Not all men have the knowledge needed to take care of the plumbing and waste management systems in our bodies and homes. Therefore, we wanted to give men important information in a fun and relaxed yet informative way. We also wanted to demonstrate our club's commitment to health and well-being and make the program relevant to men of all ages, as we strive for our club to be.

The idea behind the program was born when I was at LDI - Hador Habah and we did a mitzvah project where many of the attendees indicated they had had never used a power tool. This led to the realization that many Jewish men did not know simple mechanical things, such as how a toilet worked, and how to fix them. In one of our club's HMV sessions we talked about men's health issues and it became clear that many of us did not know what we should about our bodies, including those parts that are uniquely male. Finally, a congregant who was a colorectal surgeon mentioned that colorectal cancer awareness month was approaching. Therefore, Plumbing and Waste Management for Men was created to address all of those needs.

We recruited 2 doctors from our synagogue and found a plumber that advertised in the local Jewish newspaper (he calls himself the mensch with the wrench) who each willingly agreed to do a 20 minute presentation, followed by a question and answer forum.

Marketing was a lot of fun as there are a lot of great quips and innuendos to be had and most were even appropriate coming from the Bimah. As a result, this received a lot of attention throughout the synagogue and was well-attended.

We began with a light breakfast of bagels and coffee so the attendees could relax and schmooze. I did a brief introduction about why the program was created and then each of our experts did a presentation. Each also stuck around after the formal presentations for men with individual questions to be handled privately. It lasted about 2 hours in total on a Sunday morning while the kids were at Sunday School.

This program benefited our club in several different ways. It showed that we could provide serious and important information in a fun way. It got wives to encourage their husbands to attend a Men's club program. And when the men came, they had a great time and learned something important. The Klei Kodesh had fun speaking about it and every Shabbat where it was mentioned there was always a laugh to be had, providing valuable, yet free, marketing (it helped to have an amusing title). It also got men more interested in our club as they realized it was a place for men of all ages to learn and have fun with other Jewish men.