A Night of Comedy & Cocktails at Casa Del Cielo

Hosted by Gary Hill & John Schultz
Raised money for the Katz JCC Scholarship Fund

 For A Slideshow of the Event Click Here!

John Schultz, Comedian Tom McTiernan, Gary Hill, Craig Neier, Event Co-Chair Rusty Silverman

ATLANTIC CITY – The Milton & Betty Katz Jewish Community Center presented a night of comedy and cocktails on Saturday, April 12 hosted by Gary Hill and John Schultz at Casa Del Cielo, 1616 Pacific Avenue, Atlantic City.

“It was a remarkable evening from beginning to end,” Katz JCC CEO Jack I. Fox said. “The event would have not been possible without the generosity and hospitality of Gary and John. It was a great evening that not only raised money for the JCC but enhanced our image in the community.”

“It is our responsibility as members of the community to support and help a great cause and it was our pleasure to help the Katz Jewish Community Center raise money for its programs and services,” Gary Hill said.

John Schultz, Fran Goldstein, Katz JCC Board President Eric Goldstein and Gary Hill

Local dignitaries in attendance included Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian and Assemblyman John Amodeo among others.

Co-chairs of the event were President of Cenegenics Atlantic City Dr. Rusty Silverman and Teresa Katz of Ventnor.

Event Co-Chairs Teresa Katz and Rusty Silverman

“We were honored to be chosen to represent the Katz JCC as co-chairs for the event and excited to help do our part in raising scholarship money for the Katz JCC scholarship fund that helps the children and seniors in our community,” Silverman said. “It was a fun and exciting night for a great cause.”

The event featured headliner Jeremy Hotz, a proven international success with his completely original and confused, yet very astute, observational comedy. Hotz has appeared on “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” Comedy Central and MTV. Hotz is a favorite in theaters and stand-up comedy clubs, including the world-famous Laugh Factory and Improv.

Other comedians included Eddie Brill and Tom McTiernan.

Brill is a three-time MAC Award Winner (Manhattan Association of Cabaret and Clubs) for Best Male Stand-up Comic in NYC. He has appeared at the Paper Moon Comedy Club, Radio City Music Hall and The Shrine Auditorium. He currently works on “The Late Show with David Letterman.”

Newsday calls McTiernan “one of the sharpest comics in New York.” He has opened for entertainers such as Tom Jones and Englebert Humperdinck.

“The comics were hysterical, they were first-class comics,” Katz said. “It was a great show in gorgeous surroundings with great people.”

The evening was catered by Barclay Caterers of Philadelphia.

The proceeds raised at the event will help the Katz JCC further fund its mission to provide the children and seniors of Atlantic County, as well as the community as a whole, programs and services that enhance and enrich lives.

For more information on the Milton & Betty Katz Jewish Community Center, visit www.jccatlantic.org.

Louis Fatato, Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian,

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The mission of the Milton & Betty Katz JCC of Atlantic County is to foster an appreciation of Jewish identity, values and culture, to promote health, education and welfare of our members, to strengthen Jewish family life, to build a sense of community and ensure Jewish continuity for our children, our children’s children and ourselves.

More Than 250 Gathered to Recognize Community Activist Cookie Till, Owner of Steve & Cookies of Margate at the Katz JCC Annual Gala

 For A Slideshow of the Event Click Here!

MARGATE – More than 250 gathered to recognize Cookie Till, owner of Steve & Cookies of Margate on Saturday, March 22 at One Atlantic at the Pier Shops in Caesars, Atlantic City during the Milton & Betty Katz Jewish Community Center 2014 Annual Gala.

Cookie Till with Katz JCC Board Members Helene & Robert Hordes and Event Chairman Marc & Elyse Neumann

“The attendance at the event was a clear reflection of how much Cookie is appreciated for her continued community outreach,” Katz JCC CEO Jack I. Fox said. “It was a wonderful evening for the JCC and allowed us to recognize a wonderful individual while raising close to $60,000 for the Katz JCC children and senior scholarship fund.”

Other than family, friends and business partners, many dignitaries were in attendance including Congressman Frank LoBiondo, Assemblyman Vincent Mazzeo, Atlantic County Freeholder Chairman Frank Formica and President of The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey Dr. Herman Saatkamp, just to name a few.

During her speech, Till took the spotlight from herself and discussed the continued need to educate children and our community on the importance of healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle, a mission that both Till and the JCC share.

“I believe and know without a doubt that if we don’t expose kids to these valuable lessons then we are doing them a horrible disservice. We now know that obesity and diabetes and all the complications that come with them are leaving so many people sick and hopeless while at the same time crippling our healthcare system,” Till said. “The fact that lifestyle changes in diet and exercise are what is needed to reverse or significantly reduce these issues is powerful information. But if we don’t get into the schools and in to the communities to share, teach and make these options not only known but accessible, I dare say it’s nothing short of a criminal act.”

Cookie Till making her speech

Till’s biggest project to date includes a 16-bed vegetable garden with playground and public space for teaching and cooking at the  Hamilton Methodist Church in Atlantic City.

Till is the AtlantiCare Foundation Secretary and Healthy School/Healthy Children Foundation Board Subcommittee Chair; President of “A Work in Progress Foundation,” a non-profit corporation devoted to establishing gardens and hands-on nutritional programs in Atlantic City; a Richard Stockton College of New Jersey Foundation Board Member; Foodbank of South Jersey Board Member; Let’s Eat Board Member and Atlantic County Special Services Foundation Board past President.

Till, a native of Atlantic City with a master’s degree in nutrition, began her restaurant career 25 years ago running  a “summer shack” crab house with her husband, Steve, and chef Kevin Kelly. But in 1996 they decided to move across the street and took what was once the faded restaurant Strohbeck’s and transformed it in to Steve & Cookies, a staple of the Margate community serving the best steaks and fresh seafood in a warm and inviting atmosphere.

As the founder and chairman of the Margate Community Farmer’s Market and supporter of Jah’s Creation Organic  Farm, Chef’s Collaborative – Earth Dinners and NJ Farm to School Network, Till is committed to the community and the “eat, drink and buy locally” movement.

Till’s philanthropic work does not stop with the community or the planet, she also has a strong passion for animals.  As such, she hosts an annual dog show designed to promote public awareness for responsible dog adoption and conscientious pet guardianship.

“This was an amazing event,” Event Chairman Marc Neumann said. “It was a perfect pairing of an organization and an individual that share the same passions and mission and we were excited to see the overwhelming support for both Cookie and the Katz JCC.”

Cookie Till accepting an award by Katz JCC Board President Eric Goldstein

The mission of the Milton & Betty Katz JCC of Atlantic County is to foster an appreciation of Jewish identity, values and culture, to promote health, education and welfare of our members, to strengthen Jewish family life, to build a sense of community and ensure Jewish continuity for our children, our children’s children, and ourselves.