Shames JCC

Germany’s Two Summer Olympics On The Global Stage
2021-10-04 10:00 - 11:30 (America/New_York)
Glickman, Stoller, Bergman, Spitz and Cosell. Germany’s Two Summer Olympics On The Global Stage
With award-winning journalist Evan Weiner
There are a few people in Germany who want to see Berlin bid for the 2036 Summer Olympics to mark the 100th anniversary of the Hitler-Nazi Games. The proponents think it could be a teachable time for the word in how propaganda was used to promote the Games and the Nazi regime. The 1936 Olympics in Berlin was described as the finest ever by Avery Brundage who was involved with the Olympics first as an athlete and then the President of the International Olympic Committee. Germany has hosted two Summer Olympics in 1936 and 1972. There was a stain on both athletic competitions.
The 1936 Berlin Olympics was where Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller were denied an opportunity to run and Gretel Bergman was not allowed on the German Olympic team because they were Jewish It is also the story of how some Americans wanted to boycott the Games so it would seems they were not going to legitimize the Nazi regime. It is the story of how an American American athlete Jesse Owners ruined Hitler’s coming-out party. In 1972, the Black September attack. Mark Spitz won his gold medals at Munich and was considered a high-value target as the terrorist attack in the Olympics Village was unfolding. Spitz was whisked out. The International Olympic Committee did not acknowledge the tragedy until 2016.
About Evan Weiner
Evan Weiner Bio: is an award-winning journalist and recognized global expert of the “Politics of Sports Business”. He has a daily video podcast called The Politics of Sports Business. In the United States, he has been a radio commentator, TV pundit on MSNBC, and ABC. He is also an author of 11 books and is a frequent college speaker. He has been a regular on BBC radio as well as Talk Sport London and has been quoted in Bolivian and Australian newspapers. From 1988 until 1992, Evan was a member of the Minnesota North Stars radio broadcast team. In 2007, Evan was selected by the United States Department of State to speak at Texas A & M -George Bush Presidential Library to explain how the American government partners with sports addressing 16 hand selected foreign nationals. He won the 2010 Ronald Reagan Media Award from the United States Sports Academy. In 2015, Evan was featured on the documentary, “The Sons of Ben” about the economic fall of Chester, Pennsylvania and how the city thought a soccer team would be a key to economic revival.

Introduction to the Alexander Technique Workshop
2021-10-14 11:30 - 12:15
What is the Alexander Technique?
A set of skills for releasing tension, improving posture and movement, and increasing well-being.
Dancers, singers, and actors at Julliard all study the AT 2-3 times a week for their entire training. It’s taught at the Mayo Clinic and used by many athletes to improve performance and reduce wear and tear.
How effective is it? Very! Please read more about the proven benefits in the articles below.
Dozens of scientific trials: https://www.amsatonline.org/aws/AMSAT/pt/sp/research
British Medical Journal – https://www.bmj.com/content/337/bmj.a884
For more information, please reach out to Lisa Bruskin at lbruskin@shamesjcc.org.

Creative Aging Workshop with Barbara Stern
2021-10-18 10:00 - 11:00
A workshop associated with the Partnership Innovation for Older Adults Program. Here is an opportunity to explore new options in your life. Learn about supports that are available in Westchester so you can enjoy aging.
Click here for Barbara’s bio.

Great American Standards Song Book with Nicole Pasternak & Hiroshi Yamazaki
2021-10-25 10:00 - 11:00
The duo will explore The Great American Song Book, featuring tried and true standards, as well as revealing some of its lesser-known “hidden gems”.
Nicole Pasternak – Vocalist. Built an appreciative audience in the Northeast and beyond with her honest swinging voice and effortless attitude. In the spirit of singers like Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Rosemary Clooney, and Anita O’Day, she shines on traditional swing songs, renders heartfelt ballads, is a natural improviser, and performs her own compositions. Download her full bio here. She will perform with Jazz Pianist Hiroshi Yamazaki.
Hiroshi Yamazaki: Music Conservatory of Westchester: Faculty since 2002
Performances and Distinctions: A native of Japan, Hiroshi Yamazaki gave his first professional jazz performance at age 22 at the popular S.A.B. Hall in Osaka. Shortly after completing college, he moved to NYC where he studied with the great pianist Buddy Montgomery and forged his own voice as an improviser, composer, and arranger. His New York debut took place in 1988 at the Jazz Center of New York where he appeared with bassist Paul West and drummer Leroy Williams. He has appeared at some of the most popular jazz venues in New York City including the Village Gate, Bluenote, and Birdland. In 1996, he released his debut recording, Sketch Of Bridge, with Ron Carter on bass and Lewis Nash on drums. A second album, We May Say Love, followed in 2000. Currently, Hiroshi performs in the New York region and in Japan with Rufus Reid, Akira Tana, Tony Jefferson, Steve LaSpina, and Andrew Beals. He leads his own jazz groups and serves as a sideman with the Bill Crow Trio.

