both the FJMC and the SJMC is to show leadership, innovation, and community. The SJMC’s innovative action to pay tribute to the men and women who lost their lives on 9/11 had a profound impact on our members, and the SJMC took a leadership role in showing the entire South Jersey community – both Jewish and non-Jewish – the Jewish community’s patriotism and compassion for others. | Original Program | Yes | Bronze | ||||||
| 23 | 2023-03-15 15:42 | mikep2 | 73.197.57.108 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | South Jersey Men'S Club - Cherry Hill, NJ (503) | Membership Enhancement | Dr. Jeff Shore | Rob | Levine | rlevine509@gmail.com | Abe | Ferdas | aferdas@verizon.net | Philip | Godorov | PhillipGodorov@gmail.com | Club Administration | The South Jersey Men’s Club (SJMC) has implemented an aggressive, proactive, and innovative membership campaign to not only attract new members but encourage them to become active participants. Despite normal attrition, which was compounded by Covid-19, the SJMC has experienced a net gain in membership over the past two years, going from 108 members in April 2021 to 120 members in March 2023. Quite a few also maintain membership in their synagogue Men's Club. Our programs usually have at least 45 to 60 people attend, about half of the entire membership. | In 2021, our men's club had a significant number of members who were active. To maintain a viable club, we felt that we must recruit more members who would be active and who would eventually be the leaders of our group. We initiated an aggressive membership program. Specifically, we enlisted all our board members and general membership in the role of membership recruiting. Every member has the potential to enlist new members, and we are constantly getting names of prospective members from the board and general membership. This creates a feeling of inclusion so that everyone feels they have a stake in keeping our club viable and growing. When potential members are reported to the membership chairman, he calls every one of them to tell the story of our organization, with an emphasis on the charitable donations and functions we perform for the Jewish community and the community at large as well as the social activities. The chairman also discusses the monthly general meetings, which feature interesting speakers and a full brunch that is provided for $8. Of course, camaraderie and fellowship are mentioned as well. Recognizing that some people are visual and not auditory, after the phone call, each prospective member is sent a three-part written package to familiarize them with what had been discussed during the phone call. This package contains the pertinent phone numbers of the membership chairman, the treasurer, and the IT chairman, in case the member needs to contact someone. It also contains our brochure, which includes an application. Each prospective member is invited to a monthly meeting, where he is met by the membership chairman or a committee member and made to feel as comfortable as possible. Each prospective member is interviewed in advance to discover something unique about his life so that we can pair him with those of like interests; for instance, if the new member tells the interviewer that he is an engineer by profession, we try to pair him with another member who has a similar background. The more comfortable the new member is in conversation, the more welcome he will feel. We also make sure that there are two board members at each table to ensure that the new member is not being ignored. When the meeting commences, the membership chairman will introduce the new member to the club and present him with an SJMC shirt and a customized name tag so that he is not anonymous. (We keep an extra badge on hand in case the member forgets his and he can be addressed in a friendly way by mentioning his name.) When the new member is introduced to the general membership, he is asked to tell a little bit about himself. If a new member who has been called and sent a written package does not attend the monthly meeting, the chair will call that person and inquire if he will participate at another time. There is always an information board displayed with all activities so that new members can be aware of our ongoing programs, and we always encourage them to join in on the fun. Twice per year, we host a free new member breakfast at a local restaurant. All new members for the past six months are invited as well as a select group of board members, who are instructed to make the new members feel as comfortable as possible. Of course, we are very aware of the need to retain members and keep them active; it is not our goal for the club to take dues money but not have active members. Therefore, if a member misses three meetings, he is called to make sure all is well. Also, a sincere effort is made to encourage our board and general membership to socialize with new men; research shows there is a higher percentage of retention if members feel comfortable and get involved. Due to this aggressive and innovative membership program, our membership has increased by over 10 percent in the past two years despite the pandemic. | club_admin_membership_nametags_0.jpg (148 KB) club_admin_membership_shirt_2.jpg (153 KB) | According to the data, our membership recruiting and activating campaign has been successful. Membership is steadily increasing, primarily through our members telling their friends about our activities, and an increasing number of these new members are becoming active. Due to our concerted efforts, new members are participating in most of our activities. | One of the missions of both the FJMC and the SJMC is to involve Jewish men in Jewish life. We stress that while writing a check is an important element of being involved, there are other rewarding aspects beyond that to support that mission. Therefore, we encourage all our members to also experience the satisfaction of hands-on helping others in need. Activating SJMC members as described in this Torch Award submission eventually results in most of the members finding a positive meaning in life. | Original Program | Yes | |||||||
| 22 | 2023-03-15 00:25 | aromano | 75.82.226.164 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | Temple Aliyah Men'S Club - Woodland Hills, CA (CLUB MERGED) | Movember Hike | Dr. Jeff Shore | Alex | Romano | aromano@mac.com | Richard | Kosoff | fosok61@gmail.com | Richard | Kosoff | fosok61@gmail.com | Health and Wellness | To promote Men's Health we planned a hike at a local park that leads into an open nature reserve. We tied it in with a fundraiser to support the Movember Foundation which funds research and awareness of Men's Health. | To promote Men's Health we planned a hike, of easy-to-moderate difficulty, at a local park that leads into an open nature reserve. We tied it in with a fundraiser to support the Movember Foundation which funds research and awareness of Men's Health. All participants were asked to make a donation to Movember and, in return, receive and wear (at least for a group picture) a mock mustachio, the trademark on Movember. At an appropriate spot, we took a break for a quick D'Var Torah and refreshments. This was included in emails sent to the Club mailing list for a few weeks prior to the event. Follow-up one-to-one emails phone calls to verify and/or encourage attendance helped increase success. | fjmc_torch_awards_2023_templealiyah_movemberhike_1.pdf (306 KB) | fjmc_torch_awards_2023_templealiyah_movemberhike_1.pdf (306 KB) | fjmc_torch_awards_2023_templealiyah_movemberhike_2.jpg (138 KB) fjmc_torch_awards_2023_templealiyah_movemberhike_3.jpg (435 KB) fjmc_torch_awards_2023_templealiyah_movemberhike_4.jpg (1129 KB) fjmc_torch_awards_2023_templealiyah_movemberhike_5.jpg (203 KB) | We had 15 people, which included a couple of spouses, which we consider a success. We raised more than $100 toward supporting the Movember Foundation's fund-raising campaign. A number of the participants were those who do not normally participate in Men's Club events so we feel that this helped us draw more guys to become active in the club. All who cam seemed to enjoy the experience. | This kind of activity helps promote the FJMC initiative to help men build and maintain healthy lifestyles. It also helped to support the Movember Foundation whose work makes a difference in awaeness and research in Men's Health issues. It is also a great activity to promote community. | Original Program | Yes | Silver | ||||
| 21 | 2023-03-14 21:52 | DiamondMC | 32.213.190.202 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | Beth El Temple Men's Club - West Hartford (217) | Beth El Temple Fantasy Football League | Dr. Jeff Shore | Dave | Diamond | daviddiamond2@comcast.net | Arthur | Freedman | drartf@aol.com | Arthur | Freedman | drartf@aol.com | Family and Youth Programming | This was a fantasy football league for the entire 2022-2023 season geared towards families. There would be teams of at least two people, and the competition would commence with a draft to be held at the Temple prior to the start of the season. A nominal fee would be charged to participate and there would be several winners who would get gift cards as their prize. | A Beth El Men's Club board member, who has spent his entire professional career in the sports industry, came up with the idea of a fantasy football league for the Temple. Having previously worked at ESPN, he was very familiar with running a league through their website and volunteered to chair this program. Since the Men's Club has been proactive in having activities geared towards younger men and their families, we enthusiastically embraced this program. While we publicized this to the entire Temple, we know from experience that the best way to get people to participate is to ask them directly. The program chair, having children of his own in the Temple's religious school, knows many of the young families we were targeting, and he reached out to them. We ended up with 12 teams, most of them being father and son teams. The league started with a draft at the Temple the night before the beginning of the NFL season. Refreshments were provided, and everyone brought their laptops in order to participate in the draft. A couple teams were not available to show up in person, so they participated in the draft remotely. We were surprised that the entire draft was completed in just one hour and everyone had their roster. It was just $10 per team to enter, and participants ranged from die-hard football fans who had participated in these leagues for many years to those who never were in a league and barely knew any football players. We were all in it for the fun and camaraderie. We interacted with each other throughout the season, offering to trade players. We enjoyed going on the ESPN website and seeing how all the teams were doing, and looking at the enormous quantity of statistics that was available. Despite the different levels of knowledge of the participants, it was amazing just how close the teams were in the standings for most of the season. At the end of the season, three teams ended up with gift cards totaling $210. While the Men's Club took in $120 for the 12 teams, we decided to subsidize this after so there would be meaningful prizes for the winners. This event was so well received that we now have plans for the second annual fantasy football league for the upcoming 2023-2024 football season. | fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_beth_el_temple_fantasy_football_league_waiver_claims_e-mail.pdf (463 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_beth_el_temple_fantasy_football_league_prize_money_e-mail.pdf (492 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_beth_el_temple_fantasy_football_league_end_of_season_e-mail.pdf (1493 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_beth_el_temple_fantasy_football_league_gift_cards_for_winners.pdf (102 KB) | fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_beth_el_temple_torch_award_program_schedule.pdf (65 KB) | fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_beth_el_temple_fantasy_football_league_publicity_request_e-mail.pdf (901 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_beth_el_temple_fantasy_football_league_publicity_e-mail.pdf (416 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_beth_el_temple_fantasy_football_league_publicity_newsletter.pdf (827 KB) | fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_beth_el_temple_fantasy_football_league_program_chair_david_sabino.jpg (178 KB) | This program had a positive impact all around. It mainly attracted younger men and their sons - not something found too often at Men's Club events. While the in-person draft was a lot of fun, this program didn't end there; it lasted four months - the entire football season. It offered a bonding experience for the fathers and sons who participated, and it strengthened the connections between all the participants. There was constant buzz about football; a lot more than if we didn't have this league. This program raised the visibility of our Men's Club since it attracted interest amongst a group that for the most part does not know much about us. It was clearly a success and it was clear to everyone involved that we'd do this again. | Innovation: This was a cross-generational program with primarily dads and their sons, helping to connect people of varying ages to the Jewish community. Community: Sports has always been something that connects men. A program like this that lasts four months is a great way to foster long-lasting relationships, whether its between two adults, two children, or father and son. | Original Program | Yes | Silver | |||
