H EADLINES
Congregation Mikveh Israel Plans to Expand
L OCA L
JARRAD SAFFREN | JE STAFF
CONGREGATION MIKVEH
Israel has a new event space,
a new assistant rabbi and a
long-term plan for member
expansion. On Sept. 6, the Philadelphia
synagogue announced the hiring
of Rabbi Yosef Zarnighian. He
will assist the temple’s senior
religious leader, Rabbi Albert
Gabbai, who has been in his
position for 33 years.

Zarnighian is Mikveh
Israel’s fi rst assistant rabbi in
40 years, according to Gabbai.

His hiring follows the
summer addition of an event
space for weddings and bar
mitzvahs. In response to
congregant demand, synagogue
leaders expanded the social
hall and building premises
between North Fift h and Sixth
streets. Now, members and
non-members alike can host
receptions in the half-indoor,
half-outdoor venue. Before,
congregants would host
services in the sanctuary, then
hold their parties in other city
locations, like a hotel ballroom.

Th ose who belong to the
synagogue will get discounted
rates when they use the new hall,
Gabbai said. And now, Mikveh
Israel will have a revenue-driver
open to outside parties.

Th e Old City synagogue
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The sanctuary inside
Congregation Mikveh Israel
Courtesy of Congregation Mikveh Israel
has about 200 families in its
congregation. In the middle of
the 20th century, it had around
500 member families.

A new social hall can help
the shul return to mid-20th
century numbers, Gabbai said.

And the hiring of Zarnighian
is an attempt to prepare for
said demand, he added.

“It’s the synagogue’s plan to
evolve and have more services
and, therefore, we need an
assistant rabbi,” Gabbai said.

Mikveh Israel opened in
1740 and is known as the city’s
oldest synagogue. It predates
both the American Revolution
and even Judaism’s break into
separate denominations.

According to member Jacob
Oslick, who led the search
committee to hire Zarnighian,
the temple has lasted so long
because it inspires intense loyalty.

Oslick grew up in the congre-
gation as both a city and then
suburban kid. Aft er leaving for
a time, he decided to return
even though he was — and still
is — working in New York City
as an attorney. Oslick has been a
member again for 10 years. And
like his parents, he’s now raising
his two kids, daughter Serafi na,
6, and son Emanuel, 3, in the
congregation. Five years ago, the Oslicks
moved to New Brunswick,
New Jersey, to split the travel
See Expand, Page 20
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



H eadlines
Teen Creating JCC Girls Basketball League
L OCA L
JARRAD SAFFREN | JE STAFF
IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL,
when Evyn Stone started
playing basketball, it seemed
as if she did the same thing on
every possession:
Dribble to the wing, pull up
for a jumper and drill the shot.

Her mother, Holly Stone,
was amazed.

“I said, ‘How do you do
that?’” the mom recalled.

“‘You’re so little.’”
As Evyn Stone grew and her
basketball game matured, she
stopped depending so heavily
on her wing jumper, adding a
driving attack, a three-point
shot and even, once she started
playing against Amateur
Athletic Union opponents, an
aggressive defensive game.

Now 15, tall and long, she has
grown into a dynamic scorer
for her AAU team, Kyniska,
and the varsity squad at The
Shipley School. The Villanova
resident loves basketball, lives
for it, always wants to play it.

Now, she’s attempting to
learn some different skills to
add to her game: organizing a
girls basketball league at the
Kaiserman JCC in Wynnewood.

The teen is hoping to
start her league at the end of
September or the beginning
of October. After months
of recruitment, she said she
has 15-20 committed players
between grades eight and 12
— enough for about two-and-
a-half teams — but she’s trying
to find enough girls to fill four
teams of seven players each.

The recreational league will
feature only Sunday games,
with no practices. There will
be a $75 cost per player, the
money being used to pay for
referees. “It’s a low-competitive but
social and fun league,” Stone
said. The high school sophomore
came up with the idea after
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM Evyn Stone
Photo by Holly Stone
seeing Instagram pictures
of her cousin, Hunter Stein,
16, playing in the boys J-Ball
league in previous seasons. It
occurred to Stone that, if the
boys had a fun Sunday league,
the girls should have one, too.

During lockdown in the
spring of 2020, Stone and her
mom brought the idea to JCC
officials. They loved it, but it
was too hard to pull off with
the pandemic raging and
before a vaccine was available.

Over the summer, Alan
Scher took over as CEO of the
JCC and also loved Stone’s
pitch. “This is what gets me most
excited and inspired about
doing this work,” he said.

“Community centers working
with community members to
build programming.”
For Stone, there is much
building still to do.

Her ultimate goal is to
attract between 40 and 50 girls,
though that may not be feasible
this year. At the very least, she
wants about 8-10 more players
to make 28: four teams, seven
players on each roster. That
way, every squad will have two
bench players and the girls can
give each other breaks.

Stone and her mom are busy
sending emails to local coaches
and players. The commissioner
is also posting the registration
link on her Instagram and
social media accounts.

Even if she doesn’t get to 28
Evyn Stone dribbles down the court.
players, Stone plans on starting
the league about a month
before Halloween, and it will
run until mid-December/
winter break.

Holly Stone said girls will
be able to join after the start
of the season. And she believes
they will.

Photo by Holly Stone
40-50 player range, order
jerseys, organize scorekeepers,
open a concession stand for
league revenue and even keep a
J-Ball Instagram account.

“It takes a lot of hard work
to make this happen,” her
mother said.

Stone’s older brother Logan
is now a student at Penn State
University. But a few years ago,
he was a high school student
who had never heard about
the new boys J-Ball league at
the JCC. Now, though, that
league has grown to the point
of having a waiting list.

Evyn Stone thinks her own
J-Ball operation can emulate
that growth.

“This could be something
really big,” Evyn Stone said. l
“People will join once they
see it’s fun,” she said.

Evyn Stone’s attempt to
start a girls J-Ball league won’t
be her only shot; once the first
game tips off, she wants to craft
it into a communal institution.

This fall and in coming jsaffren@jewishexponent.com;
years, she hopes to reach that 215-832-0740
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