News in Brief

Rabbi Philip Warmflash, founding executive director of the Jewish Outreach Partnership of Greater Philadelphia, has been named the new executive director of the Auerbach Central Agency for Jewish Education. He will succeed outgoing executive director Helene Tigay, who is retiring after nearly two decades at the helm.

Warmflash, 55, comes to the position with a considerable background in Jewish education, having served 16 years in his current role coordinating education between synagogues and other Jewish institutions.

He hailed Tigay's work at ACAJE, and said that he would continue looking to find cutting-edge educational opportunities for the community.

The challenge, he said, is how to "engage the community using Jewish education as a tool, and how to make Jewish education and texts and learning the core of what we're all about. How do we help people understand that Jewish texts 'live,' and can help us understand and deal with contemporary issues?"

When he begins his new position on Sept. 1, he won't have to go far; he'll be moving across the parking lot and "about 100 yards closer to my home."

Both ACAJE and JOP are located in Melrose Park.

Tigay noted that Warmflash's hiring had been "recently" conveyed to the ACAJE board and staff members, but that a general announcement had not yet been made. She called him a creative educator and thinker who would be a good fit to lead the organization for the next 20 years.

Though the group shares a similar acronym with the national group CAJE (The Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education), which recently announced its closure, the two groups are unrelated and unaffiliated.

D.A. Ends Glendale Investigation

The Philadelphia district attorney's office has closed its investigation into whether or not the Glendale Uptown Home's change to Jewish-style dining violated the "kosher statute" in the state crimes code.

The home -- formerly the only kosher nursing home within city limits -- dropped on-site kosher supervision and production earlier this month; the D.A.'s office, however, had begun its investigation shortly before the changeover took place.

On March 6, the home issued an updated letter acknowledging confusion over a Feb. 3 letter announcing the switch. Rather than using the phrase "kosher-style" or "Jewish-style," the updated letter simply states that the home "is no longer a kosher facility."

The home still offers prepared kosher meals for those who request them.

Penn Israel Group Receives Grant

The University of Pennsylvania's Penn Israel Coalition was recently named the recipient of a $3,000 grant from Stand With Us, an international, pro-Israel nonprofit dedicated to education initiatives and stopping anti-Israel bias on college campuses.

The Penn student group was one of 40 from around the country to receive the grant, joining schools in New York, Oregon, Texas and Kansas, among others.

The grants are for "Israel at 60 and Beyond" programs, said Stand With Us campus director Dani Klein, who noted that the money could be used for nearly any educational purpose, as long as it showcases the Jewish state in a positive light.

Penn Israel Coalition president Brandon Paroly will be in charge of the gift. A senior at Penn and a Stand With Us Emerson Fellow, Paroly said that the funds will go toward the group's March 30 event, featuring Middle East scholar Michael Oren.