Welcome to the Simcha Club In the June 2008 edition of the Brith Sholom Bulletin, my article (full text below) was entitled: Farewell Leisure Group … Welcome ??? I began by pointing out that “on June 4, 2008 we will say farewell to the Brith Sholom Leisure Group.” After at least thirty-five years, the time had come to make some changes in our programming for the more senior members of our community. The intention was never to stop all programming for those of retirement age and beyond. But we felt a need to initiate changes and innovations to improve attendance while maintaining a broad sense of community. Now I am most pleased to announce the start of the Simcha Club for Jewish seniors aged seventy and above (we will not be carding people at the door). The Simcha Club is being sponsored jointly by Brith Sholom and Keneseth Israel congregations in cooperation with Jewish Family Service for any member of the extended Lehigh Valley Jewish community, whether they belong to a synagogue or not. The Simcha Club is for social companionship in a Jewish setting. The Simcha Club will meet four times a year and include a kosher luncheon for $3 and a short program. Cantor Ellen Sussman of Congregation Keneseth Israel and I will coordinate each event. We both recognize that transportation is an issue for many of those in the target age group. Therefore, if you want to attend a Simcha Club gathering and need a ride, you may call Cantor Sussman, me or Jewish Family Service who has also agreed to help provide transportation. The first two Simcha Club programs have been scheduled for Wednesdays, September 9 and December 16 at noon. At the first Simcha Club meeting, which will be held at Brith Sholom on September 9, Cantor Sussman will provide a musical program. We recognize that the Simcha Club will not meet the needs of all. Please look elsewhere in this Bulletin for a survey of programming options. The Brith Sholom Board is eager to offer programs that will meet members’ interests and needs. We need YOU to tell us what those are. Rabbi Allen Juda   Farewell Leisure Group … Welcome ??? On June 4, 2008 we will say farewell to the Brith Sholom Leisure Group. I am not certain when it began, but it was at least thirty-five years ago. When I first came to Bethlehem, Leisure Group members repeatedly impressed upon me that the formal name was “the Over 50 Leisure Group.” For years, the group met twice a month and regularly attracted large crowds from across the Lehigh Valley. But much has changed since the last decades of the twentieth century. First, it became obvious that meeting twice a month and in the winter were no longer desirable and the switch was made to meeting only on the first Wednesday of each month from March through December. As time went on and the number of those in attendance declined, we became aware that several older members of the congregation, even those above 70 or 80 or 90 years of age, let alone any in their 50s or 60s, were not interested in the Leisure Group. It also became more difficult to find individuals who would lead or program for the organization. Nearly two decades ago, I asked Willie and Roz Rosenberg, of blessed memory, and Bea, of blessed memory, and Leo Pozefsky to assume positions of responsibility for the Leisure Group and Brith Sholom engaged Bernice Harris to provide programming and direction. They each made major contributions and Leo has remained as president for the past many years with Bernice at his side. But deaths and different societal norms have left too few members to continue the meetings in their current format. As I look back over the last three decades and more, I know that the Leisure Group provided a great deal of positive and meaningful social, educational, cultural and religious programming for its members. There are many people to thank for the Leisure Group’s success for so many years. I doubtless will leave out some names due to ignorance or memory lapses and I apologize in advance. I am going to mention only first names to minimize my offending people, but hope that those who have been a part of the community for a long time will recognize the references. Many of those who contributed their time and talents to the Leisure Group are no longer with us, but their efforts are of enduring value. And so, thank you to: Betty and Diane, Hennie and Mack, Albert and Gert, Henry, Alice, Jacob and Selma, Bill, Karen and Joyce, Willie and Roz, Leo and Bea and, of course, Bernice; and to all those who cooked and baked and called and served and cleaned over the years. As a result of the Community Demographic Survey which we recently concluded, we know for certain that the largest population group in the Lehigh Valley Jewish community is the 50 – 64 age cohort. In addition, a substantial percentage of the community is 65 years and older. If the monthly Leisure Group format is no longer desirable, the challenge for Brith Sholom is to determine if there are program alternatives that would appeal to those who are fifty and older and especially to the retired population. I hope those who are in these older, but not necessarily old, age cohorts will give this some thought and share ideas with me. Please think creatively, both about the contents of programs and the frequency with which they might occur. As difficult as it may be for some to say farewell to the Leisure Group, I prefer to view this as an opportunity to say hello and welcome to new programming options. We need and want YOUR input to develop them. Rabbi Allen Juda