J Blog

Please make note of the following important updates regarding the J and our plans to keep you and our staff safe and out of harm's way with Hurricane Laura threatening the Texas Coast and possibly Houston.  

100 years ago today, the 19^th Amendment was ratified, guaranteeing and protecting a woman’s constitutional right to vote. The 19^th Amendment was the result of a decades-long movement of women and men who believed that women deserved a voice in the United States government.  

A lesser known fact about women’s suffrage is that the ratification of the 19^th Amendment came down to one vote, in the Tennessee House. A state representative by the name of Harry Burns had initially planned to vote against the amendment. But when he received a letter from his college-educated, women’s rights activist mother, Febb Burns, he flipped his vote. That November, 10 million American women--roughly one third of all eligible female voters—headed to the polls for the first time.  

The Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center is pleased to announce the Sherry and Gerald Merfish and Family Matching Gift Program to continue momentum towards Our New J, the renovation and expansion project announced in February. The family has agreed to a $2-to-$1 match of any pledged commitment of $10,000 to $250,000 that is made by Labor Day. 

Dear members of our community,

It’s been a while since we updated you on our renovation progress – nearly five months ago we announced a massive, multimillion-dollar overhaul of our facility. However, a lot has changed since late February, causing us to change the way we think, act and live. This includes the J.

While our programming and available facilities have changed over the last few months, our commitment to you – our community – will never waver. Now more than ever, all of us at the JCC feel we must support our community in any way possible.

The holiday of Tisha B’Av, which begins tomorrow evening at sundown, is known as the most solemn day on the Jewish calendar. Tradition teaches that many tragedies throughout Jewish history, including the destruction of both the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem, occurred on this day. Tisha B’Av actually marks the culmination of a three-week mourning period on the Jewish calendar, during which we remember the events leading up to this fateful day.   

As the sun sets on Tuesday, August 4, we begin the celebration of Tu B’Av, the Jewish holiday of love. Our post-biblical sages teach that on this day, "the daughters of Israel would go out dressed in white and dance in the vineyards," looking to find a husband. After the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, the holiday went largely unobserved for centuries, until the founding of the modern state of Israel, when Zionists looked to revive ancient Jewish customs. Today, though Tu B'Av is a regular workday in Israel, music and dance festivals are often held, and Israelis enjoy giving cards and flowers to their loved ones. Tu B'Av is also considered a serendipitous day to get married.

In today's world, we could all use a little extra love. So, the J is excited to offer three very special ways for you to celebrate and share love with your family and neighbors.