Shames JCC

Verve Book Club “The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder” by David Grann
2023-12-20 11:30 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
On January 28, 1742, a ramshackle vessel of patched-together wood and cloth washed up on the coast of Brazil. Inside were thirty emaciated men, barely alive,with an extraordinary tale to tell. They were survivors of His Majesty’s Ship the Wager, a British vessel that had left England in 1740 on a secret mission. The men, were marooned for months and traversed 2500 miles of storm-wracked seas. They were greeted as heroes.
But then…six months later, another, even more decrepit craft landed on the coast of Chile. This boat contained just three castaways, and they told a very different story. As accusations of treachery and murder flew, the Admiralty convened a court martial to determine who was telling the truth. The stakes were life-and-death—for whomever the court found guilty could hang.
David Grann unearths the deeper meaning of the events, showing that it was not only the Wager’s captain and crew who were on trial – it was the very idea of empire.

Israeli Culture Connection
2023-12-19 11:00 - 11:45
Come connect with our Shishin (Junior Israeli ambassador) Noy Laufer, born in Haifa. Her family currently lives in Moshav Avigdor, a small village 40 minutes south of Tel Aviv. Noy is spending her gap year after graduating high school working with different institutions. Noy will share her experiences and perspectives as an Israeli.
Light refreshments will be served.

Friday Night Sensory Friendly Swim
2023-12-15 18:00 - 19:30 | Shames JCC
Friday Night Sensory Friendly Swim
Join us for our monthly Friday night free-swim to families who have an immediate member with a special need. The pool will be exclusively reserved for this event, so that we can ensure a sensory-friendly pool environment for a fun family night out!
Please note:
-We ask that at least one person over the age of 18 accompany the individual with a supportive need to ensure safety.
-Swim levels will be determined upon arrival. For those who wish to swim in the deep end, a swim test will be conducted.
-If your family member needs 1:1 assistance, we ask that you please come prepared to get in the pool with them or ensure they are accompanied by someone in the pool over 18 who can support their needs.

Holiday Pop-Up: Handmade ceramics from local artist Maggie Chow
2023-12-14 09:00 - 12:00
Products for the homemade with non-leaded glaze, see here: https://ceramicsbymaggiechow.com/

Latkes, Lights, and Live Music!
2023-12-13 18:30 - 20:00
Adults of all ages are invited to enjoy crispy latkes and a show-stopping toppings board by Kate Sonders Solomon as we toast the 7th night of Hanukkah together. Local Americana band The Sweet Vermouths will play old and new Hannukah favorites along with other uplifting holiday music. BYO chanukiyah for a community lighting at 7 pm!
By donation for members; $18 for non-members

Wednesday Film Screening: The Levys of Monticello
2023-12-13 11:30 - 13:30
When Thomas Jefferson died in 1826, he left behind a mountain of personal debt, which forced his heirs to sell his beloved Monticello home and all of its possessions to the Levy family. The Levys of Monticello tells the little-known story of this family, which owned and carefully preserved Monticello for nearly a century. The remarkable story of the Levy family also intersects with the rise of antisemitism and stain of slavery that runs throughout the course of American history.

CANCELED Create an NFL Football Bracket (with prizes!)
2023-12-12 13:00 - 14:00
Love football? How well can you predict the outcome of a game? On Dec. 17, sixteen NFL games will be played; this program will help you come up with a bracket that is sure to succeed! Football enthusiast and analyst Ayan Adler will get you up to date about today’s NFL teams, including their recent successes and challenges, so you can predict which teams will win the upcoming weekend. How many will you guess right? Winners receive a small cash prize.
This program is lots of fun and no football experience (or passion) is necessary!

From Baptism to B’ Mitzvah: exploring Rituals in Judaism and Christianity
2023-12-12 10:00 - 11:00
Coming of Age: Confirmations and B’Mitzvahs
Rev Garth Evans, St. Barnabas, and Rabbi Jay Stein, Greenburgh Hebrew Center
These discussions by two clergy leaders will explore lifecycle events and rituals through the lens of two different faiths. Across diverse religions and cultures, there are ceremonies and traditions acknowledging a child’s maturation and entrance into adulthood. We will examine how Jews and Christians mark these transitions and how the communal responsibilities of young adults in each faith develop and evolve.

