This is a guest post by Shana Cohen, Young Adult Outreach and Engagement Manager at the Minneapolis Jewish Federation.
On Saturday, October 27th, the Minneapolis Jewish Federation Young Leadership is hosting a high school-style dance to help raise money and awareness for the causes that the Federation is involved in. It’s called “Shalomcoming.” The play on words is obvious, but what might not be so obvious are the reasons for creating this event.
This event has been a long time in the making. Beth and Dan Rodich, the Shalomcoming Co-Chairs, came up with this concept in May, but their real inspiration was the high school dances they attended together as a couple many years ago. Today, they have been married for 10 years and have two beautiful daughters. Beth explains:
“As young parents, we know how expensive it is to be Jewish! Pre-school, religious school, summer camp and belonging to a synagogue are just a few of the expenses a young family begins to think about as their family grows. Thankfully, Federation’s summer camp scholarships and religious school subsidies keep the prices affordable for young families like us, who worry about their ability to provide a Jewish upbringing for their children.”
This is just one small example of the many ways the Minneapolis Jewish Federation helps the Jewish community. Beth and Dan came up with a fun way to educate the group about all of the other services that the Federation funds go toward. They broke these causes into six categories. They are: Hunger Relief, Jewish Arts and Learning, Inclusion, Women and Children In Crisis, Israel Experiences, & Disaster Relief. They thought it would be fun to nominate a Shalomcoming court to represent these categories. Each person on the Shalomcoming court hopes to raise some money on October 27th to help support their cause. The person that raises the MOST money for their cause will be crowned Shalomcoming King or Queen!
Shalomcoming is Saturday, October 27th, 2012, from 8:00 PM until Midnight. Come ready to drink, dance, and relive your high school glory days- or- revel in the fact that they’re over!
Formal Attire * Open Bar from 8-9:30 * Free Valet * Photo Booth * DJ
$20 in advance
$25 at the door
Register Here
Meet your 2012 Shalomcoming Court!
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Robyn Awend – Jewish Arts and LearningRobyn has served as the Director of Visual Arts at Sabes Jewish Community Center for the past 6 years. She has an MFA in printmaking and uses her Jewish identity as a focal point of her work. Robyn is a founding member of Form+Content Gallery in downtown, Minneapolis and is active on the Rimon: Minnesota Jewish Arts Council board. Robyn will be representing the category of “Jewish Arts and Learning.” Jewish Arts initiatives funded by the Minneapolis Jewish Federation promote and enhance Jewish identity through arts and culture, support arts and artists who broadly explore Jewish themes, and assist the greater Jewish community in developing collaborative involvement with the arts. “The arts are at the core of our Jewish culture. Supporting the arts ignites creativity within our community, which inspires, enriches and changes lives on a daily basis.” |
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Todd Braufman – Israel ExperiencesTodd is a Senior Vice President at AREA Corporate Real Estate Advisors. He assists global companies with their strategic facility requirements. His mother and grandfather were involved with the Federation for many years. Todd has had several roles as a volunteer for Federation, including Young Men’s Campaign chair, co-chairman of Super Sunday and chairman of a Young Men’s Networking Event. Todd will be representing the category of “Israel Experiences” because he believes that no matter young or old, Jews should have an opportunity to understand their heritage and history. With a special focus on Israel, we are not only dedicated to keeping the Jewish state safe, strong and prosperous, but we also strive to build meaningful connections between Israel and the Minneapolis Jewish Community. |
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Hanna Gensler – Women and Children In CrisisHanna is a native of Chicago and moved to Minneapolis in 2009. She’s currently an Event Planner for Medtronic, Inc. and also recently worked for Parasole Restaurant Holdings. When she first came to Minneapolis not knowing anyone, she turned to the Jewish Federation to meet young Jewish people, like herself. Hanna believes that it is our responsibility as Jews to give back to people in need, and that’s why she will be representing the category of “Women and Children in Crisis” , by supporting the Federation’s fund that provides women and children in Minneapolis emergency funding for basic needs such as housing, food, and clothing. |
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Darren Lederfine – Disaster ReliefDarren is the Vice President-Investments and founder of Swiller Lederfine Wealth Management. Often serving as his clients’ “personal CFO,” Darren harnesses the problem-solving skills he developed as a lawyer and draws on his considerable financial services to create personalized financial strategies for his clients. Darren is actively engaged in financial planning, investment management and estate planning for a wide range of individuals and institutional clients. Part of Darren’s philanthropic vision is to represent the category of “Disaster Relief.” The money that Federation dedicates to disaster relief helps to train and mobilize thousands of volunteers to help communities clean up after floods, tornadoes, and other natural disasters. |
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Zoe Stern – InclusionZoe is a Development Associate at Jewish Children and Family Services (JFCS) where one of her responsibilities is JFCS Next Generation Program is a fund, club and board that encourage philanthropy and community involvement among adults ages 21 to 36. NextGen encourages young philanthropists by offering hands-on giving opportunities, professional experience, and a vibrant social network to build a more cohesive community, actively involving and connecting young philanthropists with JFCS. Zoe is happy to be representing the category of “Inclusion”, which Zoe believes is a unique opportunity to encourage philanthropic giving among her peers. Inclusion is possible because of our many community partner agencies. They help to provide Jewish education to children and young adults with special needs. A gift to inclusion helps kids and young adults with special needs participate in a rich and meaningful life within the Jewish community. |
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Benjamin Tarshish – Hunger ReliefBenjie is a partner at the law firm he co-founded, Tarshish Cody, PLC. He is on the JFCS NextGen Board and occasionally performs standup comedy. Benjie was president of the Hillel at his undergraduate school, Carleton College. A fun fact about Benjie is that he was Homecoming King at Hopkins High School in 2003! Benjie is pleased to be representing “Hunger Relief.” There are humanitarian emergencies all over the world affecting Jews and non-Jews alike. Federation, along with our partner agencies, takes seriously the ethical responsibility to ensure the welfare of all people. While there is still much to be done, our work to provide meals to seniors in the former Soviet Union, Gondar, Ethiopia, and low-income communities in Israel has made a tremendous impact around the globe. |
Hosted By Shalomcoming Co-Chairs: Beth and Dan Rodich
The Shalomcoming Committee: Lauren Fogel and Bradley Hanley
The Young Leadership Executive Committee: Jason Bass, Cindi Tarshis Appelman, Sarah Gruesner, Todd Braufman, Andy Furman, Jessica Levin, Osnat Zamir, Hanna Gensler, Amy Lazniarz, Katie Stern, Dannon Shiff, Max Orenstein, Emily Sepler, Robyn Bass, Dan Kleineman, Michael Stern, Howard Hoffman, Beth Rodich, Dan Rodich, Dave Jurisz, Sara Grimaldi, Brett Striker, Nicholas Styles
