JCC Circle Magazine, Summer 2015 by JCC Association

JCC CIRCLE

SUMMER

2015

‫קיץ‬

The magazine of the JCC Movement

JCCs, JCC Camps: A place for everyone JCCs of North America create a culture of inclusion

SUMMER

2015

‫קיץ‬

JCC CIRCLE The magazine of the North American Jewish Community Center Movement

Sr. Vice-President & Chief Marketing Officer Robin Ballin

Creative Director Joanne Harmon Communications Manager, JCC Circle Editor Marla Cohen

Design Lisa Kaplan Jeremy Kortes Joanne Harmon

Online Chris Strom Samantha Tananbaum

For address correction or Information about JCC Circle contact info@jcca.org or call (212) 532-4949. ©2015 Jewish Community Centers Association of North America. All rights reserved. On the cover: Yom Nate at NJY’s Camp Nesher

Minding the store The spotlight’s on governance in Benchmarking pilot

Chair Stephen P. Seiden Honorary Chairs Edward H. Kaplan Ann P. Kaufman Jerome B. Makowsky Morton L. Mandel Lester Pollack Daniel Rose Paula L. Sidman Alan P. Solow Vice-Chairs Donald W. Brodsky Joyce Goldstein Gary Jacobs Linda Russin J. Victor Samuels Francine Zorn Trachtenberg David Wax Secretary Harriet Blank Associate Secretaries Eric Nislow Philip Schatten President & CEO Dr. Stephen Hazan Arnoff

How to include

Tennis, anyone?

This year’s ProCon helped JCCs focus on LGBT issues and special needs with Keshet and Matan

JCC Indianapolis’ approach has made a once-exclusive sport anything but

Educating the educators Sheva Fellows are the next generation of early childhood directors

JCC storytelling Dallas and Bridgewater get creative with Brand J

Get in the know: more stories, more ideas, more JCC with JCC Circle Straight to your inbox every month! Visit jcca.org/circle to sign up.

JCC Association is the leadership network of, and central agency for, almost 350 JCCs, YM-YWHAs and camps in the United States and Canada, that annually serve more than two million users. JCC Association offers a wide range of services and resources to enable its affiliates to provide educational, cultural and recreational programs to enhance the lives of North American Jewry. JCC Association is also a U.S. government-accredited agency for serving the religious and social needs of Jewish military personnel, their families and patients in VA hospitals through the JWB Jewish Chaplains Council. JCC Association receives support from the JFNA National Federation/Agency Alliance, local federations and Jewish Community Centers. ISSN 1065-1551 520 Eighth Avenue | New York, NY 10018 | Phone: 212-532-4949 | Fax: 212-481-4174 | e-mail: info@jcca.org | web: jcca.org

A great opportunity

Camp for all

President & CEO Dr. Stephen Hazan Arnoff is listening & liking what he hears

Jewish expression, special needs, all find a home at NJY Camps

Safety net

Gift of a lifetime

Creating awareness is the first step to creating a safe environment

Whether you give or receive, scholarships have far-reaching results

ProCon Pics Learning, networking, growing—it was all happening in Orlando

Welcome Wendy!

Wendy Seligson is JCC Association’s new executive vice president for strategy and operations. She comes from the 14th Street Y in New York City, where she oversaw rapid growth and expansion. Wendy wants to explore the best ways JCC Association can provide strong, effective relationship management to JCCs in the short term. Looking ahead, she hopes to leverage the unique qualities of the organization as a convener and leadership organization to raise the agency’s value to its stakeholders and its profile to the entire Jewish communal world.

Sworn to serve

Jared Anstandig, a third-year rabbinical student at Yeshiva University, promised to “support and defend” the Constitution of the United States of America when he was proudly took an oath at a JWB Jewish Chaplains Council ceremony to become a future chaplain. The ceremony took place in JCC Association’s offices in New York City.

