C ommunity / mazel tovs
ENGAGEMENT GOOSENBERG-YENI
Robyn and Rick Goosenberg of Fort
Washington, and Hallie and Steven Horowitz
of Fort Myers, Florida (previously of Cherry
Hill, New Jersey), announce the engagement
of their children, Hallie Goosenberg and Zac
Yeni. Zac is the son of the late Anthony Yeni.

Sharing in their happiness are grandparents
Stanley Goosenberg and Barbara Freedman.

Zac is the grandson of the late Sy Freedman.

Hallie is the granddaughter of the late Miriam
Faye, Irving Faye and Pearl Goosenberg.

Also sharing in their happiness are siblings Scott and David (Hannah)
Goosenberg and A.J. Yeni.

The couple is planning a wedding in Philadelphia.
Photo by Jamie Goldschneider
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J E W I S H E X P O N E N T . C O M /
S U B M I T - M A Z E L - T O V
COMMUNITYBRIEFS JRA Moves Toward More Regular Distributions
THE JEWISH RELIEF AGENCY announced that,
starting July 11, it will welcome more volunteers back
to its warehouse for traditional distribution Sundays,
with volunteers packing and distributing food boxes
on the same day.

JRA said it will take a gradual approach, increasing
its capacity limits each month and offering additional
volunteer opportunities during the week to pack and
deliver boxes of food and other goods.

“We’re grateful to our volunteers for staying the
course and showing up in new ways during the
pandemic,” JRA Executive Director Jodi Roth-Saks
said. “Now is the perfect time to phase back into
a ‘new normal’ and regain the distinct feeling and
power of community.”
Volunteers at the JRA warehouse
Courtesy of Jewish Relief Agency
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM During distribution Sundays, volunteers carry
boxes through an assembly line, while other volun-
teers place items into each box.

JRA will continue to accommodate volunteers
who prefer to pack independently with its modified
“individual cart” style. Priority for those spots will be
given to families with children under age 12.

During the pandemic, JRA re-engineered its food
distribution model through capacity limits, enforcing
social distancing and enhanced cleaning procedures
in the warehouse, among other things.

Register in advance for volunteer opportunities at
jewishrelief.org. Jewish Groups Express Concerns About
Pennsylvania Security Defunding
The Union of Orthodox Congregations of America
(Orthodox Union) and Jewish community leaders
expressed concern that the Pennsylvania General
Assembly voted in late June to defund a five-year
directive to provide funding for people and groups
at-risk of hate crimes.

After the murders at the Tree of Life complex
in Pittsburgh in 2018, the state established a $5
million Nonprofit Security Grant Program Fund, and
awarded more than $10 million at levels from $25,000
to $150,000 to 243 nonprofit organization for security
enhancements. The program had been authorized through 2024.

The Orthodox Union called upon the legislature to
reconsider the defunding of the grant fund.

“As extremism and antisemitism continue to surge,
JEWISH EXPONENT
a reduction in much-needed security funding for our
sacred institutions is alarming,” Rabbi Yehoshua
Yeamans of Congregation B’nai Israel - Ohev Zedek
of Philadelphia said in an Orthodox Union news
release. NMAJH Announces ‘Hometown Hero’ Winner
The National Museum of American Jewish History
announced that the first “Hometown Hero” entrant
into its Ed Snider Only in America Gallery/Hall
of Fame, which recognizes outstanding Jewish
Americans, will be Pam Blais of Virginia Beach,
Virginia. Blais, a former emergency room nurse, launched
The Pantry Box to deliver boxes of snacks and, at one
point, masks and meals, to area emergency depart-
ments. Her daughters joined in, demonstrating an
intergenerational commitment to giving back.

She then founded Care4Frontline to address
burnout, post-traumatic stress and mental health
issues in the health care community.

The Only in America Gallery includes 23 prior
inductees, including Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Steven
Spielberg, Barbara Streisand, Emma Lazarus and
Irving Berlin.

For the first time, NMAJH solicited nominations
for Hometown Heroes — everyday citizens who strive
to make their communities a better place — and the
public voted in June for the candidates.

One of the nominees was Abbe Stern of
Philadelphia, who works with local food redistribu-
tion efforts. l
JULY 8, 2021
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