| 20 | 2023-03-14 18:17 | dmandeau | 71.233.74.229 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | Temple Emanuel Brotherhood - Newton, MA (719) | Hanukkah Charitable Gift and Toy Drive | Dr. Jeff Shore | Daniel | Mandeau | mandeau@comcast.net | Larry | Glazer | larryglazer@gmail.com | Larry | Glazer | larryglazer@gmail.com | Fundraising | Our Brotherhood has been coordinating this event for several years. It is a fun and simple opportunity for families to participate in tzedakah by giving one night of Hanullah gifts to local homeless kids through birthdaywishes.com. | The toy drives culminates at the shul wide Hanukkah celebration with collection boxes. Volunteers distribute the toys with their families to the children. This initiative has delivered birthday celebrations to thousands of homeless kids throughout the region and directly impacts so many lives. This year alone we collected over 200 toys from Temple Emanuel. | High | Yes, very successful | Thank you Larry Glazer, our president, for always making this happen! | Original Program | Yes | Honorable Mention | ||||||
| 19 (draft) | 2023-03-14 14:21 | Hairman | 69.206.222.40 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | A pertinent Program | Club Administration | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 18 | 2023-03-13 13:07 | dmandeau | 208.185.11.244 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | Temple Emanuel Brotherhood - Newton, MA (719) | Turkey Drive | Dr. Jeff Shore | Daniel | Mandeau | mandeau@comcast.net | Larry | Glazer | larryglazer@gmail.com | Larry | Glazer | larryglazer@gmail.com | Fundraising | The Brotherhood has been supporting the Mass Ave. Baptist Church Soup Kitchen for over a decade. Pre-pandemic we visited on Monday nights to serve. Twice a year a special dinner is held on Thanksgiving and Xmas where turkeys are also distributed. Seven years ago we found ourselves short handed with Turkeys and we found a way to get them there on time. Ever since, Danny Mandeau has been leading a "Turkey Drive" fundraising campaign. At first it was grass roots but four years ago it became officially supported by the shul. Despite the pandemic great results were still shown even though the dinners were take out only. In 2021 over $7k was raised, This year with the return of our first in person event in three years over $8k was raised! Good thing because the Soup Kitchen needs a new freezer! | See above | Help the homeless | Brotherhood sponsored and fully run. | Original Program | Yes | Honorable Mention | |||||||
| 17 (draft) | 2023-03-12 14:48 | Stan | 73.195.34.9 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | South Jersey Men'S Club - Cherry Hill, NJ (503) | Community Support | Stanley | Shumas | sshumas@comcast.net | Phillip | Godorov | phillipgodorov@gmail.com | Phillip | Godorov | phillipgodorov@gmail.com | Fundraising | |||||||||||||||
| 16 | 2023-03-11 22:41 | DiamondMC | 32.213.190.202 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | Beth El Temple Men's Club - West Hartford (217) | The Roots of Beth El Temple and the Emanuel Synagogue: A Brunch Program at the Faith Adventist Church | Dr. Jeff Shore | Dave | Diamond | daviddiamond2@comcast.net | Arthur (BEMC) and Phil (EB) | Freedman (BEMC),Thierman (EB) | drart@aol.com | Arthur (BEMC) and Phil (EB) | Freedman (BEMC),Thierman (EB) | drart@aol.com | Joint Programming | This was a joint program between two Clubs whose synagogues had its roots in a building that is now a church. It required the efforts of not only these two Clubs, but the local Jewish Historical Society (who was the overall coordinator of the program) and the church itself where the Sunday morning brunch program was held. The overall goal of the program was to provide members of both synagogues, the Jewish Historical Society, the church, and the community, an appreciation of the rich history of the building as well as learn about similarities between Judaism and the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. | Beth El Temple and The Emanuel Synagogue, both in West Hartford, CT, are the two largest conservative synagogues in the Greater Hartford area. Both synagogues have their roots in Hartford in a building now housing a Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Many cities throughout North America, large and small, experienced a huge influx of Jewish immigration in the late 1800s through early 1900s. They established their communities in the oldest, often rundown, parts of their respective cities where they worked hard to build a better life for themselves and their families. Hartford was no exception, with an immigrant community near the downtown center of the city. By the middle of the 20th century, Jewish families were moving to larger and newer apartments as well as to houses in the North End of Hartford. They were also moving to West Hartford which was beginning to establish a suburban Jewish community. Hartford was still the center of Jewish life with about a dozen synagogues and countless other Jewish institutions. One such synagogue was the Emanuel Synagogue (founded 1919) whose membership was increasing steadily and was outgrowing its space. By the early 1950s, many members had already moved to West Hartford and felt that a synagogue was needed there to address the overcrowding issue as well as to provide a place to worship close to where they now lived. Ultimately, a group of Emanuel Synagogue members founded Beth El Temple which was built in West Hartford in 1954. By the late 1960s, with continued Jewish migration to West Hartford, the Emanuel Synagogue moved from Hartford to West Hartford. The building that housed the synagogue in Hartford was subsequently sold to the Faith Seventh-Day Adventist Church. The Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford (JHSGH) collects and preserves materials that document the Greater Hartford Jewish community. Their diverse array of activities has included bus trips as well as a bike ride through the North End of Hartford, which once was a vibrant Jewish community, with stops and visits at churches and other institutions that had been part of this community. The idea to have a jointly co-sponsored breakfast program at the now church was proposed to the Executive Director of the JHSGH in the spring of 2022 by a board member who happened to also be on the board of the Beth El Men’s Club and handled programming for both organizations. The vision for the program was as follows: - The Beth El Men’s Club and Emanuel Brotherhood would co-sponsor a buffet breakfast. - A panel discussion would follow with representatives from both synagogues as well as the church who were very familiar with the history of the building. - A tour of the building would follow. The Executive Director of the JHSGH was very enthusiastic about this potential program and reached out to her contact at the church. They were also interested in having this program. The boards of both the Beth El Men’s Club and Emanuel Brotherhood were also excited about collaborating together for a buffet breakfast at the church. Several dates in October and November 2022 were proposed that worked for both Men’s Clubs and their respective synagogues. The JHSGH reached out to the church again and landed on a date that worked for all organizations. An understanding of the key beliefs and practices of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church was important in our planning. It was fascinating to find out the similarities they have with Judaism. Some of the things learned from Wikipedia were the following: - The Seventh-day Adventist Church is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregoria) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath. - Part of Friday might be spent in preparation for the Sabbath; for example, preparing meals and tidying homes. Adventists may gather for Friday evening worship to welcome in the Sabbath. - The major weekly worship service occurs on Saturday, typically commencing with Sabbath School which is a structured time of small-group bible study at church. - Adventists place an emphasis on diet and health, and expects adherence to kosher food laws, particularly the consumption of kosher foods described in Leviticus 11, meaning abstinence from pork, rabbit, shellfish, and other animals proscribed as unclean. They advocate vegetarianism. The church discourages its members from consuming alcoholic beverages, tobacco, or illegal drugs. In addition, some Adventists avoid refined foods, sweeteners, and caffeine. We checked with our contact at the church to confirm what would be acceptable to serve at the breakfast. Based on their beliefs, we knew we couldn’t have caffeinated coffee/tea (a staple at our breakfasts) as well as any alcoholic drinks. Everything else you’d typically have at a Men’s Club breakfast such as OJ, bagels, cream cheese, lox, scrambled eggs, fruit platter and pastries was fine. We identified a current member of Beth El Temple as well as a current member of the Emanuel Synagogue (both board members of the Jewish Historical Society) who could speak about the early history of both synagogues. There were also two members of the church who could speak about its history. All four agreed to be panelists. The next step was to publicize the program. At Beth El Temple, the Men’s Club sent out a publicity request e-mail which sets the wheels in motion for announcements in the bi-monthly newsletter, on the synagogue website, via various e-blasts, and inclusion in the weekly Shabbat leaflets. The Emanuel Synagogue and JHSGH also publicized this program through their various communication channels. While the church was typically closed on Sundays and did not have these types of programs, they encouraged their members to attend. In the weeks leading up to the program, we had many communications amongst ourselves about the brunch planning, set-up, format of the program, building tour, manpower needs, etc. We arranged for a security guard to be at the church for the entire duration of the program as that is now common practice at our synagogues for large gatherings. We determined that parking was readily available directly across the street in a lot used by a large school during the week, and made sure that was communicated to those who signed up for the program. Several of us met at the