Tuesday, August 09, 2011
Meet our Latest Ma'asim Tovim Award Winner!
Every two years, the Region gets a chance to honor someone who has done exceptional work in furtherance of the FJMC's mission - Involving Jewish Men in Jewish Life - with the Ma'asim Tovim award. Our newest honoree is Hank Needle, a member of the Etz Chaim Men's Club in Marietta, Georgia and former Regional President.
A native of Greensboro, NC, Hank Needle graduated from North Carolina State University and spent the first 13 years of his married life in Seattle, Washington before returning to the South. While in Seattle, he would often accompany his brother-in-law to morning minyan at the Conservative shul. He felt a great sense of bonding with this small group, a sense of bonding that carried over when he moved to Marietta, Georgia and joined Congregation Etz Chaim. As he started attending minyan there, he formed solid friendships with several of the men in the congregation, which led to being asked to join Men's Club. Times were tough back in those early days, but Etz Chaim was always there to provide support to the Needle family.
Upon joining Men's Club, Hank gradually became more and more involved. Before long, he was on the club's board and worked in several capacities, including Trustee, Programming VP, and President, at the same time continuing to work on various committees and projects. He is a key member of the kitchen crew for the club's monthly "Best Breakfast in Town," rising early to help cook and set up for the meeting. He has also a key organizer of the club's World Wide Wrap event, with this year's Wrap boasting a record number of kids and adults in attendance. Hank also assisted with the club's Gold Torch Award-winning Yom ha-Shoah program in the synagogue’s Holocaust Garden. By his example - and by his outgoing personality - he constantly encourages new people to take an active role in Men’s Club, including his grown sons.
In the early 2000's, Hank was attended the FJMC's Leadership Development Institute, setting in motion his involvement on the Regional level. Hank served first as Vice President and then as President of Anshei Darom, providing leadership and encouraging men's involvement around the Southeast. He was one of the first chairmen of the Anshei Darom Retreat, an annual event at Camp Ramah in Clayton, Georgia that has grown in numbers and popularity over the last 12 years. The Retreat serves as a great model for other regional retreats, in no small measure thanks to Hank's efforts.
On the synagogue level, Hank was a member of the Board of Directors, including serving as Corresponding Secretary on the Executive Board. Over the years his love of woodworking has been put to use and can be seen in several projects at Etz Chaim. He helped build the Ark as well as the wooden wall sculptures in the chapel, including hand-carving one depicting Jerusalem. The Rabbi also assigned Hank the task of building a large menorah to be used for the community Chanukah celebration. The menorah, built almost entirely out of PVC pipe and gold paint, stands almost ten feet tall and graces the synagogue's lobby during Chanukah.
All three of Hank's sons - Josh, Ben, and Mark - became Bar Mitzvah at Congregation Etz Chaim, and all were married by the congregation's Rabbi Shalom Lewis. His wife of 37 years, Karen, has also been extremely involved with the synagogue, from her many years on the Sisterhood board to her current involvement as an assistant for the Judaica Shop. Hank is a very proud father and father-in-law, and is especially overjoyed to be the grandfather of six amazing grandchildren.
Professionally, Hank has worked for Isuzu Commercial Trucks for 21 years. He is an avid lover of anything Jeep, including the 1950 Willys he has restored. Many Sundays find him working in his garage workshop; he is always looking for spare wood for one project or another.
Instead of taking it easy now that the "kids" are out of the house, Hank has found the exact opposite thanks to family events and his continuing work with Men's Club. Life doesn't appear to be slowing down any time soon!
Please join me in wishing Hank a hearty Mazal Tov on his receiving the Ma'asim Tovim Award!
Labels: Convention News, Other News
Monday, July 16, 2007
Convention 2007
Yesterday I sat in my window seat on my American Airlines flight, gazing out at the landscape as it slowly slipped by. As we continued southward, occasional puffs of white cumulus were replaced by glowering thunderheads, their anvil tops sheared off flat by invisible temperature gradients. Our plane jinked and dodged around them, searching for patches of smooth air.
I was going home after a remarkable five days as a first-time delegate to the biennial convention of the International FJMC. Anshei Darom was well-represented. Joining me from Etz Chaim were Hank Needle, Barry Dolin, and Chuck Bernstein; from Beth Shalom, Stan Schnitzer; from West End Synagogue in Nashville, Jim Handler, Joe Zendlovitz, Gene Sacks (and his lovely wife Ruthi); from Temple Israel in Charlotte, Michael Abadi and the irrepressible Alan Sussman; from Synagogue Emanu-El in Charleston, Eric Oser (accompanied by his lovely wife Ruth); and from Beth Shalom Synagogue in Columbia, Rabbi David Siff.
So many stories. So many faces - some new, some familiar from past meetings.
One of the other delegates was Mark Travis, the youngest brother of Larry, he of blessèd memory, a stalwart of the Etz Chaim Men’s Club. Seeing him was strangely like seeing Larry magically come to life: The resemblance between the brothers was uncanny, extending even unto the gravelly voice. I showed him the memorial tribute to Larry our club had placed in the convention program, and the tears flowed as I told him how I sat in his brother’s old place every day at morning Minyan.
We applauded as Joe Zendlovitz, our beloved Treasurer, received the Ma’asim Tovim award along with honorees from across North America.
We recognized the accomplishments of Bob Breitman, outgoing FJMC President, and cheered the installation of Norm Kurtz as our new President.
We listened to a concert that included world-class cantorial talent: Steven Stoehr, David Propis, Alberto Mizrahi, Aaron Bensoussan, George Mordecai, Rebecca Carmi, Alisa Pomerantz-Boro. As the weekend approached, our religious services received an extra dose of musicality and spiritual intensity from several of these most excellent chazzanim.
