2015 Winter/Spring CenterPost

315-445-2360 | www.jccsyr.org
Nancy Kasow retires after 33 years of service
After more than 33 years of service, long-time
JCC of Syracuse employee Nancy Kasow
retired in mid-January. As the JCC’s executive
assistant and office manager, she witnessed
much change and growth at the center since
joining the organization in 1981.
Kasow held essentially the same position during
her entire tenure with the JCC. Her job as the
executive assistant evolved over the years to
include managing the administrative office’s
JCC of Syracuse staff share some laughs with Executive Assistant Nancy Kasow
(center, standing) during the January managers meeting held a couple of weeks
before she retired. Also pictured, seated from left, is Joe Yager, sports & fitness
director; Sherri Lamanna, director of gymnastics, dance and preschool physical
education; and Don Cronin, comptroller.
day-to-day operations as well as interfacing
with various JCC board committees.
“When I first started at the JCC, everything
was done by hand,” she said. “We didn’t have
computers. Then after we got computers,
everything changed very quickly. Now, we’d be
lost without them.”
In many respects, Kasow has seen the JCC
grow and mature to become the prominent
fixture that it is in so many people’s lives today
as the nucleus of the Central New York Jewish
community and the community at large.
“There’s been so much growth with the
expansion of the JCC,” said Kasow. “I joined the
JCC just after it moved into its current location.
We had the nursery school and the first pool
was an above ground. The first playground
was installed by parent volunteers. A lot has
changed over the years.”
Because of Kasow’s more than three decades
of service, the JCC of Syracuse’s current
Executive Director Marci Erlebacher had come
to rely on her as the
center’s unofficial
historian. “Nancy
accumulated
such a wealth of
knowledge and
experience about
the JCC during
her time here,”
said Erlebacher.
“Whenever we
needed to know the
‘who, what or why’
about something
JCC related, Nancy
was sure to have
the answer. She
helped all of us
in so many ways. I am truly appreciative of
Nancy’s hard work, dedication and friendship
during the time that we worked together, and
wish her and her family all the best in this new
and exciting chapter of her life.”
Since retiring, Kasow has been settling in to a
somewhat more casual and comfortable pace.
“The biggest change has probably been not
having a routine anymore of getting up early
and going to work,” said Kasow. “But I got used
to that very quickly.”
Take time to put
family first
By Rabbi Evan Shore
There is a famous discussion in the Haggadah,
the text Jews read at the Passover Seder. Five
famous Rabbis in Bnai Barak spend the entire
night reviewing the intricacies of the story of the
Exodus from Egypt. At sunrise their students
interrupt the discussion and remind them the
time for recitation of the morning prayers has
arrived.
This episode from the Hagadah raises many
questions. The first being, if these are greatest
Rabbis of the Talmudic era, why did they
have to be reminded about their duty to recite
morning prayers? Commentaries on the Seder
point out these five rabbis lived during the
Roman domination over the Land of Israel. The
Romans were determined to destroy Judaism
in every way possible. One of the ways they
attempted to accomplish their agenda was to
outlaw, under the penalty of death, the study of
the Torah. The five Rabbis hid in a cave despite
the occupying governmental decree and studied
the entire night. As a result they were not able
to see the dawn of a new day.
However, we must ask why the students were
not with their teachers on the night of the Seder,
studying the Hagadah with them. The answer is
very simple. The students spent the Seder night
with their own families sharing with them the
beauty of the Passover Seder.
We may extrapolate from this the importance
of the Seder as an activity emphasizing family
dynamics and togetherness. The Seder time is
a unique time for parents and children to bond
while strengthening their ties to Judaism.
This Passover, do not miss a golden opportunity
to relive the Passover experience within your
own family framework.
Camp Rishon
• Continued from page 3
begin and end at the JCC. SyraCruisin’ begins
and ends each day at The Syracuse Project 4
Our Teens (SPOT), the JCC’s teen center in
ShoppingTown Mall, DeWitt. Early and late care
options are available for all campers.
Once again this summer, the JCC is looking
forward to offering its Yachad (meaning “all
together” in Hebrew) inclusion program for
school-age children with special needs.
The program creates a sense of community
among all participants of all abilities by utilizing
additional support staff and making necessary
accommodations. There will be no additional
cost to enroll qualified children in the Yachad
program provided the JCC’s grant funding is
approved again this year.
Current JCC membership or program
enrollment is not necessary for a child to attend
all of these Camp Rishon programs. Early
registration is recommended as many sessions
closeout quickly. Discounts for siblings and
payments made in full at time of registration are
available. A limited number of scholarships in
the form of financial aid are also available. The
scholarship application deadline is May 15.
For more information about Camp Rishon, and
to request the summer camp program guide,
call 315-445-2360 or visit www.jccsyr.org.
4 JCC of Syracuse | 2015 Winter-Spring CenterPost