What’s Happening?

Amanda Battaglia: Ten Years Later (Part 5)

June 10, 2019 Billy Jonah, What's Happening? No comments

Jonah’s death ten years ago commenced a journey for many of us that has been filled with sadness (of course) but also with love — so much love. With this campaign, “10 Years Later,” you’re invited to spend some time with some of Jonah’s best friends and teachers.

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Meet Amanda Battaglia.

Having just wrapped up her time working for URJ Youth in New York, Amanda is a soon-to-be graduate student at the University of San Diego studying Social Innovation. Amanda is an alum of NFTY NAR, Kutz Camp, and University of Virginia.

Lexi Milford: Ten Years Later (Part 4)

June 6, 2019 Billy Jonah, What's Happening? No comments

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Meet Lexi Milford.

Lexi lives in Queens, NY. In her spare time, she illustrates on commission and works on personal projects, practices guitar, brews beer, hikes and camps and goes on bike tours. She loves cooking, coming up with new recipes and sharing a good meal with friends. In the last year, she and her partner went on a statewide bike tour, cycling from NYC to Buffalo. Lexi’s future aspirations involve moving her career to align moreso with her passions and interests. She hopes to continue going on bike tours, aiming to someday cycle across the United States and across other countries.

Dan Reichenbach: Ten Years Later (Part 3)

June 3, 2019 Billy Jonah, What's Happening? No comments

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Meet Dan Reichenbach.

Dan is a third-year student at HUC-JIR in New York in the Masters in Religious Education program. Until recently he lived in Israel after making aliyah and joining the IDF in 2012. Dan served for two years in the Nachal brigade and then traveled the world before he began his studies at HUC, taking a year to learn Talmud at the PARDES yeshivah in Jerusalem. Dan lives now on the Upper East Side with his dog Chewbacca.

Thanks to all who have contributed to our Summer Campaign 2019!

May 31, 2019 Billy Thank You No comments

We are so grateful that you take the time and dollars to support our work. It’s so incredibly gratifying. This list of Summer Campaign 2019 donors is a small but earnest way to thank you. May our efforts bring ever-increasing goodness into young lives!

The Dreskins and Boonshofts

Roberta and Lloyd Roos

Randy Markey … in honor of Billy and Ellen and mishpocha

Laura Bernstein … in honor of Dylan Max, my first grandson!

Julie Newman … inspired, as always, by the work that JMF is doing — and by the amazing resiliency of the human heart.

Cantor Tamara Wolfson: Ten Years Later (Part 2)

May 31, 2019 Billy Jonah, What's Happening? No comments

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Meet Cantor Tamara Wolfson.

Tamara was born and raised in New York where from an early age she fell in love with music, theatre, and Judaism. After receiving her Bachelor’s Degree in Jewish Studies from American Jewish University in Los Angeles, Tamara began her cantorial studies at the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. After her ordination in May 2018, Tamara moved to London and began serving as Cantor of Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue and as Spiritual Leader of Kehillah North London. She is the first female cantor in the Liberal movement in the U.K. and is a proud member of both the American Conference of Cantors and the Conference of Liberal Rabbis and Cantors.

Abby Fried: Ten Years Later (Part 1)

May 29, 2019 Billy Jonah, What's Happening? No comments

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Meet Abby Fried.

Abby is 27 years old. She is the Youth Program Director for The Cliffs Climbing + Fitness, working with kids and adults in the wonderful world of rock climbing. She and her boyfriend, Matt, live in Long Island City, Queens, with their dog Bunny and their two cats Simba and Nymeria (the true Queen of the Iron Throne). Along with running and rock climbing, her recent hobbies have been growing basil and strawberries hydroponically, and fermenting everything she can get her hands on (much to Matt’s dismay). She would love to have you try her kombucha some day. Her beers are pretty good too.

Ten Years Later … A Very Special Campaign Begins

May 28, 2019 Billy What's Happening? No comments

As we begin our annual Summer Campaign, we do so with mixed emotions. It’s been ten years since Jonah died. As you can imagine, our hearts were broken that night in March 2009, commencing a long, arduous journey to say goodbye and to mourn the loss of our son and brother. But from day one, your love has surrounded and held us, and we healed (and are still healing), for which we are forever grateful and endlessly inspired.

We started The Jonah Maccabee Foundation to remember our beloved boy and to try and bring into the world some of what we believe he himself would have brought to it. Along with our continuing love for Jonah, we felt that there was something that you and we could do together … to continue healing, to continue loving and, frankly, to do something good for the world because together you and we constitute a formidable force for kindness. As you have loved us and we have loved you, we think the world can benefit from us joining hands to do some real good together.

With Your Help, Here’s What We Accomplished In 2018

February 27, 2019 Billy Grants, Thank You, What's Happening? No comments

Dear friends,

We thought you might like to know how we spent the money you donated to The Jonah Maccabee Foundation in 2018.

Here’s the rundown of the grants we made:

1) California Fire Foundation: The wildfires in California devastated so many lives. California Fire Foundation’s SAVE program provides financial assistance and other support services to survivors struggling to put their lives back together.

2) Families Belong Together: As we continue to witness America’s betrayal of its long-standing passion for being a nation of refugees, some 250 organizations representing Americans from all backgrounds have joined together to fight family separation and detention, seek accountability for the harm that’s been done, and to reunite all families who remain torn apart.

Thanks to all who have contributed to our December Campaign 2018!

January 1, 2019 Billy Thank You No comments

We are so grateful that you take the time and dollars to support our work. It’s so incredibly gratifying. This list of December Campaign 2018 donors is a small but earnest way to thank you. May our efforts bring ever-increasing goodness into young lives!

The Dreskins and Boonshofts

Richard and Naomi Binenfeld … in celebration of Jonah’s life and all that is good in the world

Andrea Zlotowitz, in memory of Jonah, my old friend whom I miss very much

Judith Anne Ribnick and Diane Burhenne … in honor of Ethan Maccabee!

Introducing: “Gifts Given and Received”!

November 26, 2018 Billy What's Happening? 1 comment

We hope your Thanksgiving was filled with love, gratitude, and just enough good eating. It’s time for our December 2018 Campaign and we hope you’ll give generously. If you’re ready now, you can make your gift right here.

We’ve named this campaign “Gifts Given and Received” because we’ll be remembering gifts that Jonah received for birthdays and holidays, but also the gifts he gave to others, some material, others from his head and his heart. Our hope is that these stories (posted online throughout the month of December at jonahmac.org) will inspire you to make your own gift at jonahmac.org/donate and help us help kids build whole, healthy lives.

Wanna know what we’ve been up to? Here’s a short list of our most recent projects. We hope they inspire you to join us in our efforts to help kids build whole, healthy lives:

What’s Happening?

Amanda Battaglia: Ten Years Later (Part 5)

Lexi Milford: Ten Years Later (Part 4)

Dan Reichenbach: Ten Years Later (Part 3)

Thanks to all who have contributed to our Summer Campaign 2019!

Cantor Tamara Wolfson: Ten Years Later (Part 2)

Abby Fried: Ten Years Later (Part 1)

Ten Years Later … A Very Special Campaign Begins

With Your Help, Here’s What We Accomplished In 2018

Thanks to all who have contributed to our December Campaign 2018!

Introducing: “Gifts Given and Received”!

JMF on Facebook!

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