Two of the highlights of the FJMC International Biennial Convention are the presentation of FJMC Torch Awards to recognize Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods that develop quality programming, build community and support the growth and development of their clubs and the FJMC Club Program Fair, showcasing the programming efforts and creativity of Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods from throughout North America.
The FJMC Program Fair is an opportunity for Convention delegates to learn about outstanding, award winning programming initiatives and interact one-on-one with the FJMC club leaders who designed and championed those very programs. In the spirit of the Biennial FJMC Programming Fair, this post is part of a continuing “Spotlight On” series that will share information about creative, engaging, low-cost and highly effective programming ideas that can easily be easily replicated by any Florida Region Men’s Club or Brotherhood.
The Beth Torah Men’s Club of Richardson, TX was recently presented a GOLD FJMC Torch Award at the 2025 FJMC International Biennial Convention in Chicago for their fun and easy to replicate “Totally 80’s Murder Mystery Event”. Beth Torah Men’s Club President Jeff Markowitz explains the program:
“This very interactive program was designed to encourage both Congregation and Community involvement with raising funds and providing several hundred pounds of non-perishable foods & personal hygiene products to support our partnership with the Jewish Family Services of Greater Dallas. The program consisted of a Two-Hour Interactive Murder Mystery Program | Fully Catered Dinner | Costume Contests | Door Prizes | Drinks | and Silent Auction. It’s totally like the 80’s and all the big names are here for a really big concert! Tensions run rampant as backstage secrets spill out into the spotlight with like, totally tragic results! This isn’t an episode of Miami Vice! This is like… MURDER! It’s up to you to help catch whoever did this bogus crime. We worked on this program for almost a year; the secret is to engage your sponsor partners early in the marketing process so they can gather the approvals and resources to participate. Within 4 months most of our costs for the entire event were covered! This practice generates a substantial runway for both our partners and funding recipients to plan their resources and to generate their own advertising to their communities. For this event we advertised in the Texas Jewish Post, the Congregation Beth Torah Weekly and Monthly publications, the Congregation Beth Torah’s Men’s Club Weekly Newsletter. Our partners leveraged their business websites and Facebook pages and our funding recipient, Jewish Family Services created their own advertising campaign. Event engagement is one of the many keys to success. The 80’s theme screamed costumes and we were not disappointed! From Back to the Future to ET and everything in between. The program attracted a large diverse age demographic and at final count we had 160 attendees. Door prizes and silent auction items were donated by 70 companies and the financial results were significant with a portion donated to Jewish Family Services.”
Kol HaKavod and Yasher Koach to the Beth Torah Men’s Club for creating and sharing the details of their, like totally radical, Torch Award winning “Totally 80’s Murder Mystery Event” with other Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods. For more information about the Beth Torah Men’s Club visit: https://cbtmensclub.org/ or email Men’s Club President Jeff Markowitz at: jeff.markowitz@verizon.net.
This message is brought to you in solidarity by of the Florida Region of FJMC International (FJMC) . We serve the needs of affiliated Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods throughout the State of Florida. Learn more about the FJMC Florida Region and our growing network of Jewish Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods at: www.floridaregionfjmc.org and please visit & LIKE our Facebook Group at: www.facebook.com/FloridaRegionFJMC.
The FJMC is a confederation of over 200 Jewish Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods throughout the United States, Canada, Latin America, and beyond. Learn how YOUR Jewish Men’s Club or Brotherhood can affiliate with the FJMC at: https://fjmc.org/for-clubs/affiliating-with-the-fjmc/.
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