The Mound Builders of the Eastern United States
2021-11-01 10:00 - 11:30
The Mound Builders of the Eastern United States
with Eugene Boesch
Native American cultures in the Midwestern United States developed elaborate ritual and settlement systems increasingly center on the construction of earthen burial mounds. Over almost two millennia this ritual activity gradually became more complex incorporating not only sacred or religious meaning but economic aspects including the rise of craft specials and extensive region-wide trading networks. What began during the Late Archaic period (3,000 years ago) as small mound sites associated with small hamlets and low populations climaxed with Mississippian culture a thousand years ago into large urban centers with hundreds of mounds multiple stories high that had diverse functions and served scores of thousands of people. Soon after the climax, the entire Mississippian system including mound construction collapse leaving large parts of formerly heavily populated areas almost entirely devoid of people.
Eugene Boesch has undertaken archaeological investigations in the Hudson Valley area for over 30 years. He received a Ph.D. and other graduate degrees from New York University. Dr. Boesch’s work has primarily focused on Pre-Contact period cultures and adaptations in the Eastern Woodlands of North America and on early Euro-American settlement in the Hudson Valley region. He also has worked in Israel, California, and throughout the mid-western United States.

Holocaust Education with Shelley Greenspan
2021-11-08 10:00 - 11:00
Shelly is a member of the Shames JCC and a speaker with the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center in White Plains. “As a daughter of 2 survivors, I tell my parents’ stories from a second-generation perspective. My goal is to increase awareness of the Holocaust and its lessons- to fight antisemitism and bigotry against all marginalized people”

Separation of Church and State with Larry Hine
2021-11-15 10:00 - 11:00
Join us and JCC Member, member of the Old Guard of Westchester, and member of the Americans United for Separation of Church and State to discuss and learn more about the recent efforts to erode the Constitutional principle of the separation of church and state.

American Myths and Stories: A response to Immigration with Laura Chmieleski
2021-11-22 10:00 - 11:00
Dr. Laura M. Chmielewski is an Associate Professor of History and Chair of the History and Museum Studies programs at the State University of New York at Purchase, where she teaches early American, Atlantic World, and public history. She received her Ph.D. from City University of New York. Laura is the author of The Spice of Popery: Converging Christianities on an Early American Frontier (University of Notre Dame Press, 2011), The Atlantic Experience: People, Places, Ideas (with Catherine M. Armstrong: Palgrave McMillan, 2014), and Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet: Exploration, Encounter, and the French New World (Routledge/Taylor & Francis, 2017), as well as several book chapters and anthologized essays. She was a Historian-in-Residence at History Hudson Valley, a consortium of historic properties, and part of the team that created the award-winning, National Endowment for the Humanities-funded “People Not Property: Slavery in the North” web resource.

Her current scholarly project is a study of the intersections of early American religion and maritime commerce, an exploration of Colonial Williamsburg’s rhetorical uses, and a social history of Catholic people in colonial America. Laura’s presentation today focuses on the Colonial Revival movement of the late 19th – early 20th centuries and the ways its creators sought to recast – and in some cases rewrite completely – the nation’s colonial past. New interpretations of its buildings and artifacts were designed with the special goal of educating immigrants from eastern and southern Europe on what it meant to be an American. This was also a consumer movement meant to create new “markets” in historical materials, and its evidence can be seen in multiple aspects of American life ranging from furniture and home design to travel and theatrical experiences!

Cemeteries of Westchester with Patrick Raftery
2021-11-29 10:00 - 11:00
Patrick Raftery, WCHS Librarian, is considered one of the leading authorities on the The Cemeteries of Westchester County and the Bronx, and has authored 6 volumes on the subject. In this 60-minute illustrated slideshow he describes the different types of burial grounds, tombstones and funeral customs, while detailing some of Westchester’s many and fascinating “final resting places.” 50 minutes.

Music of the 50s Part I with David Cheney
2021-12-06 10:00 - 11:00
Music of the 50s was in some ways more revolutionary than 60s music in that it blew away centuries of accumulated racial and social proprieties in America and around the world. US pop charts in the early 50s were dominated by remnants of 40s big band era, with simple and melodic ballads by such vocalists as Patti Page and Frank Sinatra. But everything changed in 1955 with the release of Rock Around the Clock. The new R&R, the birthright of the baby boomers, united black and white teens in a common culture and softened their prejudices–while dividing teens from their parents, the mass media, and even the govt. Join us as trace the evolution of 50s music in three sessions (early, mid, and late 50s) and share memories of a seemingly simpler and happier time.