Saturday morning, I had the honor of reading Torah along with a cadre of seven of the finest ba’alei koreh in the organization. Nothing gets your adrenalin going like reading a 29-verse slab of Torah in front of 500 people...and being the leadoff batter to boot.
We enjoyed l’chaims at several late-evening soirées. At the Wednesday evening cocktail party hosted jointly by Anshei Darom and the Florida region, we had mint juleps, screwdrivers, and home-baked cookies. I’m not being overly biased when I tell you that we had the best party of them all, a room packed with happy people renewing their friendships. And over the next several days, the International Kiddush Club offered up an assortment of fine single-malt scotches, cask-strength bourbons, Irish whiskies, et alia. And plenty of kosher wine, in a Wine Tour of Israel. None of that Manischewitz or Mogen David stuff. These were serious wines, the finest varietals from Eretz Yisrael, including a late-harvest Gewürtztraminer that could melt a heart of stone.
Saturday night, we gathered for a poolside Havdalah service. Being among a throng of several hundred people singing Eliyahu ha-Navi made saying goodbye to Shabbat a lot easier.
We listened at breakfast Sunday morning as Jerry Markbreit told of his adventures as the first Jewish referee in the NFL, working the Super Bowl not once but four times.
And then, all too soon, it was over. Time to pack the bags, check out, say our goodbyes, and head off in our many separate directions, heads filled with new learning and new programming ideas.
Let me tell you: If you have never been to Convention, mark your calendar right now for July 2009. You will have an unforgettable experience. And if you have been to Convention, you’ll want to mark your calendar too...for you know just what I’m talking about.
I was going home after a remarkable five days as a first-time delegate to the biennial convention of the International FJMC. Anshei Darom was well-represented. Joining me from Etz Chaim were Hank Needle, Barry Dolin, and Chuck Bernstein; from Beth Shalom, Stan Schnitzer; from West End Synagogue in Nashville, Jim Handler, Joe Zendlovitz, Gene Sacks (and his lovely wife Ruthi); from Temple Israel in Charlotte, Michael Abadi and the irrepressible Alan Sussman; from Synagogue Emanu-El in Charleston, Eric Oser (accompanied by his lovely wife Ruth); and from Beth Shalom Synagogue in Columbia, Rabbi David Siff.
So many stories. So many faces - some new, some familiar from past meetings.
One of the other delegates was Mark Travis, the youngest brother of Larry, he of blessèd memory, a stalwart of the Etz Chaim Men’s Club. Seeing him was strangely like seeing Larry magically come to life: The resemblance between the brothers was uncanny, extending even unto the gravelly voice. I showed him the memorial tribute to Larry our club had placed in the convention program, and the tears flowed as I told him how I sat in his brother’s old place every day at morning Minyan.
We applauded as Joe Zendlovitz, our beloved Treasurer, received the Ma’asim Tovim award along with honorees from across North America.
We recognized the accomplishments of Bob Breitman, outgoing FJMC President, and cheered the installation of Norm Kurtz as our new President.
We listened to a concert that included world-class cantorial talent: Steven Stoehr, David Propis, Alberto Mizrahi, Aaron Bensoussan, George Mordecai, Rebecca Carmi, Alisa Pomerantz-Boro. As the weekend approached, our religious services received an extra dose of musicality and spiritual intensity from several of these most excellent chazzanim.
Saturday morning, I had the honor of reading Torah along with a cadre of seven of the finest ba’alei koreh in the organization. Nothing gets your adrenalin going like reading a 29-verse slab of Torah in front of 500 people...and being the leadoff batter to boot.
We enjoyed l’chaims at several late-evening soirées. At the Wednesday evening cocktail party hosted jointly by Anshei Darom and the Florida region, we had mint juleps, screwdrivers, and home-baked cookies. I’m not being overly biased when I tell you that we had the best party of them all, a room packed with happy people renewing their friendships. And over the next several days, the International Kiddush Club offered up an assortment of fine single-malt scotches, cask-strength bourbons, Irish whiskies, et alia. And plenty of kosher wine, in a Wine Tour of Israel. None of that Manischewitz or Mogen David stuff. These were serious wines, the finest varietals from Eretz Yisrael, including a late-harvest Gewürtztraminer that could melt a heart of stone.
Saturday night, we gathered for a poolside Havdalah service. Being among a throng of several hundred people singing Eliyahu ha-Navi made saying goodbye to Shabbat a lot easier.
We listened at breakfast Sunday morning as Jerry Markbreit told of his adventures as the first Jewish referee in the NFL, working the Super Bowl not once but four times.
And then, all too soon, it was over. Time to pack the bags, check out, say our goodbyes, and head off in our many separate directions, heads filled with new learning and new programming ideas.
Let me tell you: If you have never been to Convention, mark your calendar right now for July 2009. You will have an unforgettable experience. And if you have been to Convention, you’ll want to mark your calendar too...for you know just what I’m talking about.
Labels: Convention News
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Register Now for the 2007 FJMC Convention!
The biennial Convention of the International Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs will be held July 11-15, 2007 at the Indian Lakes Resort, Bloomingdale, Illinois.
Click here for more information and for a link to the Convention registration page. (There's also a link on the sidebar to the left.)
At the Convention, you can:
- Learn and Teach New Men's Club Programs
- Share Ideas and Interact with Fellow Men's Club Leaders
- Study and Learn with Luminaries of the Jewish World
Register before February 15 to get the early Bird Registration Discount...save $100!
Labels: Convention News