church 11 days before the program to look at the space (kitchen, social room, sanctuary) and tour the building. It was obvious that this church was once a synagogue with all the Jewish stars and Hebrew writing, both inside and outside the building. During this visit, we noticed that an office had a mezuzah on its doorway. The church elder who was leading us through the building told us that apparently the mezuzah was accidentally left on during a renovation decades earlier. Initially the church members did not know what the mezuzot in the building were and removed others, but once they learned more, kept that one in its place out of respect. We secured many volunteers from both Men’s Clubs, the JHSGH and the church to help at the event. The Emanuel Brotherhood started the food prep at their synagogue on the Thursday evening before the program as well as early Sunday morning. Several people went shopping Sunday morning for food, coffee, etc. Everything was brought to the church where there was more food prep and cooking. Cookware and other supplies were brought to the church as needed to be sure we had what we needed and that everything met kashrut standards. Volunteers from the church worked with the Beth El Men’s Club and Emanuel Brotherhood in the kitchen as well as bringing everything out to the social room where the program was to be held. We ended up with close to 100 attendees, far more than what either Men's Club typically draw for a Sunday morning breakfast program. What is impressive about this was that many people were still not attending gatherings such as this due to ongoing COVID concerns. Most attendees were members of Beth El Temple, the Emanuel Synagogue, and/or Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford. We were hoping to see more people associated with the church there, but those that were there were fully engaged and really appreciated learning from us about our shared history. Several from the church helped in the kitchen, in the social room set-up and building tour. The president of the JHSGH teaches Sunday mornings at the Emanuel Synagogue Religious School and he brought his entire class of students to the program. Many attendees had been members of the Emanuel Synagogue when it was in that building in the 1950s and 1960s, and had not been there in over 55 years. There was one woman in attendance who had gotten married 67 years earlier, to the day, in the very room we were in. People who grew up in that area enjoyed reminiscing about those days. Others learned about the rich Jewish history of Hartford from the panel discussion and Q+A. We all learned about the similarities between practices of Judaism and the Seventh-Day Adventists, particularly around Sabbath and kosher dietary traditions. All involved agreed that this was a truly worthwhile and meaningful program for the community, and one that helped build bridges across divides of city-suburb, religion, and race. | fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_the_roots_presentation_part1.pdf (2952 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_the_roots_presentation_part2.pdf (1861 KB) | fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_logistics_e-mail.pdf (1025 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_torch_award_program_schedule.pdf (18 KB) | fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_beth_el_temple_publicity_request_0.pdf (1025 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_beth_el_temple_publicity_newsletter_0.pdf (827 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_beth_el_temple_publicity_e-mail_0.pdf (565 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_jhsgh_publicity_flyer_0.pdf (439 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_emanuel_publicity_flyer.pdf (155 KB) | fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_faith_church_front_door_0.jpg (2335 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_outside_building_-_jewish_stars_and_hebrew_writing_0.jpg (3112 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_outside_building_-_10_commandments_0.jpg (801 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_kitchen-1_0.jpg (765 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_kitchen-2_0.jpg (889 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_table_at_program_0.jpg (878 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_view_of_all_tables_at_program_0.jpg (861 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_four_panelists_0.jpg (873 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_exec_director_of_jhsgh_0.jpg (884 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_speaker_and_kids_table_0.jpg (760 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_speaker_near_end_of_program_0.jpg (882 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_clapping_at_end_of_program_0.jpg (756 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_dedication_program_of_the_new_emanuel_synagogue_0.jpg (2422 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_mezuzah_0.jpg (1837 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_sanctuary_ceiling_0.jpg (732 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_stained_glass_-_3_windows.jpg (2307 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_stained_glass_circle_-_shabbat.jpg (1759 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_stained_glass_circle_with_hebrew.jpg (1789 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_hebrew_writing_in_front_of_sanctuary.jpg (1288 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_jewish_stars_in_front_of_sanctuary.jpg (1345 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_sanctuary_view_from_back.jpg (748 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_exec_director_of_jhsgh_fielding_questions_in_sanctuary.jpg (779 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_beth_el_mens_club_217_emanuel_brotherhood_230_group_photo_in_front_of_sanctuary.jpg (884 KB) | Program gave both Men's Clubs and the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford an opportunity to work together to offer a very successful and meaningful program to all organizations. It gave the Faith Seventh-Day Adventist Church an opportunity to work with the other groups and offer something that was very different than anything they've ever had under their roof. It was a tremendous success. We learned about each other's faiths and the similarities between them. People who were members of the Emanuel Synagogue when it was still located in Hartford had a chance to reminisce about a time in their life when the synagogue and community in Hartford was so important to them. It gave everyone an opportunity to learn about the history of the building, the migration of Jews from Hartford to West Hartford, and the formation of Beth El Temple. It was inspiring to see how it was important for the church to keep as much as possible of its Jewish past intact, throughout decades of renovations, paint jobs, and other building changes. | Jewish men from the three sponsoring organizations worked together to bring this program to the community. The program supports innovation as it connected people of all ages to the Jewish community - older adults who lived in the community and were educated in the synagogue when it was in Hartford, younger adults who wanted to learn about the history, and current religious school students who were invited by their teacher to attend. It certainly supports community - the camaraderie, common interests and core values extended to those in both the Jewish and Seventh-Day Adventist Church communities. | We encourage all Men's Clubs to consider bringing a program like this to their community. Look into the history of your synagogue - what were its origins? If there were previous locations, are the buildings still there and what are they used for? If there is a local Jewish Historical Society (or any type of Historical Society) in your community, reach out to them to see about collaborating together. This type of program can easily be replicated in some format in most communities. | Original Program | Yes | Bronze | ||
| 15 | 2023-03-10 22:21 | mikep2 | 73.197.57.108 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | South Jersey Men'S Club - Cherry Hill, NJ (503) | Bringing Hanukkah to Jewish Troops | Dr. Jeff Shore | Michael | Perloff | Mikep2@comcast.net | Abe | Ferdas | aferdas@verizon.net | Philip | Godorov | PhillipGodorov@gmail.com | Jewish Observance | As part of the South Jersey Men’s Club’s (SJMC) efforts to support the Jewish community at the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (Joint Base MDL) in Southern New Jersey, we helped organize the base Hanukkah party, provided gifts for the young children, and presented the community with the large menorah and candles for a community-wide Hanukkah party. | Background – There has been an active Jewish chapel at the Joint Base MDL (originally known as the Fort Dix Army Post) since its establishment in 1917. It has over 100,000 uniformed servicemembers as residents or passing through each year, including thousands of Jewish servicemembers and their families. The SJMC has been supporting Jewish families at the base since at least 2002, with donations of clothes, food, sanitary items, and money for individuals, when needed. In 2019, the Chaplain-in-Charge of all 11 base chapels determined there was no need for the Jewish and Muslim chapels. He disassembled and discarded all the holy items from both the Jewish and Muslim chapels. When the Chaplain-in-Charge’s actions were discovered by the Jewish War Veterans base liaison, the Chaplain was fired by the base commander. Then, the action was taken to restore the Jewish and Muslim chapels by local Jewish community members. Later, the local Muslim community joined in helping to restore the Muslim chapel. Response by the SJMC – In October 2022, the SJMC became aware of a large menorah available in the Cherry Hill community that could be donated to the Joint Base MDL Jewish chapel during Hanukkah in December 2022. The Jewish chaplain at the base was contacted and informed of the menorah’s availability. He was extremely enthusiastic and asked that this menorah be donated as part of the upcoming Hanukkah party. In fact, the chaplain asked if we could expand the party to include non-Jewish servicemembers and their families. The SJMC helped to support the expanded party with food for all and gifts for the children. The base Hanukkah party was attended by at least 75 people (service members and their families), plus another 25 Jewish members from the local community and several from New York and Pennsylvania. The base commander and his wife also attended and lit a candle. The party started with a traditional Jewish lighting of the newly donated SJMC menorah and a story of why the menorah is important for Hanukkah. The party had traditional food and music, and lots of presents for the young children. | menorah_joint_base.sjmc_picnic.jpg (317 KB) menorah_joint_base.jpg (206 KB) | The SJMC continues to support servicemembers and their families at Joint Base MDL. We put in the time and effort necessary to meet the needs of those who are serving in the defense of the United States. Jewish servicemembers and their families are away from home, and we in the SJMC, whenever possible, continue to provide the religious and other support needed by those who serve and their families who are making sacrifices. | Our contribution to enhancing the Hanukkah celebration on a military base is a meaningful element that helped Jewish servicemembers maintain their ties to Judaism and the Jewish community, per the FJMC’s mission. When the Jewish community at the Joint Base MDL experienced a crisis, the SJMC came to the rescue, clearly demonstrating the FJMC’s goal of being part of and helping the overarching Jewish community. | Original Program | Yes | |||||||
