The JCC of Erie
Holocaust Education Bus Fund

It was Sunday evening, April 27, 2014, that I was invited to speak at the Jewish Community Council of Erie Yom HaShoah / Holocaust Remembrance Day program. Nathaniel & I flew to Buffalo, and from there, were driven some 100 miles to Erie by Jeff Pinski and Jan Mandel of the JCC.

We drove along Lake Erie, and there “nestled among green rolling hills in the midst of 30,000 contiguous acres are luscious, fragrant grape vineyards.”
There are several kosher wineries located in this area.

Sunday night`s program, one of 9 presentations scheduled in Erie and beyond for the week, and subsidized by the Erie JCC, was hosted at the 1,000 seat McDowell High School Auditorium, and was just about completely filled. 
A wonderful highlight of the evening was the melodious singing by Lyric Ackelson of John Holt’sFour Perfect Pebbles song. Lyric Ackelson, a college student at Slippery Rock University, first sang Four Perfect Pebbles as an 11 year old. And, of course, John Holt of Pittsburgh, the composer, accompanied Lyric on the piano.

The schools for the week included: 
Central Tech High School &Roosevelt Middle School 
Conneaut Area High School & Middle Schools Linesville/Conneaut
Fort LeBoeuf High School, Waterford
McDowell High School
North East High School, North East
Strong Vincent High School
Walnut Creek Middle School, Fairview
Woodrow Wilson Middle School

The Erie Jewish Community is small, very small. Yet it makes a great impact on the entire community with its incredible support of Jewish social welfare programs. In addition to its annual Holocaust Remembrance Day program, the JCC makes it possible for students from Erie & Northwestern Pennsylvania to travel to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. 
This past year, their Holocaust Education Bus Fund at Erie Community Foundation helped send 400 students on 8 buses to the museum!

On Tuesday, August 12, Erie Gives Day, the Erie Community foundation will hold a one day fund raiser to help fund these trips. All money donated on this day will be matched with a pro rated amount.

To support these trips, please remember on Tuesday, August 12, , to go to :
www.ErieGives.org 
or e-mail Nancy Weil at jccoferie@aol.com 
or call Nancy directly at 814-455-4474. 

You can be sure that the JCC of Erie will appreciate any amount contributed to help keep these buses rolling from Erie to the US Holocaust Museum in Washington.

Many thanks!

Wishing you a wonderful summer.

Hugs,
Marion

Pictured below with me are JCC activists Doris Pinski, Jeff Pinski, Nancy Weil, and president, Bob Breakstone. 

*taken from the Lake Erie Wine Country website