Liza Wiemer’s monthly recommendation: Purim for young children | Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle

Liza Wiemer’s monthly recommendation: Purim for young children 

Posted on: March 14th, 2024 | 4 Adar II 5784 by Special to the Chronicle

“What Do You See? On Purim,” by Bracha Goetz, published by Judaica Press 

This is the perfect introduction to Purim for infants to toddlers. This board book highlights everything that is needed to celebrate Purim. Photographs of children in costumes, ingredients to bake hamantashen, different megillahs to read, graggers to count, items for mishloach manot, money to put in a tzedakah box, and a yummy holiday meal to enjoy fill the pages. Highly recommend for home and school. 

“Happy Purim, Grover!” by Joni Kibort Sussman, illustrated by Tom Leigh, published by Kar-Ben Publishing 

Written by Joni Sussman, the 2023 Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award winner and the former editor at Kar-Ben Publishing, fans of Sesame Street will delight in this Purim celebration. This book provides a cuddly overview of the holiday that will delight young children. 

Educator and author Liza Wiemer, of Fox Point, has taught in nine of our Milwaukee-area Jewish religious schools and day schools. Her latest novel, “The Assignment,” is appropriate for ages 12 and up. 

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My Uncle Jake: The Jewish Fruit Peddler  

Posted on: March 14th, 2024 | 4 Adar II 5784 by Special to the Chronicle

My grandma Bessie Wolkenstein had three brothers: Max, Charlie, and Jake Katz. Max was married and he and Ida had a house on the north side of Milwaukee. Charlie and his wife Ruth lived on the west side, but I didn’t know where Jake lived. Max owned a heating and sheet metal shop, Charlie worked for Standard Electric, and then there was my Uncle Jake. 

I remember that he once walked around our neighborhood pushing a large grinding stone that he used to sharpen knives and scissors. “I sharpen knives and scissors,” he called out. One time I remember he rode around the neighborhood with a horse and wagon buying junk, rags and newspapers: “Rags, rags, Jake buys rags.” But I remember best when he brought his horse and wagon that he sold fruit from: “Watermelon and fruit, watermelons for sale.”  

Oh it was a gay sight to see, and sometimes he would invite me up on his bench seat to travel around the neighborhoods with him. 

Uncle Jake was a sort of strange looking man. He wore dusty and ill-fitting clothes and had yellow stained fingers from chronic smoking. It seemed he had a cloud of cigarette smoke around his head all the time. When he walked, he had a terrible limp. He was a kind man who worked hard to support himself. But he had this annoying habit of pinching my cheek every time we met. Let me give you a “knip” he would say as he reached for my cheek.  

“Uncle Jake, you are hurting me,” I said. 

“No, I am not. I am just giving you a little knip,” he said. 

I couldn’t get him to stop doing this! My mom told me it was his way of showing me he liked me. “Nisht geferlach,” she would say. 

And so, I spent much of that warm summer of my eighth year riding on the fruit wagon with Uncle Jake. We must have been a sight; a wizened old man and a skinny little kid together, being together, talking together, peddling fruit.  

Sometimes, Uncle Jake would pull a battered-but-clean plate from under the bench seat. He piled on deep red cherries, green grapes, a few plump peaches, and even some cookies. When I bit into a peach, some juice dripped onto my chin. He would laugh and wipe my face with a clean hankie that he would pull from his pants pocket.  

“You are a very good boy,” he would say. 

 “Thanks Uncle Jake, you are such a nice uncle.” 

 (I sort of knew then that he was not my real uncle, but uncle was just the right name for him). 

I can still remember that he once turned away from me, and I saw a few tears in his eyes that he quickly brushed aside. We peddled on. 

It went like this: 

“Uncle Jake, where do you live?” No answer. 

“Uncle Jake, where do you live?” No answer. 

“Uncle Jake, where is your family?” “Don’t be a schlemiel.” 

“What does that mean?” No answer. 

“Uncle Jake, what is your horse’s name?” “Horse.” 

“No, what is his name?” 

“Horse.” 

“I know he is a horse but what is his name?”  

“He is not a pet. He works for me, and I take care of him.” 

 “Where does he live?” No answer. 

Jake answered: “Where does he live? In a stable, kinder.” 

I asked: “Where is your family?” 

“Oy vey is meir.” 

“What does that mean?” No answer. 

“Uncle Jake why do you limp?” 

“Nisht geferlach” 

“Uncle Jake, why is the horse going so slow?” “Because he is old and tired and hot, just like me.” 

And with that, he slowly pulled back on the reins and said softly, “Enough already with the questions.” 

