June 9, 2004
by David Feith and Lisa Snider

‘Ma’ayan’ gala celebrates ’03-’04 fund raising:
Campaign raises record funds
Nearly 500 people, including parents, teachers, administrators and alumni gathered at the Upper School campus on June 3 for a gala to celebrate the success of the 2003-2004 Ma’ayan fund raising campaign.

The first Ma’ayan campaign began in January 2003 and brought the school’s two previously separate fund raising efforts, Nediv Lev and Decalogue, under one banner.

This second campaign raised $1.3 million between July 2003 and May 2004, the most ever raised.

all photos by Julie Brinn Siegel

Gala attendees eat and discuss over the exotic display in the main hallway on June 3.

The campaign explained that “the word ma’ayan means ‘a spring,’ a continual source of precious water, enabling all living things to flourish and grow. The name encapsulates our hope that the campaign will be a lasting source of support for the school, ensuring that it continues to flourish and grow, continues to teach, nurture and inspire its students.”

According to Board of Directors President Amy Goott, the success of this year’s campaign is due to the efforts of “an incredible team of solicitors. They’ve reached out to a lot of new parents who are supporting the school at incredible levels of generosity.”

It is anticipated that even more money will be raised before June 30, when the campaign officially ends, according to Director of Development Andrea Wasserman.

This year’s gala, an event which comes annually near the end of each campaign, focused on the attributes of the ideal JDS graduate.

The JDS graduate, as represented at the gala, is compassionate, ethical, prepared, responsible, confident, tolerant, well-rounded and a Zionist.

Earlier, students acted in a play demonstrating the attributes of a JDS graduate.

Eleven students dressed in biblical garb portrayed these eight characteristics in a skit during the evening.

“We started with the biblical characters of the past, hoping that these same character traits from way back have continued to be expressed in the JDS graduates and will continue into the future,” said Linda Herman, parent of two students and co-chair of the gala.

The other co-chairs were her husband, Jerry Herman, and parents Gary and Lisa Block.

After the skit began with the prophet Moses coming to JDS “wondering if the values and teachings of Torah have continued into the future,” exemplars of morally strong behavior were recognized on stage.

First, Hidden Gems: One Hand, One Heart magazine creators Emily Grunewald and Erika Herman spoke about their project to display “ethical” attributes.

To display “responsibility,” the players in the gala’s skit introduced Kira Epstein (’00) and Ethan Johnson (’96).
Epstein led a project to make her residential house at Rochester University smoke-free.

“To further promote the issue, the participating students have formed Students in College Against Tobacco, a group whose mission is to advocate on behalf of other students regarding issues and concerns related to personal tobacco use and secondhand smoke,” said the skit’s Queen Esther.

photo illustration by Daniel Brujis

The school was transformed in preparation for the gala, held on June 3 in the main hallway and gym.

Johnson, “to harness the power of popular culture and volunteerism to encourage positive involvement in the community,” started the organization On Your Feet to teach job skills to the homeless, plan charity events and provide educational outings for homeless children in New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco.

As a demonstration of the ideal graduate’s “confidence,” the high school a cappella choir, which has performed for thousands, sang the song Lift Every Voice.

To exhibit the dedication to Zionism of the JDS graduate, the skit included a slideshow of pictures from the recently-completed senior Israel trip.

As one character said to another, “Look at them. Our Zionist spirit lives today in these men and women.”

Lastly, after also exhibiting the preparedness of the JDS student and the well-rounded nature of the student and curriculum, the virtue of “compassion” was exemplified by this year’s Free the Slaves Campaign run by the Student Council and Middle School Knesset.

“The issue [of slavery] was linked to the holidays of Pesach–attaining physical liberation, and Shavuot–receiving the education one needs to achieve and maintain independence. Fund raising took place across the school community to raise $5,000 to build a much-needed classroom in the remote regions of Sierra Leone,” the gala skit explained.

“These are our students. This is what we hope for when they graduate,” said Linda Herman.

The gala also honored Edward and Irene Kaplan for leadership in the Jewish community.

The banquet was a time for guests to “meet new friends, see old friends, and just have a good time,” said Wasserman.