Jewish Exponent Wins Multiple Keystone Media Awards
The Jewish Exponent staff received three first-place awards and two honorable mentions at the 2020 Professional Keystone Media Awards in the Niche Publications category.
In the News Feature Story category, first place went to Matt Silver for “Homeless Photographer Seeks American Dream.”
An honorable mention went to Jesse Bernstein for “Bernstein’s Death Still Resonates a Year Later” in the same category.
In the Sports Feature category, first place went to Eric Schucht for “Gulaks Take Center Stage in Pro Wrestling World.”
An honorable mention went to Bernstein for “Locals Host Wildly Popular Sixers Podcast” in the same category.
In the Personality Profile category, first place went to Schucht for “KleinLife Librarian Still Active as 103 Approaches.”
‘Snow Camel’ Makes Guest Appearance
Einstein the camel never made it to the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s Main Event in November 2018 after his owner’s trailer got stuck by the side of the highway during a snowstorm. Instead, photos of Einstein walking along a highway went viral and drew national media attention.
But the camel was able to make a guest appearance — via Zoom — on April 30 during the Jewish Federation’s regular staff meeting.
An Albert Einstein impersonator came on the call first, then there was a surprise cut to Einstein and his owner from Peaceable Kingdom Petting Zoo in Perkasie to celebrate Israel’s 72nd birthday.
Horticulturist Sally Gendler Dies at 60
Sally Gendler, who was heavily involved locally in horticulture and the Greater Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival, died April 22 from leukemia. She was 60.
She was active in the Garden Club of Philadelphia, where she won the Dorothy Sims Keith Award for Shows Participation and Stimulation of Horticulture Interest, the Heckscher Bowl for Horticulture and the Peggy Dilks Award for Exhibition.
She was chair of competitive classes at the Philadelphia Flower Show and volunteered for the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society. She was a judging candidate for horticulture for the Garden Club of America and held a Master Gardeners certificate.
Gendler was an education guide and volunteer at the Morris Arboretum and co-chaired the arboretum’s 2019 Moonlight & Roses Gala. She also created a program called Cooking from the Garden: Seed to Table at the Mount Airy Recreation Center.
Gendler is survived by her husband, Steve; daughters Liza and Abigail; brother Stephen Adnopoz; and parents Jean and Robert Adnopoz.
URJ Closes All Summer Camps, Including Camp Harlam
The Union for Reform Judaism announced April 30 that all 15 of its overnight camps across the country — including Camp Harlam in Kunkletown — will be closed this summer because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The 15 camps served about 10,000 campers a year ago.
“Although we have continued to plan, prepare, pray and hope for another transformative summer, the risks posed by COVID-19 threaten our most sacred values: the health and well-being of our children, staff and faculty that attend camp, along with their communities back home,” URJ said in a statement.
Other Jewish camps have yet to announce decisions.
