This post is part of a series highlighting the events and activities that took place from July 1 to July 6, 2025 at the FJMC Biennial Convention in Chicago, Illinois
Shavua Tov from the final day of FJMC Convention in Philadelphia. The past five days have been a whirlwind of activity, workshops, spirituality, frivolity, catching up with old friends, making new ones and more, however FJMC Convention is not quite over yet.
Sunday morning on the Chicago Riverwalk began with a statement of solidarity when Convention delegates had the privilege to take part in an early morning group walk with “Run For Their Lives“, a movement started by a group of Israelis in the Bay Area in California, in collaboration with the Hostage and Missing Families Forum #BringThemHomeNow. The term ‘Run’ is symbolic, emphasizing that the hostages cannot run for their lives. We run or walk on their behalf, because they can’t and to act before it’s too late. Taking part in this a global movement shows world leaders that we all care, regardless of nationality or religion. You don’t need to be Jewish or Israeli to be disturbed by this crisis—all people around the world should be. Visit https://run4lives.org/ for more information how your Men’s Club or Brotherhood can take part in a local walk near you.
The final morning of #FJMC Convention continued with a delicious breakfast followed by an uplifting traditional Shacharit morning service as well as an alternative, HMV style spiritual based discussion offering participants a chance to share their thoughts and feelings about Israel, Gaza, Iran and other important issues with their Convention compadres in a non-ritual setting.
The highlight of the final morning of FJMC Convention was the always popular FJMC Club Program Fair, showcasing the programming efforts and creativity of Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods from across North America. The Program Fair is an opportunity for Convention delegates to learn about outstanding award winning programs and interact one-on-one to FJMC members who designed and championed those very programs. International initiatives in multiple categories such as Yellow Candle, Hearing Men’s Voices, Membership Outreach, Fundraising and Man-of-the-Year were showcased to be shared and duplicated in order to help every Club attract and engage current and new members, and achieve success. Florida Region FJMC showcased Temple Beth Am’s Torch Award winning Football Pool fundraiser and successfully sold 40 tickets to Convention delegates; each ticket sold generated $3 in fundraising for the ticket buyer’s designated Men’s Club, Brotherhood or selected charity. Learn more about our Torch Award winning Football Pool at https://www.beth-am.org/form/football-pool.
Following the Program Fair, Convention delegates were treated to a special LIVE edition of FJMC’s Sports Affinity Group featuring guest speakers Mark Jacob and Matthew Jacob, authors of “Globetrotter: How Abe Saperstein Shook Up the World of Sports” before #FJMC Convention closing ceremonies, hugs and an exciting trip on the Blue Line back to O’Hare airport for the flight home.
FJMC Convention is unconventional and multidimensional, combining many different experiences into what this writer considers THE BEST way to reconnect, recharge and renew your Men’s Club or Brotherhood. For those of you that were here, you now know what FJMC Convention is all about. For those that couldn’t make it to Chicago in 2025, I sincerely hope this series of posts made you almost feel as if you were in the room when it happened.
Looking ahead to 2027, make your plans to muster your Men’s Club and bring your Brotherhood to join the Florida Region FJMC delegation to attend the next biennial FJMC Convention; more information coming soon….
This message is brought to you by the Florida Region of FJMC International (FJMC). We are part of a confederation of over 200 Jewish Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods representing almost 20,000 members from across the United States, Canada, Latin America, and beyond. Learn more about how your Jewish Men’s Club or Brotherhood can affiliate with the FJMC at: https://www.fjmc.org/content/affiliating-fjmc.
The Florida Region of FJMC serves the needs of affiliated Men’s Clubs and Brotherhoods throughout the State of Florida. 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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