greetings

MEET STEPHEN I have already met quite of few of you as I have begun to get acquainted with the vast network of programs JCC Association supports: JCCs, YM-YWHAs, camps, and JWB Jewish Chaplains Council, which provides for the spiritual and cultural needs of Jewish military personnel, their families, and veterans. Representing 350 sites in North America, we are the Jewish public square, convening so many in expressions of celebration, learning, service, creativity, and togetherness. It’s an incredible honor to serve the largest network of Jewish meaning and engagement anywhere outside of the state of Israel. If we have not met yet, you can visit JCC Association’s new blog, Sounding Board (jcca.org/soundingboard) for an introduction. That’s where I share thoughts on the world of JCCs and Jewish community every other Wednesday. Sounding Board is a nice way to get to know me, but it’s also a good opportunity to get to know you. At the start of my tenure as chief executive officer and president of JCC Association in February, I asked our community to share songs that capture the spirit and aspirations of the JCC Movement. We have been listening to and talking about those songs ever since. Listening is core to my approach as a leader, and Sounding Board is just one element of a listening tour I have undertaken to help me understand our people, our agencies and our work. From Boston to the Bay Area, St. Louis to Baltimore, New York City, Chicago, Ft. Lauderdale, San Diego, Dallas and Milwaukee and a whole bunch of places in between, I am visiting your communities and listening to the questions, ideas and concerns that you offer about the JCC Movement. I am learning about our successes and challenges—and how we can include them in the story of our work that we want and need to tell.

Even in the early stages of this listening tour it is abundantly clear that great opportunities await us. Having built a foundation of institutions touching the lives of some two million people every year we have so much to invest in and to sustain. Our programs are often core experiences in the day-to-day lives of our stakeholders. This has been true for generations. And yet today, our stakeholders are asking what needs to change in the JCC landscape. On the cusp of celebrating 100 years as a movement, have we begun to imagine fully and boldly the role of JCCs and related agencies 10, 20, 50 or even another 100 years from now? What do we need to understand about technology, diversity, Jewish identity and communal infrastructures to prepare ourselves for providing meaningful, authentic, excellent services in the Jewish public square for many more generations to come? Our listening tour includes a wide variety of stations to ask these questions. We are convening stakeholders around many themes—from the future of our beloved JCC Maccabi Games to Jewish and Israel engagement in Innovation Lab: Jerusalem to our role as a leader in early childhood education through our nearly 100 Sheva communities, to camp, the ever-changing world of fitness, and so much more. This issue of JCC Circle reflects a set of voices from the powerful chorus of the JCC Movement. I encourage you to listen to the voices, but even more, I encourage you to add your voice to the song we are singing. You can connect with us at jcca.org/soundingboard. We at JCC Association are listening.

Dr. Stephen Hazan Arnoff President and CEO, JCC Association

Inclusion in Every Sense NJY Camps demonstrate what JCC Camps do best Marla Cohen

here is really nothing quite like hearing hundreds of children in identical blue shirts singing “Hatikvah.” But when I listened to them at NJY’s Camp Nesher, a Modern Orthodox camp in Pennsylvania that is part of the JCC Movement, the moment was more throat-catching than usual for me. The kids threw their arms one around another. Some were able bodied. Some were in wheel chairs. Others had varying degrees of developmental disabilities. They were all part of Yom Nate, an event held in memory of a Nesher camper, Nathaniel Cohen (no relation) who had lived with muscular dystrophy and died at age 27. Yom Nate brought together campers from other camps that host Yachad programs for those with developmental disabilities. Yachad is an international organization that promotes inclusion. NJY Camps have their own Yachad campers, but on Yom Nate, they open their gates and hearts and host a big carnival. And children who don’t normally get to attend an inter-camp travel day, have the fun of doing what so many overnight campers take for granted.

NJY Camps boast seven camps including: Nah-Jee-Wah for kids in grades 1-6; Cedar Lake for those in grades 7-9; TAC (Teen Age Camp); Round Lake for those with learning differences and spectrum disorders; Nesher; and Camp Shoshanim, an all-girl camp catering to very observant Orthodox campers. The array of offerings was astonishing. Cedar Lake and Nah-Jee-Wah were having specialty camps while I visited, a week for which campers pay extra, to get intensive training in a variety of sports and disciplines. These rival the offerings of private camps and allow NJY campers to work with experts, such as former Yankee Ron Blomberg and four-time Olympic gold medalist, swimmer Lenny Krayzelburg. The camp partners with the Israel Tennis Centers

and Maccabi Great Britain Soccer for expertise in those areas and with Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel’s Wingate Institute and 92Y to offer high-level science, physiology, robotics and arts.

“I want children to leave here the same or better than when they came in, and I want children to be able to lead more involved Jewish lives than when they come to us,” he says. “If we don’t do both, then we aren’t doing our job.”

