LJCC annual meeting highlights role in broader community, Consul General speaks about hostages

Consul General Anat Sultan-Dadon is interviewed by Zoe Weil

Two main tenets of Judaism are welcoming the stranger and rescuing the captive, and both themes were emphasized at the annual meeting of Birmingham’s Levite Jewish Community Center on Jan. 30.

Center CEO Brooke Bowles spoke of how the LJCC has continued its outreach to the general community and partnership with other non-profits, and Israeli Consul General Anat Sultan-Dadon of the Southeastern Consulate to the U.S. in Atlanta was interviewed by LJCC Director of Special Projects Zoe Weil about the current situation in the Middle East. Part of her talk included the unique role JCCs can play during the conflict.

Bowles said the LJCC is “healthier financially than we have been in decades.” Operational revenue increased last year, making the loss of $1 million in pandemic-related funding from 2023 easier to handle.

Through a partnership with Veterans Affairs, 157 veterans did aqua therapy at the LJCC, and over 100 students at i3 Academy learned how to swim.

Last year, they instituted a program that enabled 11 special needs kids to attend the traditional J summer camp, and they expect more participation this year. On Feb. 6, they are launching inclusive tai chi and art programs, in partnership with United Ability.

In terms of facilities, the LJCC spent $900,000 on roofing, the HVAC system and new indoor pool equipment. This year, plans include remodeling the restrooms and the locker room showers, and creating a courtyard patio outside the Hess library. The tennis courts will be resurfaced, and an outdoor pickleball space will be created.

The LJCC also announced that it was restructuring the leadership team, with Bowles becoming CEO instead of executive director. Maureen Scardino was named chief financial officer. Barbara Traweek is chief programs officer, supervising the Cohn Early Childhood Learning Center, the camp program, athletics and aquatics.

Robert Scott moves from facilities director to chief operating officer, overseeing the facility, security, event planning and food services. Shannon Brasovan, formerly coordinator of Jewish programs, is now chief experience officer, which encompasses membership, the Office of Jewish Life, fitness and marketing.

As part of the annual meeting, longtime personal trainer Marilynn Leeds was given the Legacy of Strength Award, and historian Zachary Dembo received the L’Dor V’Dor Award.

Sultan-Dadon started her remarks by noting the recent release of hostages by Hamas, saying while there is joy and relief at seeing images of hostages being freed, “it is heartbreaking to know that today is day 482 since Oct. 7. We still have 82 hostages in captivity and the sad reality is that we should not be here. The war should not have lasted this long, we should not still have hostages in captivity.”

Sultan-Dadon said if the international community had spoken “with a clear voice since day one, demanding of Hamas to surrender and release the hostages, we would not be in day 482. So much suffering would have been spared. So many innocent lives taken would have been spared.”

She added that “by not pointing the finger at the terror organization that caused immeasurable suffering to Israelis, to Palestinians, they are only prolonging the suffering in the region.”

Weil asked Sultan-Dadon about the role of JCCs after Oct. 7, to which she responded that Jewish people felt more of a need to come together, and it was an “opportunity for these centers to not only provide people a space for coming together, but also provide opportunities for education,” because many “may be confused about what is going on.”

She said for many, fostering a strong Jewish identity has not been a priority during the “decades of living comfortably” in the U.S. “October 7 changed Israel, but it also changed the landscape outside of Israel, and we are all living in a new reality” with a resurgence of antisemitism.

Jewish holidays are about what we have overcome as a people, she said, and it is important to remind young people that there was not always a Jewish state as a safe haven. “For millennia, we were at the mercy of others.”

She said there needs to be education about Jewish pride, because without an awareness of history, it is easier to internalize accusations from others. “There is so much to be proud of… only through reminding ourselves of who we are, of our history, why it is we must be proud and hold our heads high. That is the only way to preserve and ensure the future for our children.”

JCCs, she said are “positioned to provide this balance” of fun and a respite from war, “while still dealing with the conflict we don’t have the privilege of not dealing with.”

The consulate’s work in building bridges to other communities is similar to the JCC’s openness to the greater community. “It’s a necessity,” Sultan-Dadon said. “We are always going to be heavily outnumbered. We are always going to rely heavily on the relationships we forge and maintain with others in society.”

After Oct. 7, she noted, “not all those other communities were open to engaging. They were not all reaching out saying we are here, what can we do.”

While relationships with others are important, she said it must be clear what the Jewish community expects from them. “It’s not just about us. It’s about standing on the right side of history, for the values we all share.” One can’t claim to support the values “and then turn a blind eye to the Jewish state and the Jewish people.”

She said “there are many non-Jewish friends out there who do want to do the right thing. They pray for Israel, but they don’t necessarily know what it is they can do at this time to support Israel, to support the Jewish community,” and JCCs can play that role. “They want to know what they can do to help,” and they number in the millions.

As an example, she said, one can fight misinformation in social media and mainstream media. “Media outlets should be held accountable when they are spreading lies. When they are being used in the service of a terror organization. There is no other case where media organizations around the world take a terror organization at its word,” just Hamas in its accusations against Israel.

“There are millions of voices out there that should be holding the media accountable” for strengthening Hamas, and the media’s unquestioning parroting of Hamas talking points “does a grave disservice.”