Jewish Community Centers of North America (JCCs)

09/06/2026

With a new school year kicking off this week for many, it's the perfect time to share this poignant piece by Todd Polikoff, CEO of the JCC Dallas in Dallas, Texas, in which he writes about the Jewish village that raises our kids before we send them out into the world.

Todd Polikoff, Chief Executive Officer, Aaron Family JCC

09/04/2026

As a new school year gets underway at JCCs across North America, we’re celebrating the joy, curiosity, friendship, and community that fill our early childhood programs. 💙

Across 183 JCC early childhood Jewish education centers, more than 5,000 educators help nurture, inspire, and care for more than 30,000 children.

Wishing all of our young learners, families, educators, and staff a wonderful year ahead!

These sweet moments come from the Early Childhood Center at the Siegel JCC. 📚🍎

Shabbat shalom! ✨

09/03/2026

Rabbi Aaron Gaber—endorsed by JWB Jewish Chaplains Council® and a major in the Army National Guard—spent the summer at Fort Knox, Kentucky, supporting ROTC cadets of all faiths during a rigorous month-long training program."

Read about his experience: https://bit.ly/3UnStQD

By Rabbi Aaron Gaber Military chaplains provide religious support to members of their own faith denomination and ensure the free exercise of religion for every member of the military. We … Continued

09/02/2026

We’re excited to welcome Rabbi Bill Kaplan as senior vice president of JCC Camps of North America!

With decades of leadership in the JCC Movement and Jewish camping—including nearly 30 years as CEO of Shalom Institute—Rabbi Kaplan will lead a renewed effort to strengthen camp leadership, connect professionals across the field, and elevate the impact of JCC Camps.

Please join us in welcoming Rabbi Kaplan to this important new role!

Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/mvssmzn6

09/01/2026

Proud to celebrate this exciting step forward for accessibility and inclusion!

The Bender JCC of Greater Washington is the first fitness center in the U.S. to implement RightHear accessible wayfinding technology, helping visitors navigate its facility with greater independence and confidence.

Congratulations to our colleagues at Bender JCC for continuing to create a community where everyone can belong! 💙

09/01/2026

Here’s another exciting opportunity to join the team at JCC Association!

We’re seeking a highly organized, resourceful, and proactive professional to come on board with us as the executive office coordinator. Working at the center of one of North America's leading Jewish nonprofit organizations, you’ll have your finger on the pulse of JCC Association’s executive leaders, governance, strategy, and the wider JCC Movement, all to ensure smooth day-to-day operation of the Executive Office by fulfilling varied responsibilities related to the work of the president and CEO.

Among the varied responsibilities of this NYC-based, hybrid position are preparing executive materials, planning meetings and events, keeping strategic projects moving forward, creating order from complexity, and managing executive schedules and travel—all in a dynamic, fast-paced setting.

You’ll bring a powerful blend of knowledge, skills, and experience to this position, including:
🔹 A bachelor’s degree
🔹 At least four years of professional experience in a comparable role or familiarity with executive operations, senior leadership support, project management, and governance
🔹 Outstanding organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, anticipate needs, exercise sound judgment and discretion, and adapt in a fast-paced environment
🔹 Effective written and verbal communication skills, with the know-how to prepare professional communications, including presentations, correspondence, reports, and briefing materials
🔹 Proficiency using the Microsoft Office 365 suite of products
🔹 Comfort and willingness to learn and use new technology, including AI-enabled tools and CRM platforms
🔹 A collaborative and relationship-oriented outlook built on effective interpersonal skills and the ability to work across teams with internal and external stakeholders at all levels
🔹 Passion for JCC Association's mission and a commitment to strengthening the JCC Movement and the communities it serves

For full details and to apply, visit: https://jcca.org/executive-office-coordinator/

08/31/2026

Congratulations to the newly renamed Manes JCC (formerly the -Island Y), the beneficiary of an incredibly generous $8 million philanthropic gift from Dr. Harvey Manes and the Manes American Peace Prize Foundation. The foundation supports organizations that foster goodwill through education, art, health, and community service.

Founded in 1956, the Manes JCC serves more than 12,000 members through programs from aquatics and fitness to the arts and from day camps and early childhood education to initiatives for seniors and people with special needs.

Mazel tov to the entire community!

Long Island philanthropist’s Peace Prize Foundation funds major renovation of Plainview institution serving thousands across Nassau and Suffolk.

08/28/2026

We’re hiring, so this is your chance to join the team at JCC Association of North America!

During this important period of growth and transformation for our organization, we’re seeking an executive director for our Center for Talent Development to build and lead a bold new initiative focused on developing outstanding leaders and strengthening organizations throughout the JCC Movement. The incumbent will report to the CEO and sit on the executive leadership team.

Together with the Center for Jewish Peoplehood and the Center for Innovation and Impact, the three integrated Centers of Excellence are designed to strengthen every JCC and JCC Camp and further the effect of the JCC Movement on Jewish life in communities throughout the U.S. and Canada.

We're looking for an exceptional, big-picture visionary with outstanding implementation skills who has considerable experience in several of these areas:
🔹 Leadership and executive development
🔹 Organizational development and transformation
🔹 Talent and succession strategy
🔹 Executive education and adult learning
🔹 Instructional design and technology leadership
🔹 Organizational consulting and coaching
🔹 Building and scaling high-impact programs
🔹 Advising senior executives and boards
🔹 Navigating complex, multi-stakeholder organizations
🔹 Translating strategy into measurable organizational results

This is an extraordinary opportunity for a leader who is passionate about developing people, strengthening organizations, and building something that can influence North American Jewish life now and for years to come.

For full details and to apply, visit: https://bit.ly/4d9zYFQ

08/28/2026

This Shabbat, we’re reflecting on the lasting impact JCC Maccabi's Yellow Ribbon Campaign has had on everyone touched by it.

Following October 7, Samantha Cohen, senior vice president at JCC Maccabi, envisioned a way for the JCC Maccabi community to stand together in solidarity with the hostages: the Yellow Ribbon Medal. At the 2024 and 2025 Games, medal winners received an additional Yellow Ribbon Medal to share with their teammates or fellow medal winners—a small but powerful symbol of hope and remembrance carried by athletes across the JCC Maccabi community.

And this summer, the story came full circle in Toronto, when a Yellow Ribbon Medal was presented to Omer Wenkert, who had spent 505 days in captivity in Gaza.

In recognition of the campaign and the impact it had across the movement, Sam’s team recently presented her with a Yellow Ribbon Medal of her own.

Thank you, Sam, for turning an idea into a symbol that helped our community remember, hope, and stand together.

08/27/2026

In this video, rabbinic student and JWB Jewish Chaplains Council® chaplain candidate Hillel Rubin shares the path that led him to pursue a career serving the Jewish people, which includes time at the Lawrence Family JCC in San Diego, and why the military is central to his story.

As a JWB chaplain, he will bring Jewish life, rituals, and traditions to Jewish members of the military and provide pastoral care to other military members of all faiths and backgrounds.

Follow his journey on Substack: https://hillyliving.substack.com/ and Instagram: