By Rabbi Phil Warmflash, Executive Director

“Thank you so much for all you do at Jewish Learning Venture to bring a sense of Jewish community and fun activities for our young children.  I am very grateful for your programs and for the PJ Library books!  We loved the Chanukah event in Yardley this year (and last year, too!).  It was entertaining, fun, and educational for my little girl.  It’s nice to see “a big deal” made about Chanukah and to have a fun communal way for my child to enjoy celebrating and singing holiday songs with other Jewish children.

The cantor at this year’s event was excellent–I loved her fun-filled songs and beautiful voice and engaging spirit.  Thank you to Lori Rubin for organizing! 

Warmest Wishes for a Wonderful Chanukah!!!”

– Candy Wiater, jkidphilly Parent

This is one of many thoughtful appreciations we receive every year which underscore that our staff is successful in achieving a core goal of Jewish Learning Venture: establishing authentic relationships with parents, families, professionals, and volunteer leaders throughout our community.  Each of these relationships allows us the possibility to engage another person or family in Jewish life and to provide people tools with which they can engage others.  Our work at Jewish Learning Venture is often not based on giving someone an answer; instead, we listen to and learn from those with whom we connect.  Through those conversations we see the opportunity to engage Jewish families, to build Jewish institutions and to strengthen our communities, together.  This is the “empowering” that we speak of in our mission statement.  It is the work in which our staff opens themselves, and shares their experience and knowledge in ways that enable others to give back to us, as well as to impact another person.

Jewish Learning Venture is in the business of continually building and nurturing relationships.  Whether it is with individuals, with families who are looking for a meaningful way to access Jewish life, or with the professionals and volunteers who seek to make our Jewish institutions relevant and meaningful to Jews in the 21st Century.    As we approach the end of 2013, please consider giving your financial support to Jewish Learning Venture so that we may continue this important, and valued, exchange.

Join the conversation: What new relationship have you made in the Jewish community this year?