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.

The Jewish Federation Helps JCHAI Serve
Disability Population During Pandemic
UNEMPLOYMENT HAS BEEN at an all-time high during the pandemic. Many
of those impacted include people with disabilities, like Jordyn Dannenbaum.

Dannenbaum, who has Down syndrome, had to resign from her job in a
nursing home due to safety concerns related to COVID-19, and left her second job
when the office closed down around the same time. Fortunately, Dannenbaum
has Judith Creed Horizons for Achieving Independence, an organization that
serves people with disabilities by providing them with transitional housing,
socialization opportunities, life skills training and more.

“Some clients lost their jobs, our in-person programs went virtual, getting
groceries delivered to people in apartments became impossible, because those
platforms were inundated by the general population. Plus, the cost of food
skyrocketed,” said Stacy Levitan, JCHAI’s executive director. “Locating PPE was
a nightmare, and since many of our clients who kept their jobs were essential
workers, we also had to worry about keeping our staff safe.”
A few weeks into the pandemic, JCHAI received close to $50,000 from the
Jewish Federation’s Emergency Relief Fund. Those dollars offset the increasing
price of food and supported programs through their transition to virtual
platforms. JCHAI also received PPE, including clear masks for those with
hearing impairments to read lips and those on the autism spectrum to better
interpret social cues relayed through facial expressions.

“During those early days, we had so many problems competing for our attention
and fundraising was difficult for individual agencies,” Levitan said. “The Jewish
Federation has become very sophisticated when it comes to figuring out where to
direct dollars on an emergency basis, and they do a really good job working closely
with those of us in the community to shepherd funding where it’s needed most.”
In the earliest days of the pandemic, JCHAI received a toilet paper donation
from the Jewish Federation — a precious commodity at the time. Levitan and
her staff also participated in webinars with health experts, hosted by Jewish
Federations of North America and the local Jewish Federation, and relied on the
Jewish Federation to guide them through emergency loan applications.

When Levitan reflects on 2020, she speaks of JCHAI clients who have worked
through the pandemic. Many are essential workers, employed by grocery stores,
hospitals, schools and other businesses.

“It’s been really heartening to see that people with disabilities have been just
as integral to keeping our communities going as any other essential worker,” said
Levitan, beaming with pride.

Cristy Hollin, whose son Matthew has Fragile X syndrome and is a JCHAI
client, could not agree more. Matthew works in the linen room at Lankenau
Medical Center and has remained employed throughout the pandemic.

“We’re just beyond proud of how he’s handled the pandemic,” said Hollin, who
is the co-chair of the Jewish Federation’s Committee for Social Responsibility.

“We hope he continues to maintain a full-time job and keeps learning and
growing and building friendships because that’s just as good as it gets.”
While the pandemic has added another layer of difficulty on a population
that already faces countless challenges, the JCHAI community takes comfort
knowing that the Jewish Federation is there for them. JCHAI continued to feel
that support from a recent grant of $100,000 through the Jewish Federation’s
health and human services initiative with JFNA.

“Psychologically, it’s just wonderful knowing we’re not alone,” Levitan said.

“We have those who support us, like the Jewish Federation. The reality is no
matter how tough it gets, we never have to go through it by ourselves.”
20 MARCH 4, 2021
Matthew Hollin outside of Lankenau Medical Center, where he has worked throughout the
pandemic Courtesy of Cristy Hollin
Jordyn Dannenbaum at the beach
JEWISH EXPONENT
Courtesy of Cindy Dannenbaum
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



C ommunity / mazel tovs
B I RTHS
CLEMENTINE GRACE BOTEL
EVIE DRESNER HEINZ
Katie Botel of Los Angeles announces the
birth of her daughter, Clementine Grace,
born Sept. 28, 2020.

Sharing in her joy are grandparents Nina
and Max Botel of Bryn Mawr and Palm
Beach Gardens, Florida, and aunts, uncles
and cousins in Philadelphia, New York, Los
Photo by Katie Botel
Angeles and Tucson, Arizona.