He once asked me to get the big metal can of water from the back of the wagon and fill the old tin bucket with the water and give it to the horse. I told him I was afraid of the horse. “Come kinder,” he said, and he slowly climbed down from the bench, and we walked to the back of the wagon. He filled the bucket with water and slowly walked with me to the horse. He ran his hand along the side of the horse and then slowly lifted the bucket to the horse, who drank deeply from it.  

I asked, “Why do you touch him like that?” 

“So he knows we are coming alongside and isn’t afraid that he is alone. Nobody wants to be alone.”  

When it was empty, Uncle Jake told me that we would rest for a few minutes under the shade of a large elm tree and let the horse rest. “Sometimes, he gets too hot and has to rest. He is old like me.”  

“Uncle Jake, what happens if he gets too old to pull the fruit wagon?” 

“Well, I take him to a rest farm up north where he lives out his days resting in the fields, sleeping and eating grass, hay and oats.” 

“What if you get too old to work? 

“I retire and rest until Hashem calls me,” Uncle Jake said. 

“Who is Hashem?” I asked. 

“Boychik, don’t you go to cheder?”  

“No, I am too young.” 

 “So, when you go, be a good boy.” He smiled and whispered to himself, “vey is meir.” 

Once, when Uncle Jake took me home, he climbed down after me and then reached into his pocket and pulled out a bunch of coins. “Bubbeleh, take, you are a big help to your Uncle Jake,” he said.  

“No, that is not nice to take your money.”  

He smiled and then offered for me to take some fruit. So I took some cherries and green grapes. He put them in a small bag and gave it to me. He tried to pinch my cheek but by now I was too fast for him. I didn’t know how I was helping him.  

“Well, when I ask you to get me a bag for a customer or give the horse water (I wasn’t afraid anymore) and when you make change for a customer, that is helping me.” 

“It is?” 

“Sure.” 

I had noticed that when he had to make change for a customer, he would pull a bunch of coins from his pocket and let the customer take the correct change. “Uncle Jake, when I am not helping you, how do you know the customers are taking the right amount of change?”  

He looked at me and said that most people are honest. If someone cheats him, he won’t ever sell to them again.  

“But how do you know?” 

“I know boychik, I know.”  

I guess he knew but I didn’t know how he knew, and I still don’t. I had already begun to understand that there are so many questions that have no answers, regardless of how old we are. So when I proudly gave the bag to my mother, she emptied out the fruit and then pulled out a quarter. “I guess Uncle Jake appreciates your help.” 

My dad told me that Uncle Jake is sometimes a lonely man and if I am his friend, then I must be his true friend. “You must not hurt Uncle Jake’s feelings.” I told him I understood. And so I committed myself to a true friendship with my Uncle Jake. My dad was right. It felt good to have a true friendship with Uncle Jake. 

I remember one night I heard my parents talking in the kitchen about me. My dad said that of all the people I had developed a relationship with, he was surprised it was Jake. He added that he knew I was enamored with the book “Black Beauty” and guessed I had identified the horse in the book with Jake’s horse. 

When I would get home my mom would sometimes say that I smelled like a horse, sweat, Uncle Jake’s cigarette smoke, and watermelons. She would insist I take a bath. I guess it was a small price to pay for peddling fruit with my uncle Jake. 

One day my friend Karl from across the street made fun of my uncle Jake. “He is just an old and stupid bum and can’t even read or count,” he said. 

“No, he is not – he is my uncle Jake” and with that, I socked him so hard in the arm that we both fell over. He hit me back. “Okay, okay,” he said, “let’s have a truce,” and we went back to playing with his tinker toys. He just wasn’t a true friend. 

But when it got very cold, Uncle Jake stopped coming to our neighborhood. I looked forward to the next spring and the chance to be with him again. But the next spring he didn’t return. I waited by our front porch many mornings for him and the horse, but he never came back. 

Finally, I asked my mother why uncle Jake didn’t come back. She smiled with a sort of sad face. “Sonny, Uncle Jake died in the winter and he isn’t coming back. Well, are you sure he didn’t just retire? Yes, I am sure, and we didn’t tell you because you wanted him to come back so badly.” This made no sense to me, but she didn’t say much more. 

“What happened to horse?” 

“I don’t know.” 

“Can we find out?” 

“No”. 

I told her that I hoped the horse was taken to the rest farm up north to live out his days.  

“Who told you about a rest farm?” 

“Uncle Jake did.” She looked at me. 

“Kluger mensch,” she whispered. 

