Are you an overweight and out of shape superhero? Were you once able to leap over obstacles in a single bound but now get exhausted walking around the block? Think about this one; is your body weight more than five times your age? Lets face the facts; too many of our Men’s Club and Brotherhood members are falling into the category of an overweight and out-of-shape superhero, on a spectrum somewhere between pleasantly plump, portly and morbidly obese. The solution to this growing problem could be the FJMC Health and Wellness Program.
The goals of the FJMC Health and Wellness Program are to increase awareness of health and wellness issues by our members, encourage Men’s Clubs / Brotherhoods to adopt health and wellness programming as an integral part of their mission, add visibility and vitality to club programming on a local level and create another “portal of entry” for men otherwise not involved to play a more active role in their Men’s Club / Brotherhood. Bringing a Health and Wellness Program to your club can help revitalize your membership and enhance the club’s reputation in your synagogue and the greater community by promoting and enhancing health and wellness of your members.
There are many ways for your Men’s Club / Brotherhood to implement a Health and Wellness Program. Some suggestions include Speaker Programs, “Hearing Men’s Voices” type discussions or Weigh-ins (men’s only weight watchers). Other suggestions include organizing a weekly walking or jogging group or a group work-out at a local gym (or onsite at your shul).
Several Florida Region FJMC Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods recently earned FJMC Torch Awards for their Health and Wellness programing activities. The Beth Torah Men’s Club of North Miami Beach organized a Health, Wellness, and Safety expo. They presented over 30 local health professionals and karate clubs. The event catered to all age groups, activities for toddlers with local gyms and karate clubs, lectures, blood donations and hospital involvement. They had pertinent information on Medicare benefits, organ donations and Jewish genetic diseases. Men’s Club brought their members, the great local community and many health professionals together. The motto of the day was look hot and fell good no matter what our age. In nearby Tamarac, Florida the Temple Beth Torah Sha’aray Tzedek Men’s Club implemented a successful program in the form of a 5K “Let My People Run & Fitness Walk”. Both programs were a successful FUN fundraisers and raised visibility of Men’s Club
Shomrei Torah Synagogue Men’s Club (of West Hills, CA) established a recreational bicycle club for its members. To encourage tzadeka and help raise health consciousness, Club members signed up for the “Tour de Cure”, a nationwide program of the American Diabetes Association (“ADA”) whose goal is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. The Club raised awareness for a good cause, raised over $2,500 for the ADA and rode over 100 combined miles.
The Brotherhood of Temple Israel (Sharon, MA) developed the Combined Temples Golf Tournament as way to combine the energies and talents of five area Men’s Clubs to provide a great day of golf and camaraderie. A unique, turnkey model was created to produce the tournament such that more synagogues can become involved with little effort required on their part. The proceeds of this successful fundraiser were shared among the five participating Clubs.
Back in 2007, then FJMC International President Dr. Robert “Bob” Braitman challenged members of the FJMC to get healthy and be happy. Let’s make 5784 the year for every Jewish Men’s Club and Brotherhood to implement and execute a Health and Wellness strategy for your members, because we want them to live a long and healthy life too. The FJMC maintains an online repository of programming resources as well as a nationwide network of regional consultants that can help your Men’s Club or Brotherhood plan, develop and implement a successful Health and Wellness program. For more information about how your Men’s Club or Brotherhood join the FJMC Health and Wellness Program, please email Dr. Robert E. Braitman at bobbraitman@fjmc.org.
This message is brought to you by the Florida Region of the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs (FJMC). We are part of an international confederation of over 200 Jewish Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods located throughout the United States, Canada, Central and South America and beyond. Learn more about how your Men’s Club or Brotherhood can affiliate at https://www.fjmc.org/content/affiliating-fjmc.
The Florida Region of FJMC serves the needs of our affiliated network of Jewish Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods throughout the State of Florida. If you are not yet affiliated with the Federation, then today is the day to join us. Get to know more about the FJMC Florida Region and our growing network of Jewish Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods at www.FloridaRegionFJMC.org and please visit and LIKE our Florida Region FJMC Facebook Group at www.facebook.com/FloridaRegionFJMC.
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