Supporting a Home in a New City with the Wasserman-Risch Family
Bryon Wasserman, his wife Judy Risch, and their daughter Ilana moved to Philadelphia from Washington, DC, in 2016. Shortly after moving, they joined the BZBI community. To Bryon and his family, it was important to join a synagogue so they could feel at home in their new city. Through BZBI and its welcoming members, Bryon’s family found “a warm and friendly transition to Jewish life in Philadelphia.”
After Wasserman-Risch family moved to Philly, they enrolled Ilana in the Perelman Jewish Day School. They looked for a way that she could feel included at BZBI while not attending Hebrew School full-time. “BZBI was very proactive about making Ilana feel included,” Bryon says, and he was impressed with how flexible our school was in making sure Ilana could find community and friendship. She now attends BZBI regularly on Shabbat mornings, where she can build relationships at BZBI, feel involved in Jewish life beyond the classroom, and even learn a few things she may not cover in day school.
In BZBI, Bryon and his family found a home in a new city. “We made more friends in Philly in nine months than we did in ten years in DC,” Bryon says, in no small part because of the welcoming atmosphere that all our members help to create.
Last year, with the memory of two wonderful years with BZBI, Bryon and Judy thought it was time to show their commitment to our community through a donation to Annual Giving during our Flash Fundraiser, during which we reached record levels of participation.
We are asking all of you to support this vibrant, diverse, and welcoming community through participation in our Annual Campaign.
