Combatting Antisemitism in Ithaca

IAUJC created an antisemitism task force to address the growing number of antisemitic incidents that occurred in Ithaca since October 7, 2023, when Israel was attacked by Hamas.

The task force's first event was a panel discussion held on May 5, 2025 at the First Congregational Church of Ithaca. Our panelists were: Rev. David Kaden of the First Congregational Church; Menachem Rosensaft, adjunct professor at Cornell Law School; and Rabbi Caleb Brommer of Temple Beth-El.

Rev. David Kadan, Menachem Rosensaft, Rabbi Caleb Brommer

Annual Community Dinner

IAUJC hosted it's annual dinner in honor of Emeritus Professor Roald Hoffmann of Cornell. Hoffmann is a Holocaust survivor who has been lecturing to school children and the general community for many years. He is a poet and playwright, in addition to being a Nobel Laureate in Chemistry.

The keynote speaker was Menachem Rosensaft, professor of law at Cornell. He was born in a DP camp after WW II. 

Hoffmann speaking with an attendee

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Commemorating the October 2023 Attack on Israel

A group of local Ithacans gathered at Temple Beth El to hear the stories of Israelis. They learned how different populations experienced the initial October 2023 attack and the ensuing year of displacement, continued missile attacks and trauma? How have Israelis stepped up to help each other? We were joined, live from Israel, with presentations from Michael Atiyah from Moshav Kfar Maimon,
Nurit Gery from Givat Haviva International High School (Younited) and Maytal Benbenishti of Youth Futures.

The recording can be found at https://youtu.be/e93In6fFZOA

Marcia Zax Speaking to Attendees

Global Spotlight Grant Award

IAUJC is pleased to announce that we have selected two organizations based in Israel as the recipients of our Global Spotlight Initiative for 2023.These organizations, nominated by our donors, will share a total of $1,800 in grants provided by IAUJC.

Oasis of Peace: American Friends of Neven Shalom/Wahat Al-Salam. This nonprofit supports Israel's only intentional Arab-Jewish village, which is located between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. This cooperative village was founded by Israeli Jews and Arabs in 1972 to explore lived solutions to peace in the region. The nonprofit provides resources for the more than 300-member village and supports peace-seekers from around the world who travel there to participate in training and programs.

Hand in Hand, American Friends of the Center for Jewish-Arab Education in Israel. This nonprofit builds inclusion and equity between Arab and Jewish citizens of Israel through a growing network of bilingual, integrated schools and communities. Starting with 50 children in 1998, Hand in Hand now has six campuses and thousands of Jewish and Arab students. 

PJ Library Celebration of Simchat Torah

We met in Stewart Park. Families learned about the Torah, crafted flags, enjoyed snacks, danced to klezmer music and paraded the park grounds. This is one of many PJ Library events IAUJC has hosted.

Parent and Child Learning Hebrew Letters

Givat Haviva (YOUnited)

GivatHavia International School for 15 to 18 year olds, has made a significant impact in the lives of young adults. The school enrolls students of all religions and ethnic groups from 24 countries, including a mix of Israeli Jews and Arabs.
IAUJC was proud to present this Zoom event, live from Israel.
Our own Ithacan, Noemi Kraut told of her involvement since the inception of the school. We also heard from the director, Nurit Gery and a number of current students.

Rick Recht Visited Ithaca

RickRecht, the most celebrated Jewish artist of our time and PJ Library National Celebrity Spokesperson, performed a children’s concert on Sunday, March 8th. This fun, interactive concert featured on-stage participation by local children, held at the Community School of Music and Arts. Recht performed songs from his hit children’s albums Look at Me! and Free to Be the Jew in Me. He also focused on the upcoming holiday of Purim. 
Rick also visited the two synagogues in Ithaca to work with students and adult leaders.

