Jewish Federation steering committee members were (from left), Bradley Berman, Jim Malamut, Calvin Tesler, David Kratchman, Daniel Rosenthal, and Jordan Posner. The committee met Lane Johnson (middle) after its kickoff event on July 24, 2022.
The mental, physical, and financial health of all individuals are important. For men, the stigma of discussing these issues can often be seen as taboo or embarrassing. One year ago, out of these concerns for men’s wellness, Jewish Federation of Atlantic & Cape May Counties developed a Men’s Wellness Committee whose task is creating a safe space for men to have conversations with each other about these difficult topics.
The committee’s kickoff event took place on July 24, 2022 at the Milton & Betty Katz Jewish Community Center in Margate. Lane Johnson, a member of the Philadelphia Eagles since 2013, spoke about his challenges with anxiety and depression. He used his public platform to discuss men’s health issues to help diminish the stigma surrounding men seeking professional treatment.
The next cluster of planned events look to tackle financial health and mind/body wellness. On May 7, the committee will host a series of three 30-minute back-to-back-to-back interactive workshops for men. Jewish Federation invites community members to attend the workshops, where attendees will dive into three specific discussions about financial health facilitated by Jason Goldstein (Owner of J. S. Goldstein Funeral Home & Monuments), Greg Gottlieb (Financial Advisor at UBS), and Jim Malamut (Branch Manager at Greentree Mortgage). Goldstein and Malamut are members of the Men’s Health Committee and Gottlieb is a product of the local Jewish community. The event will take place at the JCC in Margate from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Goldstein shared, “My portion of the event is about having that difficult discussion about one’s final wishes. Within our national association, we call it ‘the talk of a lifetime.’ I am also going to briefly touch on preplanning and—if your resources allow you to pre-pay your funeral services—the benefits of that.”
Following the May 7 workshop will be another men’s-only event on June 4 at 10 a.m. co-hosted by The Leadership Studio and co-facilitated by JFS. This workshop will focus on mind/body wellness, which will include yoga, breathing, meditation, and an honest discussion about men’s health. It will be facilitated by Scott Hansen, CEO of the Leadership Studio, Dr. Valerie Braunstein, clinical psychologist at JFS of Atlantic & Cape May Counties, and Rachel Waldman, executive director of Jewish Federation of Atlantic & Cape May Counties. This event will take place at the Leadership Studio located on 161 S Tennessee Avenue, Atlantic City.
Jewish Federation’s steering committee for this important program and men’s health programs to come includes: Bradley Berman, Jason Goldstein, David Kratchman, Jim Malamut, Jordan Posner, Daniel Rosenthal, and Calvin Tesler.
To learn more or to get involved, please contact Rachel Waldman at rachel@jewishbytheshore.org
RSVP to the financial wellness event at mensfinance.eventbrite.com and RSVP to the June 4 event at mensmindbody.eventbrite.com.
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