Shalom Congregants,
We aspire to become a partner of choice for Jewish and other local organizations. This will help us achieve our goals of strengthening ties, expanding the value we bring to the broader community, and increasing the utilization and visibility of our beautiful facility.
Nothing illustrates this better than our partnership with National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) in hosting their extraordinary Back2School Store the past two years. At this year’s event, the 16th annual, which took place on Sunday July 28, NCJW volunteers transformed CBI into a child shopper’s dream. Nearly 500 children from families with financial need were registered by more than 35 Essex County agencies and came to CBI to participate in the event. Another 500 children who could not attend in person will receive a complete package of items prepared by volunteers.
Each child who came to CBI, with the help of their own volunteer assistant, had the opportunity to shop in the Back2School pop-up store where they chose their own brand new clothing (e.g., a winter coat, shirt, pants, hat, gloves, socks, underwear, and a new pair of sneakers), a backpack, age-appropriate books, school supplies, personal care items like a new tooth brush and toothpaste, and other necessities. For many of these children, this was their first-time having brand new clothing and school supplies. The expressions on their faces told the story. They felt special. They felt cared for. They felt proud. What an unforgettable experience and what an incredible way to help motivate and prepare them for the new school year.
And while their children were shopping, parents were able to visit a resource room created in CBI’s multi-purpose room where they could receive glucose and diabetes testing, vision, hearing and blood pressure screenings, register to vote, learn about wound care, and receive two months of feminine hygiene products, in addition to other resources.
Hundreds of NCJW volunteers contributed their time to make it happen, including CBIers Elizabeth Cohen (Steering Committee Co-Chair), the Cohen family (Gerald, Hannah, Ben, and Liat), Debra Nevas and Seth Abrams, Barbara Brown, Nan Rosenfeld, Michelle Daniel, Angela Cohen, Janet Slifer, Paula Touger, Kenny Kavowras, and Jamie Beneroff. The CBI staff led by Rebecca Gallanter, including Amanda Abbate, Anne Zaccardo, Marlon Dixon, Sandra Fraser, Hubert Fraser, and Chris Bennett, were also on hand before, during, and after the event to help ensure that everything went smoothly.
All of us at CBI can feel proud of our contribution to this important event, which demonstrates CBI’s commitment to giving back and supporting the broader community. We accomplish so much when we partner with other organizations and work together. Stay tuned! We are just getting started!
Henry Bloom
President
Congregation B’nai Israel
