Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018
Nine young Jewish professionals have come together to form the Super Sunday Steering Committee to help develop and plan the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater’s phone-a-thon.
The committee has chosen a theme based on the popular board game, Scrabble, to answer how each person in the Tidewater Jewish community defines their own sense of community. ‘How Do You Spell Community?’ will create an opportunity for Tidewater Jews to learn what the Federation offers and to share opinions of what being in the community means.
During a recent committee meeting, members were asked what led them to be active within the Federation and be involved in Super Sunday. Many say they believe that the Federation is a source of communal support for the local Jewish community and overseas agencies that need help. Committee members who grew up in Tidewater such as Melissa Eichelbaum, Jeremy Krupnick, Erin Stockburger, and Seth White know that giving back to the community that provided them with Jewish experiences was vital to the continued cycle of Jewish life in Tidewater. Although Eichelbaum has been aware of the Federation from an early age, she “felt that [joining] was a way into learning what it means to be a part of the Tidewater Jewish community” as an adult. Following in the footsteps of past Super Sunday committee members, this group of bright, young individuals will help set the tone of Jewish interaction in Tidewater.
Being a part of the committee, according to Alex Gottschalk, will allow members to develop relationships within the community that will help maintain Jewish connectivity. Krupnick, who serves as chair, wants Super Sunday to be the big community event that it used to be when he was a child that draws people of all ages into getting involved. He says he is “excited to be bringing some new and innovative ideas to this year’s event” that will invigorate people into talking about what the Jewish community means to them. White is looking forward to this Super Sunday where the committee has “come together to set up a day of fun and celebration around the central Jewish pillars of tikun olum and tzedakah.”
Eric Miller, vice-chair, knows that his time in the committee will provide a chance to “have conversations with people in the community about why [he] got involved” that will help him relate to others’ sense of community.
Stockburger says that it will be her “responsibility to encourage an environment that reflects unity within our community.”