| 14 | 2023-03-09 23:19 | lklioze | 69.114.242.214 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | Highland Park Conservative Temple Men's Club - Highland Park, NJ (910) | Make-A-Menorah | Dr. Jeff Shore | Lawrence | Klioze | larryklioze@gmail.com | Ira | Kizner | ikizner347@gmail.com | Ira | Kizner | ikizner347@gmail.com | Family and Youth Programming | The Make-A-Menorah program is designed to engage children (and their parents) to celebrate the Chanukah Festival with their own Chanukah Menorah (Chanukiah). The Men's Club supplies the kits which are simple to assemble and can be decorated as the child sees fit. This is an excellent example of Involving Jewish Men in Jewish Life! | The Make-A-Menorah project was conceived to encourage greater Jewish observance for young children by getting them involved early. By making it fun, the idea is to have them look forward to celebrating Chanukah every year. One of the highlights will be lighting candles on ‘their own’ Menorah, that they made themselves! We designed a Menorah kit that the club could make, and the children could assemble and decorate, under adult supervision. We made a couple prototypes (see 1.0 Prototype 1-01, 2-01 & 2-02), which we used to refine the design and conduct some tests (see Burn Test 01, 02, 03, 04 & 05). The kit materials were not expensive, important because the Club wanted to supply the kits to the Temple youth free of charge. The Club Board of Trustees approved the program, allocating $300 to purchase the necessary materials. We then pitched the idea to the Temple’s Executive Director and Youth Coordinator. They both loved the idea. Having planned a Temple Chanukah Fair, they wanted to include this as one of the children’s activities. Our original design (Make-A-Menorah 1.0) included a solid wood base, wood dowels, and metal candle holder cups. We cut the wood and dowels to specified sizes, then drilled holes partially into the wood base for where the dowels would be placed. We also drilled smaller holes into one end of each dowel piece to hold the metal candle holder cups. Instruction sheets completed the kits. The wood is readily available from Home Depot, Lowes, and most lumber yards. The metal candle cups are available from Jewish Innovations through Amazon. Our Chief Engineer, Marty Golden, designed the prototype kit. He adjusted the design based on feedback from evaluating the tests performed. Our kit included the following pieces: • One base of solid wood 2 ½” x 11 ½” x ¾” • Eight ¾” diameter dowels, 1 ¾” long for the eight candles • One ¾” diameter dowel, 2 ¾” long for the Shamash • Nine Metal Candle Cups • One sheet detailing assembly instructions (see Assembly Instructions.docx) Marty also provided the use of his woodworking shop, and he designed the templates we used to ensure the pieces were cut to the proper size, and the holes were drilled in the proper places. (See Wood Shop 01, 03, 07, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16 & 17) We packaged the kits as follows: • Nine Metal Candle Cups in a snack size Ziploc bag • All wood pieces, the instruction sheet, and the snack size Ziploc bag above in a poly bag • A label on the outside of the poly bag identifying the kit (see Bag Label.docx) We made 30 kits, which we felt would be sufficient. Any leftover kits could be sold or kept for the following year. Additional needed supplies not included in the kits included: Elmer’s Glue, Sharpie markers, and/or paints. The Chanukah Fair was held on December 4, 2022. It included several vendors for people who might be shopping for Judaica holiday gifts. It also included several children’s activities and Chanukah themed snacks (sufganyot and potato latkes). The Temple promoted the Chanukah Fair using paper flyers sent in the mail, and PDF Flyers (see Flyer) sent via email. They advertised it on their website, and in the Rabbi’s pre-Shabbat phone message and bimah announcements. Additionally, the Club advertised it on its Facebook page, and via emails to our mailing list. Several Men’s Club members manned the Make-A-Menorah tables, helping the children assemble, glue, and decorate their menorahs. Another organization had a table where they had children decorate Menorah trays. When children finished making their menorahs, we sent them to the Menorah Tray table, and vice versa. (See Table 01, 02, 03, 09, 11, 13, 15 & 18.) The program was extremely successful. We sold out all 30 kits, and put some people on a wait list, in case we were able to make more. The children were extremely excited and proud having made their very own menorahs! Feedback from some concerned parents led us to redesign the kit for Make-A-Menorah 2.0. Our new design is made entirely out of ceramic tiles, plus the metal candle cups from the original design (see 2.0_Prototype 1 & 2). Going forward, we will use the new design because it affords these advantages: • The materials are less expensive than the previous design (see 2.0_Cost Estimate.xlsx). • There is no need to cut or drill the materials. All one needs to do is purchase the parts and package them with instructions. This makes the kit easier to make. • One may pre-glue the pieces used to support the Shamash, but this is not necessary. However, if the pieces are not pre-glued, the instructions need to include a step to glue them together. • This design is 100% fireproof (see 2.0 Specs.docx). | fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_2.0_cost_estimate_0.xlsx (1118 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_2.0_specs_0.docx (1405 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_assembly_instructions_0.docx (1122 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_bag_label_0.docx (26 KB) | fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_schedule_0.xlsx (26 KB) | fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_flyer_0.pdf (153 KB) | fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_1.0_prototype_1-01.pdf (500 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_1.0_prototype_2-01.pdf (205 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_1.0_prototype_2-02.pdf (126 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_2.0_prototype_1.pdf (164 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_2.0_prototype_2.pdf (95 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_burn_test_01.pdf (51 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_burn_test_02.pdf (48 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_burn_test_03.pdf (49 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_burn_test_04.pdf (61 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_burn_test_05.pdf (38 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_table_01.pdf (77 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_table_02.pdf (136 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_table_03.pdf (162 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_table_09.pdf (106 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_table_11.pdf (128 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_table_13.pdf (92 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_table_15.pdf (86 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_table_18.pdf (147 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_wood_shop_01.pdf (181 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_wood_shop_03.pdf (113 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_wood_shop_07.pdf (177 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_wood_shop_10.pdf (124 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_wood_shop_12.pdf (182 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_wood_shop_13.pdf (183 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_wood_shop_14.pdf (186 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_wood_shop_16.pdf (146 KB) fjmc_ta_2023_highland_park_make-a-menorah_wood_shop_17.pdf (190 KB) | This program promoted teamwork in our club. Approximately 10 club members out of 67 total members contributed to the program buying materials, making the kits, and helping the children assemble and decorate their Menorahs. As part of the Temple’s Chanukah Fair, it helped draw families with young children and encouraged Jewish observance. The program was very well received. We gave out all 30 kits that we produced, and probably could have given out another 20 if we had them! It was a resounding success! The program also promoted the image of our Men’s Club as providing a service to our Jewish community. | This program supported the FJMC mission of involving Jewish Men in Jewish Life because we produced kits for Jewish children to make and decorate their own Menorahs. The Jewish Men in our Club were Involved in Jewish Life by conceiving this idea, developing it, and bringing it to fruition. This in turn encouraged children (and their parents) to light candles during Chanukah, to properly celebrate the festival, and to be involved in Jewish Life. It also supported the elements of the FJMC tagline: Leadership, Innovation, Community. Leadership – by having two club members take the lead on this program. Innovation – by producing an innovative design for the Make-A-Menorah kit. Community – by providing these kits for the Jewish families in the community with young children. | Note: All references to other files in the Detailed Program section are pictures, unless otherwise noted. (Note: The pictures were either .jpeg or .jpg; however, the form would not allow .jpg or .jpeg files, so we exported them to .pdf format.) The file names all start with ‘FJMC TA 2023_Highland Park_Make-A-Menorah_’. We reference the remainder of the file name. The files are uploaded separately. | Original Program | Yes | Honorable Mention | ||
| 13 | 2023-03-09 17:01 | miltonlipitz24 | 98.113.130.117 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | Beth El Men's Club - Cedarhurst, NY (831) | Jewish Observance | Dr. Jeff Shore | Milton | Lipitz | mlipitz121@gmail.com | Milton | Lipitz | mlipitz121@gmail.com | Milton | Lipitz | mlipitz121@gmail.com | Jewish Observance | The goal of Jewish Observance has occurred through a variety of programs that have been established and for a variety of programs expanded upon. A Men's Club Executive Board Member runs classes on "How to Lead a Minyan" in addition to a newly formed Beginners class. Our Yom HaShoah program combines the lighting of candles on the Erev of Yom HaShoah with a film from the Moriah Collection we purchased from the Simon Wiesenthal Center. During our Men's Club Shabbat, we bring in guest speakers such as a docent from the Holocaust Museum; This year our D'Var Torah was given by a Member of the Men's Club whose Topic was: "The Supreme Court Case Considers Issues Relating to Sabbath Observance"' On the evening of Kristallnacht, we always have a Memorial service in addition to a guest speaker ie. Martin Goldsmith who wrote two books concerning the Holocaust. Every year we organize a Veteran's Shabbat to honor Veterans where Men's Club Members run the program.. We have expanded our "World Wide Wrap Program" to include Congregants from other temples as well as students from those temples. We have arranged visits to the OHEL and to The Jewish Theological Seminary where our Rabbi was our Tour Guide. During Chanukah, Men's Club Members volunteer to model lighting the Menorah on Zoom to the entire Congregation. | Our "How to Run a Minyan" class has taught Congregants not only the steps in running a Minyan, but has helped to improve the reading of the prayers. The members of this class run Morning and Evening Minyans which they had not done before. The program has expanded to a beginners class where Congregants who are not familiar with Hebrew are taught the basics. Sisterhood Members are classmates as well as members of the Men's Club. In addition, students from both classes are requested to attend Morning and Evening Minyans We held a program entitled "Monday Night at the Movies" where we showed 4 different Moriah Films during 4 consecutive months; the last being held on April 19th two days after Yom Ha Shoah.. We also held a "Jewish Trivia Contest" where we invited community synagogues