About five years later 

When I approached my bar mitzvah, my dad told me that some people would ask what I wanted to be when I “grew up.” I told him I wanted to be a Jewish fruit peddler like my Uncle Jake.  

“Well, that is a good job, but mom and I hope you will consider college. Besides, by the time you get to be eighteen and can get a peddler’s license, horses will be replaced by trucks, and as you know, Max Kohl has opened his supermarket on 46th and Burleigh Street and that will certainly be the future of food stores, so peddling will not be needed. We don’t think there will be much future as a fruit peddler, Jewish or not.” 

I sighed. 

Musings 

As you can imagine, the sights, sounds, and even the smells of Horse and the boxes of fruit in the wagon slowly faded away from my memory, only to be brought back to my conscious awareness in psychotherapy years later. 

 I mentioned “my Uncle Jake,” and the wise therapist looked over her half glasses and repeated “My Uncle Jake?” (It was suddenly a chance to go back and think about, reflect on and maybe learn something about myself that would help me better understand the struggles of clients who came to see me for therapy). 

“Yes. My Uncle Jake.” I told her that eventually he would call out: “Get your fruits and watermelon from Uncle Jake.” The therapist smiled. 

We talked about how Uncle Jake’s story of the rest farm for Horse and my parents not telling me that he had passed away were probably attempts to shield me from the realities of life that I was not ready or capable of understanding or dealing with. I wondered if they were right in doing so. “Does it really matter now?” she asked, “Sure.” I sat back and thought deeply about their attempts to shield me from too much sorrow when they believed I was not capable of coping with such challenges; but how would they have really known when I was capable? Kathy and I also struggled with these same issues for our sons as we suspect all parents continue to do. 

My dad’s talk with me about the responsibilities of true friendship helped guide me through life’s offerings of friendships. I have tried to remain true to those responsibilities. 

Uncle Jake helped my dad instill in me the values and dignity of work, regardless of the type of work. I learned that peddling fruit was for Uncle Jake a responsible and worthy job, that all work is meaningful.  

I have to smile now as I remember my folks wishing and hoping I would give up the idea of being a peddler, but not give up the awareness of the value of all work. I can sense now the challenges they faced. 

Wait, I think I smell the fruits and especially the watermelons again. 

* * *

Alan S. Wolkenstein provided this guide to the words in his article:

Uncle Jake’s knip: A quick pinch of a cheek as a sign of affection.

Schlemiel: A stupid or awkward person.

Kinder: Affectionate term for a young person.

HaShem: A way of referring to God in contexts other than prayer or scriptural reading.

Boychik: Term of endearment for a young boy or a young man.

Oy vey is meir/ vey is meir: Woe is me.

Nisht geferlach: No big deal.

Bubbeleh: Any person that is considered darling and close to one’s heart.

Cheder: A school for Jewish children in which Hebrew and religious knowledge are taught.\

Kluger mensch: Very, very smart person.

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First grade teacher Tova came home 

Posted on: March 14th, 2024 | 4 Adar II 5784 by Special to the Chronicle

Meet Tova (Noll) Tornek, a first-grade Judaic Studies teacher at Bader Hillel Academy and a Hebrew school teacher for 4- and 5-year-olds at Milwaukee Community Hebrew School. Tornek grew up in Glendale, traveled for a few years and recently returned  to the Milwaukee area in June 2023. 

Teaching has always been Tornek’s passion, she said. She started helping in classrooms as soon as she could and began teaching as a teen. Tornek attended Bader Hillel Academy, Torah Academy of Milwaukee and Bader Hillel High. After high school, Tornek spent time in Israel, Illinois and New York, where she met her husband. Once the couple came back to Milwaukee, they fell in love with the area and decided to settle down.  

While Tornek spent most of her career teaching adults and high school students, she said she loves teaching the younger students in her current roles. “They just want to learn and know everything,” she said. “Beyond the subjects I teach, most importantly, I love connecting to the kids and building relationships with them.” 

When asked who inspired her to teach, she said she owes her love for teaching to being surrounded by amazing Chabad rabbis and their wives right here in Milwaukee.  

“Even as a young child, they had such a huge impact on me,” she said. “They taught Judaism in a way that was meaningful and relevant, and I remember thinking, if I could make such an impact on someone’s life when I grow up, that would be amazing.” 

She said that she has always loved teaching Judaic subjects to people of all ages. “I love helping people discover their own personal connection to Torah and Judaism – how it speaks to them and is there to make their life more meaningful,” she said. 

