jews d

in
the

Windsor Jewish
Reunion

Windsor Jews
old and new
are invited to
“come home” for
October gala.

JUDY GREENWALD
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

TOP TO BOTTOM: The
Windsor JCC sponsored a
trip to Israel in the 1970s; the
Windsor B’nai B’rith Bowling
league in the 1950s; Temple
Beth-El Windsor Sunday
School in 1968; fun at the
Windsor JCC pool in the
1960s.

S

omething to ponder: What’s
the first foreign city south of
Detroit? No, it’s not a trick
question. It’s Windsor! And this
Canadian metropolis, which enjoys
a close relationship with the Motor
City, both logistically and emotion-
ally, and boasts a 140-year-old
Jewish community, will in October
celebrate its native sons and daugh-
ters at a gala reunion hosted by the
Windsor Jewish Community Centre
(WJCC).
With a theme of “There’s No
Place Like Home,” the celebration
is expected to attract hundreds of
attendees, those living in Windsor
and those now living in Detroit
and throughout Canada and the
United States, who will visit their
hometown for the Saturday, Oct. 20,
event. Anyone 19 years of age and
older is welcome to spend a fun-
filled evening reconnecting with old
friends, sharing stories and memo-
ries, reminiscing about the “good
old days” and commemorating the
longstanding relationship between
the Jews of Windsor and Detroit.
Toronto-born Jay Katz, former
executive director of the Windsor

Symphony who
now serves as the
WJCC’s execu-
tive director, has
much to celebrate
about Windsor
— the city where
he grew up and
Jay Katz
returned to after
seven years, both
for his job and for
the comfortable environment and
easy quality of life Windsor offers.
“We have an inviting and close-
knit Jewish community in Windsor,”
Katz said. “This reunion is intended
to celebrate the great legacy of
Windsor’s Jewish community, to
fortify WJCC’s reputation as a place
where enjoyable and meaning-
ful events take place, and to give
people a chance to reconnect with
the congenial community where we
all grew up.”
The main organizers of the
event, a first-ever program for the
WJCC, are co-chairs Karen Moness
(daughter of Windsor Jews now liv-
ing in Toronto) and Amy Shafron
(the child of Windsor and Detroit
Jews, now an Atlanta resident).

continued on page 16

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June 28 • 2018

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