to participate. Certificates were rewarded to the winning team in addition to a certificate for "The Jewish Trivia Maven". Our visits to the OHEL and The Jewish Theological Seminary added greatly to our Goal of Enhancing Jewish Observance. The idea of including other Temples, with Adults and Students, in our "World Wide Wrap" Program helped make this event extremely successful. Men' Club members organize many of these programs and/or attend these events. | messenger-oct._nov._dec.docx (14 KB) messenger-jan._feb._mar.docx (13 KB) messenger-april_and_may.docx (14 KB) chanukah_lighting.docx (14 KB) | minutes-sept_2022.docx (16 KB) minutes-jan._2023.docx (17 KB) minyan_classes.pdf (369 KB) minutes-2023.docx (17 KB) | world_wide_wrap_2023.pdf (1148 KB) kristallnacht_2022_1.pdf (524 KB) zoom_link_monday_movies.pdf (3719 KB) trivia_contest_feb_2023.pdf (301 KB) | Our Temple has 157 Families who are contacted concerning all our programs. We also send flyers to other temples inviting them to participate in our programs. We have been successful with Hewlett East Rockaway Jewish Center where Congregants have attended events at each others temples. These events are Religious; Educational; and Meaningful Programs as well as providing Social Interaction among our own Congregants as well as Congregants from other temples. | All of our activities are open to Men and Women. Our "How to Run a Minyan" program, advanced and beginner programs, has opened the door for many Congregants to expand their knowledge of Judaism. Congregants who are in both of these programs partake in our Men's Club Shabbat and attend Morning and/or Evening Minyans. Mens's Club members are involved in organizing and participating in our Veteran's Shabbat program; and help to organize programs with other temples such as Hewlett East Rockaway Jewish Center. It was our Men's Club members (a married couple who are both on our Executive Board) who organized our Jewish Trivia contest. It was Men's Club members who organized the speaker for the Kristallnacht Program. We have many Men's Club members who have shown Leadership, Innovation and Community as has been described. | It is Jewish Men who run many of our Jewish Observance Programs ie Men's Club Shabbat; Veterans Shabbat; Kristallnacht; Yom HaShoah Candle Program and coordinate the Moriah Film Program where we not only showed four films (in our Monday Night at the Movies with the Men's Club Program), but also are involved with lending these films to our Congregants. | Original Program | Yes | Honorable Mention | |||
| 12 (draft) | 2023-03-08 16:57 | RonaldEttinger | 73.195.177.39 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | South Jersey Men'S Club - Cherry Hill, NJ (503) | Flag Planting to Commemorate 9/11 Anniversary | Ronald | Ettinger | Ettinger0502@gmail.com | Phillip | Godorov | Phillipgodorov@gmail.com | Phlilip | Godorov | Phillipgodorov@gmail.com | Community Outreach | |||||||||||||||
| 11 | 2023-03-06 06:35 | fishmandh | 24.34.203.204 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | Temple Israel of Natick Men's Club - Natick, MA (733) | Sock and Underwear drive | Dr. Jeff Shore | David | Fishman | fishmandh@yahoo.com | David | Landman | djehrlandman@gmail.com | Adam | Wilen | ahwilen@yahoo.com | Community Outreach | The Men's Club of Temple Israel reached out to our local social services agency, Jewish Family Services of Metrowest to see how we could support their efforts to provide for the less fortunate among us. They asked for help with an on-going, overlooked program they run through their 'Children's Clothing Closet' to provide clean clothes to those that can't afford it. While they get donations of used pants and shirts, of course they can not collect used underwear or socks. So we ran a drive, coinciding around Hanuka, that asked for donations we could deliver to JFS/MW. | The overall goal of the program is to encourage the Congregational community to become more aware of the basic human needs all around us and to share their generosity while doing a mitzvah and showing chesed to our neighbors. Once JFS/MW provided us their Amazon "Wish List" we promoted it via our the temples weekly communications. The program consisted of several EASH ways to help: 1. the Amazon order a) shipped directly to JFS/MW (HOW EASY IS THAT!), b) have the order shipped to the temple c) drop it off at the temple, or 2. for those that might not have seen the marketing campaign we ran a 'pop-up' shop at Sunday school pick-up where we had on display some of the goods that $5, $10, or $20 could buy and 3. we solicited donations. Fliers with QR codes were put up around the temple. To start it off, the Men's Club donated about $400 worth of items. We ran in this program around Hanukah 2021, and 2022. Here is a video from 2021: https://youtube.com/shorts/DVawbtsDC0Q | fjmc_torch_awards_2023_ti_clothing_closet1.docx (236 KB) | ti_sock_underwearprogram_schedule.xlsx (31 KB) | ti_mens_club_jfs_marketing1.jpg (248 KB) yahoo_mail_-_re_mark_your_calendars_-_january_7_2023.pdf (3358 KB) jfs_clothing_drive_flyer.jpg (58 KB) | jfs_drive_stand.jpg (6065 KB) 20211129_144812.jpg (944 KB) | Each of the past two years we delivered hundreds of socks/underwear and other necessities. We believe this was a great success that alleviated the burden on some under-priveleged families in our area. It re-connected the synagogue community to JFS who does amazing work. | This program easily increases the opportunity for men to practice tzedaka. For those than can only spend the time to do 3 clicks of a mouse, it gives them something to feel good about. For those that can spend time operating the pop-up shop, or delivering to the agency, it provides additional opportunities to give of their time and energy. | n/a | Original Program | Yes | Honorable Mention | ||
| 10 | 2023-02-14 21:32 | Dale | 134.228.139.163 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | B'nai Jeshurun Men's Club - Pepper Pike, OH (325) | WWW | Dr. Jeff Shore | Dale | Levy | dlevy82@gmail.com | Joel | Herman | zmanjoel51@gmail.com | Joel | Herman | zmanjoel51@gmail.com | World Wide Wrap | This is a modification of the traditional WWW program to make it truly international, or World Wide!! We partnered with several synagogues in South America to do WWW together. We studied together, we davened together and celebrated together! While each synagogue met in person we also had zoom to join together internationally! | WWW Torch Award The KIO region held a hybrid WWW this year with congregations in our region as well as several congregations in South America. The goal of this program was to take WWW from a local congregational wrap to a truly international WORLD WIDE WRAP! Our member at B’nai Jeshuran in Cleveland, Jerry Brodsky, learned of a Rabbi in South America who may be interested in davening with us on WWW. Our Regional President, Dale Levy, contacted and met by zoom with Rabbi Leandro Galanternik in December 2022. We discussed the idea of doing WWW together. It seemed we would be able to do this! We looked into the ways we could make this program happen. Due to time zone differences and halachic requirements for reciting Shema we came up with the following plan. The SA shuls would davin on their own timeline with their own zooms and in-person services. They would finish up at ~10:15 their time which corresponded to 8:15 our time. We would join together at 8:15 EST to have a combined event. The event would begin with a brief introduction of our participants. We had KIO Shuls and the following from SA: Comunidade Shalom - São Paulo, Brazil CIP + Curitiba, Brazil Comunidad Or Israel - Buenos Aires, Argentina Comunidad Iona - Buenos Aires, Argentina Next, we would recite the Prayer for the State of Israel followed by Adon Olam. (in Sephardic tradition Adon Olam is sung at the beginning of the service, while Ashkenazik tradition is at the end; so we did it together.) Finally we would do L’Chayim together. Dale arranged for a local shul, B’nai Jeshuran to host the zoom service. We began at 7:45 AM with teaching to Wrap. Dale Levy led this. When we reached 8:15 AM, Rabbi Hal Rudin-Luria (Cleveland) and Rabbi Galanternik (Brazil) became co-hosts. Our SA brothers and Sisters lead the davening described. Dale introduced the KIO clubs and The SA Rabbis introduced their clubs. We then spent a few minutes schmoozing. Then we departed and began our service. Many clubs left zoom to hold service in person, while many continued on zoom to do service together. Many clubs invited post B’nai Mitzvah students and HS students to participate in local services. Many shuls donate Sets of Tefillin to their students! In fact, the KIO Region donated 5 pairs of Tefillin to our SA congregations! This was a fascinating collaboration between multiple congregations in South America (with different time zones) with our Region to achieve a meaningful WWW. I have run WWW and BAP for close to 10 years. This has been one of the most meaningful WWW I have run!!! This was a KIO regional event. As I am a member of multiple shuls in KIO we agreed to submit this under the B’nai Jeshuran synagogue. | All our advertising was word of mouth!! That being said, we had 5 shuls from KIO and 4 from South America. This was an amazing turnout!!! The impact was significant in that Wrapping was taught throughout regions, we made serious connections with South America and we learned together across geographic lines. This was an amazing program! | Wrapping Tefillin is arguably the fundamental mitzvah of Judaism! The WWW in general is an amazing program to get Jewish Men involved in Jewish Life. Our adaptation is to et Jewish Men Involved In Jewish Life Internationally. It is unique for a FJMC Region to involve an international community in our program. The nature of our program addresses Innovation and (International) Community. By presenting this program to the FJMC we also invoke leadership.. | An adaptation or enhancement of a previous Torch Award entry TAxx-xxxx| | Yes | Bronze | |||||||
| 9 | 2023-02-14 20:08 | Dale | 134.228.139.163 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | Tifereth Israel Men'S Club - Columbus, OH (303) | Combating Antisemitism Summit | Dr. Jeff Shore | Dale | Levy | dlevy82@gmail.com | Mark | Rosenson | mrosenson3216@aol.com | Mark | Rosenson | mrosenson3216@aol.com | Joint Programming | The program is in the model of a scholar in residence with 3 sessions, Friday evening, Shabbat Day and Sunday morning. The topic is Combating antisemitsm in our lives: Media, Workplace and On Campus. We have panel discussions with local representatives of international organizations, including ADL, AJC, Hillel International, Honest Reporting and Stand With Us. The goal of the program is for the community to learn and develop the tools to combat antisemitism in their lives. | 2022 - 23 Torch Award Submission Tifereth Israel from the KIO region will submit this as a Torch Award. This will be in the category of Joint Programming. Our region President, Dale Levy, has long held an idea for holding a summit on Combatting Antisemitism. The vision was to hold a weekend event in the model of a scholar – in – residence weekend. We would have a session on Shabbat evening, a session on Shabbat afternoon and a session on Sunday morning. Each session would address a different aspect of antisemitism in the community and how to deal with it! Dale is a member of multiple clubs in KIO! He recruited members of B’nei Jeshuran, Park Synagogue and Tifereth Israel to Advise and plan this event. While this is truly a Regional Torch Award, as Dale is a member of Park, BJ and TI we agreed to submit this under the club at TI. As mentioned above, the idea was to have a full weekend event to teach people how to combat Antisemitism in our time. We would model this in a Scholar-in-residence weekend. Instead of having all the sessions at one location, we chose one city in KIO with individual sessions to be distributed at locations around that city. We would hold one session at a