erjcchouston.orgEVELYN RUBENSTEIN JCC HOUSTON5601 S. Braeswood | Houston, TX 77096-3907

713.729.3200 | erjcchouston.org

2019 Impact Report

2018–2019 YEAR IN REVIEWBringing Light to the Community

OFFICERS

Lauren Kaufman Blachman

President

Debbie Kaplan

Honorary President

Elizabeth Cohen

Kenneth Katz

Ron Oppenhemier

Jeremy Samuels

Vice Presidents

Diane Lee Kraitman

Secretary

Eric Cohen

Assistant Secretary

Gregg Sheena

Treasurer

Joel Dinkin

Chief Executive Officer

DIRECTORS

Maida Asofsky

Daniel Barvin

Wendy Bernstein

Rebecca Block

Donald Brodsky***

Daniel Coleman

Ben Cowan

Debbie Diamond

Debra Dluhy

John Dreyfus

Eric Efron

Joe Epstein

Theba Feldman***

Michelle Fingeret

Jeryl Golub

Stefani Golub

Steven Goodman

Leah Gross

Roslyn Haikin***

Cynthia Block Helstein

Albert Hiller***

Lonny Hoffman

Francyne Davis Jacobs

Erin Nigh Johnson

Arnold Kagan

Barbara Kalmans

Ann Kaufman***

Stephen Kaufman

Noah Kruger

Mardi Kunik

Bobby Lapin***

Eve Lapin

Jack Lapin***

Marcy Laviage

Nancy Lerner***

Benjy Levit

Ben Lipson

Gerald Merfish***

Karol Musher***

Joe Pryzant

Stacey Rose

Michael Rubenstein

Bobbi Samuels***

J. Victor Samuels***

Ed Schreiber***

Anat Kelman Shaw

Barbara Shepard

Bubba Silberstein***

Amira Staller

Dan Steiner***

Sam Stolbun***

Yael Trusch

Carly Beth Walker

Linda Walter***

Melissa Wolfson

Jennifer Haikin Zach

Thank You to Our Continuity and Legacy Society Members Continuity Society members are individuals, corporations, & foundations that annually contribute $3,600 or more to support the programs, services, scholarships and capital initiatives at the Evelyn Rubenstein JCC.

Joan and Stanford AlexanderRobert AronsteinBlooming GalleryLaurie and Milton BoniukBeth Matusoff Merfish and Daniel ColemanCommunities in Schools, Inc.Comprehensive Health Management Crystal and Co.Lisa and Eric CohenRyann and Brett DetamoreElena and Joel Dinkin Distinctive Life Cremation

and Funeral Services

Robert Egan/Victory PackagingElite Sportswear, L.PJoe EpsteinThe Aubrey & Sylvia Farb Community

Service Fund of Emanu ElRori and Jason FeldmanShantel and David FerdmanMichelle and Jeremy FingeretFirst American Title National Commercial

Services Karen and Buster FreedmanMaxine and Steven GoodmanLeah and Jon Gross

Paige and George HagleHouston Highway Credit UnionHouston Jewish Community FoundationHouston Texans FoundationIsraeli American CouncilDebbie and Richard KaplanDana and Kenneth KatzAbbie and Darrin Kaucher King and Spalding LLP Susan and Jack Lapin Marcy and Jason LaviageLiz and Ron OppenheimerPartners in Building

Paula and Irving Pozmantier Prep SportswearGloria and Joe PryzantRBC Wealth Management/

Cindy and Les FoxVicky and Michael RichkerRIDA Development/Ira MitznerMarci Rosenberg and Ben Samuels Lyn and Carl SchmulenAnat and Chad ShawEmily Weingarten Stein Paula and Rick SteinBarbara Winthrop and Jay Steinfeld

Sigma VenturesSimon Printing Company/

Cherri and Bradley SimonShirley Toomim Triple S Steel/Stein FamilyKate McCormick and Champ WarrenThe Warren Family Sylvia and Jerome WilkenfeldJudith WinogradMitzi Shure and Jerry WischeCyvia WolffZinn Petroleum/Edith and Robert Zinn

Bernard Abrams Family Day Camp Endowment Fund**

Margie Gershen Abrams Playground FundSusie & David Askanase**Reuben Askanase Past Presidents FundRuth Brodsky Staff Training

Endowment Fund**Donna Frankoff Jewish Book Fair FundFreed Art Program Scholarship FundReba M. and Theodore Freedman

Legacy Endowment**Rosita & Albert Gaon Jewish Heritage

Program FundHarry & Rose Getz Scholarship FundGetz Assistance Fund

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Graf**Arline Guefen**Marilyn Levitch Hassid**Marilyn Hassid Jewish Book Fair Emerging

Authors FundBunny & Leo Horvitz Endowment FundBarbara and Raymond Kalmans**Elyse and Lewis Kalmans**Irvin D. Kaplan Children’s Scholarship FundDana and Kenneth Katz**Jerold B. Katz FamilyDebbie and Rick Kaplan**Ann and Stephen KaufmanJewish Book & Arts Fair Fund

