Manhattan Jewish Congregation

We love celebrating our heritage!

Welcome to our Jewish American Heritage Month Staff Spotlight! Our team is proud of their heritage, and we’re happy to share a small piece of their story with our community.

Anneliese is the creative genius and graphic extraordinaire behind the Zoo’s social media. But she’s not just a screen gal—she manages all our rental events too!

When we asked Anneliese about what it means to be a Jewish American professional at an AZA-accredited facility like Sunset Zoo, she shared, “My Jewish heritage greatly influences my passion for animals and conservation. One important Jewish value I try to live out every day is Tikkun Olam, a Hebrew phrase meaning “to repair the world”. Working at Sunset Zoo allows me to help make the world a better place by supporting global conservation efforts and inspiring others to care for and protect the natural world. Ever since I was three years old, I’ve wanted to work at a zoo to help animals, so being able to do that now means so much to me.

Another part of my Jewish heritage I love sharing with my amazing coworkers is introducing them to traditional Ashkenazi Jewish treats. So far, hamantaschen and matzah ball soup have been big hits, and I can’t wait for them to try more.”

Throughout the year, we’ll be sharing more heritage and awareness staff spotlights from our team members.

This Friday 12/5 we will have potluck Shabbat dinner at 6:30 PM. Feel free to bring something to share!

Tonight we had a special Simchat Torah celebration as we went through the entire scroll. Mirit read both the last and then first parts of our story. The Galitzers led a lovely service! Hag sameach!