local shul on Friday night where we would hold services and Shabbat dinner at the shul and have a presentation just afterwards. We would have services at another shul on Shabbat morning followed by a kiddish lunch and the panel program. Finally, we would have a session on Sunday morning at our JCC with a brunch and panel to cover the final topic. The goal was to cover the topics of combatting antisemitism in the media, our personal lives, in our work lives and on campus. To this end we engaged Local Leaders of National organizations to give speeches and engage us in discussions in these topics. We engaged and had involvement from these organizations: ADL, AJC, Hillel International, Stand With Us and Honest Reporting and Ohio Jewish Communities ( an organization of the statewide government advocacy, public affairs, and community relations voice of Ohio's eight Jewish Federations and their network of 150 nonprofit agencies statewide for the purpose of enhancing the Jewish community's ability to serve vital human needs.) The organizing Committee was Jerry Brodsky (B’nei Jeshuran – Cleveland), Mark Rosenson (Tifereth Israel – Columbus) and Dale Levy, (B’nei Jeshuran, Park synagogue and Tifereth Israel). We ultimately decided that this submission will be under TI: however, it is truly a regional effort! The committee began with determining the programming. We decided to begin with Defining antisemitism and Combatting Antisemitism in social and written media; then we would discuss antisemitism in the work place and our personal lives and finally we would have a day devoted to combating antisemitism on campus. Our discussion combatting antisemitism on campus would encourage college age members to attend this session. Next, we chose locations for our discussions. We ultimately decided to hold the event in Columbus as this is a central location for our region. Our Friday evening event was held at Agudas Achim in Columbus. This included a Kabbalat Shabbat service, a Shabbat dinner and a session on the topic. Our Friday night topic was defining antisemitism and combatting it in the media. We had a panel that included ADL, AJC and Ohio Jewish Communities. Our Shabbat morning service was at another shul, Tifereth Israel. The D’Var Torah / sermon from the Rabbi was pertinent to our topic. There was kiddush lunch followed by another session. The topic was combatting antisemitism in your personal lives and at work. The panel included the ADL and AJC. This was presented live and on LiveStream. Our final session was held at the Columbus JCC and covered our final topic, combatting antisemitism on campus. There was a brunch followed by our panel discussion. Our panel included Hillel presidents from 2 campuses in Ohio, Ohio U and Miami U; there was a representative from Stand With Us from Israel and Honest Reporting from Israel. We placed an emphasis on the “combating” as opposed to understanding the issue. We believe that at our current level of understanding Jewish Congregations understand the issue itself very well, yet we may lack the tools for combatting it. To make this a successful program we decided to limit our committee to 3 members who would report to the KIO Regional Board. We decided that 1 would arrange speakers, the next would be dedicated to marketing and fund raising; the last would be finding venues and meals. This turned out to be the most efficient means of getting the program to fruition. For clubs that wish to implement this program I strongly suggest this model! We looked at multiple ways to get financial support. The FJMC Foundation for Life generously supported our program with a grant. We ended up getting financial support from the local Jewish News who provided 2 full page ads for the cost of 1; all the clubs in KIO donated and several families / individuals donated. Many local businesses also supported our program. We also had many donors who want the program to be successful! We chose to make the event neutral in terms of raising money. However, we see this as an opportunity for clubs to make this a significant fund raising event. We did not charge admission and all meals provided by donors and all speakers donated their time. We had a very successful program. We averaged 40 – 50 persons per event. We did not count zoom or live streaming for our attendance numbers. The panels were excellent! We received positive feedback from those who attended. This is a very labor intensive program in regards to planning, but is truly achievable at your clubs’ and Region’s level. I found it was difficult to obtain speakers, but ultimately I made my connections and it worked out. The venues were ultimately decided based on each of our schedules!..We tried to engage Reform shuls but ultimately only had buy-in from our conservative movement. As I mentioned, the event was held in Columbus as that was the central location; we had members from Cincinnati, Dayton, Cleveland, Toledo and Columbus attend, not to mention Hillel leaders from Miami, Ohio and Ohio University, ADL from Cleveland, AJC from Cleveland and Cincinnati. We also had zoom leaders from Israel join our program, Honest Reporting and Stand With Us. So this was truly an international event. Antisemitism is on the rise and is increasingly resulting in violence. We must combat antisemitism and not let it pass unanswered! This program is to provide us with the tools to combat antisemitism. It is not enough to just know what antisemitism is! We must learn how to actively combat it. This program did this for us in KIO and is a model for other regions to follow. I am always available to assist other clubs that wish to do this program. It took over a year of planning to make this program possible. If a region wishes to do the program I recommend that time for planning. If you choose to make it a recurring program, I recommend it be every other year. | full_ad_antisemitism_summit.pdf (1781 KB) press_release_for_kio.docx (18 KB) | kio_report_to_fjmc_-federation_copy.docx (18 KB) | full_ad_antisemitism_summit.pdf (1781 KB) | The program was well received in the community. We averaged 40 - 50 in person attendees at each session, not including zoom or livestream. The impact of our goal, to learn techniques and develop tools for combatting antisemitsm was the 1 thing people noted in our post event survey. | This was truly a Regional Event! The local clubs felt the impact in the attendees from other shuls joining them. The entire KIO community was inspired by this program with people traveling from many distant communities to participate. This is an event that draws the entire community together and should be considered as a regional program across all FJMC Regions. | This goes beyond! We are involving Jewish people in Jewish concerns! This program is probably the 1st of its kind in FJMC programming. This program supports Leadership, Innovation and Community. This is an ideal FJMC Program! | Original Program | Yes | Gold | |||
| 8 | 2023-01-27 10:11 | Briesenberg | 98.62.66.75 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | Etz Chaim Men's Club - Marietta, GA (1711) | Giving Back to Our First Responders | Dr. Jeff Shore | Barry | Riesenberg | briesenberg@gmail.com | Bryan | Coleman | rog-bry@mindspring.com | Bryan | Coleman | rog-bry@mindspring.com | Community Outreach | As with most synagogues in this era fraught with uncertainly, we have a police presence during Shabbat services… and many other times when the synagogue is occupied. This outreach to our First Responder Community was our opportunity to engage those standing ready to safeguard our security and demonstrate our appreciation....with Kosher Brisket Chili! | OVERVIEW A “False Alarm” incident during Shabbat evening services —a silent alarm was inadvertently tripped— brought an immediate and massive response by the Cobb County Police to Congregation Etz Chaim. According to the Synagogue's Executive Director, multiple Police and Fire Rescue units were on-scene within minutes. While this was, thankfully, a “non-event,” the very reassurance of their awareness and presence ignited a desire among Etz Chaim Men’s club to show our appreciation to the men and women who comprise our local First Responders. THE PLAN The decision was taken to reintroduce a tradition lost to the Covid epidemic: engaging our local Police and Fire Departments in a show of community support. THE GOAL Wow them with BRISKET CHILI • Express our appreciation for their presence and vigilance • Explain a little about KOSHER THE CHALLENGE Coordinating a convenient time to host a lunch for our First Responder Police and Fire Departments sounds easy—they share a County Government building— but their schedules don’t always conform to ‘regular hours’. THE “BENEFICIARIES” Cobb Police Department (Precinct 3) As patrol cars are always ‘on-the-move’, Major Batterton suggested we schedule the lunch during change-of-shift so the Officers on both morning and afternoon tours could partake and enjoy. Cobb Fire Department (Precinct 21) Firefighters are on-duty 24 hours and off-duty 48; it was C-Shift’s luck to be on duty the day we dropped by to schedule. Captain Hilley was convinced our chili couldn’t compare to theirs, and “the game was afoot!” Of course, with First Responders, you never know when an emergency call might interrupt the festivities. (Spoiler alert... things don’t always turn out as planned!) THE DAY Our seemingly inexhaustible team of Kitchen-teers* competed for the honor of being in on the preparation. Everyone, if seems, wanted to be a part of the effort to express appreciation to our Police and Fire Departments for their ever-presence and -vigilance. *kitchen volunteers Master Chefs with chili expertise far exceeded the numbers needed, ensuring an enjoyable cooking experience… at Etz Chaim, there’s no such thing as “too many cooks” THE MENU Brisket Chili --- sour cream (Pareve, of course) Creamy Cole Slaw(albeit non-dairy) Cornbread, southern style… meaning spicy! Brownies with pecans (a Hank Needle spécialité) Sweet Southern Iced Tea (de rigueur in Georgia) THE FLY IN THE [Ointment] CHILI Little could we have known when locking the date that it would coincide with Election Run-Off Day. Georgia is one of few states that requires a majority vote. Neither candidate had won a clear 50% vote, and the balance of the U.S. Senate was in play. The Government Center was “Ground Zero”, as the building housing the Police and Fire Departments also served as a polling station. Full of goodwill and fully armed with pots, bowls and trays, we arrived to face a wall of hundreds of voters waiting in line to vote and a large presence of police directing the overflow of traffic. It took a quick call, and we received a road-clearing, light-flashing escort through the throng. We set up in the large dining area at the Fire Department, and as we dished out bowls of the delicious concoction, we were joined by the entire FD crew; the unfortunate police cadre managing the traffic snafu outside could only dribble in on their short breaks. The situation did, however, offer a special opportunity for us to interact closely with the Firefighters. They were very curious to understand what makes a brisket “KOSHER”. They also learned why we didn’t bring Parmesan Cheese and ‘real’ sour cream (they generously provided their own), and why Pareve spread—I can’t believe it’s not butter (it’s not!)