Stroum Jewish Community Center

Thriving Traditions

Jewish Holidays and Traditions at the J, Then and Now

• YouTube video with holiday related quotes from Podcast interviews
• Put audio with historical photos of holidays at the J
• Find 50 photos from last 70 years on all holidays
• Develop holiday related question(s) for Podcast intreviews (Sharon Lott)

J Truck Day

Honk, Honk! Hands-On Learning at ECS Truck Day 

Ask any of the kids in the J’s Early Childhood School—and even some of the parents—what their favorite day is, and chances are good they’ll say Truck Day.  

This annual event is pure joy. Vehicles from around the region fill the J’s parking lot for kids to explore. They spend the morning honking the horn on the cement truck, peeking through the window of the police SWAT vehicle, marveling at the shiny chrome on the fire engine, running through the empty delivery truck, pulling the levers on the bulldozer, and visiting the adoptable cats in the Humane Society truck. Rivka Klaff, an ECS parent and one of the 2019 event chairs, always looks forward to Truck Day. “It’s one of the most fun days of the year,” she says. “Some of the parents have as much fun as the kids.” 

Marty Duitch has been bringing his Mercer Island School District bus to Truck Day for the past 18 years, and enjoys being part of this longstanding tradition. “There’s a Disneyland-type excitement for the kids,” he says. “It’s nice to see all the smiling faces in the windows of my bus.” Marty also enjoys giving back to a community he’s been part of for so long: his two sons went to preschool at the J in the late ‘70s, and over the past several years, all four of his grandkids have attended ECS too.  

Truck Day started in the late ‘80s, spearheaded by then-ECS teacher Fran Spring. Her young kids were always intrigued by trucks and she thought it would be a fun and educational experience if they could actually have the chance to sit inside one, talk to the drivers, and learn how they work. So she started calling around and was able to recruit about seven or eight cars and trucks for the inaugural event. “It all evolved from my kids’ curiosity,” she says.  

Empowering kids to follow their curiosity is an important tenant of the J’s Early Childhood School, and hands-on, experiential learning is key to that. In the days before Truck Day, the kids learn about different types of trucks and the different jobs the drivers do. When the day comes, the kids get to touch the wheels, feel the smoothness of the sides of the truck, smell the exhaust, honk the horn, and ask the drivers questions. “That holistic experience is how kids learn,” Fran says. “They use all their senses to understand the world.” 

Fran is happy that an event she created more than 20 years ago is still part of preschool life at the J. “It thrills me to know that the event is continuing,” she says. “I’m honored to have a small legacy, especially one that brings joy to kids.” Judging by the smiling faces of both the kids and their parents every spring, she’s helped families make a whole truckload of happy memories over the years. 

Generational Family Commitment

For so many families, the Stroum Jewish Community Center of Greater Seattle is simply part of their DNA.  

They grew up here—from preschool and J Camp to volunteer committees and board presidencies. It’s not uncommon to hear stories of people who are still best friends with—or even married to—the friends they made in the J’s Early Childhood School, to talk to adults who played basketball here as kids and now coach their children’s Dinky Dunkers team, or to see multigenerational families making the J part of their holiday traditions year after year. 

In 2019, the SJCC is celebrating its 50th anniversary on Mercer Island and its 70th in greater Seattle. In that time, the J has had 34 board presidents, two different names, and expanded its programs to reach more and more families, but, says longtime member Sharon Lott, its heart hasn’t changed. 

“It’s still a home away from home where people open their hearts to others and where everyone is welcome,” she says. “There may be more people and programs, the building may change, but the values are still the same.” 

Throughout this year, we’re sharing stories of families who’ve been impacted by the J—and impacted the J in return. Three longtime J families—the Lotts, Alhadeffs, and Fishers—reflect on their generations of involvement. 

The Lott Family
Three Generations of Best Friends

“There’s something special about this place,” Sharon Lott says. “The people you meet here, you kind of fall in love with them in a sense. It’s a little bit magical.” 

Sharon and her husband, Marty, have been a part of the SJCC on Mercer Island since it began—literally. They were at the groundbreaking for this building in 1968, shovels in hand. Marty’s father, Manny, had been part of the group that helped fundraise for the Mercer Island facility. Both families had been involved long before the move to Mercer Island: from dances at the downtown Seattle location, to BBYO meetings, to card games and workout sessions. “The J has touched every single person in my family,” Sharon says. 

One of Sharon and Marty’s strongest connections is with the Early Childhood School, where their two sons, Jeremy and Jordan, attended preschool, and where three generations of best friendships began. “It’s where we met our very best friends who are still our best friends to this day,” Sharon says. “My children and their children became best friends in ECS and now my grandchildren and their grandchildren are best friends too.” 

