I hope you’ve had a great week. One of the greatest things about working in the Dwares JCC every day is that you really get to see every part of our community. It truly is a center of our community. All summer, we’ve seen some of our youngest community members parade through the building as part of Summer J-Camp -- swimming, playing outside, creating art, learning about Israel and Jewish culture from our emissary, and much more. I love that this morning, and every Friday morning the kids make Challah that they take home with them at the end of the day for Shabbat.

And this weekend, I’ll get to see many of our community members engage in a variety of activities. Whether it’s the congregants of Beth Sholom coming together to pray on Saturday mornings in our social hall, or the group of JCC members who get together every Sunday to play basketball, ritual is at the center of the JCC. Some of those basketball players have been coming for more than three decades, and it’s great that they call this place home.

Each weekday I also get to see the seniors in our community come together for the Kosher Senior Café, hosted by Jewish Collaborative Services. It gives seniors a chance to get a Kosher meal, to socialize with each other, to hear from guest speakers, and sometimes they even do yoga! And on Friday, September 1, in collaboration with our partners, we’ll be hosting the second annual “Senior Prom.” It’s an opportunity for seniors to have lunch, to dance, and to hear live music. We’re excited to see our usual group of seniors, but we also welcome any seniors who wish to join us. For more information, you can click here.

I love the JCC name because it truly describes what we are. We are a Jewish community center – a community center rooted in and guided by our Jewish values. A place where everyone can come together. If you haven’t been in a while, stop by and say hello. We’d love to have you.

Until next time, I wish you a safe, peaceful, and joyous Shabbat.

Shabbat Shalom,
Adam Greenman
President & CEO