COMMUNITY NEWS
The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia mobilizes financial
and volunteer resources to address the communities’ most critical
priorities locally, in Israel and around the world.

to Philadelphia and what organizations
or Marc Prine, building a vibrant
and programs are here in our backyard
Jewish community within Philadelphia
that might fl ourish with some investment.

is paramount.

I believe that the innovative piece of our
As the chair of the Jewish Federation
work is the ability to continue building the
of Greater Philadelphia’s Committee for
most dynamic community possible.

Jewish Life and Learning, also known
as CJLL, Prine works with professional
February is Jewish Disability Awareness
staff to recognize and award grants to
and Inclusion Month. How is the Jewish
institutions, organizations and initiatives
Federation working to make Jewish
focused on formal and informal Jewish
spaces more welcoming and accessible?
educational experiences.

The Jewish Federation has done a lot of
“Without Jewish life and learning, we
work to ensure our community is welcom-
are just a large Jewish population in a
ing and accessible to every Jew who
city — not a Jewish community,” said
wants to be an active member of our
Prine, who is also on the board of trust-
Marc Prine speaks at NextGen’s Ben Gurion Society Wine and
community. Jewish Learning Venture’s
ees and serves as chair emeritus on the
Whiskey Night.

Whole Community Inclusion, supported by
NextGen board. “There is so much heart
the Jewish Federation, is providing unpar-
and passion within our community, so
many incredible programs that help shape our culture — we need to invest more alleled programming for families. Other Jewish Federation-supported organiza-
tions and programs, such as jkidphilly, other aspects of JLV, synagogues and more,
in this community.”
For Prine, it was this very sentiment of Jewish community and the resources are provided with resources to help make their programming more welcoming and
it off ered that helped mold his childhood and paved the way for the leader he engaging for members of our community. Lastly, while not directly related to the
CJLL, the Jewish Federation Real Estate grants have provided organizations with
is today.

“I have vivid memories of going to Purim celebrations as a child, and I remem- funding to help make our community spaces more physically accessible.

ber dancing with a Torah down Broad Street on Simchat Torah while I was in
What does the Jewish Federation mean for you and your family since you
college,” Prine reminisced.

Now a father of two daughters, the founder and industrial/organizational started getting involved?
The Jewish Federation has been a huge part of my life. I came to the Jewish
psychologist at MIP Consulting wants to ensure that all children who want it have
Federation and was originally solicited to participate in NextGen’s Leadership
access to opportunities that help foster and develop their Jewish identities.

“I want the Jewish children of our region to grow up in a vibrant community Development Program by Sarah Solomon, now the Jewish Federation’s chief
where they learn our traditions, celebrate our holidays and see our culture for development offi cer. I was in graduate school at the time and was interested
everything it has to off er,” shared Prine, who fi nds joy in seeing his daughters in meeting new people and getting involved in the community. Through that
experience, I made some very good friends — who happened to introduce me
light the Shabbat candles and attend Mini Minyan at Adath Israel.

The Jewish Federation spoke with Prine to take a deeper dive into his to my wife Amanda. Through this organization, I have gotten to travel to multiple
leadership journey and his passion for advocating for Jewish life in the Greater states and Israel, met so many good friends, and made an impact with my family.

Philadelphia region:
Why do you give to the Jewish Federation?
I don’t give to the Jewish Federation: I invest in our Jewish community. I know
What are you hoping to accomplish as chair of the Committee for Jewish Life
that without our participation (no matter how big or how small) our community
and Learning in the coming year?
This year is all about preparing for the next grant cycle that is kicking off next fall. cannot achieve its full potential. I care deeply about Jewish continuity, and it’s
This means selecting top-priority areas, and understanding what opportunities we our responsibility to invest in that community to grow.

*** have moving forward. My favorite part of the year has been learning about some
To learn more about the Jewish Federation’s impact on Jewish life and learn-
of the innovative things happening in the Jewish world. As the chair of the CJLL,
we look to answer what programs are happening in other cities that we can bring ing and more, visit jewishphilly.org/our-impact.