Eve and Bobby Lapin**Oliver Lapin Children’s Program FundSusan & Jack Lapin Endowment FundNancy Lerner Scholarship FundMarshall Levit**Lena and Marc Malacoff**Martel Foundation Meals ProgramSherry and Gerald Merfish**Morgan Family Scholarship FundKarol Musher STARS Early Childhood

Intervention Program EndowmentKarol Musher STARS Sports

Endowment Fund**Karol and Daniel Musher**

Irving Nad Memorial Bible ProgramSoph & Alfred Natkin Charitable FundRaymond E. Plotkin JCC Maccabi Games

Tennis ScholarshipPulaski-Rauch FundLila Rauch**Mike Grossman/Judy Richker Maccabi

Scholarship FundCheryl and Michael Rubenstein**Bobbi and Vic Samuels Center for Jewish

Living And Learning Fund**Suzan and Jeremy Samuels**Ed Schreiber**Shelly Serota Endowment Fund**Tami and Gregg Sheena**

Elise Sheppard**Goldye & Samuel Spain Children’s

Performing Arts FundSteiner Memorial Fund for Preschool

Staff DevelopmentLinda Suib**Waldman FundShirley and Hy Warshaw**Weinberg Senior Endowment Program

FundBarbara & Harold Falik Weingarten

Building Preservation FundJerry Wische Leadership

Development Fund

AARP FoundationThe Maurice Amado FoundationJoyce Cramer Eleanor and Frank Freed Foundation

Martha and Donald FreedmanJewish Funders NetworkMireille and Harvey KatzAnn and Stephen KaufmanEve and Robert Lapin

Erica and Benjy LevitJanet and Elton LipnickSherry and Gerald Merfish

Family Foundation

Linda and Jerry Rubenstein/ Soph and Al Natkin STARS Fund

The Samuels Family FoundationSave the Children

Alana Spiwak and Sam StolbunShirley and David Toomim

Family FoundationThe Pauline Sterne Wolff Memorial

Foundation

Pillars | $35,000+

Builders | $10,000-$34,999

Partners | $3,600-$9,999

Lauren and Jeremy BlachmanThe IndiGO Blue Family FoundationBraun Enterprises/Marian and Gaby

Braun/Taryn and Dan BraunBrodsky Foundation/Ruth Brodsky*/

Joanne and Donald Brodsky/Ellen Gaber DentonsTheba and Buster FeldmanThe Herman H. Fleishman Foundation

Sally and Bernard Fuchs/ Roslyn and Ricky Haikin/Ellyn and Adam Josef/Jennifer and Ron Zach

Harris County Dept. of Education/ City of Houston

Judy and Marc Herzstein/ Brooke and Dan Feather

Houston Arts Alliance Houston Methodist

Orthopedics and Sports Medicine

Isla Carroll Turner Friendship Trust Molly Ann KaplanLauren and Clinton LaechelinNancy and Steve LernerThe Milton* and Lee Levit FamilyBarbara and Barry LewisLillian Kaiser Lewis FoundationLewis and Joan Lowenstein

Foundation Dianna and Allan Margolin

Marriott Houston Westchase/ Harry Greenblatt

Sherry and Gerald MerfishKarol and Daniel MusherRadoff FamilyThe Sam Roosth FoundationBetsy and Ed Schreiber/

BXSInsuranceJeri and Marc Shapiro

Suzan and Jeremy SamuelsShannon and Daniel SheenaPatti and Dan SteinerCastine B. TheriotNaomi and Martin Warren

Family Foundation

Legacy Society Members are dedicated and committed individuals & families that make provisions in their estate or establish an endowment to sustain and enhance our ability to provide quality programs today and for future generations.

**Create a Legacy Giving Program funded by the Houston Jewish Community Foundation and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation *of blessed memoryWe apologize if we inadvertently omitted anyone. If you have any questions, please contact Judy Weil at jweil@erjcchouston.org. As of 5/5/2019

2018–2019 BOARD OF DIRECTORSAudit Steve Finkelman

BAS Carly Walker

Board Governance/ Erin Johnson / Engagement Diane Lee Kraitman

Book Festival Hilary Kamin / John Dreyfus

Budget & Finance Eric Efron

Children's Elizabeth Rubinsky / Scholarship Ball Lindsay Schmulen

Children Youth & Camping Michelle Fingeret

CJLL Joe Pryzant

Dance Development Joyce Wilkenfeld

Film Festival Nada Chandler

Fitness Adam Burck

Get Cultured Jordan Steinfeld

Golf Abe Goren

COMMITTEES

***Former President

Hall of Fame Charles Moser

Jewish Engagement Elizabeth Cohen

Maccabi Murray Kalmin

Mishpacha & Me Diane Lee Kraitman

Music Marc Garvin

Program Evaluation Jeremy Samuels

Teens Elyse Kalmans

Tennis Pam Diebner

Theatre Maida Asofsky

West Houston Melissa Wolfson

WH Task Force Stefani Golub

3,500 peopleengaged with Israel through our community shaliach, author talks, experiential programs, education classes and Yom Ha’atzmaut festival

YOUR J BY THE NUMBERS | THE J'S IMPACT IN 2018–2019

This year, our J has moved from recovery to renewal. Rather than being haunted by Harvey, we have used its lessons to guide us to bring light into our community and build a bright future together.

