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Challenge: How to put Israel at the heart of the JCC... every day? In the ‘60s and ‘70s, nothing unified North American Jews of all denominations like support for the young nation of Israel during its struggle for survival. In recent decades, as Israel has become more secure, more prosperous, and more firmly established, politics have increasingly chipped away at that unity. Today, it is all too common for Israel to be regarded as a complicated topic, too political to be on the agenda outside of yearly Yom Ha’atzma’ut celebrations. Our connection to Israel is far too important to be pushed to the sidelines. Eretz Yisrael is the nexus of Jewish history and tradition, and modern Israel is the epicenter of Jewish culture and creativity today. If our JCCs are to be true and complete Jewish environments, Israel must be part of the equation. But how do we foster a meaningful relationship between JCCs and Israel in a new era?
Our task force on revitalizing the JCC/Israel relationship published its report in May, and called for a new approach, one that encourages open discussion and constant engagement with Israel. We began a year-long pilot program with seven JCCs to help them be exemplars in implementing the task force recommendations, and provide opportunities for informal Israel education and open forums for discussions. Our new Young Shlichim program paired JCCs with young, idealistic, and dedicated Israelis who in sharing Israeli cultural life with North American Jews, have touched their communities with programs that entertain, educate, and inspire. Working with the Jewish Agency for Israel, we are able to bring these emissaries to JCCs at a reduced cost, and help turn the JCC into the town hall of the Jewish community. Our Mandel Center for Jewish Education published the third curriculum of its Israel education program for JCC resident camps, Yisrael Sheli: My Israel. The goal of this program, generously funded by the Goodman Family Foundation, is to impart a clear picture and love of Israel to teens, and to inform them with facts before they enter a university environment all too likely to confront them with anti-Israel sentiment. We literally connected teens with Israel over the summer, taking groups from several JCC camps on a five-week exploration of the Jewish homeland with our JCC Maccabi Israel program. And we laid the groundwork for our biggest teen experience in Israel yet, working with our partner, Maccabi World Union, to bring our most popular Jewish-identity building programs — JCC Maccabi Games® and JCC Maccabi ArtsFest® — to Israel for the first time, in the summer of 2011. Nearly 1,000 teen athletes and artists are expected to participate. Our office in Israel sends regular bulletins to JCC leaders to keep them aware of current issues, and provides JCCs with a monthly compendium of information about Israeli movies, music, books, holiday celebrations, and food. We are doing everything we can to keep Israel on the mind of the JCC Movement, and in its heart.
Meeting Challenges: Annual Report 2010
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