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COVID Update and Shabbat Shalom

Dear JCC Members and Families, We hope that all of you remain physically and emotionally well as we weather the latest spike of cases here in Allegheny County. We want to assure you that we remain open to serve you and are continuing to operate under *modified hours as our regular and life sustaining services continue for our community. This means that we are keeping current and …

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The Ground Beneath Us Is Very Hard

“The ground beneath us is very hard.”  That was our big learning as we began our gardening work today at East End Cooperative Ministries (EECM) in East Liberty. The ground beneath us is very hard because of the dry heat we have been experiencing for too many days to count. The ground beneath us is very hard because of the harsh realities of racism and privilege that …

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Shabbat Shalom

June 26, 2020 As I walked into the office just after 7:30, I was greeted by music coming from the patio outside of Levinson Hall. What did I see? Creativity and a new way to do spinning in a socially distanced way. Two creative spinning classes got another 20 people back to the JCC this morning – several with tears of gratitude in their eyes. Why? …

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Congratulations to Our Dance Graduates!

To the Dance Seniors of The JCC School of Dance The lights go out….and your heart is about to beat out of your chest. You have been dancing since you could walk but still you get those butterflies before going on stage. The suspense builds and you wait for the music. The lights come up, the music begins. This was supposed to be your last performance before going …

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Mindful Monday

Mindful Monday Coloring Projects to Help You Enjoy the Moment August 31: Houses Houses to color pdf August 24: Guitar Guitar to Color pdf August 17: Flamingos Flamingos to color pdf August 10: Sunflower Sunflower to color pdf August 3: Feather Feather to color pdf July 27: Abstract Design Abstract Design to color pdf July 20: Birds Birds to Color - pdf July 13: Books Books to color - pdf July 6: Houses Houses pdf to Color June 29: Rows Rows to Color   June 22: Circles Circles …

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Virtually Fit

You may remember the blog, Jen's Fitness Journey: #GymMotivation. We're delighted that Jen is starting this new blog, "Virtually Fit." Enjoy! June 5, 2020 “Exercise should be regarded as a tribute to the heart” -Gene Tunney Somehow, it’s June. The impossibly fickle months of March and April have wrapped up, May has started and finished. The mornings where I would look out of my bedroom window to assess whether or …

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Basketball at the JCC: A Unique Approach to Changing the World for the Better

Pay it forward: An expression for when the recipient of an act of kindness does something kind for someone else rather than simply accepting or repaying the original good deed (https://www.dictionary.com/e/pop-culture/pay-it-forward/). So what do the JCC’s youth basketball program and Catherine Ryan Hyde’s 1999 novel, Pay it Forward, have in common? Simply put, the JCC intentionally engages former basketball players as active participants in changing the …

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The 2020 Census: Everyone Counts!!!

The 2020 Census - Every Person Counts! This is the essence of the constitutional requirement to count all people every 10 years.  The results of the census directly impact the ways we are represented in Congress, the amount of federal funding our community receives and the many ways that public, private and not-for-profit organizations serve our neighbors. This is the essence of redefining ‘neighbor’ as a moral …

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A Purim Message For Today

Bigotry, hatred and racism of all forms is wrong no matter what continent it occurs on and no matter the victims it claims. The Jewish community has known this for thousands of years.  After all, this week we are celebrating the victory of the Jewish community of Persia over the hatred state-sanctioned supremacy of its day.  When Queen Esther hesitated to stand up and call it …

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Today, all I have are tears. Tomorrow, maybe we can work to find a solution.

The universe cracks. That’s how you feel when your beloved and peaceful family member is violently torn from this world while they are at prayer.  That’s how more that 40 families feel right now half a world away.  I know because only 6 months ago I was in their shoes.  It’s like I am in a cruel time machine and it’s stuck on a repeating …

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