What the Youngstown Area Means To My Family

Hilari and I have been cleaning out our house as we prepare to move to Columbus when I retire at the end of the year. After 31 years in our home, along with “stuff” we have accumulated in the 41 1/2 years we have been married, there is much to go through. We have donated items we no longer need, and thrown away more than two twenty-yard dumpsters. In preparing our home for sale, we have uncovered some wonderful memories of our family, both living and deceased, and quite a number of items that speak to our family’s personal connection to Youngstown, and specifically to the Federation and its Agencies.

I never thought that when I began working here on November 18, 1985 that Federation would become such an integral part of our lives. To give some perspective, Hilari and I moved from Long Island where people think “everyone” is Jewish, but not where we grew up. We both lived within 10 minutes of each other, and although we never met (until a blind date brought us together on my birthday, May 28, 1981), we had similar Jewish experiences, a small temple where we lived, and when we were in high school, we were involved in Jewish youth group activities. Other than that, we really had little other Jewish organizational involvement. However, when we moved to Youngstown, I don’t believe we realized how much this Jewish community would play in our lives, and the lives of our children, Sean and Rachel. When we arrived, Sean had just turned one years old and Rachel (who is 100% Buckeye) was born in 1991.

During our first year in town, Hilari participated in some “Mommy and Me” classes with Sean, while also volunteering - playing her guitar at Pre-School and at the JCC Day Camp. When Hilari was hired at Akiva in 1986 to teach third grade, Sean attended the JCC pre-school which was open to toddlers 18 months and older. In those early years at pre-school, Sean had some excellent teachers, learned a lot about Jewish holidays/Shabbat and first learned to swim in the JCC’s pool. When Rachel was born, pre-school was expanded to include day care for children six weeks and up and she was the first group of children in the program, which was then called AlefBet Day Care, and was not located at the JCC, but at Heritage Manor, where it was one of the first intergenerational day care programs in the country. Each day, there were many special programs designed for interaction between the residents and the children. The children seemed to love seeing the residents as much as the adults loved having them around. Our kids’ four grandparents lived in Florida and they did not see them regularly, so for them this opportunity to interact with the residents of Heritage Manor was such a positive for them. In fact, an article I found in the house from The Vindicator dated February 14, 1993 describes the interaction Rachel had with Heritage Manor resident, Dr. Albert Orgel. Rachel was about 18 months old and Dr. Orgel stated in the article, “Oh, I can’t begin to tell you how special that little girl is to me. I go over there every morning around 8:30 or 9:00 a.m. to see her - she is a smart little cookie.” Around the same time, I began taking Sean to Heritage Manor on weekends to play cards with one of the residents Myron (Mike) Heyman. Mike absolutely loved teaching Sean how to play some card games, and occasionally let Sean win!

Over the years, our kids enjoyed taking our dogs to Heritage Manor. The residents absolutely loved petting and playing with the dogs. In High School, Rachel volunteered, as part of one of her classes, at Heritage Manor.

Growing up on Long Island, Hilari and I did not have any experiences with a Jewish Camp, but at our JCC Sean and Rachel loved coming to summer camp, where they played with their friends, learned to swim, enjoyed many camp and Israeli songs, went on trips to camp out when they were older, and traveled to water and amusement parks and so much more. I do recall a time when Sean returned from a two to three day overnight camp with the JCC, and had none of the clothes we sent him with. Oh well, he had a great time. When we were here only a few years, Hilari worked in camp playing her guitar and teaching the campers many camp and Jewish/Israeli songs.

During the school year, our kids pretty much did everything at the JCC. They played soccer and basketball in the gym, swam in the pool, basically you name it, my kids did it. They also took some enrichment afterschool classes, and I recall Sean taking a woodworking class and Rachel taking an acting class. For Rachel, this class helped her break out of her shell as she was a very shy little girl at that time. The two kids also took sex-ed classes at the JCC, sponsored by Jewish Family and Children’s Services (the previous name of Jewish Family & Community Services). If you would like to hear some “stories” from the sex-ed classes, feel free to contact me personally. Our kids were also regular “volunteers” at Super Sunday back in the day, and perhaps that is why Rachel has chosen the Jewish communal field as her career choice. Today, she is the director of senior development and events for Jewish Columbus. 

At Akiva during Hilari’s 14 years at the school, she taught music and computers, in addition to being the third-grade secular teacher. Her students in music learned recorder and guitar, as well as many Jewish and Israeli songs. Hilari’s students played all over the community, including at the Mahoning Valley Association of Churches Annual Prayer Breakfast, the Southern Park and Eastwood Malls during the December holiday of Hanukkah, and a Freedom Seder sponsored by the African-American/Jewish Dialogue Group. And coming full circle after retiring from teaching after 42 years, Hilari led an afterschool enrichment choir at Akiva for two years, and played guitar for the children of the JCC’s Early Learning Center on Shabbat.

Although Sean was unable to participate in the Macabbi Games when he was a teenager due to commitments he had with baseball and football, Rachel participated for two years. She ran track and field and played tennis and thoroughly enjoyed the experience which afforded her the opportunity to meet fellow teens from across the country and Israel.

Of all the experiences that helped shape our children in their respective Jewish journeys, it was their participation in our local BBYO chapters, in addition to sitting on the board of BBYO Ohio Northern Region. Sean and Rachel met teens throughout Northeast Ohio who today remain their close friends. Many of their friends also attended Ohio State University and were fraternity brothers and sorority sisters. In fact, many of Rachel’s close friends from BBYO also worked with her at Camp Wise, where Rachel served as a lifeguard.  (Rachel took a course at the JCC to become a certified lifeguard) for four years and program director for one year.

Both Sean and Rachel have a strong love and affinity toward the state of Israel. Rachel traveled over the summer to Eastern Europe for 10 days and on to Israel for three weeks when she just turned 16. Our two kids also participated in Birthright trips to Israel while in college.  None of this would have been possible if not for the generosity of our Federation in supporting student trips to Israel.

I’m sure there are many in our community who have similar stories as to how Federation has touched the lives of their families. I would love for you to reach out and share your stories.

Have a Happy and Healthy New Year, 5785,

Andy

Andrew Lipkin, Federation CEO