Messages from WJC Leaders
There are a lot of things that make WJC a very special congregation. One thing that initially drew my attention is its truly intergenerational nature. We have leaders and active members from every demographic and at every age. Today’s celebration is a great example of that.
This evening’s honorees represent an amazing cross section of our WJC community. Howard and Judy Zweig bring happiness and engaging, meaningful programs to our senior demographic through their remarkable dedication to our JOY (Just Older Youth) Club. Rivaling their creativity, organization and enthusiasm is only their commitment to attending Shabbat services week in and week out - and we are thrilled that we don’t have to share you with that congregation in Arizona anymore. We get year-round Zweig!
Jacques Steinberg and Sharon Weinstock have been involved in the shul in many capacities during their 20-year affiliation, but closest to my heart are Jacques’s careful writing and editing on our behalf, especially when we need to communicate complicated concepts quickly and clearly. And of course Jacques has been an amazing partner in creating our congregational magazine, “Voices.” I got to know Sharon best when she partnered with me and an amazing committee on the 613 Mitzvot Project that we executed in my first few months at WJC. Her wisdom, organization and clear thinking were key to making a successful effort that really brought the congregation together around mitzvot - what could be better than that?
And speaking of mitzvot, Glenna Lee is a veritable mitzvah machine. Her leadership of the WJC Sisterhood has been nothing short of inspiring. And that’s only the obvious stuff she does - her spirit, connection to nature and grounding Jewish identity inform everything Glenna does, much to the benefit of her WJC family. What a perfect candidate for our Young Leadership Award!
From generation to generation, this slate of honorees represents this congregation’s commitment to serving the intergenerational needs of the Jewish community in our area. And that value is reflected in their beautiful families, whom we thank for sharing their amazing parents and grandparents with us.
What a blessing to serve a congregation with the likes of these excellent people.
Gratefully,
RJA
Welcome Message from WJC President
When we conceived this year’s celebration, we knew it had to be focused on bringing together all parts of our amazing community. Our “Night at the Riviera” is designed to do exactly that, combining the best parts from previous celebrations with new elements to enhance interaction. The past three years have been very challenging, not only for our experienced members, but also for the one-fifth of our families who joined since the beginning of the pandemic and may not have had the opportunity to build a WJC social network before everything shut down. Our goal for tonight is to not only rekindle old relationships, but to help ignite new ones.
Our honorees, Judy and Howard Zweig, Sharon Weinstock and Jacques Steinberg and Young Leadership Award recipient Glenna Lee, are perfect for tonight. They are from three different generations of membership. Judy and Howard, members for 30 years, are known for founding the JOY Club. Sharon Weinstock and Jacques Steinberg, members for 20 years, are best known for their leadership work in the Spiritual Life committee and for launching קולות (Voices) magazine. Glenna Lee, who joined with her husband Jonathan only seven years ago, is our powerhouse President of our Sisterhood.
Each of them is a special leader on their own, yet it’s the things they have in common which make them worthy of recognition tonight. Most importantly, they uniquely and creatively pushed the community forward, expanding programming for their constituents during the pandemic. Working from grass-roots levels inside the organization, they all showed tenacity and passion to make a difference for WJC’s members.
I would like to express our sincere appreciation to all our honorees, for their self-less devotion to our community. I also want to thank our incredible co-chairs Joanna Shlesinger and Lauren Sholder, and the entire celebration committee for putting together a fresh new event. Lastly, many thanks to our staff, clergy and all the people who helped behind the scenes. Thanks to all of you all for everything you do for WJC!
Let’s meet some new friends and have a blast tonight!
Larry Thaler
Welcome from WJC’s 2023 Spring Celebration Chairs
When Larry Thaler asked us to chair this year’s celebration, he challenged us to change the gala format, make the event more accessible, and, of course, raise money - this is, after all, the biggest fundraiser for WJC. Luckily for us, we were paired with some of the most talented WJC members and staff to accomplish these goals.
To Jennifer Winters, our tireless raffle chair, thank you for bringing your enthusiasm and years of experience to a monumental task and agreeing to add a whole new dimension of sign-up parties to boot. To Sherry Thaler, the perennial keeper of the Journal, words cannot express our gratitude that you agreed to do this yet again- we would have been lost without you. Scott Aronow and Severine Chavel, we are so appreciative that your creativity and experience allowed us to stage this massive undertaking. And to Beatriz Goldstein, thank you for coming in during the fourth quarter to make this design possible. To Alison Gottsegen and Gail Julie, we know we gave you impossible goals and unrealistic targets; thank you for working with us to make this the best event it could possibly be. Scott Sholder, thank you for stepping up to help us book the musical act; we promise to audition your band next year. And, of course, to our indefatigable communication chairs - Katie Schlientz and Evan Schapiro, we appreciate the air-traffic-control-like mastery you brought to the communication calendar. And to Evan, specifically, thank you for stepping up to add the tribute video to your full calendar of simcha bookings this spring.
Finally - the entire team at WJC. We are so grateful for your guidance, your patience answering our endless questions, and your flexibility in helping us revamp this event. Beth Weiss-Dunn, Ally Paisley, Kim Lewis, David Goldstein, and Jose Luis Fonseca - thank you, thank you, thank you! Ian Winters and Larry Thaler, your suggestions and sage advice were invaluable as we figured this all out for the first time.
We are also overjoyed to bring recognition to three sets of honorees who represent the best of WJC: generosity, entrepreneurship, and kindness.
Specifically, we have known Glenna Lee to be a tireless ambassador of both spiritual and physical well-being. She has always inspired us to be better versions of ourselves. Recognizing her with the Young Leadership Award demonstrates how much our community values her and encourages her to keep going.
Getting to know Judy and Howard Zweig and Sharon Weinstock and Jacques Steinberg has also been a highlight of our time as co-chairs. It has been all too easy for the two of us to just sit at the same “parent of young kids” table at each Shabbat kiddush. Meeting you all has underscored how much opportunity there is at WJC to meet fascinating, warm, and accomplished people just one table away. If nothing else - everyone who has read up to this point, take it as a lesson to introduce yourself to a stranger tonight!
Thank you all for your support, encouragement, and enthusiasm for us as first-time “Gala” co-chairs.
We hope everyone joining us has the opportunity to meet new friends, connect with old friends, and of course, have fun.
Warmly,
Lauren Sholder and Joanna Shlesinger