Tornek said she loves being back in Milwaukee; she enjoys spending time outdoors, and she really doesn’t mind the winters! In her spare time, she loves to learn, read and spend time with her family. Tornek resides in Bayside with her husband and two young children (ages 1 and 3). Tornek would like people to know that she’s excited to be back home, and she’s cherished the opportunity to see old friends and meet new people.  

* * *

Writer Nicole Boico is the associate director of the Coalition for Jewish Learning of Milwaukee Jewish Federation. This regular feature, from the Coalition for Jewish Learning, is to celebrate local educators. To suggest someone for coverage, contact Boico at NicoleB@MilwaukeeJewish.org.

 

 

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What’s Nu? March 2024

Posted on: March 11th, 2024 | 1 Adar II 5784 by Special to the Chronicle

Passover Food Drive serves local community 

Passover Food Drive serves local community 

MILWAUKEE – Food donations for the Community Passover Food Drive (Ma’ot Chittim) will be collected Monday, March 25 until Wednesday April 10 at several sites throughout the community, including the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, Harry and Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center and local synagogues. 

Products needed, which must have kosher certification for Passover: matzo, matzo ball mix and grape juice. These basic items will then be supplemented with additional traditional Passover items. In 2023, the drive was able to serve 415 individuals and families. 

Monetary contributions will be used to purchase food items. Send donations to: Community Passover Food Drive Project, 6255 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Milwaukee, WI 53217; make checks out to JCC Community Passover Food Drive Project. Donations may also be made online at  give.jccmilwaukee.org/Passover24. 

This year’s Passover food distribution will be April 14. For further details, contact Laura Slatky-Verkuilen at 414-967-7145 or lslatky-verkuilen@jccmilwaukee.org. 

For a complete list of collection sites, go to MilwaukeeJewish.org/PassoverFood. 

The Community Passover Food Drive is a joint effort of: Coalition for Jewish Learning and Jewish Community Relations Council, programs of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation; Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center; Hillel Milwaukee; Jewish Community Pantry; Jewish Family Services; Kosher Meat Club; Ovation Jewish Home; Rabbi Scheinfeld Maos Chitim Fund; Salinsky Program to Feed the Hungry; Tikkun Ha-Ir of Milwaukee; and Wisconsin Council of Rabbis.  

Franklin seeks Nicolet re-election 

Marilyn Kohler Franklin is seeking re-election to the School Board of Nicolet High School.  

The spring general election will take place on April 2. Franklin has served as a member of the School Board since 1988, including as president and clerk. 

Franklin’s community involvement includes serving as president of the North Shore Library Board (Fox Point-Bayside Library), director of the Fox Point Foundation, Fox Point election inspector, and member of the Fox Point Fair Housing Committee. 

On the Nicolet School Board, Franklin has supported the offering of Hebrew in the Nicolet curriculum, expansion of Hebrew opportunities for students, creation of a Leadership for Social Justice class that includes Holocaust study, and the expectation that the school calendar recognizes major Jewish holidays with adherence to days off for Jewish High Holidays, she said.  

Franklin is a member of Congregation Shalom and a long-time teacher in the religious school.  She is a past recipient of the Shalom Pasch Meritorious Service Award and recently was honored as the 2023 Levy Family CJL Jewish Educator of the Year.   

Franklin and her husband David live in Fox Point.  They have two married sons and four grandchildren.   

EL AL Israel Airlines expands routes 

In response to increased demand, EL AL is expanding its operations and flight schedules in the U.S., according to a news release. 

Beginning in April, EL AL will be adding two weekly flights from South Florida, bringing the weekly South Florida schedule to seven, with the new flights from EL AL’s new Fort Lauderdale gateway. Both Miami International and Fort Lauderdale International offer passengers access to many connections, both domestic and international, especially with the new Delta Air Lines codeshare. Delta and EL AL also have a codeshare agreement, meaning the airlines sell seats on each other’s flights. 

Moreover, EL AL will add a new weekly flight on the Boston-Tel Aviv route, which will now operate four times a week on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays throughout the summer schedule. With the Boston Logan Airport serving as a hub for connections in the Americas, EL AL’s collaboration with Delta, JetBlue, and other partner airlines ensures convenient connecting travel options, according to the release. 

Starting in June, EL AL will add two weekly flights from Los Angeles, supplementing its existing daily flight. The company continues to add flights from New York and Newark, increasing capacity for the summer season. 

With plans to operate over 50 direct weekly flights to Israel this summer, EL AL’s expanded route network is made possible by the optimization of its Dreamliner aircrafts’ schedules and changes to the rest of its international routes. These moves align with EL AL’s strategic growth plans. 