Finding lifelong friends at the J can happen at any stage of life. For Sharon’s mom, Frances, it didn’t happen until after her husband passed away in 1980. In search of community, she started volunteering with the J’s Golden Agers club. “It was such a good salvation for her,” Sharon says. She began to teach Sephardic cooking classes, learned to swim, and made amazing friends. “It was the best thing that ever happened to her.” 

Passing the Jewish connection—and particularly her Sephardic heritage—down through the generations is something that’s extremely important to Sharon, and it led her to create Sephardic Day at the J in 2017. This community festival was a celebration of the food, music, language, and traditions of Sephardic culture, Jews who hail from the Mediterranean. “I really wanted to do something so my grandchildren would know where they came from, know their heritage, and understand why growing up Sephardic was so important to me,” Sharon says. She was thrilled the program reached far beyond her own grandchildren—more than 550 people attended that first festival. “People came out of the woodwork,” she says. “They had such a sense of pride to see their culture celebrated.” 

Over the generations, Sharon and her family have been grateful to have the J as a hub for the community and their family. “It’s so important for people to be in a place with Jewish values and ideas, where they get to have pride in their Jewish identity, where they can understand what being Jewish means.” That’s why the Lott family has supported the J for so many years and will continue to do so, Sharon says. “We’re fortunate to be here and enjoy the J, just like our parents, our grandparents, our children, and our grandchildren,” Sharon says. “I want my grandchildren to have the same life-shaping experiences Marty and I had here. We want to perpetuate it for the future.” 

The Alhadeff Family
From Preschool to “I Do” 

Did Emily and Aaron Alhadeff’s parents realize they were matchmaking when they decided to send their kids to the SJCC Early Childhood School? Probably not, says Aaron with a laugh—it just turned out to be an added bonus. 

The couple became good friends in preschool (“we’re standing next to each other in every one of our class pictures,” Emily says) and stayed connected over the years. In fourth grade, Emily wrote Aaron that classic elementary school note: “Do you like me? Check yes or no.” The rest, as they say, is SJCC history. 

When Aaron returned to Seattle after college, the J was the first place he volunteered. It was a natural step, given how connected both he and Emily had been over the years. They both went to J Camp, Aaron participated in the JCC Maccabi Games (a Jewish Olympics-style competition), and he later went on to serve as the J’s board president, from 2012-14. When they had kids, they knew they’d send them to preschool at the J. “There wasn’t even a thought to go anywhere else,” Emily says. 

As their kids have gotten older—Max is 13 and Charlie is 11—the J isn’t as integrated into their daily lives as it once was, but it’s an organization 

they’re still dedicated to supporting. “We realized that if neither of us ever stepped foot in here again—never went to another carnival or film festival or had another kid in any program—it was still an important place to support, because it remains a backbone for community and continuity for everyone,” Aaron says. 

As their kids grow up, Emily and Aaron are confident the boys will stay connected to the J. It’s so woven into the fabric of their family, they don’t feel the need to tell their kids the importance of the organization. Rather, they show them through their active involvement. “They just know. It’s organic.” Emily says. “As long as they can remember, the J has been in their lives.” 

The J has had an invaluable impact on their lives, and they know it’s been the same for countless families over the years. “We’re not a unique story,” Aaron says. “But we are representative of a lot of the good the J does—both that we’ve been able to give and to receive. For us, for our parents, and for our kids.”

The Fisher Family
The Ties that Bind Generations

Over the years, Eddie Fisher and his family have celebrated countless milestones at the J. Those special occasions—from first days of preschool to his granddaughter Paige’s bat mitzvah—are often marked with a family photo on the wooden bench in front of the building. The bench is special to the Fishers because it’s dedicated to the memory of Babs Fisherz”l, Eddie’s wife, who passed away in 2004. For Kim Fisher, Eddie’s daughter-in-law, the spot perfectly encapsulates their connection at the J. “It’s a symbol of family, commitment, friendship, and our future,” she says. 

The J connection has always run solidly through the Fisher family. Eddie’s three sons (Eric, Rodney, and Craig) grew up at the J and Eddie was Board President from 1980 to 1982. Kim has been involved at the J for over 40 years, from gymnastics classes to the Board of Directors. Most of Eddie’s nine grandchildren have spent countless hours at the J. Rodney and his wife, Lauren, have three daughters who are wrapping up a memorable summer at J Camp: 15-year-old Dani has been a counselor in training for Performing Arts Camp, and 13-year-old twins Ava and Barrett have been adventuring around Seattle with X Camp. “Dani loves sharing her passion for theater with kids of all ages, and Ava and Barrett have made so many new friends and can’t wait to return next summer and follow in their sister’s footsteps,” Lauren says. Paige and Drew, Kim and Craig’s children, both attended the J’s Early Childhood School and J Camp, and have helped launch several teen volunteering and social action programs. 

