The Friendship Circle of Central Jersey will hold its annual Walk4Friends to raise awareness of people with disabilities on Sunday, May 17 at noon at the Marlboro Recreation Center.
The nonprofit group pairs often isolated disabled adults and children with teen volunteers for socialization. It sponsors holiday programs, camps and young adult programs. Its Sunday Circle offers everything from yoga, crafts, cooking, dancing and more under the guidance of a trained teacher and volunteer teen buddies. It also has a Friends at Home program that sends teen volunteers to homes for weekly playdates. The walk promotes inclusion, friendship, and support, uniting families, volunteers, and the community. Entertainment includes DJ music, games, food and fun activities for all ages.
To register or donate go to walk4friends.com. For information contact Muka Pewzner at (732)-536-2319, muka@friendsnj.com or friendsnj.com.
Broadway and touring performer Marcus Chaney will appear at The Jewish Community Center of Middlesex County in Edison on Tuesday, May 19 at 1:30 p.m. He has appeared in such shows as shows such as Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, Rent and Smokey Joe’s Café. In addition to his roles in theater and tours in the 1990s, he regularly performed at the Motown Cafe in New York City sharing the stage with such hit groups as the Four Tops and Temptations. Chaney performs locally and co-owns a small entertainment company.
The program is co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation in the Heart of New Jersey. Cost is $9 for members and $12 for guests. Advance registration is required. For information contact Liza Feldman at lfeldman@jccmc.org or call the member services desk at
(732) 494-3232.
Jewish Heritage Month is being celebrated Sunday, May 31 from 12:30-4 p.m. at the East Brunswick Public Library with a day of cultural events, displays, exhibits, children’s activities and family-friendly activities to highlight the impact and traditions of the Jewish community.
As part of the event, Fred Miller will explore the profound impact of Jewish immigrants on American entertainment at 2 p.m. by focusing on the lives and legacies of Arthur Schwartz, Burton Lane and Sammy Fain. While most of the accomplished creative figures of the “Golden Age” of Broadway and Hollywood were Jewish– including Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin and Richard Rogers–pianist, singer and narrator Miller selected the lesser known three because of their essential contributors to that era. The lecture-in-song program will end with a sing-along tribute to Al Jolson, perhaps the era´s single most brazenly visible symbol of Jewish ascendancy in modern American life.
Miller is the founder of the Copper Penny Players, a singing class for amateurs operating for the past quarter century. He has experience in many different musical fields, including opera, comedy and piano music. He now has more than 70 lecture-in-song programs that he performs around New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
For information, contact Robert Zuckerman at (732) 861-8074 or rzuckerman@eastbrunswick.org or go to ebpl.org.
Come enjoy a delicious lunch and meet author Randie K. Berman who will speak about her book, A Different Sky, when the Jewish Federation in the Heart of New Jersey hosts a Luncheon by the Shore in Long Branch on June 2. Attendees will also have the chance to connect with other women in Kibbutz Gvar’am, federation’s sister community in Israel, to make the event even more meaningful.
The book revolves around a woman who searches for her place between New Jersey and Israel. It takes place in 1973 during 20-year-old Rachel’s last college break before graduation. She travels to Israel while figuring out what to do with the rest of her life and at meets Nir, an Israeli soldier on the beach in Haifa. Although the encounter only lasts 24 hours, it proves unforgettable.
The cost is $54 toward federation’s annual campaign. Register at jewishheartnj.ticketspice.com/2026-afternoon-lunch-by-the-shore. Location will be shared following registration or by contacting Audrey Napchen at (732 )588-1800 or audrey@jewishheartnj.org.