“Since October 7, EL AL has strategically adjusted its U.S. flight schedule to uphold an air bridge which is vital for the State of Israel. As we enter the summer season, our commitment to U.S. expansion remains resolute,” said Shlomi Zafarani, VP of EL AL commercial and aviation relations. 

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The Shabbat morning singalong is a hallmark of Milwaukee Jewish Day School

Posted on: March 11th, 2024 | 1 Adar II 5784 by Rob Golub

Shabbat Sing, an enduring hallmark of Milwaukee Jewish Day School, now has a CD album. 

The weekly burst of energy and hamishness has children dancing and singing every Friday morning in a large room filled with parents and grandparents. The songs are led by Mara Kleiman and Wendy Cohen. Kleiman is director of Jewish life and learning, and Cohen is a Judaic music specialist, for Milwaukee Jewish Day School. The Shabbat Sing tradition is 40 years old, now a woven into Milwaukee Jewish Day School identity. In recent years, parents and others have become regulars, invited to the lively Friday morning sing-alongs. 

Kleiman and Cohen have recorded and released the album, “Shabbat Sing: then & now,” with help from students. The pair are quick to point out that other Shabbat Sing leaders came before them, including the first two leaders, Merzy Eisenberg and Sandi Dunn. Other leaders have included Tzipi Altman-Shafer, Susie Rosengarten, Rabbi Philip Nadel, and Marc Revenson (“Lil Rev”).  

L’Dor V’Dor 

The two song leaders talk about how music shapes and passes along Jewish identity, including their own. 

Kleiman is an alumna of Milwaukee Jewish Day School. “Shabbat sing and Jewish music in general from the Milwaukee Jewish Day School undoubtedly influenced my life path and brought me back here to lead it,” she said.  

In fact, Kleiman picked up guitar as an adult, to teach Judaism with it, inspired by Nadel teaching Judaism by way of guitar.  

Cohen is a parent of Milwaukee Jewish Day School alumni. “I started my Judaic music career when I was 18 years old at Camp Interlachen in Eagle River,” she said. 

Asked what motivates her, Cohen refer to the traditional Jewish phrase, L’Dor V’Dor – “from generation to generation.” 

Many of the songs are sung by Jews all over the world, fostering that sense of connection.  

Some of the songs come from the duo’s attendance at the Songleader Boot Camp’s National Conference, in St. Louis. The annual event inspires them, and they bring students. “We get to sometimes hear debuts of songs that become famous a year or two later,” Kleiman said.  

The album 

Seeing how powerful music is for Jewish identify and connection, the pair decided they didn’t want Shabbat Sing to exist in a silo. This said this is why they created the album. The original creators of Shabbat Sing, Eisenberg and Dunn, came to a Jan. 5 album release party. 

The album mostly features Kleiman and Cohen, with some students. It was created with assistance from Milwaukee producer Zach Meyer of The Coalroom. The duo also greatly appreciate assistance from donors Tracy and Michael Askotzky, and an anonymous donor.  

“Before this album, Shabbat Sing was in this room,” Kleiman said, after one Friday morning session. 

Now, it’s out in the world! 

* * *
“Shabbat Sing: then & now” is available on Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music. The CD is available from MJDS.

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2024 guide to Wisconsin Jewish Summer camps

Posted on: March 6th, 2024 | 26 Adar I 5784 by Special to the Chronicle

 

Here is our up-to-date list of Wisconsin Jewish camps! The camps are:

Beber Camp, Mukwonago, WI

Camp Chi, Lake Delton, WI

Camp Moshava, Wild Rose, WI

Camp Ramah, Conover, WI

Camp Shalom and Camp Shalom Noar-Bogrim,Verona, WI

Camp Young Judaea  Midwest, Waupaca, WI

Chabad – Lubavitch of Wisconsin

• Camp Gan Israel, Bayside, WI

• Camp Gan Israel Waukesha, Brookfield, WI

• CKids Gan Israel Wisconsin, Bayside, WI

• Jewish Beginnings Summer Camp, Milwaukee, WI

• Herzl Camp, Webster, WI

Here are select camps with more details:

COA Youth & Family Centers – Camp Helen Brachman, Almond, WIDANCEWORKS SUMMER CREATIVE ARTS CAMPS

1661 N. Water Street, Milwaukee

Director: Teresa Drews,414.277.8480, tdrews@danceworksmke.org

Sessions: June–August 2020

Ages: 2.5–12 years old, CoEd

Our team of professional arts educators have provided high-quality arts programming for over 25 years, and are dedicated to helping students see the world through imagination and creativity. Join us for a fun-filled week of artistry in an environment where imagination thrives and lifelong passions are discovered. Multiple camp discounts available. Use code SCAC24 to save 10% when you register by April 15, 2024!