Music of the 50s Part II with David Cheney
2021-12-13 10:00 - 11:00

Music of the 50s Part III with David Cheney
2021-12-20 10:00 - 11:00

Escaping Nazis and the Taliban: We Are All Refugees
2022-01-03 10:00 - 11:00
Join us for a special program on the Afghan refugee crisis, featuring Holly Rosen Fink, President and Co-Founder of Westchester Jewish Coalition for Immigration (WJCI), Manny Lindenbaum, Holocaust survivor and former refugee; and Sameem and Fari Samyousuf, two Afghan refugees who served for the American military and came to America on Special Immigrant Visas.
Find out more about their lives and their work and learn how you can help improve the lives of refugees within our own borders.
Holly Rosen Fink is President and co-founder of the Westchester Jewish Coalition for Immigration. She is a psychotherapist and lives in Larchmont with her family.
Fariha Taaj is from Afghanistan and came to the United States through SIV program in 2020. Currently working at the White Plains Hospital.
Sameem Yousufzada is from Afghanistan and came to the United States through SIV program in 2020. Currently working at the White Plains Hospital.
Manny Lindenbaum survived the Holocaust and was on the Kindertranport. HiIAS resettled him in America.
This event costs $5 to attend in-person and free on Zoom.

Special MLK Renard: The Book of Esther in Art: Race, Religion and Resistance
2022-01-10 10:00 - 11:00
In anticipation of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday, this slide lecture exams the various images inspired by the Book of Esther in terms of racial difference, religious doctrine, and activism in Jewish and Christian art, from Dura Europos Synagogue (c. 244 C.E.) to contemporary works. Beth S. Gersh-Nešić, Ph.D. is an art historian and the director of the New York Arts Exchange, an arts education service. She specializes in 19th century, modern and contemporary art. Currently, she teaches art history at Mercy College. Her most recent publication is Pablo Picasso and André Salmon: The Painter, the Poet and the Portraits (Za Mir Press, 2019¬). Beth is a staff writer for Bonjour Paris, an online magazine.

Nature As a Sanctuary: Seeking Refuge in the Pandemic
2022-01-24 10:00 - 11:00
Pamela-Kolber Zicca will share the pathway of healing through her stories and photography displayed in her book, Nature As a Sanctuary: Seeking Refuge in the Pandemic. Her little gem of a book is a reminder that life is all around us if we only know how to look. Pam is a passionate lover of nature, a photographer, and a swim and aqua aerobics instructor. In addition to her job as a swim instructor, the pandemic allowed Pam to explore her love of both nature and photography. For her, nature was a true sanctuary during the pandemic giving her peace, inspiration and hope when she was furloughed from work in March of 2020. Her experience of nature as a sanctuary further inspired her to create a facebook group Nature Through the Senses on April 23, 2020.
People from all over the area post their beautiful nature images and have become part of a community that stays connected through love of nature and photography. Pamela Kolber-Zicca is a proud sister, aunt, wife and mother living minutes away from the Hudson River where she can be found very early in the morning , camera in hand, photographing nature.

Meet the Town of Greenburgh Clerk Judith Beville and Get Involved in Your Community!
2022-01-31 10:00 - 11:00
Civic Engagement – Greenburgh Town Clerk Judith Beville will discuss the various boards and committees through which residents may become engaged in local government and the Greenburgh Town Hall Summer Internship Program.

Millionaire’s Row on the Palisades: A Glimpse of the Gilded Edge
2022-02-07 10:00 - 11:00
Artists, captains of industry, showmen — all were among the men and women who, from the time of the Civil War through the Great Depression, had unique and often lavish homes built upon the precipices of the New Jersey Palisades. Using newly discovered letters and diaries they have transcribed from the Miles family, historical interpreter Eric Nelsen will bring the story of the grand estates — and the families and servants who lived at them — into vibrant focus. Eric Nelsen was hired as a seasonal employee at the Palisades Interstate Park in New Jersey in 1992. He earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Montclair State University in 1997, and the next year became a full-time historical interpreter at the park. He oversees the park’s historic Kearney House, where he’s helped to develop a unique “living history” program based on the house’s role as a nineteenth-century Hudson River tavern and homestead. In the office, he supervises park publications, including the njpalisades.org website, brochures, and interpretive signs. On days off, Eric enjoys being outdoors, getting into or onto the water, cycling, and time travel.

