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Helping All Children Feel Included at Camp

Posted by Rachael Speck, Division Director JCC Day Camps on March 6, 2023

What is it like to raise a child who has invisible needs (ADHD, Autism, emotional dysregulation, sensory needs etc.)? “Exhausting,” says the parent of 5-year-old Janey, who struggles with emotional regulation. “You yearn for the day when you can only be worried about them meeting normal goals - completing homework, making friends, or completing household chores. These are things we work on, but we also …

Make a Meal of Hamantaschen!

Posted by Roberta Levine on February 28, 2023

Don't get me wrong; we LOVE traditional hamantaschen. Yiddish for "Haman's pockets" and also interpreted in old legend as Haman's three-cornered hat, some of us consider these delectable sweet pastries as a way to get back at Haman, the villain in the Purim story in the Biblical Book of Esther. To commemorate his downfall, we eat his hat! Miriam Szokovski, in an article on unique hamantaschen recipes a couple of …

Creating an Inclusive Camp

Posted by Rachael Speck, Division Director JCC Day Camps on February 17, 2023

Summer camp can be a magical experience – carefree days spent outdoors, swimming, sports, singing, cheering and the list goes on. But for families who have children with hidden disabilities – sensory challenges, ADHD, autism, emotional dysregulation – summer camp can be the best experience or the worst. Leah’s 5-year-old son, Austin, was a camper at J&R Day Camp last summer and will be returning this …

An Evening with Yankees Pitcher Scott Effross

Posted by Annie Schroeder on January 25, 2023

Having a space to openly talk about all things baseball, his Jewish identity, and mental health is a top priority for New York Yankees Pitcher, Scott Effross. Effross and his wife Brittany have chosen Pittsburgh as their home in the off season because they fell in love with its charm after she attended Duquesne University. Being a native of Twinsburg, Ohio, also meant the two would …

DEKA Strong at On Your Mark Fitness

Posted by Annie Schroeder on January 25, 2023

When we started the DEKA program at the ON YOUR MARK FITNESS at JCC South Hills, many of our members were curious or even hesitant to get involved. But as our community has continued to grow, our members, staff and even people from across the east coast have traveled to Pittsburgh to try out this new endeavor and test their fitness abilities. On Sunday, January 22, …

On Martin Luther King Day: Teach Your Children

Posted by Liza Baron, Director, Early Childhood Development Center on January 16, 2023

When giving consideration to how we talk about anti-racism in early learning, there is an overwhelming agreed upon approach: Talk about it all year long. We have been on a journey in ECDC (Early Childhood Development Center) for a number of years, but most intentionally focusing on culturally competent teaching for the last two and a half years. One of the ways we do this …

Try It Out: Active Recovery

Posted by Roberta Levine on January 13, 2023

I liked the sound of the class – “Active Recovery” – even though I didn’t think I had anything specific to recover from. Except… I’d done some intense workouts in the past couple of days. I have stiff joints when I get out of bed in the morning or get up from sitting a long time. And then there are those vague aches and pains that …

THE DEKA PHILOSOPHY

Posted by Spartan DEKA on January 5, 2023

The DEKA MISSION On Your Mark Fitness, Pittsburgh’s DEKA affiliate at the South Hills JCC, offers premier DEKA classes, challenges and competitions! At Spartan, our mission is to positively impact 100 million lives through fitness. DEKA is our answer to provide fitness for ALL levels. PHILOSOPHY The Greeks were the first on record to gamify and test fitness and the Greek term DEKA means Ten. With our 10 DEKA Zones, …

Try It Out!

Posted by Annie Schroeder on December 9, 2022

Each month, the JCC is featuring one of our many Group Exercise classes. With classes for people of all ages and fitness levels, we know there's something for everyone but still, taking that first step can be intimidating. We want to help get you started so we've enlisted staff and friends who want to try out highlighted classes. In this blog they will share the …

It’s about the oil

Posted by Roberta Levine on December 8, 2022

I'd been making latkes for many years before I finally realized something about this food tradition: Chanukah is the oil holiday - a celebration of miraculous oil that lasted 8 days. For me, good latkes are a small miracle too. Over the years, I've learned a few tricks to making (what I think are) the best latkes. The recipe: Joan Nathan's from her classic book, The …

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.