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 ??? The Simcha Club meets four times a year at Brith Sholom on a Wednesday at noon.  The Simcha Club is for anyone in the Jewish community who is seventy or older (we do not card).  The Simcha Club includes a koshe, meat lunch ($5) and a program of Jewish music.  If you need a ride, please call Jewish Family Service 610-821-8722 or Brith Sholom 610-866-8009.  The next meeting of the Simcha Club is Wednesday, June 13, at noon and will feature Cantor Ellen Sussman. 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