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JCC Day Campers Will Wish the Summer Would Never End

Posted by Roberta Levine on May 30, 2017

Kids: Get ready for the best summer, ever, at JCC Day Camps. We’re counting the days, minutes and seconds until the camp season starts in June. At James and Rachel Levinson Day Camp, our flagship day camp at the Family Park in Monroeville, new activities and returning favorites set the scene for each child to learn, create, explore and experience. “We give campers the opportunity to make …

Seder supplements to make your Passover relevant this year

Posted by Rabbi Ron Symons on April 5, 2017

What I love about the seder is that the ritual that began the night before we left Egypt has been transformed thousands of times over throughout the generations. In fact, the Passover haggadah is said to be the most published Jewish book in history with editions that meet the needs of assorted Jews throughout history. Just look at how many Maxwell haggadot are featured in …

A Lesson from the J&R Day Camp Garden

Posted by Casey Weiss on February 8, 2017

Children have an innate affinity to being in nature, to sensory play, to experiential learning that we see every day in the summers at J&R Day Camp. The Torah teaches us a lot about the importance of nature. From the start, the book of Bereshit details God’s creations of heaven and earth. Each time God created something in this epic beginning story of the world, the …

Explore your hobbies at J&R Day Camp

Posted by Lewis Sohinki on January 13, 2017

January is National Hobby Month but we keep it going all summer long at James & Rachel Levinson Day Camp, where we cultivate children's interests every day. Hobbies are good for us. Besides improving creativity and generating good moods, hobbies enhance the ability to focus and concentrate, training our brains to retain an interest and sparking enthusiasm. J&R Day Camp provides the ideal setting and an exceptional experience to each …

The Maccabee Way of Thinking

Posted by Rabbi Ron Symons on December 21, 2016

Each year, as I re-encounter the story of Chanukah, I am inspired by the persistence of a small group of Maccabees who fought for their core values in the face of seemingly incredible odds. When confronted with oppression and limitations, they thought broader and wider than any narrow definitions that others might have used to define them. No matter the historical circumstances, that 'Maccabee way of thinking' is …

Bring on The Light – Chanukah!

Posted by Rabbi Ron Symons on December 5, 2016

As the days get shorter during the end of 2016, Chanukah could not come any sooner. As I prepare for the Festival of Lights this year, I am particularly aware of the eternally contemporary message of the Macabees. Way back when, around 2100 years ago, when the Assyrian Greeks radically changed the structure of society by not allowing our ancestors to celebrate Shabbat, study Torah nor perform …

Rachel Marcus: A Lifetime of Service to the Community

Posted by Roberta Levine on August 10, 2016

“Take a look at these photos,” says Rachel Marcus, handing over a snapshot of three campers in T-shirts, smiling broadly, and a beautifully composed black and white photo of a young girl sitting on a counselor’s lap, both laughing gleefully. “Happy kids,” Rachel says, characteristically matter-of-fact. “That’s what we’re about.” Marcus, JCC Associate Executive Director, has been focused on providing programs that enrich the lives of families and children …

Four Questions About…Specialty Camps!

Posted by Meredith Brown, JCC Specialty Camps Director on April 25, 2016

With my favorite holiday, Passover, just around the corner, I can’t help but thinking about when I was the youngest child at our family Seder and would have the opportunity to ask the Four Questions. The Four Questions, traditionally recited by the youngest person at the table, highlight the ways in which Passover customs and foods distinguish the holiday from other times of the year. Although …

Dayenu! Have we done enough yet?

Posted by Rabbi Ron Symons on April 25, 2016

On Friday night, as my family and guests retold the time-honored story of our journey from slavery to freedom, my son Micah inserted his seder gift into the festivities. He explained how he had been studying Civil War history in school and thought that it might be appropriate to read the Emancipation Proclamation at the seder. The Emancipation Proclamation January 1, 1863 By the President of the United …

Yummy! Matzah

Posted by Rabbi Ron Symons on April 18, 2016

So many of us have an ongoing relationship with matzah. You might be one of those people who loves it so much that you eat Tam Tams all year round. You might have a preference for a brand either out of habit or as the result of an intentional taste test. You might be dedicated to a particular type: Egg, Whole Wheat, Lightly Salted…. You …

Squirrel Hill

5738 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15217
P 412-521-8010

South Hills

345 Kane Boulevard
Pittsburgh, PA 15243
P 412-278-1975

The JCC is open and accessible to everyone, regardless of age, race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or special need by welcoming individuals of all backgrounds, embracing their uniqueness and diversity under our communal tent.