Submitted report

The Jewish Community Center of Dallas held its 138th Annual Meeting on Thursday, June 8.
There was a crowd of nearly 400 people in attendance. The future of the J was presented through a night of meaningful moments, shared visions and a strong push to think about how the J will become the ultimate social destination for generations to come.
The theme, “Our Mission, Your Vision, Our Future,” set the stage for an evening captivating those in attendance as J leadership unveiled possibilities for the future.
Annual meeting chairs, Scott Cohen and Wendy Stanley, served as the evening hosts, introducing all the speakers and highlighting the worthiness and efforts of this year’s award winners.
Anshai Torah’s Rabbi Stefan Weinberg opened the meeting with a moving d’var Torah weaving the remarkable miracle of Jerusalem’s 50th anniversary into the responsibility each of us has to take care of the J.
Artie Allen, JCC CEO, gave the “State of the J” address highlighting outstanding operations for 2016. He expressed the importance of constant innovation and investments into the agency, our businesses and mission-based programs.
Angela Aaron Horowitz, outgoing chairman of the board, spoke about the evolution that has occurred during her term. In her first year, she asked everyone to close their eyes and imagine the J of the future. The next year, after engaging the Gensler Architecture and Design firm, she asked everyone to open their eyes and help put their imagination into words and designs. Through meetings and vision sessions with diverse, broad-based constituents, what the community desired was articulated.
The highlight of Horowitz’ speech was the moving conceptual video showing the features of a re-imagined new J. The room was abuzz with excitement as the J moved to the next phase of the meeting: its annual community awards.
The Hank Bodner Award, given to the most well-rounded athlete at the J, was created in the memory of longtime Health and Fitness Director Hank Bodner. This year’s award recipient was Leah Bernstein, an avid tennis and volleyball player.
The Sam Slusher Award, given to a senior adult that does the greatest good to help her peers, was given to Sunny Shor. The cheers from the crowd of seniors in attendance reinforced their appreciation for all of Sunny’s work on their behalf.
The final award is presented to the “Leader of the Year.” This award is given to a board member that has excelled as a volunteer. This year’s recipient, David Friedman, was well-deserving. He has served as Building and Grounds chair, overseeing many projects on the campus. This award is voted on by the board of directors and is the highest recognition given to a volunteer at the J.
Following the awards ceremony, Scott Cohen and Wendy Stanley, who are also the J Governance Committee chairs, installed the new board members and officers.
 
 
New board members

• Todd Chanon
• Lindsay Feldman
• Jolie Newman
• Robin Stone

Officers

• Jay Liberman    Chairman
• David Greenstone    Vice President
• Monte Hurst    Vice President
• Liz Liener    Vice President
• Ellen Ungerman    Vice President/Secretary/Treasurer

• Alan Shor, a past president of the J, installed incoming Chairman Jay Liberman.
• The evening ended with an inspiring year-end review video sharing the highlights of 2017 at the J.