I Love Lucy: How Lucille Ball Became The Most Powerful Businesswoman in Hollywood with Evan Weiner
2022-02-14 10:00 - 11:00
Lucille Ball should never have been a Hollywood studio mogul. She was told she didn’t have it to be an actress, she ended up proving herself in a Three Stooges short. She was a B movie star who married Desi Arnaz and nearly divorced. Her movie career was done by she was 35. She went into radio, had some success and was offered a chance at TV. There were more obstacles and the Lucy show nearly never got on the air. There was a communist scare, the divorce all of which led her to a starring role. The most powerful businesswoman in Hollywood.
Evan is a speaker, author, with a radio and TV background. He has about 25 topics and has spoken globally. In 2007, the Department of State sent him to talk to foreign nationals at the George Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas to speak about the politics of sports business in America. Evan Weiner started his journalism career at the age of 15 by hosting a Spring Valley High School talk show on WRKL Radio, Mount Ivy, N.Y. in 1971. Read more about Evan.

Telling A Different Story: How An Attorney Found Her Voice As A Novelist
2022-02-28 10:00 - 11:30
Telling A Different Story: How An Attorney Found Her Voice As A Novelist. For over twenty-five years, Reyna Marder Gentin practiced law, representing children and domestic violence victims in the Family Court and, for most of her career, representing indigent defendants appealing their criminal convictions. In this presentation, Reyna will discuss how she found her passion as a novelist, transforming her knowledge of the law into writing fiction with a legal bent. Reyna will discuss the inspiration for her three published books and their themes, as well as the writing process, creating a community. and what she’s learned about the publishing and promoting of books along the way.
Reyna has studied at the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College, and her work has been published widely online and in print. Her debut novel, UNREASONABLE DOUBTS, was named a finalist for the Women’s Fiction Writers Association Star Award in 2019. Her first middle grade novel, MY NAME IS LAYLA, came out in January, 2021, and School Library Journal noted that “Layla’s struggles at school and home are authentically depicted, and readers who face their own challenges will relate.” Layla won the 2021 gold medal in the Moonbeam Children’s Awards in pre-teen fiction. Reyna’s latest novel, BOTH ARE TRUE, was published in October, 2021. Nicola Krauss, co-author of THE NANNY DIARIES, called BOTH ARE TRUE a “moving novel that examines what it means to start over–with surprising consequences.” Reyna lives with her family in Scarsdale, New York.

French Kickboxing
2022-03-06 10:30
S’il vous plaît join us for an hour of French Kickboxing! French Kickboxing, also known as Savate, is a style of martial arts that has evolved from French street fighting. This aeroboxing demo will incorporate aerobic training and introduce students to some moves and techniques—without special equipment or physical contact.

Leading Women of Westchester, of Stage, Film, and Television with Barbara Davis
2022-03-07 10:00 - 11:30
Beginning with the silent movie stars of the Thanhouser Films Company in New Rochelle (1909 – 1918) and D. W, Griffith’s studios in Mamaroneck (1919- 1924), Westchester has been home to some of America’s finest actresses in film, stage and television. In this digital slide presentation, the lives and careers of many of these women and the allure of our Westchester communities, will be covered. You will be amazed at the number of stars who have made Westchester their home. (60 -90 minutes)

Archaeology and the American Revolution in the Mid and Lower Hudson Valley with Eugene Boesch
2022-03-14 10:00 - 11:30
Well-known and little-known Revolutionary War sites Historic sites in the Lower and Mid Hudson Valley and their importance to our Revolutionary heritage will be discussed including the Battle of White Plains and the Battle of Pelham, fights that saved the Revolution.

Gym and Fitness Hours Extended for Fridays
2022-03-18
Fridays will now include extended hours- gym and fitness center will remained opened until 7:45

Reflections on the Refugee Experience: Past, Present and Future
2022-03-20 15:00 - 16:30
Join us for a special opportunity to hear the voices of refugees in our community, and learn what you can do to support them.
About this event
More people than ever before are displaced from their homes due to crises, and displacement lasts longer than ever. Welcoming the stranger has long been a core legacy of our country, and a central Jewish value–one repeated more times than any other commandment in the Torah.
Refugee Shabbat, a project by HIAS and sponsored by the Westchester Jewish Coalition for Immigration (WJCI), brings congregations, organizations and individuals in the United States and around the world together during the month of March to dedicate an experience to refugees and asylum seekers. This year, the Shames JCC on the Hudson, the JCC of Mid-Westchester and WJCI invite you to hear the stories of three refugees and learn about some of the actions we can take right here in our Westchester community to support recently arrived refugees.
Please bring a packet of diapers to donate to a local newly arrived refugee family, an effort coordinated by WJCI.
Childcare is available free of charge for a limited number of participants!
Must show proof of vaccination; masks are optional.

