Join us for Boulder ‘s 1st ever Chanukah on ice!  Don your Skates and glide the ice to the electrifying beat of popular Chanukah songs.  Enjoy fun skating games.  After the community skate, take part in making history as we host the first ever Public Menorah Lighting in Louisville, featuring menorah-lighter Rich Schad.  Rich spins 4 questions for us:

1) How many years have you lived in Louisville or Boulder County? Since 1979 when Louisville had no market, 1 stop light, and South Boulder Road was one lane in each direction.

2) Can you tell us what the early years were like in Boulder? In the Early years, B.C., (Before Carly) we attended Hillel Services with Rabbi Weitzner and were one of the founding families at Bonai Shalom.

 3) What different organizations did you volunteer for? The list includes Federation (on Board several times and Boulder campaign chair for 8 years), Bonai Shalom board, Jewish Family Service, CAJE, Boulder Jewish Day School (sigh!), and in the general community, LAM Foundation, Hospice, Exempla Good Samaritan, Colorado Therapy Animals, Balfour Cherrywood, Frasier Meadows, and Delta Pet Partners.

 4) What is your favorite Chanukah memory?  Best gift was a bicycle I received in third grade which my father put together while I slept – second best gift was in second grade, an American Flyer train set, which I promptly waxed the tracks (you know the expression good intentions – it stopped the train dead in its tracks and my father spent a different night cleaning the tracks – I created the The Little Engine That Couldn’t). The worst gifts were the fat-free, sugar-free, cholesterol-free jelly donuts, and the Herring of the Month club.

Thanks, Rich!  Spin your draidel and make sure to land at Chanukah on Ice on December 26 from 3:30-5:30 pm at WinterSkate in downtown Louisville . Event  is open to all ages. Special discounted Chanukah rate of $4 for kids and  $5 for adults. Delicious Sufganiyot and hot drinks to be served after lighting.

Sponsored by Chabad of Boulder County, Shalom Baby, Shalom Family,  Boulder Creek Events and Boulder Jewish News.

Professor David Shneer receives Menorah check from Program Director Kathryn Bernheimer.

When Menorah decided to honor Professor David Shneer at its bi-annual fundraiser, New York, New York, the reasons were obvious. David has been a great friend and partner for Menorah: Arts, Culture and Education at the Boulder JCC.  We all just love the guy. He’s a first-rate scholar, a talented teacher, a creative thinker, a man who makes things happen, and a mensch.

But Menorah also wanted to acknowledge a specific accomplishment that is radically altering the landscape of Jewish Boulder. Under his direction, the Program in Jewish Studies has grown exponentially and stands poised to become a department. This is a game-changer for our community, and we wanted to tangibly demonstrate our appreciation for his contribution. The idea to create a scholarship in Menorah’s name was thus born.

Last week, Menorah presented a $1,000 check to the Program in Jewish Studies to fund a scholarship to a deserving student who has shown excellence in Jewish cultural arts. By becoming the first Boulder organization to create a scholarship, we hope we will encourage other institutions and individuals to financially support the Program in Jewish Studies. We don’t think of it as a gift. We think of it as an investment in the future.

We also thank everyone who supported Menorah and helped make New York, New York such a success. We trust you are pleased that we passed a portion of our proceeds on to honor David’s commitment to educating the next generation of Jews. We look forward to enhancing Jewish life in Boulder together.

The University of Colorado Boulder’s

The ideal candidate will have native or near-native Hebrew fluency in all areas, Hebrew-language teaching experience, ideally at the university level, and a master’s degree.

Applicants should email a cover letter, resume, one-page teaching statement, and names and contact information for three references to Janis.Kaufman@colorado.edu.  Review of applications to begin Wednesday, October 19.

University of Colorado student Carly Coons has studied abroad in Jerusalem, interned at a Jewish summer camp over the summer and is nearly fluent in Hebrew.

The international affairs student, who is also earning a minor in religious studies, is among the growing number of students at CU-Boulder who have taken a particular interest in Jewish studies.

When CU first began its Jewish Studies program in 2007, about a dozen students pursued the certificate. Now, 75 students are enrolled in the certificate program, and the Board of Regents will decide whether the Boulder campus can allow students to major and minor in the area of study. The decision could come as early as November when the regents meet.

Read the whole article, by Brittany Anas, here at the Daily Camera site.

Menorah Director Kathryn Bernheimer with husband Stan Kreis at "New York, New York"

More than 150 people took a quick – and incredibly inexpensive – trip to New York City on Sunday night, courtesy of Menorah. “New York, New York,” a fundraiser featuring the sights, sounds and tastes of the Big Apple, was designed as a lively celebration showcasing Menorah’s passion for cultural arts and commitment to community building.

As Menorah’s executive director, I was deeply gratified to be in a room with 150 friends and colleagues, enjoying a party created with my creative cohorts. The show of support for Menorah and for our honoree, Professor David Shneer, exemplified the terrific community spirit we are fortunate to enjoy in Boulder.

The event was the result of a lot of hard work coupled with extraordinary good will, and I am grateful to be part of our amazing Boulder Jewish community. In his comments following his tribute by Boulder JCC executive director Jonathan Lev, David Shneer eloquently spoke about the value of gratitude.

I could not agree more. We are all fortunate to be here together in this time and place. It is a time of exciting growth, as the JCC stands poised to build the kind of facility this community deserves, and as the CU Program in Jewish Studies is on the brink of becoming a full-fledged department.

I am so lucky to have the opportunity to help shape the community I am part of. Thank you all for your good cheer, friendship and shared dedication to our future.

