I vividly remember the endless bus trip from Jerusalem to Kibbutz Hazorea in 1985. I didn’t know a soul, spoke fewer than a dozen Hebrew words, and had never traveled overseas. But I had a longing to experience Israel, to learn the language and connect to people on their terms – not mine. The journey […]
What Does Israel Mean to Me? Read More »
As summer weather approaches, outdoor pools begin preparing to open and families are packing up to head to the beach. May is National Water Safety Month. This annual awareness campaign, coordinated by multiple organizations, provides critical information to ensure you and your family stay safe when you’re in and near the water, while still having
Get Ready for Summer: It's Water Safety Month Read More »
One of the steepest learning curves in my 16 months as the JCC’s Chief Program Officer has been in the area of summer camp. I grew up with only limited exposure to a day camp that was run out of my local high school in Rockland County, New York, and while I am a parent
The Power of Summer Camp Read More »
Over the past year, our lay and professional leadership went through the thoughtful and intentional process of updating our Mission Statement. Our goal was simple – to help our members, guests, professional staff, donors, partners and other stakeholders know more than what we do, but WHY we exist and who we aspire to be. Mission
Updating Our Mission Statement Read More »
Manny Gold Humanitarian Award DAVID DINKIN Ziggy Kahn Award SHERREE HALL Inductees JONATHAN MAYO BEVERLY MERMELSTEIN DAVID BRINN BARRY BERMAN Scholastic Athletic Awards ALEXANDRA AMOS, Upper St. Clair High SchoolVolleyball JONAH AUSLANDER, Upper St. Clair High SchoolBaseball JACOB BEIRIGER, Winchester ThurstonSoccer/Lacross/Squash SAMMY BELLIN, Chartiers Valley High SchoolSoccer LIAM BOTOS, Fox Chapel High SchoolSwimming PAULINA BRAVERMAN,
Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Western Pennsylvania 2018 Awards Read More »
Of all the things I love about camp, Shabbat is one of the things I love the most. There is nothing more picturesque than the amphitheater on a Friday night. The green of the forest, everyone dressed in white, the natural feel of the bima — it all goes so well together. There is something
EKC's Tush Push: For even more magical Shabbats Read More »
March Madness has come and gone, and as the city of Philadelphia prepares for a championship parade to celebrate the 2018 NCAA Champion Villanova Wildcats, much of the sports world will turn their attention to Major League Baseball or The Masters or whatever sports season is up next. For the coaches, staff and players at
Success is Not An Accident Read More »
Each and every year when we pull our wine stained haggadot off of the shelf and place them on our beautifully set Passover tables, we have two options. The first is the basic plan: Read through the haggadah, go through the rituals, eat the symbolic foods because this is the way that we have done
Passover is All About Time Travel Read More »
If you want to feel better without taking medicine, try exercise. Studies continue to support that exercise at any age provides multiple benefits — controlling/preventing osteoporosis, relieving stress, reducing heart disease, preventing diabetes and preventing falls. Don’t worry if you’ve never exercised, or if you have stopped for some reason. Being physically active can help
Want to feel better? Try exercise (we're here to help) Read More »
Final Training Report – August 20, 2018 It still hasn’t set in, I don’t think it ever will. It’s crazy, absolute bananas that I swam Lake Erie on August 4. It took me 10 hours 56 minutes and 45 seconds to do. Never did it occur to me that I would have a shot at
Training for the Big Swim Read More »
The International Day of Youth Service, J-Serve, is meant for Jewish (and non Jewish) teens from across each participating community to join together with other teens to volunteer at places within the community. The teens learn not only about ways to get involved, but also why it is a crucial aspect of life in their
International Day of Youth Service: J-Serve Read More »
Blog #23 Weight Change – October 21, 2018 If you’ve been at the JCC lately, you may have noticed a slew of people wearing “JCC PGH Made of Steel” shirts. The accompanying idea is that Change Happens Here, right at the JCC. From my own experience, I can personally attest to that. But for fitness
Jen's Fitness Journey: #GymMotivation Read More »
As we celebrate International Women’s Day today, and Women’s History Month during March, we understand the phrase #PRESSFORPROGRESS is needed more than ever. We live in a world in which women’s voices have been suppressed when it comes to reporting sexual harassment, domestic violence and sexual assault in all areas of society. Our contemporary conversations are
International Women’s Day – #PressForProgress Read More »
February is American Heart Month. What better time to teach our youngest here at the JCC about the heart: Its function, its importance, its location in the body, and how to keep it healthy! Some of our oldest students in our Early Childhood Development Center began learning about their hearts last week during Special Gym, thanks to a
Heart Health Starts Young! Read More »
Flu season is in full swing. It seems like you can’t go anywhere without hearing about someone who has the flu or at least someone sniffling or coughing. Other than standard precautions of hand hygiene and getting the flu vaccine what can you do to keep yourself from getting sick? Food of course! I’m sure
Minestrone Soup for the Soul Read More »
C O N N E C T I O N S • V A L U E S • G R O W T H • F U N This is our responsibility: To prepare the next generation for the journeys that lie ahead. We hope that every journey will be fair and just. We
JCC Camps: Preparing for Life’s Journeys Read More »
Each year, the typical adult can expect to contract 2 to 3 colds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Skip the flu vaccine and you set yourself up for a bout of that as well. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Aside from good hand washing (with soap and water for
Combat Sickness During Flu Season Read More »
You might be wondering why the JCC opens its doors to the Lunar New Year celebration. Let me begin by sharing a metaphor I just learned on a podcast by my teacher Rabbi Larry Hoffman of the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion. While discussing the tension between being particular (having concern for
Celebrating the Lunar New Year Read More »
Family Park pool is closed for the rest of today, Saturday, June 27.