The Disappearing Conservative Jews Blues

July 27, 2011
Check out this story on West Hempstead's/Franklin Square's declining population of Conservative Jews, and the impact of changing demographics on our Jewish Community Center of West Hempstead.

Can the trend be reversed? What will be the role of the JCC in this new era? Can we change the dynamics and develop innovative strategies to adapt, survive and thrive?

What the article below fails to mention is that, notwithstanding decreasing numbers among our ranks, the JCC of West Hempstead continues to provide the community with innovative, entertaining and educational programs and activities.

From Chavurah groups to Mini University, Sisterhood dinners to Men's Club bagel breakfasts, trips to centers of Jewish culture to Mitzvah Moments close to home, the heimishkeit abounds at our JCC.

We may not be "growing" in numbers -- although we continue to reach out to new friends and potential neighbors. There can be no doubt, however, that, as a congregation committed to Judaism, to Yiddishkeit, to community, we continue to grow in leaps and bounds.

Conservative Judaism is alive and well on Long Island, and in this neck of our Jewish woods, the JCC of West Hempstead is taking the lead with renewed energy and enthusiasm!

From The Jewish Week:

W. Hempstead Boundary Blues

Lone non-Orthodox congregation, on Franklin Square border, fighting demographics and real estate trend.

 

On Funding Peoplehood, Finding Peoplehood, and the Chosen People of the Hood

July 20, 2011
Let My People Be!

By Seth D. Bykofsky


If there's one thing that unites the Jewish people, it's a good argument! From, "It was a horse. It was a mule," to creation of a Palestinian State, Jews love -- indeed, we thrive upon -- disagreement. Why, even the question, "Who makes the best matzo balls in the family?" spurs arduous debate.

So, it comes as no great surprise that the very call to unite a people under one hood has created quite a stir.

Peoplehood. Or so it has been labeled. As cause to fund...
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Of Kosher Pizza, Parve Ice Cream and Walks on the Beach...

July 19, 2011

As Jews, we often hear the expression, “shver tzu zein a Yid.” Loosely, it’s tough to be a Jew. But what other people, with the exception, perhaps, of the Chinese, have the good fortune to celebrate the new year, not once, but twice.

 

Double the pleasure. Double the fun. [Where are those Doublemint twins?] A time for reflection, resolution, course correction and a fresh sta...


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United Synagogue Takes Us Out of the 1950s

June 21, 2011

For the better part of the second half of the last century, synagogue life in America -- and in suburbia, in particular -- was synonymous with community.

Not only faith-based activities -- the shul being the place to commune with the Almighty -- but social and political life as well, tended to center in and around the shul, most notably, our Jewish Community Centers, or JCCs.

And so it was, and so it remained, through the decades. The fifties morphed into the tumultuous sixties. The sixties too...
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The End Of Days [And Nights, Too!]

June 21, 2011

 
The world didn’t come to and end in May, as predicted. Thank God! That would have put a definite damper on donations.

 

Of course, there’s no end to the end of the world prophesies. . .

 

The Mayan calendar, in the ultimate homage to Montezuma's Revenge, passes into eternity in 2012.  December 21, 2012, to be exact. The winter solstice.  It is then, according to 2012 theori...


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Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow!

June 16, 2011

Although the Information Age began decades ago (thank you, Al Gore, for inventing the Internet), our congregation somehow managed, gallant efforts notwithstanding, to circumvent cyberspace. Until now!

 

The JCC of West Hempstead is coming of age, committed to taking us wel...


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WWAD?

June 15, 2011

Your editor was most impressed with the Rabbi’s sermon on Day 2 of Rosh Hashana. The theme (the Rabbi’s words, not mine):  What Would Abraham Do?

 

Mind  you, it is with certain consternation, and a tad more than a hint of reservation, that I would make that literal sojourn — let alone acronymization — to WWAD. After all, historically, cannot the rift between Jews and Musl...


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New Square. Old Lessons.

June 9, 2011
By Seth D. Bykofsky

Not all that long ago, at the start of the most recent session of Congress, members of the House of Representatives, at the directive of the leadership, read
The Constitution of the United States on the House floor. Granted, they missed a few pertinent paragraphs, and skipped over an Amendment or three, but hey, rewriting history seems to be all the rage these days!

As the rights and privileges of We The People were being pored over, some of us scratched our heads and, in th...
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The View from The Editor's Desktop


Seth D. Bykofsky Editor-in-Chief of The Bulletin, Webmaster, Tweetmeister, Grant Writer, strategic planner, and occasional provocateur (in a good way ;-) at The Jewish Community Center of West Hempstead, brings you highlights from the pages of Bulletins past, viewpoints and opinions on current issues, and the occasional Op-Ed from beyond the pale, all for your consideration, edification and enjoyment. The views expressed in this column are solely those of this writer and the contributors to this blog. You are welcome to share them, and encouraged to express your own in these pages. Chime in anytime at JCCeditor@aol.com.

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