Habonim-Dror Camp Tavor, Three Rivers, MI

HARRY & ROSE SAMSON FAMILY JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER CAMPS

6255 N. Santa Monica Blvd.
Milwaukee, WI 53217
(414) 964-4444

JCCMilwaukee.org

The Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center has a full range of camping programs for children. Harry & Rose Samson Family JCC is a partner agency of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation.

• Albert & Ann Deshur JCC Rainbow Day Camp

Winter address:
6255 N. Santa Monica Blvd.
Milwaukee, WI 53217
(414) 967-8248

Summer address:
3985 Trails End Rd.
Fredonia, WI 53021
(920) 994-4614

JCCMilwaukee.org/RDC

Executive Director: Lenny Kass, LKass@JCCMilwaukee.org

Director: Shelby Elias, SElias@JCCMilwaukee.org

Located on 110-acres in Fredonia with bus stops throughout the North Shore, JCC Rainbow Day Camp offers a traditional day camp experience for campers entering K5–9th grade. We believe every child should have a summer of play — a place to be a kid, make lasting friendships, explore new skills, be healthy, learn values, discover their Jewish identity and be with counselors full of life and love.

• JCC Recreation Camps

6255 N. Santa Monica Blvd.
Milwaukee, WI 53217
(414) 967-8174

Jccmilwaukee.org

Recreation Director: Jake Klavens, JKlavens@JCCMilwaukee.org

JCC Recreation brings unique day camp experiences to the Karl Campus in Whitefish Bay. Start your day at the J with our Morning Rec Camp for kids entering K5-2nd grade. Finish your summer strong with August Specialty Camps that partner with the best of local youth sports and youth arts organizations, like Danceworks, Play Hard Hoops, Solar Recreation, and Pink Umbrella Theater Company.

• Steve and Shari Sadek Family Camp Interlaken JCC

Winter address:
6255 N. Santa Monica Blvd.
Milwaukee, WI 53217
(414) 967-8240

Summer address:
7050 Old Hwy 70
Eagle River, WI 54521
(715) 479-8030

CampInterlaken.org

Executive Director: Toni Davison Levenberg, TDavison@JCCMilwaukee.org

Located on 106 magnificent acres near Eagle River, in the breathtaking North Woods, the Steve and Shari Sadek Family Camp Interlaken offers a complete residential camping experience for Jewish children grades 3 through 12 from around the world. Our program gives campers the opportunity to develop their own skills, build self esteem and learn Jewish values within. Children learn the life skills important to being a member of a kehillah (community).

MEQUON JEWISH PRESCHOOL SUMMER CAMP

11112 N. Crown Ct.
Mequon, WI 53092
(262) 242-KIDS (5437)
OfficeMJP@gmail.com

MequonJewishPreschool.org

Director: Rivkie Spalter

President: Rachael Marks

Judaic values are the heart of all our summer experiences, and are the thread that connects us to one another and to each experience.

Camp at MJP

Based on the idea that children have a hundred languages, we are prepared for a challenging, explorative and fun summer. We offer children an opportunity to engage in both outdoor and indoor experiences and explorations, while each child finds a place for his or her interests. Our focus is on how we spend our summer days:

Art, Dance, and Music
Summer is the perfect natural landscape for expressive languages.

Organic Gardening
All gardening preparations: soil, seedlings, harvesting and cooking with the food we grow.

Cooking
Children will prepare delicious and nutritious dishes to share and enjoy with their friends.

Sports
Children develop skills and learn sports, such as basketball, hockey, T-ball and more.

Water Activities
Children experience water through an array of creative water toys and games. Mequon Jewish Preschool is an affiliate of Lubavitch of Wisconsin.

Summer Program at Hilde L. Mosse Gan HaYeled Preschool, Madison, WI

URJ OLIN-SANG-RUBY UNION INSTITUTE

Year-Round Address:
600 Lac La Belle Dr.
Oconomowoc, WI 53066
(847) 509-0990 • OSRUI@urj.org

OSRUI.org

Director: Beth Rodin

OSRUI is the Reform movement’s camp in Wisconsin for campers in grades 2-12. We combine creative and innovative Jewish experiences with all the fun of summer camp — swimming, sports, drama, dance, archery, visual arts, horseback riding, campfires, high ropes and low ropes, boating, biking, adventure camping and most importantly, lifelong friendships.

