JCC Association of North America
We lead and connect the JCC Movement, advancing and enriching North American Jewish life.
By Sara Sless One of the things I’ve always loved about Israel (after I made aliyah by emigrating from England), is living according to Jewish time. The week’s end is denoted by Shabbat, which begins at sundown on Friday, and school and work vacations are scheduled around the Jewish holidays, so schools are closed for … Continued
Mark S. Young Throughout this pandemic, I have been fascinated that the most resistance to return regulations—testing requirements, mask-wearing, and the like—comes from adults, not from children. My two kids, 8 and 5, for example, rarely complain about these requirements and never have said, “We didn’t used to have to do this. Why now?” They, … Continued
By Mark S. Young As vaccines lift restrictions and allow us to reunite with loved ones and colleagues—perhaps embracing again after a long time apart—how have you reacted? Did you cry? Were you joyous? Were you surprised by your feelings? Did you express your emotions at all? Did you instead recite a prayer or perform … Continued
By Leah Garber In his will, Theodor Herzl, visionary of the Jewish state, wrote: “I wish to be buried in the vault beside my father, and to lie there till the Jewish people shall take my remains to Israel.” Forty-five years later, the Jewish people fulfilled Herzl’s wish—a year after the Jewish state he had … Continued
JWB Chaplain Warren Receives Military Chaplains Association’s Distinguished Service Award Efforts Promote Safe and Meaningful Delivery of Care Throughout the Pandemic NEW YORK — Lieutenant Commander Yonatan M. Warren, a U.S. Navy chaplain and member of JWB Jewish Chaplains Council® (JWB), a signature program of JCC Association of North America, recently received the Military Chaplains … Continued
By Sarah Koffler This week we read Parashat Va-et’chanan (Deuteronomy 3:23–7:11), which opens with Moses offering his final words to the Israelites before they enter the Promised Land. Moses reminds the Israelites—and all of us—to heed and obey God’s laws, first reminding us of the Ten Commandments then offering the words of the Sh’ma. These … Continued
By Mark Young Despite the pandemic’s scores of significant stressors, many Jewish organizations have thrived amidst the difficulties As the light at the end of this pandemic tunnel grows closer and brighter, the Jewish communal workplace has reached an inflection point. For 14 months, Jewish organizations have adapted to remote and hybrid work environments, … Continued
By Mark S. Young Have you ever seen something beautiful others saw as ugly? Likewise, have you ever been instructed to hate when your intuition tells you to love? A major lesson from this week’s Torah portion, Balak (Numbers 22:2−25:9), is to follow our intuitions and to believe in the power of blessings and love. … Continued
By Doron Krakow Together we can lower the barriers to participation. More than 3,200 professionals from 154 JCCs came together recently for Professional Conference 2021 (ProCon), the biennial conference hosted by JCC Association of North America. ProCon 2021, the largest-such conference in the long history of the JCC Movement, may also have been the biggest-ever online … Continued
By Shma Koleinu What if Jewish early childhood centers embraced universal preschool by partnering with their states to open public pre-Ks? The Biden administration is calling for universal, high quality preschool for all three- and four- year-olds. How and why should the Jewish community support this, and what might this development mean for our schools? We authors … Continued
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