The Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC) website describes their mission as growing, supporting, and strengthening the Jewish camp movement so camps can deliver the best possible experience for their campers, staff, and families. As the industry’s preeminent thought leader and advocate and with decades of experience in working with Jewish summer camps across the country, […]
JCC State of Mind – August 9, 2024 Read More »
Last night, the JCC and our local partners, Beth El Congregation, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, Stand with Us, Temple Emanuel and the South Hills Interfaith Movement, brought the band Shufuni to our community for an inspiring night of music and connection. In Hebrew, the word shufuni translates into “look at me,” but there
JCC State of Mind – August 2, 2024 Read More »
This week’s JCC State of Mind is written by Rebecca Kahn, Director of Teen Leadership and Pittsburgh Diller Teen Fellows Coordinator Last week, the Pittsburgh Diller Teen Fellows returned from a week-long leadership, Jewish learning, and global community-building seminar in Spain. The experience was the culmination of the Diller Teen Fellows program: an immersive, year-long
JCC State of Mind – July 26, 2024 Read More »
First-of-Its-Kind College Campus Games: JCC Maccabi® Returns to Pittsburgh The Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh (JCC) is proud to announce that Pittsburgh will host the inaugural JCC Maccabi® Campus Games in the summer of 2025 in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh and JCC Association of North America. The JCC Maccabi Games are the
JCC Maccabi Games Returning to Pittsburgh in Summer 2025 Read More »
People often confuse optimism and hope. They sound similar. But in fact, they’re very different. Optimism is the belief that things are going to get better. Hope is the belief that if we work hard enough together, we can make things better. It needs no courage, just a certain naivety to be an optimist. It
JCC State of Mind July 19, 2024 Read More »
While so many of our staff are hard at work with a full slate of summertime activities, I’d like to step away from the details of the day-to-day for just a moment and share two recent and important milestones from a season filled with so much buzz and excitement. First, at EKC, we wished our
JCC State of Mind – July 12, 2024 Read More »
Summer is a VERY busy time at the JCC. Bus songs, swim lessons, canoeing and kayaking, boat rides and knee boarding, ziplining, nature hikes, trips abroad, arts & crafts, sports of all sorts, color war and much more. While any of these activities would make a good theme for a Shabbat weekly message, another lesser-known
JCC State of Mind – July 5, 2024 Read More »
Connections, VALUES, growth and fun! With camp in full swing at the South Hills JCC, it is time for one of my favorite programs of the entire summer – Mensch on the Bench – where counselors pick a camper in their group who most embodies the weekly middah (value). Every Friday, as the entire camp
JCC State of Mind – June 28, 2024 Read More »
THE DEKA PHILOSOPHY On Your Mark Fitness, Pittsburgh’s DEKA affiliate at the South Hills JCC, offers premier DEKA classes, challenges and competitions! Coming up: DEKA Strong competition Saturday, July 20, 2024 8 am-1 pm On Your Mark Fitness at the JCC South Hills Athletes will receive a T-shirt and their first piece of the Trifecta
THE DEKA PHILOSOPHY Read More »
Over the past week at the JCC, we have been celebrating both moving up and moving out. Across our early childhood development center in both Squirrel Hill and South Hills, nearly 60 of our pre-kindergarten students moved up following a year of significant exploration and growth. Over the same time, Rabbi Ron Symons, our Senior Director of Jewish Life and
JCC State of Mind – June 21, 2024 Read More »
You’ve walked in and started your membership. You’ve gotten your swipe card, downloaded the app to see the schedules, made a promise to yourself that you are starting new healthy habits, and then you’ve gone to bed each night telling yourself that in the morning, you’re going to figure out how to actually Do The
Getting Active at the JCC: We're Here to Help! Read More »
Throughout the Jewish world, this week has been filled with active learning in celebration of Shavuot, the late spring pilgrimage festival. Originally celebrated exclusively as a harvest festival 50 days after the beginning of Passover when the wheat crops came in, Shavuot has been transformed over history to include a celebration of coming together to
JCC State of Mind – June 14, 2024 Read More »
This week’s JCC State of Mind is by Fara Marcus, Chief Development and Marketing Officer How are you? While it’s a common phrase we ask our friends and coworkers every day, in Hebrew it’s said, “Mah shlomech?” which literally translates to, “How is your peace?” I was asked this question many times during a recent
JCC State of Mind – June 7, 2024 Read More »
Last night, we celebrated someone who has touched the lives of so many here at the JCC and throughout the Pittsburgh community. More than 200 people joined together to pay tribute to Rabbi Ron Symons and to recognize his impact over the last nine years as the JCC’s Senior Director of Jewish Life and Founding
JCC State of Mind – May 31, 2024 Read More »
Originally shared on May 24, 2024 during Staff Day at Emma Kaufmann Camp Before we board our buses back to Pittsburgh, I wanted to take some time to reflect on our journey so far this year and where we are headed as we look toward the future. On August 31, 2023 just hours before assuming
Jason Kunzman Remarks at JCC Staff Day 2024 Read More »
Best-in-class community centers have an innate ability to go well beyond the confines of their physical buildings to meet community need. While our JCC serves as a central hub for many vital activities and programs across the age continuum, extending our reach beyond our walls can profoundly benefit our community in numerous ways. First and
JCC State of Mind – May 24, 2024 Read More »
This week’s JCC State of Mind is by Maria Carson, Director of Jewish Education and Arts, Teen Division During the past academic year, the JCC’s Second Floor Teen Center, which is generously funded by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, has hosted a campaign of Dungeons & Dragons (or D&D for short) for teens in grades
JCC State of Mind – May 17, 2024 Read More »
The Role of Powerlifting in Personal Training Eli Snyder, JCC Personal Trainer What’s an efficient way to get stronger, move more easily and feel better? Eli Snyder, JCC Personal Trainer, likes the three lifts that are the basis of the strength sport called Powerlifting: Squat, Bench Press and Deadlift. “I like them for myself because
JCC Personal Training Tips 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.