This time, there is no going back. It’s time for JCCs to rewrite the rules. If the economic downturn has taught us anything, it is that the growth we experienced in recent years took place under an unrealistic set of circumstances. We will not likely see a return to the funding patterns that sustained the institutions and services that we built. It’s time for new thinking; time to change the unwritten rules of engagement among Jewish institutions, and put our energy into developing the new strategic directions that will allow our JCCs to adapt and thrive in the future. For instance, today we see the need to reposition the JCC as a leadership institution in the community. The notion that certain institutions “own” particular areas of Jewish life is no longer functional, and hinders us from moving forward. Too often, the high cost of Jewish living forces young families to choose—the JCC or the synagogue, day school or resident camp. It’s time we find a way to make fully integrated memberships in the Jewish community available—and affordable. We need to rethink the way that Jewish communities operate in order not only to be more efficient, but also to provide service, affiliation, and educational models that are easily accessible to anyone seeking involvement. And perhaps most significantly, we see a strong need to put Jewish mission at the fore of the conversation. Too often over the past decade, mission has taken a back seat to business, and the pressures to keep it there are only growing. We must move Jewish mission back to the core of our strategic thinking. This is the only way for JCCs to maintain distinctiveness in the marketplace—and to fulfill our unique role as North America’s most welcoming Jewish space.
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New thinking. You see it here in the new format and focus of our JCC Circle magazine. And you’ll be seeing it in everything we do over the coming months, in preparation for the JCC Movement’s forum for new ideas, the JCCs of North America Biennial, to be held in Atlanta, May 2-5, 2010. I urge you—as the leaders of the JCC Movement—to join the conversation and be a part of this new kind of thinking. Visit biennial.jcca.org and submit your hot topic ideas for discussion at the Biennial. I look forward to seeing you in Atlanta, hearing your ideas, and having your input as we rewrite the rules. B’shalom,
Allan Finkelstein President | JCC Association
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