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The Power of Summer Camp

Posted by Jason Kunzman on May 9, 2018

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 of two campers, I did not fully appreciate the impact …

Updating Our Mission Statement

Posted by Brian Schreiber on April 27, 2018

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 statements are more than just assemblies of words. Each word has weight and …

EKC’s Tush Push: For even more magical Shabbats

Posted by Rachael Speck on April 13, 2018

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 so special and pure about it, because it brings a …

Success is Not An Accident

Posted by Jeremy Kelley on April 5, 2018

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 the JCC, however, the end of the competitive season simply …

Passover is All About Time Travel

Posted by Rabbi Ron Symons on March 27, 2018

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 it for years and we think that we should just maintain …

Want to feel better? Try exercise (we’re here to help)

Posted by Marsha Mullen on March 20, 2018

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 you to keep doing the things you enjoy and stay independent as …

Training for the Big Swim

Posted by JCC Pittsburgh on March 16, 2018

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 the record, I was hoping to be around 12-13 hours. I …

International Day of Youth Service: J-Serve

Posted by Maddie Herrup and Lili King on March 15, 2018

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 hometowns. J-Serve Pittsburgh this year occurred on Sunday, March 11, and had …

Jen’s Fitness Journey: #GymMotivation

Posted by Jen Goldston on March 9, 2018

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 specifically, how do you measure change? In the beginning of my …

International Women’s Day – #PressForProgress

Posted by Rabbi Ron Symons on March 8, 2018

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 a mirror of conversations and attitudes that have been going …

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