On Motzaei Shabbos, February 1, two by two, the Five Towns couples marched to Beth Shalom for the first Jewish Women’s Leadership Council event.
Rebbetzin Marjorie Glatt, one of the co-chairs of the event, explains, “This event simply stemmed from our observations that it is a program not often done in our community and one which can benefit so many. We wanted the inaugural event to be light and fun and reach a large audience. We are grateful for its success which is due to the hard work of a large collaborative council with the ability to reach much of the local Orthodox community. In the future, other topics will be discussed, and we welcome comments or suggestions for future programs.”
The JWLC has about 20 members, mostly local rebbetzins and other active professionals in education, politics, media, and health. It was begun with the help of the UJA and JCC as an independent group tasked with addressing local issues.
Shoshana Halpern co-chaired the event. She recalls, “After our first meeting or two, we decided to focus on the topic of marriage for this first year of the JWLC. Because life has become so hectic, we noticed that we sometimes don’t focus on the most important person in our lives: our spouses. We wanted to focus on bringing positivity and excitement back into marriages in the community. Towards that end, our debut event, An Evening of Love & Laughter, was born.
“Our idea for the evening was to make it a night out for couples to reconnect with each other in a lighthearted way. We started out the evening with comedian Ashley Blaker, who used humor and wit in his performance as he warmed up the crowd. Dr. David Pelcovitz reminded attendees that there are common problems that tend to crop up in marriages but that there are simple ways to resolve conflicts — even before they start. Dr. Pelcovitz presented the audience with video clips to make his points. I can’t stop laughing every time I watch the one titled ‘It’s Not about the Nail.’ Rachel Pill, LMSW, focused on re-centering our marriages. She engaged the audience with her reminder about smiling at your spouse every day — she made each person turn towards their spouses and smile at them at the beginning of her talk. She touched on the five “love languages” in relationships and urged the audience to read about them. She also went through the five stages of marriage and how each stage presents itself with another opportunity to connect on different levels. ‘You can be happy or be right,’ she told those in the audience. Choose happiness, she urged.
“An elaborate dessert buffet and photo booth rounded out the evening and were conducive to more discussion among participants on the topic of marriage. Attendees left the event inspired and re-energized, carrying a refreshing outlook on the most important relationship in their lives. People have specifically told members of the JWLC that since they attended the event they have been reminding themselves to smile at their spouses and appreciate their spouses. They are ‘turning towards each other’ and making sure not to miss what could be missed opportunities presented in their marriages.
“The next endeavor on the horizon for JWLC is a community-wide Shabbos focusing on injecting positivity back into marriages. Our vision is to have each shul in the community on one particular Shabbos focus on the topic of marriage in a positive, uplifting way. Based on the amazing feedback we’ve had from the Evening of Love & Laughter symposium, we know that this is something that the community has been waiting for.”
One attendee, Devorah Rosenzweig, who lives in Cedarhurst, commented, “It was a wonderful evening out. The speakers were very to the point and practical. The comedian was a nice touch. I really enjoyed and will do my best to implement the theme of bringing joy into the marriage (and home).”
Rebbetzin Sori Teitelbaum was also a co-chair of this event and concludes, “We are so appreciative of the UJA for helping us create the JWLC. The Love & Laughter Symposium, which had over 550 attendees, spanning the entire spectrum of the community, was a true testament to how the JWLC has taken a large community and made it into a united community. Our goal was to add love and laughter to our marriages and create a community whose members have healthy relationships all around. We will be having a follow-up Shabbaton in June. We at the JWLC are very excited and are looking forward to many more community events.”
The UJA liaison and coordinator was Sepi Djavaheri and the JCC liaisons were Rachayle Deutsch and Stacey Feldman. Myrna Zisman was also an integral co-chair of the event.
Stuart Tauber, vice president, UJA Federation of New York, noted, “It’s a privilege for us at UJA-Federation to have the opportunity to work with such a dynamic group of women influencers in the Five Towns. We’re here to understand the needs of the community and work in partnership with the Marion and Aaron Gural JCC to address them.”