Among the things June brings to mind are flowers, weddings, and report cards.

This seems like a good time to give A+++ report cards to all our wonderful MetroWest volunteers.

Some of you sit on boards, committees, and task forces. Some of you make the calls at Super Sunday and our community phonathons. Some of you help with various office tasks. Some of you serve as volunteers with our agencies, working directly with children, elderly, or immigrants. Some of you share your professional expertise on a pro bono basis. Some of you fit into many of these categories! Each and every one of you is a treasure! Your contributions of time and talent are truly beyond measure.

Your dedication makes possible everything we do.

I wish I could give each of you an armful of flowers along with my thanks. Please imagine that a bountiful bouquet accompanies my heart-felt "THANK YOU!"

Ellen Goldner
President
United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ

Jessica Goldstern's first UJA mission "was a wonderful experience," she declared. The Livingston resident was one of about 30 participants in a Women's Department mission to St. Petersburg, Russia, and the Netherlands April 18-25.

"St. Petersburg was a whole new world. We met an 87-year-old-woman who's homebound because she lives on the fourth floor and has a hip problem," Goldstern explained. "She hasn't been out of her home in six years. She's survived all her family...In spite of all that, her spirit is amazing. ... We also met Karen, who works with JAFI. She's one of the most dynamic figures I've ever met. Her passion was really exciting."

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Reuben was at his wit's end. He deeply loves his wife, Ethel, but her confusion was too much to handle 24 hours a day, seven days a week. She couldn't do anything without him. She didn't remember to eat, to drink, where she was, or where she lived. Once she'd wandered out of the house.

When Reuben contacted Jewish Family Service of MetroWest, the counselor suggested that he call the Herr Adult Medical Day Center at Daughters of Israel, one of the local agencies which receives support from United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ. Ethel could go there a couple of times a week and give him a much-needed break.

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Jewish identity and Israel have always been very important in Steve Rosenblum's life.

He was born in Tajikistan, a Central Asian republic in the former Soviet Union. His parents had fled Poland in 1939, going eastward to escape the Nazis. After the war, the infant Steve and his parents spent some time in a displaced persons camps before coming to the United States and settling in Brooklyn.

As a college student, he was active in a student Zionist organization sponsored by the Jewish Agency for Israel. In the 1980s he moved to West Orange and became active in the UJA campaign.

to learn more about Steve, click here

"Ever since I was a soldier, I've felt that art must be involved with society," says Israeli artist David Wakstein. "It's not just a question of mixing colors. It's how it touches society, how it touches the inside of an artist, how the two worlds meet."

Wakstein has developed an innovative art project in Ofakim-Merchavim, one of United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ's partnership communities in Israel, which brings together local youngsters with students from the Bezalel Art School in Jerusalem.

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We want to connect our community to all the wonderful places in MetroWest. Did you know that our MetroWest community spans 1,132 square miles, covering Essex, Morris, Sussex, and north Union counties?

Share with our readers ... tell us about some place or some unique fact about MetroWest that people may not know. Here are some examples of what we mean:

· Outdoor Spot (Nature)
· Historical Fact or Landmark
· Restaurant
· MetroWest Trivia

to send in your submission; make sure to include your name and hometown. We may be contacting you to share your personal MetroWest oasis with the entire community.

Click on an event for additional information

MetroWest Wing [Thursday, June 3]: Closing the UJA Campaign with Joshua Malina from The West Wing.

UJA Country Club Day [Sunday, June 6]: An end-of-year salute to our Country Club partners.

Campaign Closing Phonathons: Bringing our 2004 UJA campaign to the finish line!