Dear Friend,
Last Thursday evening, NaTang and I, along with Glenn Leibowitz, were deeply honored to jointly receive the 2022 Austrian Holocaust Memorial Award at a special ceremony held in the ballroom of the JCC.
This award is conferred once per year to “a person or an institution, which has shown special endeavors for the memory of the Holocaust and / or made special contributions to Jewish life.”
The award is given by Austrian Service Abroad, a unique institution supported by the Austrian Government that sends more than 140 young “Gedenkdienst”, or volunteers, to Jewish community centers and Holocaust education centers around the world annually.
This year the JCC has been proud to host 3 volunteers from this remarkable organization. (Read more about Austrian Service Abroad in this article in the Times of Israel).
We were greatly honored when Mr. Wolfgang Sobotka, President of the Austrian Parliament, shared congratulatory remarks on behalf of the Republic of Austria via video.
Roland Rudorfer, Director of the Austrian Office Taipei, who has been responsible for helping us establish this unique collaboration, presented the awards. Our friend Omer Caspi, Director of the Israeli Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei, delivered congratulatory remarks.
Haris Hadzimejlic, Representative of Austrian Service Abroad in Taipei, and a former “Gedenkdienst” volunteer, introduced the organization and its mission.
We were joined for this special occasion by 100 guests including diplomats from the R.O.C. government, foreign dignitaries, JCC community members, and many of our closest friends and family.
After conferral of the award, we enjoyed a performance by the Austrian-Taiwanese pianist Rueibin Chen. He played pieces composed by the 20th century Jewish-Austrian composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold on a grand piano generously loaned to us for this occasion by Steinway & Sons.
Delicious kosher hors d’oeuvres and Israeli wine were prepared by our Kosher Culinary Lab team.
On behalf of the JTCA, we would like to extend our sincerest thanks to Dr. Andreas Maislinger and Michael Prochazka, founders of Austrian Service Abroad, along with their colleague Daniel James Schuster, CEO of their Vienna office, for this tremendous honor.
And of course, thank you to our very first volunteer earlier this year, Adrian Kron, as well as our two current volunteers, Miriam Vanek and Stephanie Langer, for your tremendous contributions to our community.
Jeffrey D. Schwartz & NaTang
Co-founders, Jewish Taiwan Cultural Association
Roland Rudorfer, Director of the Austrian Office Taipei with Gedenkdienst volunteers from Austrian Service Abroad: Miriam Vanek, Stephanie Langer, Noah Plattner, and Haris Hadzimejlic 
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New Torah dedication
On Sunday afternoon, just before the two-day holiday of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah began, we were delighted to celebrate the dedication of a brand-new Torah scroll, generously donated by Richard Warner.
The Torah was hand inscribed over a period of 9 months in Israel, and then hand-carried to Taipei by Rabbi Shlomi. We welcomed our new Torah scroll, the third in our collection, with hakafot (circle) dancing, singing, and delicious kosher food.
Richard, thank you for this tremendous contribution to our new synagogue, and thank you to all of the JCC members, family, and friends who joined us for this special occasion.
Mazel tov!
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Sukkah on the roof
Under the guidance of Rabbi Shlomi, and with the help of several community members, we built our first Sukkah on the rooftop plaza of the JCC.
We enjoyed our meals directly under the stars—exposed to the elements, just like our ancestors who wandered the desert for 40 years over 3,000 years ago—and we fulfilled the commandment to wave the four species while reciting the blessings.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for this inspiring and refreshing holiday.
Chag sameach!
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Join the JCC! We welcome everyone who shares in our vision and mission to join us. You’ll enjoy priority year-round access to the JCC, as well as discounts on events and services. Membership prices are kept low thanks to a generous subsidy provided by the Jewish Taiwan Cultural Association (JTCA).
