[by Matt Goldberg]
Approximately 40 people gathered at the home of Beth and Michael Salamon on Thursday, July 19, for the Jewish Community of Louisvillle’s Young Adult Division’s (YAD) wine and cheese event. The attendees enjoyed good food, wine and conversation before heading into a Town Hall style meeting with JCL senior staff.
The presenters were President and CEO Stu Silberman, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Sara Wagner, Vice President and Chief Development Officer Stew Bromberg and JCL Board Chair David Klein. YAD Chair Ariel Kronenberg introduced the panel and moderated the discussion.
Silberman opened the discussion by telling his own story of his journey from the corporate world to his work as a lay leader for the Jewish Community Center in Ann Arbor. His increasing involvement with the JCC through his daughters’ attendance at the pre-school led him to further involvement in the community and finally, a decision to become a Jewish professional. He found his way to Louisville shortly after the JCC-Federation merger. Silberman acknowledged the challenges facing the community.
Questions from the audience spoke to their concerns about the future of the Jewish community, having greater JCC membership, emphasis on young adult programming and having an outlet for different programming ideas.
Wagner answered, assuring those in attendance that the JCL is receptive of their concerns and to look for improvements in the near future.
The highlight of the evening was when David Klein told a story about why it was important to be Jewish. When he was ill, he spent time in Houston at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. The local Jewish community “adopted” him and brought him care packages to help him through this difficult time in his life.
The next YAD events will be the YAD 20s and 30s Happy Hour on August 1 and the Annual Picnic on August 19.