Kitty Cuddle Session
2023-12-11 13:00 - 14:00
Come spend an hour socializing with kittens and watch your cares melt away! Animal therapy and rescue organization Rock n’ Rescue is bringing a group of adorable (and adoptable!) kittens to the JCC for a mutually good time. Participants can sit on the floor or on chairs; all toys and supplies are included. This session is for adults only and space is limited.
Suggested donation $10 (all monies go directly to Rock and Rescue)

Free Massages
2023-12-11 10:00 - 14:00
Get a free 10 minute massage at the J! Michelle Pachon has been a New York State Licensed Massage Therapist for nine years now. She specializes in Swedish, CTT (deep tissue), Sports massage and Myofascial release. It’s her goal to help people on their journeys to finding a pain free/manageable life, and she will be offering complimentary services to JCC members!

Climate Resiliency and What You Can do with Nidia Martinez
2023-12-11 10:00 - 11:30
Geoscience research demonstrates unequivocally that climate is rapidly changing and that trends in global temperature are on the rise. We are already observing changes in chronic risk (e.g. heat, sea level rise), and changes in the frequency and severity of shock events (i.e.: hurricanes, flooding, wildfires). But there is room for hope. Climate scientist Nidia Martinez will show a few examples of how the private and public sectors combat climate change, and will discuss actions you can take as an individual or in the community.
About the Presenter: Nidia is Director for the Climate Risk Resilience group at Howden Based in New York where she leads global catastrophe, climate analytics, and insurance transactions/advisory to create a complete framework for risk management that supports the evolving need of business to address the climate emergency. Nidia holds a Ph D in physical oceanography from the University of Hamburg and a Science Master’s degree from the University of Buenos Aires. In 2013 her research conducted at Scripps Institution of Oceanography on data assimilation was awarded by the NASA MPOWIR Speaker Award Series and presented at Goddard Space Flight Center. Nidia is also an invited lecturer in the Financial Sustainability program at Fordham University in New York.

Family Hanukkah Celebration
2023-12-10 10:30 - 12:00
Join us to celebrate Hanukkah as a community! This year will feature musician Joannas ‘n Bananas with a live musical performance. We will light the menorah together, do Hanukkah crafts, and have some Hanukkah and Israeli-inspired snacks. FREE

Holiday Pop-Up: Artisanal Crafts
2023-12-10 10:00 - 13:00
Handmade crafts, artworks, and other innovative creations from neurodiverse artists

Northern Westchester Hanukkah Celebration
2023-12-09 14:00 - 15:30 | The Masters School, 49 Clinton Avenue, Dobbs Ferry, NY
Join us for a family-friendly Hannukkah celebration! We will have a live musical performance by Joannas ‘n Bananas and Hanukkah crafts. We’ll be collecting cans of tuna and chicken for food pantries around Westchester. Light snacks will be served.
Please purchase a ticket for each person.

Inclusively Sweet: Holiday Dessert Creations for All
2023-12-07 13:00 - 15:00
Get into the holiday spirit with our inclusive holiday dessert baking class! Amy Payne has thoughtfully designed this class to ensure that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can participate and create delicious festive baked goods. Together, we will bake, create, and celebrate the joy of the holidays with some sweet treats!