8 FEBRUARY 16, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT
Courtesy of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
F Passing on Tradition:
Marc Prine Works to Expand
Jewish Life and Learning



YOU SHOULD KNOW ...

Jamey Roberti
Sasha Rogelberg | Staff Writer
Courtesy of Jamey Roberti
J amey Roberti spent much of his adoles-
cence on a skateboard, daydreaming that
OutKast, Jay-Z and MF Doom provided
the soundtrack to his choreography of ollies and
kickturns. Influenced by the rap and hip-hop music
popular in his Allentown hometown, Roberti,
35, fell in love with the genre and writing music.

After years of daydreaming, Roberti has the
opportunity to bring a fantasy to fruition. As a
2023 Tribe 12 fellow, the Point Breeze resident
is hoping to finish writing and produce his debut
hip-hop album, including songs detailing his
Jewish upbringing in a predominantly Christian
neighborhood. “The goal is A, to really just to show a rapper,
who is also Jewish, existing and existing proud,”
Roberti said. “But secondly, a couple of the
songs are more specifically about some things
that weigh on my heart, applying to Jewishness.”
The musician raps under his stage name
Numoon, an homage to the stage name conven-
tions of the late ‘90s, when artists took a fresh
take on an already existing name or idea. In some
ways, Roberti is trying to accomplish something
similar in his music.

One of Roberti’s songs, “Peace in Crown
Heights,” is about his reckoning of his love of
hip-hop with Ye’s, formerly Kanye West’s, outspo-
ken antisemitism in December. The title of the
song is a reference to the 1991 riots that took
place in the Brooklyn neighborhood between
Black and Jewish residents.

“Bridging the gap of understanding between
Jews and non-Jewish Black folk was something
weighing on my heart,” he said.

Roberti has, at times, had a fraught relationship
with his Jewish identity. Born to a Catholic father
and Israeli Jewish mother, he grew up culturally
Jewish with a strong connection to God but without
a formal Jewish education. When visiting Jewish
spaces like a Jewish day school, Roberti didn’t feel
Jewish enough, but among his friends, many of
whom were non-Jewish, Black or Latino, Roberti
encountered ignorance about his Jewish heritage.

“I was always the only Jew in the room,” he
said. “And a lot of times, sometimes the only
white person in the room, too.”
Roberti recalls “bittersweet memories”
growing up Jewish in Allentown. His father
introduced him to Weird Al Yankovic, the closest
Roberti had to a Jewish rap icon, and his mother
took him to Israel during some summers, where
Roberti was exposed to Israeli psychedelic rock,
which he hopes to incorporate into his music.

While Roberti didn’t try to escape his Jewish
identity, he didn’t walk into a synagogue on his
own volition until he was in his 30s.

With a bachelor’s degree in musicology from
Bucknell University and a master’s in higher
education administration, Roberti’s journey to
making music was also circuitous. He worked as
a music journalist and writing tutor, among other
jobs, before becoming a recruitment coordinator
at Starbucks last May. But despite professional
interests in other areas, life kept taking Roberti
back to music. After Roberti broke his ankle three
times while skateboarding, he began to write
music in high school. Three years ago, Roberti
created a YouTube channel, NumoonTalks, to
upload his works in progress.

As a member of Tribe 12’s newest fellowship
class, Roberti has once again been allowed to
not only focus on his music but to connect more
deeply with his Jewish roots.

Tribe 12 gave Roberti accountability to work
on his project, even when he feels drained
after a full day of work, as well as a coach to
help provide musical resources. But beyond
his creative endeavors, Roberti simply wants
to connect with a group of like-minded Jewish
people, some who share his love for hip-hop, and
others who had complex Jewish upbringings like
he did.

“I do want to get my message out there in my
venture, if I leave this with some Jewish friends,
I’m like, ‘OK, that’s good enough for me,’” Roberti
said. “It’s the first time in my life where I’ve been in a
community of Jewish peers,” he added. “And I’m
realizing the importance of that.” ■
srogelberg@midatlanticmedia.com JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
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