Although I have only been on the job for a short time as Department Director of Children, Youth and Family Services for the South Hills JCC, I have a number of new and exciting ideas that I would like to share with you. Renewing Ruach We are going to dramatically increase the energy, or ruach […]
Renewing the "Ruach" Read More »
As both a parent and a coach, nothing frustrates me more than specialization. Gone are the days of the two- or three-sport athlete. The trend over the past decade or two has been for young athletes to begin concentrating on one specific sport from a very young age all the way through their high school
Variety leads to happier and healthier athletes Read More »
I was struck by this Samuel Rosenberg Image entitled ‘Rest’ in the spring when Melissa Hiller, Director of our American Jewish Museum, brought me to the Heinz History Center to see the exhibit “The Gift of Art“. “For 100 years, the Friends of Art has purchased art to be given to the Pittsburgh Public Schools
Shabbat is The First Labor Law Read More »
We are living in very challenging times. Protesters, advocates, and politicians are trying to spin our moral compasses in such a way so that we have little sense of which way to step. But we know in which direction we should march: the moral direction that is taught by all of our faith traditions, the
The March on Washington – 54 Years Later in PGH Read More »
Elie Weisel taught us: One of the Just Men came to Sodom, determined to save its inhabitants from sin and punishment. Night and day he walked the streets and markets protesting against greed and theft, falsehood and indifference. In the beginning, people listened and smiled ironically. Then they stopped listening; he no longer even amused
Sheva (the number seven in Hebrew) has amazing power in Jewish thought and practice. It is also the name of the JCCs of North America Early Learning Framework and represents the seven core elements of exemplary early childhood practice profoundly rooted in the latest research on child development seen through a Jewish lens. What does
Early Childhood Development Center: The Sheva Journey Begins Read More »
This week the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and Buncher Foundation gathered to celebrate 25 years of investing in an international leadership program for professionals and lay leadership through the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) that was launched in partnership with the Federation. In the past quarter century, hundreds of Buncher graduates in dozens
Sharing Ideas and History with Warsaw JCC Read More »
Each morning, as I leave my bedroom and head downstairs, I find myself facing east on the midpoint landing on my staircase. Just before I turn right to make it all the way downstairs, I come face to face with these eternally contemporary words: If I forget you, O Jerusalem, Let my right hand forget
Tisha B’Av: Our Eastern Walls Read More »
Follow-Up – What I’ve Learned It has been a few weeks since I started my experiment with mindful eating. In that time, I’ve gone on vacation with friends, had multiple visitors to my home, and done lots of other summer activities. It has been a fun and enjoyable summer. And I must say, not having to
Mindful Eating: An Experiment Read More »
The poet William Carlos Williams wrote: “In summer, the song sings itself.” And it’s true, there is something effortless and bountiful about the colorful vegetables and fruits flowing into the market, and hopefully also our grocery carts and kitchens. Every time you turn around, something else is in season – sweet local strawberries, ruby red
Healthy Recipes for Summer Read More »
For the fourth year in a row, I am joining scores of regional leaders in signing the Father’s Day Pledge #FathersDayPledge #SouthwestPASaysNoMore. This declaration calls attention to the urgency to break the generational cycle of violence for children, teens and young adults by changing social norms around gender and partner violence of any kind. I
Giving the Father’s Day Pledge New Meaning Read More »
This past weekend was our annual Kirshner Family Weekend at Emma Kaufmann Camp. More than 35 families came to spend the weekend and get the full camp experience. Everyone had a blast and the weather couldn’t have been better. From tubing on the lake to horseback riding and zip lining, we all had so many
Kirshner Family Weekend at EKC Read More »
Completing physical therapy isn’t the end of an individual’s journey back to wholeness. For many making a full recovery from an injury or surgery, it’s just the beginning. The JCC’s Next Steps, a post-rehabilitation program, is designed to help in that transition from physical therapy to long-term fitness and wellness through working with uniquely qualified
“Next Steps” Program is Part of the Wellness Continuum at the JCC Read More »
The South Hills Early Childhood Development Center is blessed with what some call “Our Backyard.” But what people are referring to is more than any old backyard. The JCC South Hills is situated on a huge site that includes three playgrounds, a large field, a grassy hill and direct access to the adjoining Scott Conservancy,
ECDC South Hills "Backyard" Enhances Learning Read More »
Manny Gold Humanitarian Award COREY O’CONNOR Ziggy Kahn Award GEORGE NOVAK Inductees DAYNA GREENFIELDBasketball SCOTT ROSENBaseball RANDALL TOIGTennis Scholastic Athletic Awards ELI ABO, Shady Side AcademyIce Hockey / Lacrosse JONAH BERGER, Allderdice High SchoolCross Country / Swimming / Track DANIELLE BRAND, Franklin Regional High SchoolSoccer / Track GEOFF COHEN, Winchester Thurston High SchoolCross Country /
Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Western Pennsylvania 2017 Awards Read More »
Kids: Get ready for the best summer, ever, at JCC Day Camps. We’re counting the days, minutes and seconds until the camp season starts in June. At James and Rachel Levinson Day Camp, our flagship day camp at the Family Park in Monroeville, new activities and returning favorites set the scene for each child to
JCC Day Campers Will Wish the Summer Would Never End Read More »
As I await the delivery of our new equipment to Squirrel Hill Centerfit, I’ve been thinking about how much has changed! Cardio equipment has evolved from just providing a great workout to providing a great entertaining workout. Yes, most of our cardio machines already have their own private televisions. We even have machines that simulate outdoor
New Fitness Equipment / New Challenges! Read More »
It’s Drinking Water Week — a good time to remind us of the many, many benefits of drinking water. Here are some of the benefits of staying hydrated from Patti Sciulli, our JCC expert on fitness and building a lifelong healthy habits: Improved digestion: Every system in the body requires water to function properly. Water helps
Labor Day – Monday, Sept. 1: Fitness Centers Open 8 am-2 pm; Family Park Open 11 am-7 pm