The Voice of the Lehigh Valley Jewish Community
www.jewishlehighvalley.org
| Issue No. 494 | February 2026 | Shevat/Adar 5786 AWARD-WINNING PUBLICATION EST. 1977
“Only Israel is not allowed to win wars,” leading expert on urban warfare tells a Lehigh Valley audience. p4
Swimming and campfires might seem a long way off. But summer camp is really just around the corner. p21-25 and elsewhere inside
FROM THE DESK OF JERI ZIMMERMAN p3 LVJF TRIBUTES p8 JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER p10-11 JEWISH DAY SCHOOL p12 JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE p13 COMMUNITY CALENDAR p26-27
Unity in the Community 2.0
Local producer bringing in original Annie, other stars for Broadway tribute to LV By Gia Jones The magic of Broadway is headed to the Lehigh Valley this spring with “Unity in the Community 2.0: Broadway Celebrates the Lehigh Valley,” a star-studded evening of performance, inspiration, and community connection on Thursday, May 28, at Muhlenberg College’s Empie Theatre. Presented by the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley and chaired by Aliette and Marc Abo, the event is the product of Broadway producer and agent Wayne J. Gmitter of the Think Iconic artist agency, whose offices are in Bethlehem. Gia Jones, co-chair of the Jewish Federation’s NextGen, had the opportunity to chat with him to learn about the man behind the show and how “Unity in the Community 2.0” came to be.
Wayne, it’s so nice to connect with you. Thank you for your hard work and for bringing Broadway to the Lehigh Valley. Tell me, what’s your connection to the area? I grew up here. I moved to New York and went to the Fashion Institute of Technology. I then became a personal assistant to celebrities. Then I moved to LA and then back to New York and ended up starting my own boutique booking agency for Broadway and TV icons. That’s the name of my agency: Think Iconic. I was (comedian) Carol Channing’s manager for 10 years. I’ve been (Broadway actor, director, and choreographer) Tommy Tune’s manager for 16 years. I couldn’t think of a better place to move back to and have a home here in Bethlehem with my husband, James.
You’ve had a successful career as a Broadway producer and agent. Tell us what a typical day is like for you. I get up at 4:00 every morning and I’m at my desk by 5:00. I go through my emails and what I do is, I book Broadway and TV artists who do concerts around the country. I have a rolling call list. I call venues and I speak to producers and agents. I would say my typical day is every little boy and girl’s fantasy when they are young and they want to be in theater. That is my day every day. Like today, I just spoke with Lorna Luft for an hour because we are working on something. This afternoon I’ll be speaking with Lucie Arnaz. Then I’ll speak with my other clients that I have four or five more calls with. So, my day is always different, but what I’m
doing is always looking at another concert engagement. Right now, I’m working on 2027-28, which is kind of crazy, but that’s how the concert world works. We are always booking 18 months to two years in advance. You’re a busy person. What inspired a 1988 Bethlehem Catholic High School grad to create “Unity in the Community 2.0” with the Jewish Federation Wayne J. Gmitter of the Think Iconic artist agency of the Lehigh Valley? raised Catholic. My uncle was I recently did my DNA and a priest, and my mother goes I have Jewish DNA. I can to church every day, and I do remember my friend Melischerish my Catholic upbringsa—she was my roommate in ing, but there is something New York—she took me to my that I am drawn to with the first seder with her family, and Jewish faith, and I have a lot there was something so movUnity ing and deep about the tradicontinues on page 5 tion and the community. I was
Hostages tribute highlights Super Sunday of unity, giving By Carl Zebrowski Editor Super Sunday in the Lehigh Valley began on February 1 with a message of relief and hope. “Today we can finally say the words we’ve been waiting for: All of the hostages are home,” announced Tama Tamarkin, co-chair of the local Run for Their Lives weekly walk-run in support of hostages Hamas held since its October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. Miriam Zager, fellow Run
for Their Lives co-chair of Tamarkin and Naomi Schachter, read from a letter written by Rachel Goldberg-Polin, whose son Hersch was murdered in captivity. Her daily morning prayers had included a plea for the return of the final hostage remaining in Gaza, Israel Defense Forces Staff Sergeant Ran Gvili. After Gvili’s body was sent home on January 26, Goldberg-Polin wrote, “But this morning—on Tuesday, January 27—I stopped.” “The clock stopped,” said Schachter, referring to the Non-Profit Organization
of the Lehigh Valley 702 North 22nd Street Allentown, PA 18104
of the Lehigh Valley
of the Lehigh Valley
of the Lehigh Valley
U.S. POSTAGE PAID Lehigh Valley, PA Permit No. 64
countdown clock that had kept ticking for over two years to mark the number of days the hostages were gone. “The healing begins.” Moving forward, Goldberg-Polin wondered how she could heal? Zager read, “It can be done.” With some prayers and the singing of the Israeli national anthem, “Hatikvah,” the Super Sunday full of events moved forward. Callers took to phones to raise funds for the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley’s 2026 Campaign for Jewish Needs. By day’s end, over 100 callers closed 60 campaign gifts for a total of almost $52,000. Meanwhile, hundreds of community members came through the JCC doors to unite in shared purpose, learn valuable skills, catch up with friends, engage in enlightening discussions, and lend their efforts to helping the Federation help people who need it. Rabbi Moshe Kurtz of
Congregation Sons of Israel brought together PJ Library kids and parents in a rear corner of the Kline Auditorium. The group welcomed each member with song. “We say shalom to Shai,” they sang to one of the kids. “Thank you for coming today. We’re so excited you have come to play.” Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerck and U.S. Congressman Ryan Mackenzie read books aloud. A large contingent brought together by the Federation’s Women’s Philanthropy gathered in another corner to pack tote bags with personal care essentials to be distributed to older adults by Jewish Family Service. State Representative Mike Schlossberg and State Senator Nick Miller joined the
effort to fill dozens of totes. So did a bunch of students from the Muhlenberg College Hillel led by Hillel director Ira Blum. The Federation’s Partnership2Gether committee held a workshop featuring the two Lehigh Valley artists who visited our partner community of Yoav, Israel, last November to demonstrate and teach their creative processes to our friends there. Patrick Conboy, a woodworker, and Marla Duran, a clothing designer and maker, told the audience Super Sunday continues on page 6