Rick Working with Students

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From the PJ Library Chanukah Activity Gift Bag

During the pandemic, IAUJC prepared monthly gift bags for young PJ Library families and also held some virtual programming. All kinds of activities, plus some goodies, were in the gift bags. For Chanukah, we included a brownie mix and instructions for building a menorah!
Candles were included too.

Lee Gordon Visits Ithaca to Talk About Hand in Hand Schools

Lee Gordon is co-founder of Hand in Hand: Center for Jewish-Arab Education in Israel. Starting with just 50 students in 1998, Hand in Hand now has six campuses and over 1850 Jewish and Arab students attending, and is making a growing impact in Israel for Jewish-Arab partnership and coexistence.
Learn more at https://handinhandk12.org/

IAUJC was delighted to partner with Congregation Tikkun v'Or, Al-Huda Islamic Center, Area Congregations Together, St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, Temple Beth-El and Ithaca College Hillel.

Intergenerational MItzvah Day Held at Kendal at Ithaca 

We had a wonderful event on October 21st at Kendal, a retirement home in Ithaca. People of all ages came together to learn about each other and to do some good for others. PJ Library and PJ Our Way families were invited. There were activities for honoring elders, honoring Shabbat, kindness to animals and feeding the hungry. People of all ages came to together to enjoy each other's company.

Community Purim Extravaganza

Ithaca experienced its first community-wide Purim celebration on March 12, 2017. It was a joint organizational effort of IAUJC, Tikkun v'or and Temple Beth El, held at the Space at GreenStar. After months in the planning, the doors opened to crowds of celebrants, both young and old. All proceeds from admissions were distributed among three non-profit organizations - the Friendship Donation Network, the Women'a Opportunity Center and the American Jewish World Service.  Friendship Donation Network was present at the carnival, helping attendees decorate and prepare bags of groceries for people in need. The groceries for these gift bags was donated by C.S.P. Management. Other supporter of the event included Avital Apiaries, Congregation Tikkun v’Or, Cornell Hillel, Elaan Greenfield Designs, Heidi Oros, Ithaca College Hillel, Ithaca Area United Jewish Community, Ithaca Bakery, Lifespan Therapies, Linz Real Estate, Marcia Zax DDS, Sunny Days, Temple Beth El, and Wegmans.

There were many wonderful volunteers including members of Chabad, Kol Haverim and the Cornel Middle Eastern Music Ensemble, who made the event a great success. Activities included Megillah readings, carnival games, face painting, belly dancing, a magician, a balloon artist, and a bounce house.

Attendees included people of different religions, and Jewish people from the different local communities. The goal of bringing people together in celebration was reached with great fun and joy!

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IAUJC's First Annual Community Dinner

On May 21, 2017, about 90 community members and out-of-town guests gathered at the Biotech Building at Cornell  to celebrate the acheivements of the IAUJC. In the midst of a lovely dinner, prepared by Ba Li Cravings, attendees heard from local recipients about the impact of donor dollars. Daniel Barbash talked about the PJ Library program, Inbal Schlosberg talked of B'Yachad, our Jewish pre-school and Anna Stevens described her stay at Camp Seneca Lake. All three speakers thanked the IAUJC and its donors for the benefits bestowed on them and their families. We also heard from Lexie Tuchman, our regional representative of the Jewish Federation of North America. Lexie talked about the help received around the world by those in need, all made possible by donors to the Federation.

Our keynote speaker was Yarden Fanta-Vagenshtein, an Ethiopian Israeli who was the first woman of her community to receive a PhD in Israel. She told us of her life in Ethiopia, the trek to Sudan and the flight to Israel on Operation Moses. She encouraged us all to be as generous as possible as we think about others who are not as fortunate.

Yarden Fanta-Vagenshtein

Mayor of Dimona, Israel Visits Ithaca

On November 8th, at the Just be Cause Center, our community came together to meet Beny Bitton, Mayor of Dimona, Israel. Bitton was here to thank our Jewish community for supporting the Lunch and Learn program in Dimona.
IAUJC has been providing funds for several years through generous donations we receive.  We took the opportunity of the Mayor's visit to create a public meeting which included our local organizations that are devoted to both education and hunger relief.

