O pinion
Coming Home to the Kaiserman JCC
BY DAN HOROWITZ
AT FIRST GLANCE, my
decision to become a member
of the board of directors of
the Kaiserman JCC may seem
odd. After all, I am raising my
family in Wilmington, where
we are active members of the
Siegel JCC. When I shared this
news with Siegel JCC CEO Ivy
Harlev, she gave me a puzzled
look and said, “But you still live
and work here?”
As I explained, the
Kaiserman JCC is where my
passion is and where I can do
the most good. I basically grew
up there: I went to Kaiserman’s
preschool and camp as a child,
and they gave me my first job
as a seventh-grader when I
JCC, and joining the board
feels like a homecoming. I also
believe that serving on the
board embraces the concept of
philanthropy, which is defined
as, “the desire to promote the
welfare of others, expressed
especially by the generous
donation of money to good
causes.” My knowledge of the
Kaiserman JCC’s history runs
deep, and having another
community as a basis for
comparison has been helpful.

The two Jewish communi-
ties are extremely different:
Wilmington has a small but
close-knit Jewish community
with only a few synagogues
and a single fledgling day
school, but the thriving
Siegel JCC feels like the true
center of the Jewish commu-
nity. The Kaiserman JCC is
part of a community that
has a plethora of specialized
Jewish institutions that take
on many functions that are
often handled by the JCC in
smaller communities like
Wilmington. This has required the
Kaiserman JCC to reinvent
place to swim, but partnering
with the JCC would.

The abundance of special-
ized Jewish institutions
arguably makes the traditional
“town square” function of a
JCC even more important:
Without a common gathering
place, there’s a risk that too
much of a silo effect will set in,
and people at different points
on the Jewish communal
spectrum won’t have the
opportunity to get to know
each other and appreciate each
other’s perspectives.

Before joining the board,
my knowledge of the happen-
ings at the Kaiserman JCC
consisted mostly of Exponent
headlines that most of you are
familiar with. Now that I have
gotten a deeper understanding
of the current state of the insti-
tution, I am optimistic about
its future. As difficult as it was
to read about the layoffs at the
beginning of the pandemic, I
now see that as the turning
point that will result in the JCC
emerging from the pandemic
stronger than it went into it.

There is still much work to
be done, but I’m encouraged by
This has required the Kaiserman JCC to reinvent itself to demonstrate
its continued relevance to both the surrounding community and its
institutions. became scorekeeper for the
basketball leagues. In high
school, I went on to work at the
control desk, front office, camp
and the afterschool program.

I learned all kinds of life
lessons, such as the importance
of treating the maintenance
staff with dignity and respect
and how to get along with
a difficult boss. I also felt a
huge sense of accomplish-
ment when I was able to earn
enough money to pay for a
foreign exchange trip to France
entirely on my own.

In short, I wouldn’t be the
person I am today without the
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM itself to demonstrate its
continued relevance to both
the surrounding community
and its institutions. A good
way to do that is to approach
the other organizations in the
community as collaborators
rather than competitors and
help them fulfill functions
that would not be possible or
practicable for them to fulfill
on their own.

For example, it wouldn’t
make sense for an Orthodox
shul to build a swimming
pool so that congregants that
cannot swim with members of
the opposite sex can have a
what I’ve seen so far and look
forward to charting the path
forward along with my fellow
board members and new CEO
Alan Scher.

We still have some open
seats at the table, though, and
I’d love nothing more than for
some of my fellow “alumni”
to join us. As we celebrate the
Kaiserman JCC’s 50th anniver-
sary, to all those that were once
a part of this great institution
and to those that never have
been, I say, “Welcome home.” l
Dan Horowitz is an attorney in
Delaware. JEWISH EXPONENT
KVETCH ’N’ KVELL
Thanks to the Exponent
I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS my appreciation for the coverage
by the Jewish Exponent of developments within the community.

The selection of Michael Balaban and Jeffrey Lasday to
positions of high responsibility in the Jewish community bodes
well for the future of our communal life. Both bring consider-
able professional skill and experience, together with deep Jewish
commitments to their service.

It is also heartening to see the serious attention paid by the
Exponent to transitional moments in professional Jewish leader-
ship. The death of Hazzan Joseph Levine was marked in a way
that does justice to a life of scholarship and clinical excellence.

On a happier note, the articles about the appointment of
Zev Eleff as president of Gratz College, the retirements of two
distinguished educators, Sharon Levin and Judy Groner, and
the engagement of their successors, Rabbi Marshall Lesack and
Mitchell Daar, pay appropriate tribute to dedicated communal
servants. As an educative media organ, the Exponent mirrors the
respect deserved by those who labor to enhance the quality of
Jewish life.

Saul P. Wachs | Rosalyn B. Feinstein Emeritus
Professor of Education and Liturgy, Gratz College
‘Maus’ Controversial in Past, Too
I believe that I was fired from teaching a course on the Holocaust
to seventh graders because I wanted to use Art Spiegelman’s
“Maus” (“The Meaning of the ‘Maus’ Removal,” Feb. 3) instead
of an “X-Men” comic book used in the past.

Robert Shapiro | Maple Shade, New Jersey
More on Henry Ford
At 91, and having worked and contributed to Jewish Federation
and all Philadelphia Jewish charities for 65 years, I am appalled
and dismayed and disheartened about your Exponent article
about two of the greatest antisemites in American history
(“Edison-Ford Winter Gardens,” Jan. 27).

Despite their wonderful business and inventive genius, they
were two evil men. In their beautiful garden and cottage, they
probably were talking about the Jewish bankers and publishers
“taking over the world.”
Why would you glamorize them and invite Jewish tourists to
visit? In their time, there was probably not one Jew in a Fortune 400
corporation. l
Robert B. Golder | Boca Raton, Florida
STATEMENT FROM THE PUBLISHER
We are a diverse community. The views expressed in the signed opinion columns and let-
ters to the editor published in the Jewish Exponent are those of the authors. They do
not necessarily reflect the views of the officers and boards of the Jewish Publishing
Group, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia or the Jewish Exponent. Send
letters to letters@jewishexponent.com or fax to 215-569-3389. Letters should be a
maximum of 200 words and may be edited for clarity and brevity. Unsigned letters will not be
published. FEBRUARY 10, 2022
15