Blog

It is hard to believe that this is my last Liptalk column and I will officially retire at the end of the year. For almost 40 years, I have had the honor and pleasure to work with, and get to know, so many wonderful and caring volunteers, community ...

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 ...

I recently returned from a Partnership2Gether conference in Austin, Texas. P2G, a program of The Jewish Agency for Israel and the Jewish Federation of North America, promotes people-to-people relationships through cultural, social, medical, ...

In the last issue of the Jewish Journal I shared many of the significant dates during my tenure at the Federation, dating back to my arrival in Youngstown in 1985 through 1999. This Liptalk column will highlight the years 2000 to the present. ...

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 ...

As I write this column, Tuesday, January 23, marks the 109th day of captivity for the remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza. While the fate of the 132 hostages still remains unknown, with Hamas sharing little information on their condition and not ...

As it has done before in other crises, the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation quickly mobilized to launch the Israel Crisis Fund Campaign for assistance to victims of terror and to address growing needs following the horrific October 7 Hamas attack ...

Four year ago, Jeff Finkelstein, CEO and President of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh addressed members of our community about the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue, which occurred one year prior. Jeff also highlighted the fantastic ...

Our Federation Annual Meeting was held Aug. 16, at which time we elected directors to the Youngstown Area Jewish Community Board. This year, we brought back our tradition of hosting a dinner prior to the Annual Meeting, which attracted 75 ...

Did you know we have Adult Day Services at Heritage Manor? Far too many people have no idea we offer this program. A little background first: The state of Ohio has the sixth oldest older adult population in the nation, and its senior population is ...

This Year Let’s Ask A Fifth Question In less than two weeks, Pesach (Passover) will be upon us. Passover commemorates the story of the Israelites’ departure from ancient Egypt. We, as Jews, observe this week-long festival with a number ...

Proud of Akiva Academy For those of you who may not know, my brother Jeff passed away in late December after a brief illness. He was only 67. Jeff was the trailblazer in our family, and my sister, Beth, and I followed in his footsteps. ...

Tikkun Olam: Repair of the World “Tikkun Olam: Repair of the World!” This term is understood in modern America as the idea that Jews are called upon to make the world more just, peaceful, tolerant, and equal, through acts of charity, ...

Volunteers Support Our Community Vol.un.teer: A person who freely offers to take part in an enterprise or undertake a task. An unknown author said, “Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but ...

JCC Implementation of Federation Strategic Plan Six years seems like a lifetime ago. In 2016, our Federation began a strategic planning process to meet the challenges of declining demographics and shifting needs of the community. This process ...

Our Annual Meeting was held August 15, at which time we elected three directors to Youngstown Area Jewish Community Board, Lee Burdman, Neil Schor, and Sam Shapiro. In addition, we honored a number of superb individuals for their volunteer service ...

For those who may not know, I was on medical leave off and on from Sept. 1, 2021 until June 6 this year. Thankfully, I have been back in the office the last two months, and back on the road to recovery. I want to thank the many people who reached ...

Summer is here! Note from Andy: This month, in place of my regular column, I invited Denise Wolf, JCC Executive Director, to share her thoughts. Summer is here! The sun is certainly shining at Logan, the JCC’s summer campus, AND at our main ...

Working With Seniors in Our Community Note from Andy: This month, in place of my regular column, I invited Lynne Azar, Jewish Family & Community Services Outreach Coordinator, to share her thoughts. I began my position with Jewish Family ...

The War in Ukraine – The Latest Jewish News Note from Andy: This month, in place of my regular column, I invited Bonnie Deutsch Burdman, Federation Executive Director, Community Relations/Government Affairs, to share her thoughts. As ...

Expanding Federation's Social Media Presence Note from Andy: This month, in place of my regular column, I invited Anthony Kempe, Federation Digital Marketing Coordinator, to share his thoughts. I started working at the Federation in June 2021 as ...

A View From the Trenches: Past, Present, and Future Note from Andy: This month, in place of my regular column, Dave Stauffer, Federation CFO, asked to share his thoughts. I’ve worked at Federation for over 14 years. During that time, ...

Creating A Culture of Safety, Respect, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Within JCC Note from Andy: This month, in place of my regular column, I invited Rebecca Soldan, JCC assistant executive director, to share her thoughts. As the assistant ...

Reflecting on Communications Department Growth Note from Andy: This month, in place of my regular column, I invited Bonnie Deutsch Burdman, Federation Executive Director, Community Relations/Government Affairs, to share her thoughts. It’s ...

Note from Andy: This month, in place of my regular column, I invited Bonnie Deutsch Burdman, Federation Executive Director, Community Relations/Government Affairs, to share her thoughts. In a recent viral news story, NBC news reported that the top ...

Note from Andy: This month, in place of my regular column, I invited Denise Wolf, Jewish Community Center Executive Director, to share her thoughts. It has been eight months since I started my journey here at the JCC as the Executive Director. ...

Note from Andy: This month, in place of my regular column, I invited Ken Bielecki, Director of Jewish Family Services, to share his thoughts. In August, the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation Board approved of an agency name change for Jewish Family ...

There is a joke about the High Holidays: Aren’t they early this year, or late this year? But when are they “on time”? As we enter almost 17 months since the onset of COVID, we are still adjusting to the “new normal,” ...

The Altshuler Akiva Academy, our Jewish day school, began teaching students in kindergarten and first grade in 1985. In 1986, the school added grades two and three, and each subsequent year added one more grade, until the school was a full ...

Heritage Manor Expands Note from Andy: This month, in place of my regular column, I invited Executive Director of Senior Care and Services Eric Murray to share his thoughts. Exciting Future for Heritage Manor Residents Throughout the pandemic the ...