Participating with Mayor Bitton in the discussion of how to help at-risk children succeed were: James Brown: President of United Way of Tompkins County, Dr. Luvelle Brown: Superintendent of Schools for the Ithaca City School District, Leslyn McBean Clairborne: Director, Greater Ithaca Activities Center, Barry Derfel: Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services at Tompkins Seneca Tioga BOCES, Jen Edger: Director of Community Programs for Food Bank of the Southern Tier, Amie Hendrix: Director of the Tompkins County Youth Services Department, Leon Lawrence:  Executive Director of Southside Community Center, and Meaghan Sheehan Rosen: Coordinator of Friendship Donation Network.

About 30 additional people from the community attended to hear the discussion and make comments of their own.

Mayor of Dimona, Beny Bitton and Intrepeter, Eitan Shaul

Barry Derfel and Dr. Luvelle Brown

Celebrating Marcia and Robert Ascher

Marcia and Robert Ascher bequested a very generous endowment to IAUJC. To honor their contributions, the IAUJC sponsored an event on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2015, at Emerson Suites at Ithaca College.

Robert Ascher's Sculptures on Exhibit at the Event

Barbara C. Johnson, a professor emerita of anthropology at Ithaca College, presented a talk on the Jewish women's folksongs from Kerala in southern India in honor of the Aschers' ethnographic interests.

Barbara Johnson

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Yotam Polizer Presented His Work with IsraAID

Yotam Polizer is a regional director of the humanitarian relief agency IsraAID, and discussed the efforts of Jewish, Christian and Muslim Israelis in saving the lives of Syrian refugees in Greece. at Temple Beth-El on November 15, 2015. At his talk, Polizer shared case studies of IsraAID's humanitarian work with the Syrian refugees and with people affected by other recent disasters.

Recording of Event

Interview of IAUJC Board Members on Pegasys TV

God Seeks Help and Goes to Therapy |OH, GOD | an American Premiere Presented by Israeli Stage

Israeli Stage presented Anat Gov’s touching comedy about faith in secular society, Oh, God. In this witty, poignant and touching play, a psychotherapist named Ella, single mother of an autistic child, gets a visit from a new, desperate patient, God
The performances in Ithaca were organized by the Ithaca Area United Jewish Community. Funding was made available from a consortium of organizations and individuals: Temple Beth-El of Ithaca, Stand With Us, Jewish Studies Program at Ithaca College, Cornell Near Eastern and Jewish Studies, Cornell Hillel, First Congregational Church, Tompkins Trust Company, Ithaca Area United Jewish Community, Ithaca College Hillel, Rabbi Paul Levenson, Area Congregations Together, Congregation Tikkun v’Or, Nina Miller, Advanced Dental Technology of Ithaca II, and Risley Theater. 

Celebrating Cornell's Partnership with Technion

The Ithaca Area United Jewish Community hosted a celebration of an Israeli institution that helped to mold Israel into an exceptionally innovative and technologically creative country. The Technion (Israel Institute of Technology) is now partnering with Cornell in an exciting venture in New York City.  The event was co-sponsored by IAUJC, Tompkins Trust Company, Temple Beth-El and TAMID, a student interest group at Cornell Hillel.

Ruth Ellen Gruber Describes the Re-emergence of Jewish
Life in Europe

Ruth Ellen Gruber focused on the extraordinary changes in Jewish life in Europe since the fall of Communism and compared them with conditions as she found them over the past decades. She took us on an illustrated exploration of the reemergence and popularity of Jewish culture and discussed new Jewish youth trends that meld old traditions with today's hip-hop vibes. She described the "virtually Jewish" world of "shtetl chic," klezmer cafes and kitschy souvenirs.