News

Do you know a few good athletes? Evelyn Rubenstein JCC of Houston is seeking nominations for the Ronnie Arrow Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2019. The Ronnie Arrow mission honors Jewish men and women with roots in the Greater Houston area who exhibit Jewish values and have reached a high level of athletic achievement.

For the 30th consecutive year, the community will come together to champion children at the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston’s (the J) Children’s Scholarship Ball, an event that since 1990 has raised more than $12 million for the Irvin Kaplan Children’s Scholarship Fund.

Funds raised at the ball provide financial support for children to participate in the J’s variety of educational and extracurricular programming, including early childcare and summer camp. This year’s Scholarship Ball will be held on Saturday, February 29 at the Royal Sonesta Hotel.

Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston (the J) presents the 40^th  season of Dance at the J January 23 – March 15, 2020. One of the most anticipated dance events in Houston, Dance at the J showcases prominent choreographers, master teachers, companies and dancers. Dance community outreach, audience expansion and professional artistic development are continuing goals of Dance at the J.

Houston will host Olympic and National Team gymnasts from around the world at the 26^th Annual Houston National Invitational (HNI) February 7-9 at the NRG Center Hall E.

Featured athletes include 7-time Olympic competitor and Gold Medalist from Uzbekistan, Oksana Chusovitina, along with World Team Bronze Medalist, American Cup Champion and 2020 Olympic Team hopeful, Yul Moldauer!

Celebrating 40 Years of Dance at the J 

The year 2020 marks the Celebration of 40 Years of Dance at the J at the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston (the J). It was the brain child of Hilda Frank, whose vision and passion for dance initiated Dance Month at the Kaplan Theatre in 1980.

Dance at the J began when the J’s dance department had attracted many interested and talented adult students. These students wanted an opportunity to show their friends and families what they had learned. However, there was never any available time on the J’s Kaplan Theatre stage. Determined to change this, Hilda Frank, the Dance Month Chairperson since its inception, met with the Performing Arts Director, Mark Lit, who offered her the whole month of January. Without giving it any thought, Hilda immediately responded with, “I’ll take it.”

Story Pirates, a national performance group, will perform live in the Kaplan Theatre at the Evelyn Rubenstein JCC of Houston (the J), 5601 S Braeswood on Saturday, January 25 at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, January 26 at 2:00 p.m. as part of the J’s Family Performing Arts Series. The show is intended for children in kindergarten through 5^th grade.

Balance Work for Seniors returns by popular demand for a 10-week series of classes designed to improve balance through the practice of contemporary dance. This unique approach to fall prevention led by University of Houston’s Associate Professor of Dance Teresa Chapman utilizes improvisational dance structures to improve kinesthetic awareness, promote strength and engage critical thinking. Classes will be held on Thursdays from 11:00 AM-12:00 PM at the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston (the J) beginning Thursday, February 20-Thursday, May 7, 2020.

At the end of the musical Showboat on its opening night in 1927 there was no applause from its “dumbfounded” audience, just stunned silence. They didn’t know what to think, having just witnessed the birth of a new art form - American Musical Theater - featuring story, songs and choreography, all integrated into one seamless work. Following Showboat were decades of such classics as Oklahoma, My Fair Lady and Guys and Dolls, yet one related fact is particularly fascinating. The vast majority of these pieces were created by composers, lyricists and writers of Jewish descent: Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein, Richard Rodgers, Stephen Sondheim and Stephen Schwartz, to name only a few. On January 22, the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center’s (the J) Theatre at the J will combine spoken word, video and live musical theater performances in an innovative presentation, Jewish Influences on the Broadway Musical with Debra Dickinson: How a Group of Immigrants and their Culture Helped Create an American Art Form!