And for those who missed the event, here is the trivia contest that accompanied dessert. Send it to your New York friends! Answers will be posted tomorrow.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK TRIVIA CONTEST

1. Q: Which two New York-born baseball players famously refused to play on Yom Kippur?

2. Q: What New York arrival point is named after a half-Jewish politician?

3. Q: What is the fare on the Staten Island Ferry?

4. Q: Who is Dr. Zismor?

5. Q: What comes next in this series: 34, 28, 23, 14, 8 …

6. Q: What do New Yorkers call the Avenue of the Americas?

7. Q: What is the largest group of immigrants that settled in New York?

8. Q: If the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty had his way, where would the Statue be located?

9. Q: What is the world’s largest synagogue?

10. Q: The first bike path in the US was created on what New York thoroughfare?

11. Q: What game was played at the Polo Grounds?

12. Q: What is the origin of Wall Street’s name?

13. Q: What nickname did Brighton Beach acquire in the 1970s?

14. Q: Which of the following is NOT an acronym for a New York City neighborhood: Soho, DUMBO, Nolita, and Redho?

15. Q: What is the largest park in New York City?

16. Q: Which of these novels is NOT set in New York? “Native Son,” “The Age of Innocence,” “The Great Gatsby,” “Washington Square.”

l-r: BJCC ED Jonathan Lev; Building Committee co-chair Roberta Levin; Angie Milewski, Principal Landscape Architect, LEED AP - (bha Design Incorporated), Ken Field, AIA, LEED AP (RB+B); Rebecca Spears, AIA, LEED AP (RB+B); Architecture Committee Chair Kellie Zell and Building Committee Logistics Coordinator Scott Peppet

On Tuesday night, September 13, over 50 people gathered at the Boulder Jewish Community Center, where the BJCC and its architects unveiled its latest plans and designs for their new facility, long planned for the property at the southeast corner of Arapahoe and Cherryvale.  Attendees were able to preview preliminary drawings of the new building design and give their feedback on all aspects of the project.

I’m so thrilled that we are at the point to receive input from the community.  The turnout and the level of depth people brought to the conversation was incredible,” said Jonathan Lev, Executive Director of the Boulder JCC.

The feedback that the community offered will be brought into the design process as the Building Committee, led by Roberta and David Levin, moves forward.

The BJCC is working with Fort Collins based architects RB+B.

The passion that we saw and the clear commitment of the community to share their thoughts last night was wonderful.  We are honored to be an integral part of this project” said Rebecca Spears, Senior Associate from RB+B.

The BJCC is aiming to submit drawings to the city by the end of October and begin construction in the fall of 2012.

With an overall campaign goal of $20 million, the BJCC is in the final stages of fundraising for Phase I. To date, approximately $14.6 million has been pledged toward the Phase I goal of $16 million by just over 240 families. In Phase I, $11 million is designated for all costs associated with building and construction, $2.5 million represents the value of the land, and $2.5 million is earmarked for an endowment fund to support the increased costs that are associated with operating a new facility.  The remaining $4 million of the overall goal is to fund the gymnasium ($2 million) and a community pool ($2 million) which will be raised in future phases.

After ten years of being involved with the JCC and hearing about the new building at the Jewish Commons, it is wonderful to see the plans and the funding all coming together. It looks amazing,” said Steve Ellis, longtime supporter of the Boulder JCC.

To learn more about the building project and how you can get involved, please visit www.boulderjccbuilding.org or contact Jonathan Lev at jonathan@boulderjcc.org.

Here are more photos from the evening:

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David Shneer, first holder of Singer Chair in Jewish History. (Photo by Glenn Asakawa/University of Colorado)

To honor a father who stoked their love of history and respect for civil rights, Boulder sisters and University of Colorado Boulder alumnae Midge Korczak and Leslie Singer Lomas have donated $2 million to endow the Louis P. Singer Endowed Chair in Jewish History at CU-Boulder.

The chair supports a distinguished senior faculty position in perpetuity, and adds substantially to the momentum and presence of the Jewish Studies Program.

At a time when globalization has become a buzz word for making our university international, the Singer Chair in Jewish History ensures that CU students will be able to study the history of the world’s oldest global people long into the future,” said program Director David Shneer, associate professor of history.

Shneer will be the inaugural Singer chairholder.

Though the Jewish Studies Program was launched at CU-Boulder just four years ago, course offerings already have more than tripled and enrollment exceeds 700 students each semester. Subtopics range from Jews Under Islam to Women and Jewish Law, to five courses in Modern Hebrew. Outreach events such as the Week of Jewish Culture annually bring renowned thinkers and culture-makers to Boulder.

With this gift, CU-Boulder becomes one of just six U.S. public universities (17 in all) to have established a chair in Jewish history. By supporting a faculty position in perpetuity, endowed chairs can boost recruitment and signify stability for university programs. “Jewish studies may be a hot topic this year or next year, but who knows down the road?” said Korczak. “We wanted to establish some permanence to the program, and endowing a chair helps to do this.”

Louis Singer (Singer Family Photo)

The sisters made the gift to honor their father, Louis P. Singer, who was a partner in the over-the-counter securities firm Troster-Singer and who had a keen personal interest in intellectual debate, philanthropy and civil rights. He cared deeply about education and early on recognized the importance of institutions fostering an understanding of diverse religions and cultures. The Singer Chair was created in his memory with the hope that its establishment will make it possible for students at the University of Colorado to better appreciate the history of the Jewish people.

“He was very modest and humble,” Korczak said. “I can’t think of another way to honor him that would make him happier than to make this gift.”

This gift is among more than 200,000 received by the University of Colorado since the 2006 outset of “Creating Futures” — an unprecedented $1.5 billion fundraising campaign to support teaching, research, outreach and health programs on CU’s four campuses.