Clementine is named in loving memory of her great-grandmothers, Ceil
Cherry Botel and Gertrude Bobman Bernett.

Aliza Richman and Paul Heinz of West
Chester announce the birth of their daughter
Evie Dresner Heinz on Nov. 24, 2020.

Sharing in their happiness are grandpar-
ents Wendy and Jeffrey Richman of Elkins
Park, and Dorothy and Sam Heinz of West
Chester, along with great-grandparents Tobe
Photo by Ava Richman
Dresner and Pearl and Edward Richman.

Joining in the celebration are aunt Jamie and uncle Jesse Richman, aunt Ellen
and uncle Roger Carman, and uncle John Heinz.

Evie Dresner is named in loving memory of her maternal great-grandfather,
Arnold Dresner.

MEARA GRACE ZUK
Susan and Harve Strouse announce the
birth of their granddaughter, Meara Grace
Zuk (Miriam Gitel), born on Jan. 26.

Meara is the daughter of Alissa and
Peter Zuk and the sister of Max Finn of
Alexandria, Virginia.

Meara is named for her maternal
great-grandmother Miriam (Mitzi) Zucker
and her paternal great-grandmother Grace
Strouse. Photo by Susan B. Strouse
AN N I VE R SARY
ABRAMS Beth and George Abrams, formerly of Wyncote,
Rydal and Longport, New Jersey, celebrated their
60th wedding anniversary on Dec. 26 in Palm
Beach Gardens, Florida, at their home in Ballenisles.

Their loving family shared their joy with a
surprise brunch delivery and Zoom gathering with
their children, Brad and Suzanne, JD and Suzi, and
grandchildren Scott, Melissa, Jordyn, Max and Lily.

The festivities included a montage of wishes from
friends and family near and far.

Photo by Norman Levinson
COMMUNITYBRIEFS Rabbi Sussman to Host Zoom Talk with
Yiddish Forverts Editor
SENIOR RABBI LANCE J. SUSSMAN of Reform
Congregation Keneseth Israel will host a Zoom talk
at 7:30 p.m. on March 10 with Rukhl Schaechter,
the editor of Yiddish Forverts, which is described as
the only remaining Yiddish newspaper outside the
Chasidic Jewish world.

Bronx-raised Schaechter is the first woman
as well as the first person born in the United
States to hold the position of editor; she is likely
also the first Sabbath-observant Jew to edit the
paper, which dates to 1897. She is the daughter
of Yiddish linguist Mordkhe Schaechter, and her
aunt was Yiddish poet and songwriter Beryle
Schaechter-Gottesman. During the talk with Sussman, she will discuss
how she started working at Yiddish Forverts as a
reporter in 1998, among other topics. She was named
editor in 2016 and has been credited for increasing
the publication’s online outreach.

For more information about the event and a link to
attend, email: contact@kenesethisrael.org.

JEWISHEXPONENT.COM Philadelphia campus at 5501 Old York Road. Visitors
Einstein’s ‘Capturing Hope’ Exhibit Opens
“Capturing Hope,” a photography exhibit depicting are required to wear a face mask and practice social
the civil rights movement, is on display at Einstein distancing. l
Medical Center Philadelphia.

— Compiled by Andy Gotlieb
The exhibit, which is free and open to the public,
features photos on loan from the African American
Museum in Philadelphia that were taken by Jack T.

Franklin. The noted photographer donated his collec-
tion of more than 500,000 negatives to the museum
in 1986.

The collection comprises photos of the civil rights
movement and numerous, cultural and political
events in Philadelphia’s African American commu-
nity during his lifetime.

“Capturing Hope” is divided into three themes:
“Freedom Isn’t Free,” which features the civil rights
movement; “Martin Luther King Remembered”;
and “From Philadelphia to D.C., the March to
Washington.” The exhibit, which opened in February to
commemorate Black History Month, is located in
the Community Corridor in the Tower Building —
in Philadelphia in the 1960s photographed by
the main building on the Einstein Medical Center Jack A protest
T. Franklin
Photo by Jack T. Franklin
JEWISH EXPONENT
MARCH 4, 2021
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