Posts by Doron Krakow

From Such Seeds As These I spent much of this week in North Carolina, where I had the pleasure of visiting impressive JCCs in Charlotte and Durham. I anticipated I would write about what I observed, who I met, and my overall impressions of these communities—and I will get into all that before I’m done. … Continued

When We Rise This was a very busy week for JCC Association, the JCC Movement, and the Jewish world. Staff members from six JCCs (Oshman Family JCC, Palo Alto, California; David Posnack JCC in Davie, Florida; Roth JCC of Greater Orlando, Florida; New Orleans JCC, Louisiana; JCC Greater Boston, Massachusetts; and Shalom Austin JCC, Texas) … Continued

Sovereignty  Poland. Slovakia. Hungary. Romania. Moldova. Over more than two months, these countries have welcomed millions of Ukrainian refugees fleeing their war-torn home in the face of a brutal assault by a Russian dictator bent on empire-building at seemingly any cost. The geography of current day Ukraine is no stranger to war having been, for … Continued

V’hi She-am’dah Lavoteinu Velanu | והיא שעמדה לאבותינו We boarded by way of the hangar deck, a cavernous facility just below the flight deck from which fighter jets and helicopters are launched into combat and a host of other missions. The USS George Washington is a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, nearly 1,100 feet long and more … Continued

But You Didn’t Go Alone JCC Association CEO and President Doron Krakow is pleased to share with you the letter he has written to the 106 JCC CEOs and executive directors who came together in Houston, Texas, last week for JCCs of North America Mifgash 2022: Executive Leadership Retreat. Hebrew for meeting or encounter, “Mifgash,” … Continued

Thinking and Planning Ahead What a privilege it was to spend time at the Barshop Family JCC of San Antonio in Texas this week. Led for nearly a quarter of a century by one of the deans of our movement, Saul Levenshus, the JCC has come roaring back from the pandemic’s nadir with a level … Continued

Was It Not for Just This Moment That You Became a Queen? The visit began with a tour. That’s par for the course. I was greeted on arrival by Eric Koehler, the remarkable CEO of the Arthur M. Glick JCC in Indianapolis, on a warm and beautiful winter morning this past Tuesday. Founded in 1915 … Continued

Regular Days What ever happened to regular days? They were central to the strategic plan. They’re when we get our work done. We design and develop programs. We build and evolve systems. We recruit and deploy leaders, managers, and staff. We measure our progress against short-, medium-, and long-term targets and expectations. We learn and … Continued

Ukraine It’s been nine days since Russian forces invaded Ukraine—pouring across the country’s northern, eastern, and southern borders. Though Putin’s malevolent intentions had long been clear, perhaps we had become somewhat inured to the absence of such aggressions through expansionist conduct in Europe following decades of relative calm. But war has come—and we are riveted … Continued

Israel and War After a two-year hiatus, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (COP) returned to Israel this week for its 47th leadership mission. The Conference was established as a gathering place for America’s Jewish leaders—and to create a single point of contact for those seeking to engage them. Today, the COP comprises 53 … Continued