—was our selection for spreading on the cornbread. We were just finishing off the delicious meal with Hank Needle’s famous brownies—both with and without nuts—when THE CALL came in. The Rescue Team—Cobb County Firefighters double as EMTS—jumped to their feet in response, and off they went. Police The mostly-absent Cobb County Police Officers brought to mind the last time (pre-COVID) we hosted: it was the same day the funeral of a neighboring DeKalb County police officer killed in the line of duty took place. In a line reminiscent of the 1980’s Hill Street Blues, the Commanding Officer admonished his charges and sent them on their way with a message of caution: “Be careful out there!” THE ESTEEM Our EMT Firefighters returned rather quickly (guess they were still hungry!), and the long lunch drew to a close. The sociable, enjoyable afternoon turned somber as we took the opportunity to tell them about the COMMEMORATIVE BRICK prepared for the Memorial Garden at our Congregation Etz Chaim to honor the memory of fallen First Responders. It reads: “In Memory of Those Who Sacrificed Their Lives in the Line of Duty” LEAVE-TAKING It was time to say Goodbye. We ended with mutual appreciation expressed and new friendships formed... and a clear message to our neighbors that their service is valued beyond measure (even more than can be expressed in a bowl of Kosher Brisket Chili). | timeline_supplement.docx (13 KB) timeline_supplement_0.docx (13 KB) | memorrial_brick.jpg (3631 KB) memorial_garden_section.jpg (5220 KB) memorrial_brick_0.jpg (3631 KB) memorial_garden_section_0.jpg (5220 KB) | Personalizing the relationship with our First Responders has brought a heightened appreciation and appreciation their service. Our (East) Cobb County is a relatively small community geographically, and it is not unusual to encounter a local police officer directing traffic at a community event or see a local firefighter at a fast-food restaurant. For those of us who participated in this event, these men and women are no longer just people who work at the Fire Station or the Police Precinct... they are our neighbors. As an extension of this meaningful program, we will have an ‘unveiling’ ceremony at which the MEMORIAL BRICK commemorating the lives of First Responders—it reads: “In Memory of Those Who Sacrificed Their Lives in the Line of Duty”—will be dedicated. More than ‘successful,’ the program is destined to become a regular event on our Men’s Club calendar. | While we didn’t find a Jewish Policeman or Fireman among the lot, we certainly exerted a positive presence to our local First Responders, establishing a better understanding of who we are and who they are protecting. | Original Program | Yes | Gold | |||||
| 7 | 2023-01-24 22:00 | JMarkowitz | 47.187.209.103 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | Beth Torah Men's Club - Richardson, TX (1713) | Totally 80's Murder Mystery Event | Dr. Jeff Shore | Jeff | Markowitz | jeff.markowitz@verizon.net | Bill | Miller | wsm96@me.com | Jeff | Markowitz | jeff.markowitz@verizon.net | Fundraising | This very interactive program was designed to encourage both Congregation and Community involvement with raising funds and providing several hundred pounds of non-perishable foods & personal hygiene products to support our partnership with the Jewish Family Services of Greater Dallas. The program consisted of a Two-Hour Interactive Murder Mystery Program | Fully Catered Dinner | Costume Contests | Door Prizes | Drinks | and Silent Auction. | It’s totally like the 80’s and all the big names are here for a really big concert! Tensions run rampant as backstage secrets spill out into the spotlight with like, totally tragic results! This isn’t an episode of Miami Vice! This is like… MURDER! It’s up to you to help catch whoever did this bogus crime. As with any program it all begins with communication and generating excitement. Our Men’s Club worked on this program for almost a year. There was pent up demand for a different event, and our sponsors were ready to participate in a community activity to fund a worthwhile cause. The secret is to engage your sponsor partners early in the marketing process so they can gather the approvals and resources to participate. Within 4 months most of our costs for the entire event were covered! Communications: It just seems there is never enough time to communicate your event. Unfortunately, that is normally the case. Why, because we wait until the very last minute, when in reality it should be the first item on the project plan. We are very blessed with fantastic community partners and when possible, we seed future event ideas well in advance of the first communication. This practice generates a substantial runway for both our partners and funding recipients to plan their resources and to generate their own advertising to their communities. For this event we advertised in the Texas Jewish Post, the Congregation Beth Torah Weekly and Monthly publications, the Congregation Beth Torah’s Men’s Club Weekly Newsletter. Our partners leveraged their business websites and Facebook pages and our funding recipient, Jewish Family Services created their own advertising campaign. The Worthwhile Cause: Jewish Family Services and the Congregation Beth Torah’s Mens Club has enjoyed a terrific relationship for almost 10 years. Starting with our Dallas Kosher Barbeque Championship and now through our yearly fund-raising event. Our ability to excite the surrounding community to donate hundreds of pounds of dry goods and provide financial support to Jewish Family Services is extremely satisfying at both the Club level and the individual satisfaction it brings to each of our Club members. Catering: Our partnership theme continues with The Market. Specializing in Kosher breakfast and lunch fare, the Market Local Comfort Cafe turns out bakery-quality breads, bagels, desserts and more, plus sides, dips, and salad and single-serve meals. The restaurant is meatless, serving only fish and vegetarian dishes with several vegan options daily. The Market catered an on-site dinner menu of Salmon, Grilled Vegetables and Potatoes, Steamed Rice, Veggies and Dip, Ice Cream and Assorted Toppings. Our beverage partner, one of our major event sponsors, and recently one of our Men’s Club Breakfast speakers was BuzzBallz. BuzzBallz is a certified Women Owned® and family-operated Texas distillery, winery and brewery founded in 2009. They provided their ready to drink cocktails through out the evening. Interactive Programs - Murder Mystery Program, Costume Contests | Door Prizes | and Silent Auction Event engagement is one of the many keys to success. The 80’s theme screamed costumes and we were not disappointed! From Back to the Future to ET and everything in between. The program attracted a large diverse age demographic and at final count we had 160 attendees. Door prizes and silent auction items were donated by 70 companies and the financial results were significant with a portion donated to Jewish Family Services. Actively Engaged Committee: A successful event is spearheaded by a fully committed and engaged committee. We were blessed top down from our Event Chairman to our multiple committees’ chairs and huge crew of volunteers. It’s important the committee believes in the purpose and planned outcomes of the event. Maintaining consistent communication throughout the project plan and providing event progress transparency with the entire committee and your vendor partners is extremely important. Workable Timeline: June / July • Confirmed quote / costs of hiring murder mystery performance group. o Booked event thru murder mystery company. o Chose theme of event / show options • Confirmed with Jewish Family Services that we could work with them as our beneficiary for the event o Worked out agreement, in principle, to what we would be doing for them and how they would be a participant in the event • Created basic sponsorship packet in order to solicit financial support for the event o Sent out packet to previous supporters of our club’s events as well as many new contacts o Started to receive positive, and negative, responses to the sponsorship requests Followed up continually on unanswered requests through October, with each round of follow up netting multiple replies either way August / September • Created basic budgeting tool to account for costs and sponsorship monies coming in and expenses for event. • Began to craft menu options with caterer, confirming costs and outline for execution of the menu plans. • Began to develop plans for decorations, favors, advertising, etc. and purchasing of items to support event. • Began solicitation of items for silent auction / door prizes from businesses and individuals o Created a spreadsheet to track items donated for silent auction. o Separated items based on value to create raffle prize subset of donations to be used during event as door prizes. o Created raffle tickets for door prizes. o Created bid sheets for silent auction. October / November / December • Ongoing solicitation of items for silent auction / door prizes • Purchasing of serving pieces needed for dinner (plates, napkins, etc.) • Working with committee members, starting to assign tasks such as picking up items, printing materials, scheduling kitchen and set up assistance, etc. January • Confirmation of show with actors • Confirmation of menu execution with caterer • Confirmation of decorations layout, room layout • Purchasing of needed food / serving pieces / etc. as outlined by needs list. • Day of event o Set up of room. o Decoration of room o Set up of silent auction. o Execution of event | murder_mystery_program_2023.docx (573 KB) delorean_signage.pdf (191 KB) | murder_mystery_torch_award_program_schedule_2023.xlsx (36 KB) | tjp_ad_-_murder_mystery_2023_v2_0.pdf (199 KB) murder_mystery_flyer_2023.pdf (3118 KB) | _dsc3058.jpg (214 KB) _dsc3066.jpg (294 KB) _dsc3068.jpg (400 KB) _dsc3072.jpg (374 KB) _dsc3075.jpg (317 KB) _dsc3083.jpg (253 KB) _dsc3090.jpg (207 KB) _dsc3093.jpg (154 KB) _dsc3098.jpg (347 KB) _dsc3111.jpg (261 KB) pxl_20230122_002940182.jpg (1127 KB) pxl_20230122_040621303.jpg (1718 KB) | This very interactive program was designed to encourage both Congregation and Community involvement with raising funds and providing several hundred pounds of non-perishable foods & personal hygiene products to support our partnership with the Jewish Family Services of Greater Dallas. The event generate additional funding that we donated directly to the Jewish Family Services Food Pantry operations. The event also sheds light on the continual daily struggle and difficulties on Dallas area families and how our club's partnership with many organizations made a huge difference. Approximately 60% of our Men's Club participated with supporting this event. | The Power of Listening and Consoling is a Sight to Behold. The Power of Giving is Priceless! This event is just one example of how Congregation Beth Torah’s Men Club is impacting our community but more importantly how our Club and the individual men continue to grow from a combination of all these experiences. The measure of our Club’s success is making sure these desperate families have enough food for the week. The measure of our Club’s success is providing Grow Boxes to families so they can grow their own vegetables. The measure of our Club’s success is building ramps for those with limited mobility to emerge from the confines of their homes. The measure of our Club’s success is seeing smiling faces of our Learning Center children after cooking them a pancake breakfast. The measure of our Club’s success is speaking the names of Holocaust victims that have not been heard in over 75 years. Yes, Congregation Beth Torah’s Men’s Club proudly embodies Leadership, Innovation and Community. | Original Program | Yes | Gold | |||