We are building a community without boundaries. In response to challenges that no one could anticipate, our community came together in ways that no one could have imagined. New relationships have led to new partnerships and

collaborations that elevate our idea of “business as usual” to new levels of engagement and service.

The resilience of our J is the result of remarkable leaders who selflessly serve. The work of our J inspires passion in our leaders who give their talent, time, and treasure to take our agency forward. We continue to nurture the magic of staff-volunteer partnerships that have been so essential to our success.

The J is the hub of our community: It’s Our Town Square. We see remarkable numbers of people come through our doors each year. Our membership numbers continue to increase and registration in our programs have surpassed our expectations as we expand our light to reach across denominations, age groups, and interests.

Outreach is essential to our mission. It’s important to note that we do not just wait for people to enter our Town Square. We create innovative programs that are portable and repeatable, and proactively use them to connect disparate parts of our community to our J and to each other. This outreach is a core element of our Jewish Engagement Vision, and highlights of the program are reviewed in this report.

We have a vision for our future. After considerable research, and extensive evaluation of multiple options, our leadership team has decided to reinvest in the Levit Campus and continue to call it our home. We are in the process of imagining enhancements to our campus and its facilities and look forward to sharing more details with you soon.

Renewal, partnership, engagement, innovation and outreach have been the hallmarks of our J this year. My first year as President has flown by, and the experience has truly been a joy to me. I have been honored to serve with Joel Dinkin, our talented CEO, as my partner. I am inspired by his wisdom, expertise and vision, along with the dedication of our board of directors, and the endless energy of our staff. With their help and your support, our J will continue to deliver essential services to those in need, create meaningful connections of Jewish life, and bring light, connection and hope to our community.

Thank you for contributing to this glow with us.

Lauren Kaufman Blachman, President

PRESIDENT'S LETTER

OPERATING BUDGET | $17,301,617With an operating budget of $17,301,617, the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center serves the greater Houston Jewish and secular communities through a multitude of programs and services. The long-standing tradition of providing for every segment of the Jewish population and ensuring the continuity of Jewish life in Houston is sustained through grants, membership dues, program fees and donations.

66% | Salaries and Benefits

21% | Program Expenses

12% | Occupancy and Transportation

1% | Other

EXPENSES

SCHOLARSHIPS | $558,000The J strives to make programs accessible to all regardless of financial need. We help those in need with financial assistance in many different areas of the J. Many of the scholarship dollars are made possible by the Irvin Kaplan Scholarship Fund which is supported through individual donations and the Children’s Scholarship Ball.

FINANCIAL REPORT

102,239 meals 89% reenrollment

57% | Program Service Fees

12% | Membership Dues

9% | Community Contributions

9% | Government Grants

4% | Jewish Federation of Greater Houston

4% | United Way of Greater Houston

3% | Other (includes sales, events, and rental income)

2% | Foundation Grants

INCOME

meals served to JMeals On Wheels Clients

227,475 hours1,257 campers

70+ weekly fitness classes

9,100 members

ages 3-15 participated in JCamps

including yoga, HIIT, cycle, strength, pilates, and more

volunteered to support senior corps and community programming

across 164 ZIP codes

1,000+ participants

• Friday Night Lights welcomes participants to celebrate Shabbat in unique way through Jewish culture. All three programs reached capacity in its first year.

• Houston National Invitational celebrates 25 years with 3,000 athletes from 8 countries

• A new Meals On Wheels truck through the support of the Shirley and David Toomim Family Foundation allows the J to deliver 7,800 more meals

• Established the Jewish Teen Philanthropy Initiative, a teen giving circle designed to provide leadership training through the lens of collective philanthropy

• 1st Annual Oy Vey 5K Family Fun Run held in the heart of Meyerland with over 200 runners

• 2nd Annual Jewish CultureFest welcomes over 1,000 individuals from all over greater Houston

• 80 Elementary Aged Families participated in Community Service through the School’s Out Service Days Program

• Ellen Boniuk Early Childhood School hosted 5 community outreach and engagement programs for West Houston and Katy families, reaching 150 families

in our Early Childhood Education programs at Bertha Alyce and Ellen Boniuk Early Childhood Schools

1,000+ students engaged in gymnastics development, activities and training at the J’s Houston Gymnastics Center

Family Holiday Events with Mishpacha and Me and Mishpacha NEXT

PROGRAM & SERVICES HIGHLIGHTS

15,000+ participantsin arts, culture, & education programs