Written by Merris Groff, Board Chair, JCC of Greater Pittsburgh & Jason Kunzman, President & CEO, JCC of Greater Pittsburgh
There are moments when the pace of daily work slows just enough to remind us why we serve, what we are building together, and how fortunate we are to do this work side by side.
Earlier this month, we had the privilege of traveling together to Israel as part of the JCC Movement Leadership Experience. Focused on the themes of spark, mutual responsibility, and repair, the experience brought together leaders from across the North American JCC Movement to explore Israel’s resilience and challenges, while we reflected on our own role in strengthening Jewish life.
For both of us, this journey was deeply meaningful. And for Merris, it has also been deeply personal.
I, Merris, participated not only as a Board Chair, but also as an Israeli citizen whose family is deeply embedded in the country’s daily life. In a time marked by prolonged war, uncertainty, and an upcoming election cycle, my loved ones, like so many Israelis, are navigating disrupted routines, reserve duty, and real economic impact. This is not abstract. It is lived experience.
Experiencing this together has brought urgency and clarity to our leadership. We did not simply observe, we listened, learned, and asked how to lead our community with greater empathy, nuance, and responsibility.
As president and CEO, I, Jason, was reminded how essential it is to create space for complexity, ensuring that our community feels supported and challenged and that conversations about Israel are grounded in trust and openness.
Throughout the experience, we engaged with diverse perspectives on Israel and the Diaspora, wrestled with difficult questions, and witnessed the resilience that defines Israeli society. Again and again, one truth emerged. Strong communities are built through strong partnerships. The relationship between Board Chair and CEO is not only structural but also rooted in shared purpose, trust, and the ability to navigate complexity together.
One of the most meaningful parts of our journey came before the program officially began, during time we spent in Tiberias, Merris’ hometown. Staying at the family’s hotel overlooking the Kinneret, we experienced Israel not through a formal agenda but through family, story, and place.
That time transformed our understanding of Jewish peoplehood. It reminded us that peoplehood is not an abstract idea; it is built through relationships, lived experience, and the personal connections that bind us across geography. Sitting together in a place so central to Merris’ identity made those connections tangible to both of us and reinforced our shared responsibility to nurture them within our own community.
This experience has reaffirmed that the work of our JCC and the broader Diaspora Jewish community is inseparable from Israel. We are called to engage with the intricacy of the Jewish story, holding both pride and challenge, and to create spaces where meaningful and intentional conversations can take place.
We have returned home energized, strengthened in our partnership, and grounded in a renewed sense of purpose to lead with empathy, to bridge perspectives, and to deepen connection to each other, to Israel, and to the broader Jewish people. We are reminded that the sparks we ignite together, our commitment to mutual responsibility, and our shared work of repair are not simply themes of this experience. They are the foundation of the work we do each and every day. And in a time of complexity and challenge, this work has never felt more important.
Wishing you and your families a Shabbat shalom,
Jason and Merris