Keeping his family connected to the J from generation to generation (dor l’dor in Hebrew) is important to Eddie, but it isn’t a passive activity. “Passing down my stories, personal experiences, and love for community isn’t something you can just hand down to the next generation,” he says. “The respect and sentimentality I have for the JCC and our Jewish community has to be shown and felt, it has to be a priority. That’s the tie that binds my generation to the next.” 

Eddie is thrilled to see the J continue as a thriving—and critical—hub for our community. “It adds value to a person’s quality of life,” he says. “It has done that for me and I hope it will continue to do that for many generations to come.” Kim echoes that optimism: “So much is changing about how we interact with one another, how we prioritize our time, how we work and play. My hope is that the J continues to be a place where we can stay connected.” 

If Eddie’s grandchildren are any indication, the J is on the right path. They have deep roots here and he doesn’t see that changing any time soon. Paige agrees: “As I graduate high school and go to college and beyond I hope that at every phase of my future 
I can find a way to connect at the J.” 

Seeing younger generations have such a deep connection to a place that means so much to him has been truly meaningful to Eddie. “Seeing my grandchildren involved in the community is what it’s all about,” he says. “They are the future of the J and I couldn’t be more proud!” 

Everyone is Welcome

• J supporter and ECS family, non Jewish, learning about roots: Interview John Rivera-Dirkes and Sheila Miller (non Jewish and drawn to the J) – Sephardic roots discovered. Preschool family. 
• Sara to interview Dirkes and Miller.
• John Rivera-Dirkes on podcast

Role of Shabbat the at J

The Light and Connection of Shabbat

The weekly ritual of Shabbat is an opportunity to slow down for a self-care moment. Chava Mirel, a local Jewish vocalist and prayer leader, calls it “a perfect nexus between joy and peace.”  

Chava sees that peace and joy play out every week when she leads the J’s Tot Shabbat. Every Friday, families and their young children gather together to sing, dance, light candles, eat challah, and share the joy of Shabbat with one another.  

“It’s the highlight of my week,” Chava says. “We leave behind the formalities of Shabbat and embrace the pure celebration aspect.” Parents bounce newborns in their arms, grandparents laugh as toddlers dance and play the drums—the room radiates joy.  

“It doesn’t matter where I’m at emotionally, when I walk into that room, I feel loved,” Chava says. “I hope everyone feels that way too.” 

Fan Yuan and Brian Sloan felt that warm connection when they moved to Mercer Island this summer with their 7-month-old daughter Kara. The J was one of their first stops, and Fan and Kara quickly became regulars at Tot Shabbat. Kara took to it right away, laughing and flapping her arms with the music. “It was the first time I saw her so excited like that,” Fan says.  

Singing together is a part of Jewish tradition, and Tot Shabbat builds that foundation. It also encourages adults to reconnect to something they did as children but may not always make time for now, Chava says. Brian experienced how powerful that sense memory could be the first time he joined Fan and Kara at Tot Shabbat, and he found himself tearing up. “It reminded me of growing up,” he says. “All my Hebrew School memories came flooding back with the songs.”  

That deep tradition of Shabbat – whether you celebrate every week or haven’t celebrated in years – is part of what Brian and Fan love about it. “It’s comfortable and a good way to ease into traditions,” he says. As they create their own family traditions, they see Tot Shabbat as a jumping off point to incorporate aspects of both of their heritages, from Shabbat dinners to Chinese New Year celebrations.  

“I feel so strongly about Chinese traditions, just as much as I feel strongly about Jewish traditions, and I think it’s very important to keep them both in the family,” Fan says. “Brian grew up with these traditions and they made him who he is, and I want Kara to understand that.” 

Fan and Brian are glad the J has quickly become part of their new tradition. “I feel like we found a big family here,” Fan says. They always feel welcome and accepted and part of a community—feelings that perfectly encapsulate Shabbat, Chava says.  

“The lights of the Shabbat candles are symbolic of the light we see in each other’s eyes,” Chava says. “Shabbat is for connection with other people—that’s universal.”

Learn about joining the J for Tot Shabbat by checking the calendar on the SJCC website.

---

Back to top

Back to Stroum Jewish Community Center main page