J Blog

Six months ago the painting/drawing and ceramic studios, located in our lower level, were washed away by Hurricane Harvey. Renovations to the studios are underway and expected to be completed by the end of May. However, students will not have to wait for the studios to re-open and can once again enjoy art classes this spring in temporary spaces at the J.

After Harvey, art students lost all of their tools and pieces they were working on before the flood. The ceramic studio lost six potting wheels and two kilns. Maxine Silberstein, program coordinator for adult visual arts, stated, “Having lost the studio due to Harvey, we were not sure when it would be possible to offer another ceramic class.”

We have a great team of working theatre professionals teaching our youth theatre classes. Erin Lamb started with us as a summer camp counselor for Performing Arts Camp last year and then took on the mammoth challenge of designing the costumes for the JCCS fall production of Cats.

She is now on board as one of our Assistant Directors for our JCCS production of Seussical. She sat down with us to share a little bit about her background and passion for the arts. 

Jen Glantz is the author of Always a Bridesmaid (for Hire): Stories on Growing Up, Looking for Love and Walking Down the Aisle for Complete Strangers, a professional bridesmaid and blogger.

Glantz will join us on Thursday, March 1 to kick off Celebrating Women Month. She recently shared her thoughts on being a bridesmaid, weddings and her nomadic lifestyle.

Update on Frozen Camp Fees for 2018 J Camps Registration Day, Sunday, February 4, 9:00 AM-1:00 PM While it is January outside, inside the J preparations are well underway for the upcoming summer day camp program. Registration for summer camp opens on Sunday, February 4 at 9:00 AM. Summer camp is one of our most popular programs, and we are excited about what the summer will bring to the J and the community. Frozen Camp Fees We have frozen ...

Happy Holidays,

On behalf of the J, I would like to extend the best wishes to you and your family for a happy and healthy 2018!

It was great to see many of you this past Sunday at the Jewish CultureFest at Evelyn’s Park in Bellaire. The weather cooperated so we could all enjoy the live music, great food and the many great activities. Special thanks to the City of Bellaire and Evelyn’s Park staff for assisting with the festival and to Rabbi Samantha Safran for coordinating the festival.  

With so many activities available for our kids, how do you know which are the right ones and when is the right time to get them started. All seem to have slick marketing that promotes what you'd think to be the "right" things, but how do you truly know?    

First, don't be fooled by the slick marketing. Do your own due diligence! To help, here are three fundamentals that I focused on when I chose gymnastics for my two sons. I will concede, there may be other criteria that might be worth looking at. However, as a Dad and a former high level competitive athlete, these were my top three, and I feel as you read you will see why.

Morgan Hoang’s gymnastics career started as a 3-year-old when her mom enrolled her in gymnastics classes because she was “too energetic.”

Today she is a senior at Dulles High school and a Level 10 gymnast at the Houston Gymnastics Center at the J. This month marks her 8th year competing with HGC.

“From a young age, I began to excel much quicker than my peers and my parents realized that gymnastics was my true talent,” said Morgan. “As I continued the sport, I battled many injuries and they regretted their decision. However, my passion for gymnastics had grown so much that they decided to let me continue gymnastics.”

Not only did she want to continue for the love of the sport but she wanted to compete collegiately and at the age of 13 had her heart set on Stanford University.

“I remember the first time I ever looked at a list of colleges that had gymnastics, I was about 13. I immediately pointed to Stanford University and told my coach that that was where I wanted to go. At the time, I had no idea how difficult it was to get into the prestigious school, but I learned how to become self-sufficient and and dedicated the majority of my time to gymnastics and academics.

On behalf of the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center Board of Trustees and staff, I would like to wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving. This holiday affords us the opportunity to spend time with family and friends and celebrate the wonderful Thanksgiving traditions. Daily we are starting to see increased levels of activity at the J. As a thank you for your continued patience and support, watch for an announcement regarding ...

Astros Celebration Camp at the J Congratulations Astros! Our World Series Champions are coming home and to match their epic win there will be an epic celebration Friday in Houston with a World Series Victory Parade. For a lot of you that means there’s no school tomorrow! So whether you’re a member of the J or not, we’re offering an Astros Celebration Day Camp on Friday, November 3. Activities include baseball themed ...

For the Love Of Books

If you have been to the Ann and Stephen Kaufman Jewish Book & Arts Festival at the J, chances are you have shopped the Bookstore. There is a dedicated group of volunteers responsible for it: Esther Chess, Linda Chess, Carol Emery, Ellen Gaber, Ann Glazier, Sandy Gomel, Robin Greenspan, Louise Kershman, Beulah Maltz, Ruth Morris, Claire Noll, Sheila Sack, Leenie Skolnik and Beverly Sufian set aside two weeks each fall and volunteer as book store managers at the Festival. Most of them have been doing it between 10-15 years.

Each lady will tell you there’s something about volunteering at the J, but they all agree that their love of books brings them to this place every fall.