Holiday Pop-Up: Jewels of the East
2023-12-07 10:00 - 13:00
Embroidery and jewelry from around the world

Building Your Personal Brand with Broad River
2023-12-05 19:00 - 20:30
Join other women for a panel discussion on ‘Personal Branding for Everyone,’ where we bring together diverse perspectives to explore the art of building and maintaining a personal brand.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a corporate professional, a community leader, or volunteer, this panel promises inspiration and practical takeaways for building and enhancing your personal brand. Hear from panelists on what has shaped their personal brands and explore how personal branding extends beyond the professional realm and impacts career growth, community engagement, and fostering an inclusive environment.
Light snacks and beverages will be served.
About the Presenters:
Joanne Louis-Paul is a Rockland native in love with the Hudson Valley. As the HV Music Matchmaker, she pairs event organizers with just the right stellar talent for their festivities. She also enjoys bringing professionals together through Hudson Valley United Freelancers + Entrepreneurs, her resource hub and business community on Facebook.
Danielle Centofanti-Davidson is the owner and founder of Main St. Business Strategies, a marketing practice for small & medium-sized businesses in Westchester, the Hudson Valley, and surrounding NY area. Prior to starting her business in January 2021, Danielle worked in PR and advertising managing clients including Target, Hasbro, and Nissan. Her work showcases how creativity drives performance, and she is now executing that formula for makers and businesses of all kinds in our area.
Danielle is also the president of the Rivertowns Chamber of Commerce which supports business and economic growth, networking, and marketing opportunities for small businesses across Westchester County.
Dalia Valdes has quickly risen the real estate ranks and made her mark in the luxury residential market in the distinctive New York City suburbs of Scarsdale, Irvington, and the surrounding Rivertowns, brokering over millions of dollars in sales each year. Fluent in English and Spanish, she has relocated clients through Sotheby’s International Realty’s exclusive worldwide network and in collaboration with Sotheby’s Auction House. Dalia is one of a select group of brokers in New York City, London, Moscow, and other major cities with a vast client database providing extensive real estate opportunities for sellers and buyers.
Prior to entering into real estate, Dalia earned her MBA from New York University and worked in finance as a corporate professional at Philip Morris, where she traveled throughout Latin America, Europe, and the United States.
About the facilitator:
Laurie Hirsch Schulz is the founder of Broad River and the president of the board of the Westchester Youth Alliance. Through her business LHS Coaching, Laurie partners with career explorers, solopreneurs, and non-profit founders to navigate through change to clarify, embrace and activate new opportunities.

Book Club: Western Lane: A Novel by Chetna Maroo
2023-12-05 18:30 - 19:45
This coming-of-age story–shortlisted for the prestigious 2023 Man Booker prize–follows a young, grieving squash player in her personal and professional journey. Member Jeremy Hopwood will facilitate a conversation about this “enthralling first novel about grief, sisterhood, and a young athlete’s struggle to transcend herself.

Holiday Pop-Up: Hastings Refill Room
2023-12-05 09:00 - 12:00
Bring in a bottle (or three!) and stock up on eco-friendly, zero-waste household and body products.

Putin and the Roots of Russian Invasion (Part I)
2023-12-04 10:00 - 11:30
In this two-session series, Professor Jess Velona explores how Putin’s autocracy and invasion of Ukraine have strong parallels throughout modern Russian history. The discussion will examine how Tsarist and Soviet Communist regimes, for all of their differences, exhibited commonalities including a penchant for imperial expansion, suppression of ethnic and national traditions, and scorn for democracy and individual rights. We’ll explore how this culminated in the Gulag, the Great Terror, deliberate famine in Ukraine, the consequences of the Soviet collapse, and finally, how these events led to Putin’s fight to restore Russia’s imperial glory.
About the Presenter: Jess Velona has taught courses on Russian history, the Nazi regime, and other topics at Fordham University’s College at 60 and NYU’s School of Professional Studies, as well as African American history at CUNY’s College of Staten Island. He has been a Lecturer-in-Law at Columbia Law School since 2006. Jess graduated from Harvard College and received an MA in history from NYU before completing Columbia Law School. He was a law clerk for then-Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg, As a one time candidate for public office in Manhattan and former aide to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Jess loves sharing his passion for politics and history with students and adult audiences across the New York metropolitan area.

Tension Release and Tea with Orly (in Hebrew!)
2023-12-03 12:30 - 14:00
Need to get rid of some tension (don’t we all)? Join Orly Kobi, born in Israel, for a functional movement workshop to relieve stress in your body and get you feeling good. Conducted [mostly] in Hebrew, this session will promote relaxation through stretching and focused movement, all while listening to uplifting Israeli music. Afterwards we’ll have time to connect over tea and cookies. No experience is necessary and non-Hebrew speakers are welcome to attend!

