Following JSummit, JCC Association of North America’s premier conference for lay and professional leaders, we asked several leaders throughout the movement to share their diverse takeaways and thoughts about the conference and the future of the JCC Movement. Below are their edited reflections.
Nearly all our respondents noted the worth of gathering the JCC Movement’s leaders at JSummit. The value of bringing a group of over 300 JCC lay and executive leaders together for the first movement-wide, in-person conference since 2018 cannot be overestimated, especially given the divisive, taxing times in which we are living. The overall theme of JSummit, Empowering the JCC Movement, was expanded throughout the conference, with a more targeted focus on the power of the movement, the power of partnership, and the power of leadership in plenaries, follow-up workshops, and other JSummit activities.
For Jason Kunzman, president and CEO of the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh, “the return of JSummit was a much-needed accelerant to the JCC Movement and our local JCC’s efforts in building the core skillset of professional and volunteer leadership necessary for meeting the demands of an increasingly challenging landscape.” Lori Sidman, newly elected to JCC Association’s board of directors, echoed Kunzman’s sentiment about the challenges we face. “This is a pivotal time to come together as a group in a manner that fits all parties, the local JCCs, and the organization, [and] we need to find a way to strengthen our collective voices, provide a safe and welcoming home for all Jews, and do what we can to combat antisemitism.”
“It took us six years to get to this point [a]nd…it [was] well worth the wait,” Jennifer Mamlet, JCC Association’s acting president and CEO, shared on the final day of the conference. “I knew coming into JSummit how important it would be to gather our movement again. [L]ittle did I know how important it would…become to unify our movement, both our professionals and our lay leaders. I have felt the love and the unity of this movement coming together. It has been absolutely incredible. This is why what JCC Association does in our conferences is so important.”
Several respondents cited JSummit as a catalyst for strengthening the ties leaders in Jewish Community Centers and Jewish Community Camps have with each other and with JCC Association.
“Connecting people to the larger movement,” says Lisie Gottdenker, chair of JSummit 2024, “allows them to see the importance of what they do every day locally…to know that what they do matters.” Longtime JCC Movement lay leader and JCC Association Board Chair David Wax concurs: “JSummit reinforced the idea that when you’re ‘in relationship’ with one another, growth possibilities are limitless.”
For Mamlet, “JCCs are living, breathing embodiments of our collective values and aspirations, a place where generations intersect, where traditions of the past are preserved, and where dreams for the future are imagined.” She believes it is the job of JCC Association and the field “to work together to write the next chapter and to understand the magnifying power of our partnership, the transcending and connective-tissue-building power of Jewish peoplehood, and the essential power of leadership to provide the vision and the plan to make the impossible more possible.”
Lori Sidman expresses a similar notion: “JSummit serves as a crucial platform for leaders within the JCC Movement to connect, collaborate, and share best practices.” She continues, “It also provides an opportunity to appreciate the value of our collective community and the strength of our voice. It brings together community professionals and lay leaders to create a sense of purpose and provide strategies to better serve their communities.”
Turning to the future, respondents shared their thoughts about what might have the greatest impact on their own agencies and the on the JCC Movement in the years ahead.
Kunzman found the approach to bridge divides within the Jewish community used by the Z3 Project “to be extremely relevant in our JCC’s efforts to activate community in building a stronger and more inclusive future. Our entire Pittsburgh delegation walked away from this portion of the conference with a much better understanding of how important it is for our JCC to create a robust ecosystem of ideas and leaders to support resilience and connectivity.”
For Gottdenker, “[T]hree things we must do to be a successful movement [are]: listen, share, and give feedback.” Soliciting input from others is a factor for Wax, too. “We will be looking at the feedback we receive from attendees, our networking conversations, discussion notes, and observations,” he says, “to help shape our future work efforts and desire to keep us moving forward.”
“Overall,” Sidman told us, “JSummit was an opportunity for reflection, learning, and the cultivation of ideas that will drive the JCC Movement forward.” She believes that “[t]he conversations…on the relationship between JCC Association and the communities at large will have the biggest impact on the future of the movement.”
“Our shared future,” Mamlet told us, “and that of our children’s children depend on what we do right now….We are the leaders, builders, and architects of our shared future. Let’s build a future that reflects the best of who we are….This is our moment to lean into our Jewishness and lead a renaissance of Jewish pride and Jewish determination.”
Watch the JSummit 2024 Highlights Video
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