| 6 | 2023-01-13 10:48 | Canadiensa04 | 184.88.108.244 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | Ohev Shalom Men's Club - Maitland, FL (1316) | Help Ukraine | Dr. Jeff Shore | Elliott | Davis | elliottdavis613@gmail.com | Elliott | Davis | elliottdavis613@gmail.com | Elliott | Davis | elliottdavis613@gmail.com | Fundraising | COS Men's Club raises money from fundraisers to support the synagogue and offer scholarships to the youth of the COS Hebrew School. The attack by Russia on Ukraine and the thousands of Ukrainian families forced to leave their homes and flee to Poland gave the Men's Club a immediate reason to raise funds. A "Help for Ukraine" event was planned for Sunday, May 22, 2022 and over $11,500 was raised and sent to the JCC of Krakow. | The Men’s Club of Congregation Ohev Shalom hosted an afternoon event on Sunday, May 22, 2022 to raise much needed funds for Ukrainian refugees who have been forced to leave their homes and flee their country amid the ongoing war with Russia. 120 people filled the social hall for this important event, paying $36-$72 per ticket to attend. Mark Stone, a long-standing member of the congregation and a mentalist extraordinaire, donated his time to present his comedy and ESP show “MENTALMANIA”. Mark astounded the audience with his uncanny ability to read minds, make predictions and “see” with his fingertips while blindfolded. He engaged with the audience and performed his classic 53 card trick, telephone book listing determination and combining multiple numbers in columns and rows to add up to a predetermined number. The committee presented 3 videos highlighting interviews with JCC of Krakow Executive Director Jonathan Ornstein on CNN, Congregation of Reform Judaism Rabbi Steven Engel on WESH-2, a local TV station, and a young girl named Claire singing Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love”, which brought tears to many in attendance. Rabbi Murray Ezring, COS Interim Rabbi, spoke about the injustice going on in the Ukraine in his opening remarks. One hundred percent of the proceeds from ticket sales and donations were sent to the JCC of Krakow. The Men’s Club agreed to cover all the expenses. The generosity of those who made donations was heartwarming. But I believe that one donation made stood out above the rest. The COS afternoon school donated $302 from their Tzedakah Fund, mostly in one-dollar bills. In all, the event raised over $11,500. Everyone left the event with feelings of sadness for the Ukrainian families and were pleased that the Men's Club organized the event to raise both awareness and much needed funds. | benefit_for_ukraine_video.docx (14 KB) | help_for_ukraine_flyer.docx (689 KB) | panoramic_view.jpg (56 KB) es_elliott.jpg (63 KB) engel_ornstein.jpg (131 KB) | COS Men's Club traditionally holds 2 major fundraisers each year, raising thousands of dollars for the synagogue and for scholarships for youth to go to Camp Ramah and Israel. This fundraiser brought the synagogue congregants and the community together to show support for the Ukrainian refugees fleeing their homes. The entire Men's Club membership made telephone calls to inform the public of the event. The event was a total success, with over $11,500 sent to the JCC of Krakow, where over 400 refugees were being taken care of. During the video presentation before Mark Stone's mentalist show, there were many tears shed and approximately $3,000 of additional donations were received. Our club has 125 members and the synagogue has 550 family units. The Men's Club totally supported this important event. | After considering several options of where to send the funds raised at the Help for Ukraine event, the Men's Club decided to reach out to the JCC of Krakow. We spoke to Jonathan Orenstein, CEO of the JCC of Krakow, and he shared with us that his team was doing their best to provide Jewish services and traditions to the refugees. This was a key to having our Jewish men helping a Jewish organization thousands of miles away to make it a little easier for the Ukrainian families..The men took leadership roles in planning the event with short notice and reached out to the community for support, both financially and with compassion. | Planning an event that will benefit an outside organization is often not scheduled in the yearly programming of the Men's Club. When a urgent need to act required 100% participation and support of the club membership, the Men's Club leaders made telephone calls, sent emails and texts and personally reached out to the clubmembership and the synagogue membership to get support. That is the mission of our club. "Total commitment and dedication in what we do". | Original Program | Yes | Silver | |||
| 5 | 2023-01-08 11:38 | mjc-mensclub | 74.90.91.17 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | Congregation Shir Shalom Men`s Club - New City, NY (1890) | Yom HaShoah Blue Candle | Dr. Jeff Shore | Bruce | Yore | mensclub@shirshalomrockland.org | Bruce | Yore | mensclub@shirshalomrockland.org | Mitch | Spiegel | mensclub@shirshalomrockland.org | Yom HaShoah Yellow Candle | Distribution of Blue candles (in addition to Yellow candles) to commemorate Yom HaAtzmaut and Yom Hashoah since they are only about 1 week apart. Increase awareness on the founding of The State of Israel and Holocausts. The program will consist of 2 candles (Blue and Yellow) instead of 1 (Yellow) but uses the current Yom Hashoah delivery methods. | The program will consist of 2 candles (Blue and Yellow) instead of 1 (Yellow) but uses the current Yom Hashoah delivery methods. Changes to current Program are 1) Create Letter to congregants about the 2 candles 2) Purchasing Blue 1oz candles and Votives 3) Organize congregation address in the delivery routes 4) Assign routes to volunteer for delivery 5) Packing these Blue candles with the Yellow Candles 6) Hand Delivery to each Local congregant based on assigned route 7) Mailing to this congregants that are Not Local | yom_hashoah_candle_letter_2023-draft.docx (20 KB) community-wide_commemoration-2022.pdf (555 KB) meditations_2022.docx (19 KB) | yh_timeline.docx (12 KB) | yom_hashoah_candle_letter_2023-draft.docx (20 KB) community-wide_commemoration-2022.pdf (555 KB) meditations_2022.docx (19 KB) | The visibility to the Men's Club was increased and response to the fundraising was larger than expected. This also increased the awareness of both Yom HaAtzmaut and Yom Hashoah. | The visibility to the Men's Club was increased and response to the fundraising was larger than expected. This also increased the awareness of both Yom HaAtzmaut and Yom Hashoah. | Original Program | Yes | Honorable Mention | ||||
| 4 | 2022-11-01 15:43 | jonzimmer | 47.196.188.200 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | Kol Ami Brotherhood - Tampa, FL (1357) | Firearm Safety Day | Dr. Jeff Shore | Jonathan | Zimmer | broherhood.kolami@gmail.com | Jonathan | Zimmer | jonzimmer3@gmail.com | Jonathan | Zimmer | jonzimmer3@gmail.com | FJMC - other | For the 5th year, the Brotherhood of Kol Ami has put together a Firearm Safety Day, open to men, women, and teenagers (w/ parental permission). Open to all synagogue members and certain teenagers (w/ parental permission), a certified instructor/staff members gives us instruction on proper firearm safety and the rules of the range, and helps first timers during range time. | The overall goal of the program was twofold: Give our several members that own and/or are familiar with firearms practice time on the range to improve their skills, and to instruct first timers on proper firearm safety and how to handle a gun. The event is not political and we take no stance on any gun laws. It's designed to not only practice and learn proper safety and skills, but to bond and grow with our fellow shul members. | 22_firearm_safety_day_v4_1.png (273 KB) | img_2564.jpg (115 KB) img_2565.jpg (105 KB) img_2567.jpg (98 KB) img_2572.jpg (102 KB) img_2569.jpg (103 KB) | The program has been running five years straight. It's a signature event and looked forward to every year. People have asked for offshoot/similar events, such as skeet shooting. We have had several first timers throughout the years that have never picked up a gun, including women and teenage children whose parents brought them. This year, we had 18 people participate, including two children and their mother, both first time shooters. We have received several compliments that they appreciate the value in people being properly trained in use of a firearm in today's unfortunate age of rising incidents of anti-Semitism. | This program is innovative due to its uniqueness. Kol Ami is not the only shul to have this type of program, but it is not common. Most of the participants who attend own a gun, and it's good bonding and "shop talk" to get information on types of guns and the industry in general. We have had as many as 38 people attend in the past.(pre-Covid). It absolutely is a community building event. We also have a strict rule of no political talk on gun laws, gun violence incidents, etc, as this event is for learning safety, skills, practce, and bonding with our fellow Jews, not being divisive. | While the topic of guns may be controversial to some, this event is about learning safety and practicing in a proper, regulated gun range. I am proud of this event and the fact it is commonly spoken highly of in our shul. | Original Program | Yes | Silver | ||||
| 3 | 2022-10-13 08:33 | sarbital | 69.119.105.62 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | Temple Beth Ahm Men's Club - Aberdeen, NJ (923) | Virtual Jewish Experience Around the World | Dr. Jeff Shore | Seth | Arbital | smarbital@gmail.com | Seth | Arbital | smarbital@gmail.com | Seth | Arbital | smarbital@gmail.com | Educational Programming | We hire tour guides who present virtual tours of Jewish history and Jewish communities/sites from different countries around the world. This started during the Covid-19 lockdown and has continued. We cosponsor these events with our Sisterhood. These virtual tours use licensed tour guides via Zoom meetings. | Due to Covid-19 restrictions, travel was restricted. Tour guides started offering virtual tours. Our club started investigating these tours and what the tour guides offer that would be well received by our temple community. The obvious first choice location was Israel. We reached out to our Sisterhood for cosponsorship, and they enthusiastically said yes. Our first virtual program was a 2 part tour of Israel (using two separate guides)- first of the Old City of Jerusalem, and second of the Northern Region. This was so well received, that we decided to continue this program to present the Jewish experience in other parts of the world. Our World tours have now included, Paris, Ukraine, Egypt, and Morocco. They include Jewish history, Jewish Life and Jewish Sites. We are working to continue this program to other regions of the world. Our decisions of which regions to choose are based on congregational feedback/requests. We do present these as free to our temple community, but for the last two tours, we have asked for $18 donations to offset some of the costs. | virtual_tour_program_task_list_with_notes.xlsx (19 KB) tour_attendee_tracking_sheet.xlsx (12 KB) | ukraine_tour.jpg (287 KB) virtual_paris_tour.jpg (330 KB) virtual_israel_tour.jpg (456 KB) egypt_tour.jpg (378 KB) morocco_tour.jpg (407 KB) | The feedback has been tremendous. Attendance has averaged 50-75 attendees for any given tour. We are being asked by our congregants for additional tours. And while we do not push for the donations, the mention of it on our flyers have resulted in donations totals between $150-250 for each of the last 2 tours we did. These tours inspire conversations between members and help bring the temple community together, while learning about Judaism, Jewish life around the world, and Jewish historical influence. | This program allows our temple community to understand Jewish life around the world without the travel expense and/or time that many cannot afford. These tours bring a sense of community, where attendees can share the tour experience in addition to adding their own experiences from their travels. The result is a closer community, knowledge, and a sense of Jewish pride. | Original Program | Yes | Bronze | |||||
| 2 | 2022-10-03 21:57 | Hairman | 69.206.222.40 | 2023 | I have read the 2023 Torch Awards Program Guidelines. | Temple Sinai Men's Club - Middletown, NY (1858) | test program | Dr. Jeff Shore | Torch | tester | hairman@hairman.net | someome | Else | someoneelse@email.com | other | erson | otherperson@email.com | Community Outreach | this is a program to do stuff for an award | we planned stuf and did stuff | we did stuff and people lked it | we got Jewish men doing Jewish things | we did more stuff | Original Program | Yes | Gold |
