J Blog

Read our Director of Fitness Services, Robin Fortenberry's, update on new Group Exercise classes and protocols, changes to our water exercise class schedule and information about our outdoor pool schedule as we head into the fall season. 

Most holidays on the Jewish calendar commemorate something involving the Jewish people, whether that be ritualistic, agricultural, or historical. On the surface, the holiday of Rosh Hashanah is no different. When we think of Rosh Hashanah, we typically summarize it as the “Jewish New Year,” the anniversary of the day that the world was created, the day we began counting Jewish time. Our liturgy echoes this notion, as we sing in services HaYom Harat Olam, “Today is the birthday of the world!” However, if we closely examine what our sages say about creation, we arrive at a radically different meaning of Rosh Hashanah.

With fall weather fast approaching, parents are looking for new ways to safely get their kids outside and participating in fun activities. Outdoor play provides an important source of necessary activity for children. Children get the most benefit from exercising when participating in activities for at least one hour. Health benefits can include stronger bones and muscles, reduced risk of unhealthy weight gain, improved sleep, positive attitude and confidence, and a lowered risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes.

We would like to provide you with an update regarding the power outage that occurred at the J early Saturday morning. We have isolated the problem to a chiller that supports the Fitness Center, which means that throughout today, and likely until early afternoon on Monday, there will not be any air-conditioning in the Fitness Center.

With the weather being clear, we will reopen the recreational areas of the J this afternoon at 3:00 PM until their normal closing times. This includes the Fitness Center, Outdoor Pool, Tennis Center and Gymnastics. Recreational Swim for families is available tonight from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM. Please call 713.551.7211 starting at 3:00 PM to make a reservation. All gymnastics teams will practice at their regularly scheduled times.

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.