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The Kehillah Partnership concept evolved over a number of years at the Bergen County YJCC, which has a long tradition of nurturing excellent relations with local synagogues, UJA Federation, and other Jewish agencies. Beginning with the Jewish Learning Project, an adult education program that linked 21 synagogues in collaborative learning, the Bergen County YJCC has initiated programs that serve the larger Jewish community and create a communal culture of collaboration and partnership. The force behind the Kehillah Partnership is Dr. Harold Benus, Executive Director of the Bergen County YJCC. He has been joined on this important journey by committed lay leaders who believe that the future of the Jewish community lies in innovative education, resource sharing, and collaborative efforts to benefit the entire community. The Kehillah Partnership: Collaborating Institutions The Bergen County YJCC is a 91-year-old agency that has been providing programs and services to the Jewish community of northern Bergen County, New Jersey and has made it possible for the community to grow and flourish. In its current 84,000 square-foot building in the Township of Washington, which opened 20 years ago, the YJCC offers facilities and programs for some 5,500 people in Jewish cultural programming and informal education for all ages, a large nursery school program, Israel programming and teen encounters, children’s camps and holiday programs, health and fitness, and services and programs for seniors and for children with special needs. The Kaplen JCC on the Palisades serves over 3,000 families and over 1,000 senior adults and singles. The JCC helps perpetuate Jewish heritage, foster Jewish values, promote Jewish culture and encourage individuals to develop creatively as people, Jews and Americans. The JCC’s outstanding programs include Jewish education, Israeli culture, cultural arts, children’s programming, teen services and continuing education, along with health and recreation opportunities. Its School of Performing Arts and the Thurnauer School of Music, as well as its monthly programs for people with special needs, an adult day care serving people with Alzheimer’s and related forms of dementia, a Therapeutic Nursery, and summer camps for children with cancer or special needs are sources of great pride. YM-YWHA of North Jersey is dedicated to preserving the Jewish way of life and serving people of all ages in an environment of Jewish values and traditions. The YM-YWHA of North Jersey provides programs and services to meet social, cultural, educational and recreational needs and to be a common meeting ground for the network of agencies and organizations in the Jewish and general communities. Programs for children start with the very young in the Parenting Center and continue through nursery school, sports leagues and teen activities. For Adults and Seniors, the schedule is full with trips, lectures, seminars and social club activities, plus fitness classes, personal training and nutrition programs. UJA Federation of Northern New Jersey is dedicated to identifying and meeting the needs of over 100,000 Jewish people in Bergen, Passaic, and Hudson counties through its local and international network of services. The Federation’s Annual Campaign funds more than 85 agencies, programs, and community services locally, in Israel, and in 60 countries worldwide. Key Staff and Leadership Harold Benus, PhD is the Executive Director of the Bergen County YJCC, a position he has held for 26 years. During his tenure, the YJCC has developed innovative communal programs such as the Jewish Learning Project, a collaborative educational program with 21 area synagogues, and Project Open Hearts Open Homes, offering respite and teen programming for young Israeli victims of terror. Prior to his current position, he served as Executive Director of Senior Wheels East (Philadelphia, PA), a nonprofit organization that provided health and social services to the elderly. He received his MSW and PhD from the University of Maryland. Rabbi Noam Marans is the Community Development Consultant of Kehillah Partnership. He currently serves as Associate Director of Contemporary Jewish Life at the American Jewish Committee, and was formerly the rabbi of Temple Israel in Ridgewood, New Jersey, for the first sixteen years of his career. He is a past president of the North Jersey Board of Rabbis. Rabbi Marans is a graduate of Columbia University and was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary. Evie Levy Rotstein, EdD is the Kehillah Partnership Program Consultant. She is the Project Director of the Leadership Institute for Congregational School Educators sponsored by UJA Federation of New York. She holds a Doctorate from the Davidson School of Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary and teaches courses at JTS and Hebrew Union College (HUC) as an adjunct professor. She also serves as consultant to the Experiment in Congregational Education, a New York synagogue school change initiative. She previously served as a congregational educator at Temple Sholom in River Edge, NJ. Debbie Nahshon is the Director of National Project Development for the Kehillah Partnership. A former broadcast journalist and communications professional in both the US and Israel, she was the founding director of the Israel Women’s Network, a founding team executive for Channel Two television in Israel, and director of the American Friends of the Ghetto Fighters’ Museum, where she launched the award-winning International Book-Sharing Project. She has also consulted extensively with a range of Jewish organizations in the areas of fundraising, marketing, and project development, including UJA-Federation of NY, the National Ramah Commission, and other JCCs. She is a graduate of Cornell University and received a Masters degree from Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Carol Beyer is the Director of Organizational Development at the Bergen County YJCC and a key developer of the Kehillah Partnership educational program. As a synagogue President, Regional President of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and URJ National Vice-Chair, Carol is a member of the URJ National Board and has 20 years experience working with local Rabbis, synagogue lay leaders and community leaders. She has worked to build community at the Bergen County YJCC for the past 15 years. The Kehillah Partnership Executive Committee includes lay leaders Leonard Cole, Paula Cantor, and Julius Eisen (former presidents of the UJA Federation and of the Bergen County YJCC); UJA Federation representatives, Judy Beck (Director of the Synagogue Leadership Institute) and David Gad-Harf (UJA Federation Executive Vice President); Avi Lewinson (JCC on the Palisades Executive Director); Rabbi Neal Borovitz (Reform), Rabbi Arthur Weiner (Conservative) and Rabbi Jeffrey Fox (Orthodox); and YJCC representatives Dr. Harold Benus and Carol Beyer. The Kehillah Partnership Steering Committee includes lay leaders Alan Gallatin and Phil Dauber, co-chairs (Berrie Fellows); Roberta Abrams (Berrie Fellow), Dana Egert, Ron Gold, Dan Marcus, David Meister (Berrie Fellow), Joan Popkin, Linda Farber Post, Michael Starr (Berrie Fellow), Russell Rothman; and YJCC representatives Debbie Nahshon and Steven Mark. Volunteer consultants to the Steering Committee include Alan Scharfstein and Steven Silverstein. The Kehillah Partnership International Advisory Council includes leading professionals and lay leaders in the fields of Jewish education and Jewish communal leadership. Council members include Dr. Saul Andron, Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin, Howard Charish, Dr. Barry Chazan, Dr. Elaine R. S. Cohen, Dr. Aryeh Davidson, Dr. Elan Ezrahi, Rabbi Daniel H. Freelander, Rabbi Donniel Hartman, Rabbi Hayim Herring, Jo Kay, Jeffrey Lasday, Rabbi Jay H. Moses, Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky, Yossi Prager, Dr. Jonathan Sarna, Dr. Susan Shevitz, Gerrald. B Silverman, and Dr. Jonathan Woocher. Pilot Program Participants: Temple Avodat Shalom (Reform) Jewish Community Center of Paramus (Conservative) Temple Beth Or (Reform) Temple Emanuel of Pascack Valley (Conservative) Temple Emeth (Reform) Glen Rock Jewish Center (Conservative) Temple Israel (Conservative) Temple Beth Shalom (Conservative) Fair Lawn Jewish Center (Conservative) Congregation B’nai Israel (Conservative)
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