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Jewish Artists’ Exhibition was held at The Shul Center in Bayside

Posted on: March 6th, 2024 | 26 Adar I 5784 by Rob Golub

Jewish artists stood beside their art and chatted with one another and with art fans. It was a Sunday afternoon devoted to art, and some respite from the troubling news facing the Jewish people in recent months. 

The Jewish Artists’ Exhibition was held Feb. 18, 2024, at The Shul Center in Bayside. The theme was “Moshiach: Envisioning an Era.” The event was by The Shul Center and Chabad of the Eastside.  

Traditional Judaism taches that the mashiach will be a righteous leader who will someday usher in a messianic age. That age is to be a time of peaceful co-existence, a better time for the Jewish people.  

At first blush, you might think creating art inspired by the mashiach to be a difficult assignment. It’s an abstract subject, featuring elements unseen. But local artists took on the challenge. Jacqueline Redlich stared at her canvas for a long time and considered the assignment, before starting her work to create “Saphire.” She pursued the idea because of a passage in Exodus, where sapphire brick is said to be beneath God’s feat. This struck her with imagery, which became a bouquet of colorful scrolls.  

“Mashiach can represent so many things. It can represent a little portion of who we are,” she said. “And I just took a little aspect of that. I illustrated it in a more abstract way.” 

Chava Edelman, Shul program director, and Mushka Lein, Chabad of the Eastside Program Director, were coordinators for this second annual art exhibition. Edelman said she didn’t know much about art exhibitions, so she has relied on artists like Redlich for guidance.  

Rabbi Aggie Goldenholz created a piece, Tikvah Hope, a giant keyhole opening to beauty. It is acrylic on canvas. She said she does not identify as a professional artist and has learned a lot from other local artist who were part of this community project. 

Diana Kleban created “Powerful Prayer” and other watercolors. Veranika H. Birbrair painted a woman hunched over, in pain. “In the painting, the woman suffering is unaware of an angel hovering behind her,” Birbrair wrote for her exhibit description. “The angel wans to help, but if he does, he would ruin the test.”  

The event featured more than 20 artists. Food inspired by Passover was served. 

 

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Opinion: This visit to Israel was different 

Posted on: March 6th, 2024 | 26 Adar I 5784 by Special to the Chronicle

Both of us have been to Israel many, many times. Both of us left for the Jewish Homeland thinking that we knew a lot about the current situation and the repercussions of the Hamas War on the people in our partnership region of Sovev Kineret.   

Our four days in the region, from Jan. 15-18, made us realize just how little we understood of the war’s impact on the societal, personal and moral challenges confronting everyone every day with no determinable end. We achieved the purpose of the trip: gathering much-needed information about the complexities of the situation to gain a better understanding of the organizations supporting evacuees and the needs of the community. We learned as well about the multitude of ways that the war is impacting the region and how people are supporting one another in amazing ways.    

Sovev Kineret has a population of about 79,000, and since Oct. 8, they have absorbed about 18,000 evacuees from northern Israel, about a 23 percent increase in the overall population. Evacuees came from cities and rural areas with differing religious traditions, cultures, ideologies and political orientations. They have been relocated to hotels and kibbutzim in Sovev Kineret, which is made up of four municipalities: the city of Tiberias, the village of Kfar Tavor, the Jordan Valley (a combination of 22 communities – mostly kibbutzim) and the Lower Galilee (a combination of 19 communities, most of them moshavim). Although attempts were made to keep evacuee communities together, it has not always been successful. 

Some adults are working remotely, but many are unable to work. Children experience culture shock in their new schools and often refuse to go, especially high school students who depend on their peer groups to sustain them emotionally.  Additionally, many families are evacuated without husbands or sons who are serving in the IDF. People are grieving the loss of loved ones and friends. Nothing in their lives is the same and they have no idea when they will be able to return home. It’s predicted people will be displaced at least through the end of December.  

What is clear to us now is that beyond the obvious ravages of war, every thread of society, no matter where one lives in Israel, has been affected by the war. The needs are ever-evolving and appear endless. As the war continues, the mending of the wounds and the rebuilding of life’s infrastructures are simultaneously happening with the support of countless organizations, many of them funded by donations to Milwaukee Jewish Federation’s annual campaign, reaching people through the Jewish Agency for Israel, Jewish Federations of North America, and Milwaukee’s Israel Emergency Campaign.  