Kids Flourless Chocolate Cake Online Workshop
2022-03-20 16:30 - 17:30
Free Event. For ages 10-17
Learn to make flourless chocolate cake with Berkshire Hills Culinary Camp directory Adam SaNogueira in this free online workshop. Adam SaNogueira is a masterful chef who loves summer camp. He trained at Michelin star restaurants in Italy and has been an internationally sought after private chef, run commercial kitchens, led a jam and pickle production business and of course spent many years at camp. Adam is excited to share his passion for food and all the ways that food builds community and connects us to the environment.

Gross National Happiness: A New Measure for Countries with David Cheney
2022-03-21 10:00 - 11:30
Bhutan is known for using an unconventional measure of development since 1972: Gross National Happiness (GNH). Rather than using traditionally narrow economic criteria, Bhutan assesses its well-being on the basis of sustainable and equitable socio-economic development, environmental protection, promotion of culture, and good governance. Bhutan’s use of the GNH principles helped mobilize its whole population to avoid even a single COVID-19 death in 2020. Its positive experience offers lessons for other countries and spawned the World Population Review’s Happiness Report in 2002, which assesses the level of happiness in 149 countries.

Community Wardrobe Drop Off
2022-03-26 11:00 - 14:30
The J is thrilled to announce our new partnership with the Community Wardrobe, a joint initiative between the PTA of Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow and the Village of Sleepy Hollow. The Community Wardrobe provides local families in need with good clothes free of charge through a dignified shopping experience.
The Community Wardrobe clothed 340 families in its first year (2021). We are delighted to be the Community Wardrobe’s new home!
Looking to support this initiative? The Community Wardrobe is currently seeking donations for spring-weather clothes (good condition only) from 3/26- 3/29
If you are interested in volunteer opportunities, please write communitywardrobe@horsemenpta.com.

Prenatal Yoga (FREE Workshop)
2022-03-27 16:30 - 17:30
This workshop is designed to support the journey to birth. Students will be guided through a yoga practice specifically tailored to support the pregnant body and alleviate the discomforts of pregnancy. Students will also be offered breathing and meditation practices. The combination of these practices is intended to support the mind, the body, and the heart as one prepares for both the physical and emotional aspects of birth and new motherhood. Class begins with a voluntary brief check-in where students are invited to connect with one another in this shared experience. This vital part of the practice helps to build community. This class is suitable for all levels.
About Tori Cronk
Tori has been teaching group and private yoga sessions and facilitating women’s circles in the Rivertowns for the past 7 years. Since becoming a yoga teacher, Tori has been able to combine her background in mental health with her knowledge of the sacred practices of yoga and meditation, a unique combination that allows her to facilitate an experience for folks where they feel seen and heard.
In addition to teaching Hatha-based yoga classes, Tori is passionate about building community through the practices of pre and post-natal yoga. These specific classes support students in their journey to parenthood and beyond. Tori believes that when a safe and brave space is created in the community a transformative experience is possible.
Tori is also the founder and facilitator of The Yoga Gathering for Mothers, an intimate group for hopeful, new, and experienced mothers that gather to move, breathe, connect, support, and nourish each other through community.
Tori holds certifications in vinyasa yoga (Riverstone Yoga), pre and post-natal yoga (Yoga Haven), and trauma-informed yoga (Exhale to Inhale and Crossover Yoga Project). Tori also holds a Masters Degree in Mental Health Counseling from Pace University.
Contact Jillian Greenberg: jgreenberg@shamesjcc.org.

Art Lecture with Suzanne Altman
2022-03-28 10:00 - 11:30
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is showing an exhibit of American Artist Winslow Homer’s iconic work in oil and watercolors. Renowned for his powerful paintings of American life and scenery, Winslow Homer (1836-1910) remains a beloved and consequential figure whose art continues to appeal to broad audiences. The centerpiece of the exhibition is Homer’s iconic The Gulf Stream, a painting that reveals his lifelong engagement with charged subjects of race, politics, nature, and the environment. Featuring approximately 90 oils and watercolors, Crosscurrents represents the largest critical overview of Homer’s art and life in more than a quarter of a century. Suzanne will give us a lecture on the life and work of Homer that pairs with this exhibit.
Suzanne Altman is an art educator and art historian who has presented art and art history programs throughout Rockland, Bergen and Westchester counties, for both adult and teenage audiences. She is also a painter who works out of her studio and art school in Ossining, NY and exhibits frequently.
