J Blog

A letter to the editor of the Jewish-Herald Voice from Gayle Kamen-Weinstein in regards to Resistance, our drive-in movie during the Jewish Book & Arts Festival 2020, and response from our own Arts & Culture Director, Amy Rahmani. 

Most of us are ready to put the year 2020 behind us and move on to a more hopeful 2021. Don't wait for 2021 to make those small changes and most importantly, stay positive and don't get discouraged with set backs.

Periodically over the past few months, we have provided updates on the progress of our Capital and Endowment Campaign to renovate our J. I am thrilled to share with you to date we have raised $41.3 million towards our $50 million goal. While we still have an additional $8.7 million to raise, our Board of Trustees is confident of our ability to reach our goal and last month approved moving forward with our very exciting and transformational renovation plans.

For the purpose of this article, flexibility has nothing to do with yoga, Pilates or gymnastics. It has everything to do with taking a different approach than your normal way of accomplishing goals and overcoming set-backs. The definition of flexibility is "the quality of bending easily without breaking". While this the definition is in the physical sense, I feel that it is relevant with what our society has been dealing with and for what may be to come. We want to bend, change and adapt but not to the point of simply giving up. The real key is to be cognitively flexible in order to improve your ability to create options.

So many changes have come about since this past spring...

The following article is by Certified Personal Trainer Ellen Goren. Ellen has worked for the J nearly five years helping clients of all ages meet their fitness goals. Below is just a short recap of Ellen’s transformation to fitness and her dedication to working with others.

The other day I was training a client who said, “I never used to be able to lift the heavy bags of mulch into my car by myself before. Today I told the sales clerk...

We are pleased to announce that members will be able to enjoy Pickleball and Recreational Basketball at the Merfish Teen Center (9000 S. Rice) starting Sunday, November 1. Please continue to the full blog post for further details. 

We are happy to report that the J has started to offer family activities through the J’s new Family Engagement program! Many of us have missed family programming, Jewish and recreational, in a community setting. Family Engagement programs offer small, in-person, outdoor gatherings for families that are ready to attend events and provide activities that families may complete at home for those who prefer to stay isolated. These events celebrate Judaism through creative family activities.

The J’s Family Engagement programming is intended for families of pre-school and elementary-aged children. Many families have children in both age groups and want to be able to attend activities as a family. We will continue to offer...

Sunday, Nov 16 | 9:00 AM-1:30 PM

Join us as we do our part to help our community in this time of need. The J is partnering with the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center for a Community Blood Drive. The Blood Center will be on site at the J at 5601 S. Braeswood, and those interested in donating should schedule an appointment. 

Blood donations remain an essential operation during the “Stay Home, Work Safe” order. The coronavirus does not pose any risk to blood donors, either during the donation process or while attending organized blood drives. Learn more about how the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center is implementing safety measures to protect donors and the importance of donating during this difficult time. 

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