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Federation year in review 2025

By Reporter staff

The Jewish Federation of Greater Binghamton held or co-sponsored more than 20 in-person and virtual events during 2025. “This has been another robust year of programming,” said Shelley Hubal, executive director of the Federation. “We’re looking forward to more events that bring the community together in the next year.”

  • The Federation of Greater Binghamton sponsored a community hockey event at a Binghamton Black Bears game on January 18.
  • The Binghamton Jewish Film Fest held a virtual showing of the film “Golden Voices.” Andy Horowitz, founder and director of the Galumpha dance troupe, moderated a Zoom discussion on January 26. 
  • The Binghamton Jewish Film Fest held a virtual showing of the film “Shoshana.” Shay Rabineau, Ph.D., chairman of the Judaic Studies Department and director of the Center for Israel Studies at Binghamton University, moderated a Zoom discussion on February 9.
  • The Federation sponsored a 3GNY Holocaust presentation at Susquehanna Valley High School on February 24.
  • The Federation co-sponsored a March 15 Havdalah as part of the Temple Israel Artist in Residence Weekend featuring musician Zach Mayer. 
  • The Federation held the security training “Navigating Conflict: The Power of De-Escalation,” led by Mark Henderson, regional security advisor, Rochester, for the Secure Community Network, on March 27.
  • The Binghamton Jewish Film Fest held an in-person showing of the film “Kidnapped: The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara” on March 30. Dora Polachek, Ph.D., associate professor of romance languages and literatures at Binghamton University, moderated a discussion of the film. 
  • The Binghamton Jewish Film Fest held a virtual showing of the documentary “Troll Storm.” Richard (Dick) Lewis, an attorney at Hinman, Howard and Kattell, and immediate past president of the New York State Bar Association, moderated a Zoom discussion on April 6.
  • The Federation sponsored a 3GNY Holocaust presentation at Binghamton West Middle School on April 29.
  • The Federation held a Yom Hashoah program on April 22. The evening included a talk by Dr. Eileen Angelini, Ph.D., a Holocaust scholar and educator, called “Simple Acts of Human Kindness.” 
  • The Federation sponsored a security meeting for representatives of local organizations on June 25 with Mark Henderson, regional security advisor, Rochester, for the Secure Community Network.
  • The Federation sponsored a Peace Vigil on July 15. Around 50 people attended the vigil.
  • The Federation held a pre-Campaign dessert reception featuring basketball player Tamir Goodman on August 17. Goodman spoke about “Spiritual and Life Lessons from the Game of Basketball.” 
  • The Federation held a security training program featuring two training sessions, “Guardian: Identify. Protect. Respond.” and “Stop the Bleed,” on August 27. The program was led by Mark Henderson, regional security advisor, Rochester, for the Secure Community Network. 
  • The Federation and Hillel at Binghamton offered a L’Dor V’Dor Pen Pal Program, which matched Binghamton University students with seniors in the local Jewish community. 
  • The Federation held a memorial service at the Holocaust Memorial Monument in the Temple Israel Cemetery on September 28. 
  • The Federation held a 10/7 commemorative service on October 5. Dr. Yehezkel Caine, president of Herzog Medical Center in Jerusalem, spoke virtually about the work being done at Herzog’s Israel Center for the Treatment of Psychotrauma with survivors, soldiers and families.
  • The Federation co-sponsored A Global Day of Jewish Learning event on November 9 with Beth David Synagogue, Temple Concord and Temple Israel. The theme of this year’s discussion was “70 Faces of Torah.” 
  • The Binghamton Jewish Film Fest held a virtual showing of the film “Running on Sand.” Dora E. Polachek, visiting associate professor of romance languages and literatures at Binghamton University, moderated a Zoom discussion of the film on November 23. 
  • The Binghamton Jewish Film Fest held a virtual showing of four short films, “No Harm Done,” “The Sacred Society,” “Women of Virtue” and “The Father, The Son and The Rav.” Rochel Chein, co-director of education at Chabad of Binghamton and a responder for Ask the Rabbi at Chabad.org, moderated a Zoom discussion of the film on December 7. 
  • A Family Hanukkah Party was held on December 14 at the Discovery Center. The event was co-sponsored by Hillel Academy, the Jewish Community Center, the Jewish Federation of Greater Binghamton and the PJ Library.
  • The Binghamton Jewish Film Fest will hold a virtual showing of the film “The Matchmaker.” Matthew Johnson, professor of psychology and director of clinical training at Binghamton University, will moderate a Zoom discussion of the film on Sunday, December 28.