The Jewish month of Elul is a time for reflection – a moment in the Jewish calendar when we are invited to slow down, look inward and consider where we have been and where we hope to go in the year ahead. As I have been reflecting over the couple of weeks, I found myself […]
JCC State of Mind: September 4, 2026 – Storytelling in Elul Read More »
As summer begins to give way to fall, there is always a natural temptation to think of these final days of August as a quiet moment at the JCC – a pause between the energy of summer and the full calendar that awaits us in September. But if you have been anywhere around the JCC
JCC State of Mind: August 21, 2026 – Our Agency in Motion Read More »
Friday marks the end of another summer of meaning and impact across the JCC’s camps. While there is always a bit of a letdown as the summer season draws to a close, at Emma Kaufmann Camp (EKC) we are already looking forward to a robust agenda of rentals with a purpose – organizations and communities
JCC State of Mind: August 14, 2026 – Rentals with a Purpose Read More »
This past week offered two reminders of our JCC’s ability to create meaningful Jewish experiences that connect people across generations and strengthen our sense of community. Last Friday, our early childhood students in the South Hills kicked off our weeklong Tu B’Av celebration in a truly memorable way as Myles and Sarah – who have been married for 47 years – renewed their wedding vows. Many of
JCC State of Mind: August 7, 2026 – Meaningful Jewish Experiences Read More »
For more than 20 years, whenever nutrition conversations get complicated, I always come back to one simple piece of advice: eat your greens. Whether someone is trying to lose weight, improve their gut health, have more energy, or support their immune system, this has been one of those nutrition recommendations that has stood the test
When Cyclospora Makes a Mockery of My “Eat Your Greens” Advice Read More »
This week at South Hills Day Camp, our campers and staff embraced one of our favorite summer traditions – Wacky Wednesday! The theme was “Future Careers,” and everyone was invited to come dressed as who they hope to be when they grow up. The results were inspiring, creative and definitely entertaining. We met a babysitter, a dermatologist, a doctor, a detective, a game
JCC State of Mind: July 17, 2026 – Future Careers Day at SHDC Read More »
On giving and being a part of the JCC community Lisa and Jonathan Marcus My husband Jon and I live in Squirrel Hill with our two children. Jon is a JCC board member and we were co-chairs of the 2025 Big Night Olympics. All of us use the JCC facilities. While I’m not originally from
JCCPGH Supporter Spotlight Read More »
Holidays, especially Jewish Holidays, are not the best time to enforce a weight loss diet. Take Shavuot, which this year begins on the eve of Thursday, May 21. For reasons that some attribute to parsing of Jewish law and others, to a tradition that evolved amongst Eastern European Jews, dairy – cheese and one of
Cheesecake – The Taste of Shavuot Read More »
Another Passover Recipe My husband’s Grandma Cele often talked about making her Passover specialties for her sons – carrot candy and something she called “borcas.” I did not grow up in a home with Old Country food traditions, so I had no idea what she was talking about. After she’d passed away and I wanted
"Borcas" — Grandma Cele's Beet Preserves Read More »
I used to joke that I chose our synagogue because I liked the cookbook. There was some truth to that although as far as recipes go, the very best one was not in the book. Every year, some of us volunteered to do a mass bake of Matzo Brittle for members, using a recipe that
The Secret to a Sweet Passover: Matzo Brittle Read More »
The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans were recently released, and whether you love them, hate them, or haven’t thought much about them, they matter more than most of us realize. First, I’d like to offer a little grounding. The Dietary Guidelines are not meant to be a personalized nutrition plan. They’re not telling you exactly
Digesting the New Dietary Guidelines Read More »
Skip the Cleanse. Rethink the Resolution. Refocus on what works! By the time we reach New Year’s Eve, many of us feel a bit off — puffy, foggy and inflamed! From Thanksgiving to New Year’s, we collectively master the art of sitting more, sleeping less, and consuming extra. Add in cookies, cocktails, treats, late nights,
Recently, our South Hills Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) was awarded a generous grant to launch a new, yearlong initiative: Elevating Nutrition in ECDC: Learning About Food from Seed to Table. This multi-dimensional program deepens our commitment to nurturing healthy bodies, curious minds, and joyful learning – both in the classroom and beyond. And we’re already off
JCC State of Mind December 12, 2025 – Elevating Nutrition in ECDC Read More »
When people hear the word wellness, they usually think about their physical health. What we eat, how much we sleep, and how often we hit the JCC fitness center immediately enters our minds. These things are all important and have a direct impact on our health, but wellness is actually much broader than this. Research
Whole Health Insights Chanukah Edition: The Eight Dimensions of Wellness Read More »
This past week brought us the first snow of the season, and with it, the kind of joy that only a Pittsburgh winter can deliver. There is something uniquely heartwarming about watching children in our Early Childhood Development Center and in our school-aged programs press their faces to the windows, rush outside in their boots
JCC State of Mind December 5, 2025: Moments of Joy and Connection Read More »
Thanksgiving is basically the national holiday of gluttony. It’s that special time of “excessive indulgence.” And we’re not just talking turkey! This is the week when many of us suddenly feel wildly inspired to cram in one more recipe, one more store, one more house cleaning, one more errand, one more visit, and one more
Thanksgiving Challenge: Take One Thing Off Your Plate Read More »
This weekend we set our clocks back. While many celebrated an extra hour of sleep, I cringed at the thought of darker days ahead. Changing the clocks and shifting toward winter seems to throw many of us off track. Why does setting the clocks back just one hour cause so much havoc — igniting a
Whole Health Insights: Synchronize Your Internal Clocks Read More »
This past Monday, we marked the seventh commemoration of the 2018 synagogue attack. Hundreds turned out at the JCC to gather in community and to hold the memory of the eleven lives taken from us with love and faith. As my colleague Maggie Feinstein, Director of the 10.27 Healing Partnership recently told the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, there is an important reason for remembering tragic events. “Carving out
JCC State of Mind: October 31, 2025 – Commemorating 10.27 Read More »
The South Hills Pool will be closed Monday, August 17 through Saturday, August 29 for annual maintenance and improvements.
We anticipate reopening on Sunday, August 30.