Highlights of my time at Youngstown Area Jewish Federation, part 1

As many of you already know, I will be retiring at the end of 2024 after 39 years; and Lisa Long, currently Federation financial resource development director, will replace me. Lisa is an outstanding Jewish professional with extraordinary skills and over 20 years of nonprofit experience, and our community will be in excellent hands with her at the helm in 2025.

For those who know me well, you know remembering dates and numbers comes easy to me. As my family always reminds me, I know more “useless” trivia than most people. However, I thought a wonderful theme for the next two Liptalk columns is highlighting many of the significant dates during my tenure at the Federation, dating back to my first day, November 18, 1985.

November 18, 1985 - My first day as JCRC and Women’s Division Director. The next weekend we celebrated the Federation’s 50th Anniversary with a Saturday evening dinner and musical production at Squaw Creek Country Club, followed on Sunday with the Annual Meeting at the JCC attended by over 250 people. I knew no one who attended either of those two events, but today I probably know more individuals in the Jewish community than most people.

September 23, 1987 - The first edition of The Jewish Journal, with Sherry Weinblatt as editor. The Jewish Journal followed the important contributions that The Jewish Times and its long-time editor Harry Alter, and his wife, May, had made to the community since Harry was named editor in 1946. The Jewish Journal began as a twice a month publication eventually changing its name to the Jewish Journal Monthly Magazine when it became a monthly publication, and today is printed and appears on-line every two months. This publication has fostered a sense of community in our regional Jewish community by sharing ideas, information, experiences, news, events, and opinions, as well as promoting organizations, Federation agencies, and synagogues. We have one of the best Jewish newspapers, if not the BEST, for a Jewish community our size!

October 27, 1987 – The JCRC held its first Teachers’ Conference on the Holocaust at the JCC, attended by over 125 teachers, from 30 school districts, and included many of our local Holocaust survivors. Of all the survivors who shared their stories over lunch with the teachers one individual stood out: Bill Vegh. Bill never publicly spoke before about his experiences in the Holocaust, and started what became a new journey in his life speaking to students, churches, civic organizations, and other groups over the next 25 years about “his story.” Bill probably told his story to well over half a million people throughout the years. Years later, Bill’s story, along with the stories of fellow Holocaust survivors Henry Kinast and Esther Shudmak were made into traveling exhibits for display throughout the Mahoning and Shenango Valleys.

December 6, 1987 – On the eve of the Washington, D.C. Summit between Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. President Ronald Regan, an estimated 200,000 demonstrated on the National Mall in an unprecedented display of solidarity for Soviet Jewry. Three busloads of Jews from our community participated that day. Following the summit and the downfall of the Former Soviet Union there was an exodus of over one million Jews to Israel and over 100,000 to the United States. Approximately 450 people resettled in Youngstown between 1989 through the mid-1990’s. Many in our community played a part in resettling our Jewish brethren from the FSU, helping to furnish apartments, transporting people to the English Center to learn English and shop at supermarkets, and many other activities.

September 11, 1989 – My first trip to Israel with eight members of our Jewish community: Esther and Irv Marks, Marvin and Edie Peskin, Nate and Shirley Schwebel, Florence Harshman, and Norm Berger. Following Edie Peskin’s recent passing (may her memory be for a blessing), Florence Harshman is the only participant on that mission who is still with us. What a wonderful, warm group of people. I will NEVER forget when I first touched down at Ben Gurion Airport and the 10 days we spent together seeing first-hand the miracle of what is today the modern state of Israel. If I could choose one memory that stands out it was sitting in the front row hearing from former Soviet refusenik Anatoly (Natan) Shransky, who arrived three years earlier to Israel. Since 1989, I have traveled approximately 20 times to Israel and have seen the transformation of the country and its people and PRAY that our hostages will be home soon and peace restored to the region.

Fall 1992 – The first Annual High Holiday Food Drive to benefit the Second Harvest Foodbank of the Mahoning Valley and the Community Food Warehouse of the Shenango Valley. The High Holiday Food Drive continues to this day, and this fall we will commemorate our 33rd year collecting donations for those less fortunate in our community.

October 22, 1992 – My second visit to Israel brought 59 young adult members of our Youngstown Jewish community for a 10 day mission. We participated in a National Leadership Mission that attracted over 900 young adults from throughout the United States. This mission proved to be an important leadership development vehicle for many of these individuals who became lay chairs of our Federation and Agencies, as well at the synagogues and Jewish organizations.

March 29, 1993 – The African-American/Jewish Forum of Youngstown held its first Freedom Seder at Temple El Emeth, attended by 150 participants from both communities. Included in the seder were numerous Hebrew and Gospel songs relevant to the theme of Freedom. JCRC continues to sponsor Passover Seders at churches in our community each spring.

April 18, 1993 – The JCRC’s first Holocaust Essay and Poetry Contest. Winning student entries from grades 9–12 in public and private high schools were presented as part of the JCRC’s annual Holocaust Commemoration held on the grounds of the JCC. The Holocaust Writing Contest continues to this day as 2024 marks 32 years and has been expanded to students in grades 7–12 in Mahoning, Trumbull, and Columbiana Counties, and Western Pennsylvania, and now includes art and multimedia contest entries.

April 8, 1994 – The JCRC’s first Holocaust Commemoration at the Mahoning County Courthouse. The observance is now in its 31st year, and includes public officials, religious leaders, and educators, with winners of the JCRC’s Annual Holocaust Writing Art & Multimedia Contest presented with awards.

February 25, 1997 – The Federation Board approved naming our assisted living project “Heritage Gardens.” Construction began on Nov. 7, 1996 to build 18 one-bedroom units and six two-bedroom units, with common areas, a wellness center, parlors, snack area, private dining, 10 carports, and laundry facilities. The first tenant was Morris Bosch, who moved in on Sept. 12, 1997. In 2001, following the largest single contribution to date to Heritage Gardens, the facility was renamed Levy Gardens, in honor and recognition of the generosity of Dr. David H. Levy, M.D., and his nieces and nephews, Marvin Levy, Louis Levy, J. Newman Levy, Joseph Levy, Huey Cheslin, Charlotte Levy Schwartz, Morris Levy, Barry Cheslin, and Bonnie Cheslin Steinfeld.

January 1998 – My first of five missions to the former Soviet Union, along with past-president of the Federation Louis Epstein. On this trip with Louis to Belarus, we traveled with former Prime Minister of Israel Shimon Peres to his birthplace outside of Minsk, a shtetl named Volajin, where we visited the grave of his great grandfather, Shimon Persky, who he was named after. In subsequent years, along with other lay leaders from our community (Bruce Sherman, Dick Shapiro, Rick Marlin, and Claudia Moss), I had the opportunity to see our campaign dollars at work in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

May 14, 1998 – After a year-long series of activities, our community celebrated the 50th anniversary of the State of Israel, marked by a huge community event at the JCC, attended by over 700 people. The event was co-chaired by Myra Benedikt, Sherry Weinblatt, and Mark Belinky, and highlighted Israel’s past and present.

So much more happened since I arrived in Youngstown in 1985, with much more hair and a mustache, and none of this would have been possible without the many lay leaders and professionals (too numerous to mention) I have had the privilege of working with over the years. My next Liptalk column will highlight the years 2000 to the present. As always, I would love to hear from you if you have any memories to share.
On April 22, we will celebrate the first seder. “Chag Pesach Sameach,”
Happy Passover!

Andy
Andrew Lipkin, Federation CEO