Holiday Pop-Up: Handmade Jewelry
2023-12-02 10:00 - 13:00
Purchase one-of-a-kind creations handmade by Alla Stoyan!

Pasta Together: An Inclusive Culinary Experience
2023-11-30 13:00 - 15:00
Indulge your senses in our inclusive pasta cooking class designed for adults of all abilities! Join Amy Payne for a culinary adventure where participants both with and without special needs come together to learn the art of making pasta from scratch. Whether you are a pasta enthusiast looking to brush up on your skills or a beginner who is eager to explore the kitchen, Amy’s class offers a supportive space where each person can actively participate and contribute.

Sibspace Lecture Series: Sibling Perspective Panel (in partnership with Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan)
2023-11-29 19:00 - 20:30
This virtual panel will highlight the experiences and voices of siblings of those with disabilities. The event is open to all who want to better understand the unique perspectives of these siblings.Advanced registration is required. Zoom information will be sent to registrants prior to the program.

Verve Book Club “The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store” by James McBride
2023-11-29 11:30 - 13:00
“A murder mystery locked inside a Great American Novel . . . Charming, smart, heart-blistering, and heart-healing.” —Danez Smith, The New York Times Book Review
From James McBride, author of the National Book Award–winning The Good Lord Bird, comes a novel about small-town secrets and the people who keep them. In 1972, when workers in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, were digging the foundations for a new development, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of a well. Who the skeleton was and how it got there were two of the long-held secrets kept by the residents of Chicken Hill, the dilapidated neighborhood where immigrant Jews and African Americans lived side by side and shared ambitions and sorrows.
As these characters’ stories overlap and deepen, it becomes clear how much the people who live on the margins struggle and what they must do to survive. When the truth is finally revealed about what happened on Chicken Hill and the part the town’s white establishment played in it, McBride shows us that even in dark times, it is love and community-heaven and earth-that sustain us.

Holiday Pop-Up: Ariane's Jewel Box
2023-11-29 10:00 - 13:00
Give a loved one some truly unique and special jewelry this year from Ariane’s Jewel Box!

Holiday Pop-Up: Fused-glass Housewares
2023-11-28 09:00 - 13:00
Shop from a beautiful selection of houseware handmade by Abe Rosenthal.

Caregiver Conversation Circle
2023-11-27 13:00 - 14:30
FREE for members and nonmembers
Do you care for a family member with chronic illness or special needs? Join our conversation circle to connect with others in a similar situation. Groups can serve as an invaluable tool to help ourselves and others deal with the consequences of being a family caregiver. Whether you are responsible for a child with special needs, a spouse with cognitive or physical decline, or any other situation that fits, we welcome your participation. The group will be facilitated by longtime social worker, Joanne Reed. Coffee and tea will be served.

From Preschool to Pickleball: The History of the JCC in Westchester
2023-11-27 10:00 - 11:30
Ever wonder how the Shames JCC came to be? Drawing on written and photographic archives, local historian Walter Schwartz will take us from the 1920s, when the Jews of Yonkers first joined together to fund and develop a Jewish Community Center, to the thriving JCC you know and love today.
About the presenter: Former judge Walter Schwartz has served as the Ardsley Village Historian, a longtime Village Justice in Westchester, and member of the Board of Trustees for the Westchester County Historical Society. He has authored articles on local history in the Westchester Historian among other publications, and has spoken to historical societies in Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, Greenburgh, and Briarcliff. Walter is an enthusiastic member of the JCC and lives in White Plains with his family.

Thanksgiving Zumba Dance Jam
2023-11-25 09:30 - 11:00
What’s better than one Zumba instructor? How about all three of your favorites for a 90 minute sweat session! Come join your J favorites Yolanda, Gabby, and Julie from 9:30-11:00 am the Saturday after Thanksgiving for a Zumba Master Class.
Bring your friends! Members $10/Non-members $20