Here are few examples:  

In addition to the amazing support from organizations, we were inspired by acts of chesed by individuals:  

After the trip, we sent emails to thank everyone for sharing their experiences with us. Their responses showed how impactful our visit was on people in Sovev Kineret. Maya from the Jordan Valley Council wrote, “In these tough days that we’re going through here in Israel, and at the same time our eyes are open, and our ears are attentive to the rising antisemitism around the world, we believe that the strongest strength we have is that we have each other and our Jewish partners overseas. Therefore, your visit here, in the valley, was a very important moral support and connects all the light we have as a people around the world into one big and strong light. We were happy to host you and would love to meet again. Am Yisrael Chai.”  

You can support the desperately needed help to the people of Israel by donating to both JAFI and JFNA at MilwaukeeJewish.org/give

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Tziporah Altman-Shafer is vice president of Jewish communal life and learning and Pnina Goldfarb is chair of Israel and overseas committee, both roles with Milwaukee Jewish Federation.

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Israel’s Sovev Kinneret region

“Sovev Kinneret” in Hebrew means surrounding the Sea of Galilee, a region in the north of Israel that includes the city of Tiberius and other communities. The region has a longstanding partnership with Milwaukee that includes visits, cultural exchanges and more.

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IN PICTURES: ‘The Chosen” in production 

Posted on: March 5th, 2024 | 25 Adar I 5784 by Special to the Chronicle

“The Chosen” will be performed at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, March 5-31, 2024 , at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater. The show is presented by the Milwaukee Jewish Federation. Above are Hillel Rosenshine and Eli Mayer in rehearsal for “The Chosen.” The photo below is a set model, in preparation for the show.  

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Opinion: I am an out, Jewish, and joyful local queer! 

Posted on: March 5th, 2024 | 25 Adar I 5784 by Special to the Chronicle

Queer joy, queer belonging, queer homes, queer coziness, and queer adventures are a profound and constant thread in my adult life as an out, high femme Milwaukee queer. I lean on our community all the time for smiles, fresh recipes, dog sitting help, and during tougher times too.  

Likewise, my faith is a major part of my life and a major support to me. I am probably more religious than most of my friends and colleagues suspect – I think I chatter away with my idea of God pretty much every day, I love lighting Shabbat candles, and reading the weekly Torah portion is something I look forward to more and more.  

I don’t usually feel alone in my identities today, I think because I’ve had quite a lot of time with them, and I’ve spent that time cultivating beautiful, diverse queer and Jewish communities. That’s what delights and motivates me about J-Pride: as queer (and Jewish) people, I think we deserve to celebrate more the abundance around us – of friends, loved ones, great meals, fun holidays, people who believe in us, and shoulders to lean on for comfort.  

That’s the queer, trans, and Jewish experience that I would wish for all of us here in our community – one of abundance, joy, connection, great meals, tons of laughter, fun events, and outstanding friends. Importantly – that is not a community that existed when I was young or first coming out. I love that a community like this does exist for people coming out and transitioning at all ages today. I love that it exists for all of the Jews and queers in Milwaukee who get to relax into our specific and unique overlapping cultural shorthand when we’re together too. We’re bringing a brand new, more-Jewish-mother-like meaning to “All Are Welcome Here” – all are welcome, and please expect to be asked at least five times if you have had enough food yet.  

J-Pride will be behind a lot of exciting things in the year ahead: A queer and Jewish presence at PRIDE this year, plenty of happy hours (NA options included), plenty of Shabbat dinners with mouth-watering food and better company, game nights, movie nights, and as-yet-unplanned theme parties and holidays with other Jewish and/or queer groups around Milwaukee whom we love.  

Membership is more like a social club than anything else – we are happily a no-dues, no-required-meetings group of fun and adult Milwaukee LGBT Jews with an open door for our friends, families and allies. We want to make sure that you’re getting invites to the fun things we’re doing in the year ahead, and that someone is ready to greet you and help you feel at home when you’re attending for the first time or if you don’t know many other people on any given day. Radical hospitality is both a queer and Jewish value, so we are doubly excited to extend it!  

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Connect with J-Pride 

-Nicole Gorelik, NextGen engagement associate, Milwaukee Jewish Federation, 414-390-5720, nicoleg@milwaukeejewish.org 

-Instagram: Jess Annabelle at @mkerealtorjess and Gorelik at @nikssssg. 

-Join the Facebook group: J-Pride Milwaukee – LGBT Jews and Allies.  

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Next event 

The next J-Pride event is a happy hour on Tuesday, March 6 from 5-7 p.m., at Art Bar, 722 E. Burleigh St. 

 

Posted in Community, Featured Stories Slider, Local, Opinions | Comments Off on Opinion: I am an out, Jewish, and joyful local queer! 
 

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