Chat with us, powered by LiveChat
Know what you're looking for?

Getting Active at the JCC: We’re Here to Help!

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 Thing. I get it, I've been there. I walked past the JCC, …

read more

JCC State of Mind – June 14, 2024

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 learn and to mark the moment when the Ten Commandments …

read more

Cheesecake – The Taste of Shavuot

Holidays, especially Jewish Holidays, are not the best time to enforce a weight loss diet. Take Shavuot, which this year begins on the eve of Thursday, May 25. For reasons that some attribute to parsing of Jewish law and others, to a tradition that evolved amongst Eastern European Jews, dairy - cheese and one of its sweetest uses, cheesecake - is a Shavuot treat. And so, a …

read more

JCC State of Mind – June 7, 2024

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 11-day trip to Israel. And each time I was asked, the question …

read more

JCC State of Mind – May 31, 2024

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 Director of the Center for Loving Kindness and Civic Engagement. …

read more

Jason Kunzman Remarks at JCC Staff Day 2024

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 the reigns as CEO of the JCC, I addressed our community and …

read more

JCC State of Mind – May 24, 2024

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 foremost, providing services outside of our physical buildings allows us to …

read more

JCC State of Mind – May 17, 2024

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 6-10. For those of you who are not familiar with the …

read more

JCC Personal Training Tips

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 they get me jacked,” he laughs. Of course Snyder, who has competed in Powerlifting …

read more

JCC State of Mind – May 10, 2024

This week's JCC State of Mind is by Emma Litwak, South Hills Day Camp Director At our core, the JCC deeply values and promotes building Jewish identity and fostering meaningful connections to the land and people of Israel. This is built into the DNA of our camps, where opportunities abound for campers to explore and experience their Judaism and the culture of Israel. I recently was fortunate to …

read more