But for Executive Director Len Robinson, all of that is for naught if the camp does not remember that it has, first and foremost a Jewish mission. Before we embarked on our daylong tour of the various camps, he points to a poster on the wall, all black, except for the signature of modernist artist Marc Chagall centered, in white.

By involved, Robinson doesn’t mean religious. But the camps certainly do intend to instill Jewish pride, through a focus on Jewish role models and heroes, and a sense that Shabbat is a different day through singing, services and a break from the week’s routine. At Nesher and Shoshanim, Jewish observance is fully Orthodox, with daily davening (praying). In mid-summer, Shoshanim girls fasted and led their own torch-lit Eicha service, because as the camp’s charismatic director, Esther Staum Katz, insists: “Why not? Why can’t girls do it? I stress that they have a voice and they have choice.”

The poster, he says, came from the Judisches Museum in Rendsburg, Germany, a small museum housed in a former mikveh, a Jewish ritual bath, that survived World War II. Three elderly women ran it when he visited. He likes the poster because it stands in contrast to Chagall’s usually colorful oeuvre, and it represents to him the camp’s mission, of not letting Hitler’s Final Solution to eliminate Jews have the last word. We can’t be complacent, he notes, through assimilation and disinterest.

According to both Robinson and Katz, an Orthodox camp flying under a JCC banner was a hard sell at first. “It was 10 years before we could use the NJY logo on anything to do with Nesher,” Robinson says. Staum concurs that being a JCC camp did not make Shoshanim an obvious choice for parents when the now six-year-old camp got started with just 100 girls.

“I want children to leave [NJY Camps] the same or better than when they came in, and I want children to be able to lead more involved Jewish lives than when they come to us.” Len Robinson executive director NJY Camps

Camp for all: Children in the “gan” at Shoshanim learn bishul, or cooking, top. Lacrosse is one activity featured during Total Specialty Camps, center. And sometimes it’s just fun! A Cedar Lake camper concentrates on her shop project.

Today Shoshanim is nearly quadruple that number. So while you might not think that an Orthodox camp and a JCC mission go together, when you see it in action, it works. There’s something incredible about NJY’s effort to create Jewish learning and living at so many different levels, as the camps strive to meet the needs of Jewish children in all their diversity. The camps may be separate, but they have much in common as they do what JCC camps do best: Offer campers a secure place to explore, to try new things, to take risks and to find what it means for them to be Jewish out of the comfort and confines of their home. The inclusive spirit of the NJY camps is unlike much else in contemporary Jewish life. From the way children with disabilities can participate, to the way the camps endeavor to create meaningful Jewish camping experiences for children of so many different styles of observance, it gives real meaning to the words k’lal Yisrael, or “the whole of Israel.” And it doesn’t feel like any accident to me that this

takes place under a JCC banner. JCCs may not always succeed at providing for the entire Jewish community, but they strike me as one of the very best places from which you can try to do so. And it means that Len Robinson, when he points to that dark poster—so unlike Marc Chagall, with his bright daubs of color, prancing goats and flying fiddlers—has found where the color lurks. It’s in the everyday experiences of Jewish camp. And they are very much doing their job.

WALK TH Partnerships make inclusion work

n his work as the national manager of education and training at Keshet, Daniel Bahner has assisted JCCs in finding ways to be more inclusive for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities. So this year, he was pleased to be able to lead sessions for the first time at JCCs of North America Professional Conference in March, where he led two sessions and facilitated an informal late-evening gathering. “It was definitely great to be there to help start that,” he says of the sessions, where they discussed shared language on what these

identities mean, assumptions people make, and steps JCCs can take to let these communities know they are welcome. Keshet is a national grassroots organization working for full equality and inclusion of LGBT Jews in Jewish life. And working with JCCs just makes sense, Bahner says, because of the potential impact they can have. “JCCs have the potential to touch so many areas of peoples lives from cradle to grave,” he says. “You have young children, adult programs, older adults. There is such a wide range of

HE WALK impact and you can engage people in many places with an inclusive message and environment.”

of JCCs, according to Arnie Sohinki, JCC Association’s senior vice president of program services.

Keshet is not alone in seeing JCCs as a way to spread a message of inclusion. Also at Professional Conference for the first time was Matan, a 15-year-old organization that seeks to enable the Jewish community to be more inclusive of children with special needs and their families through partnerships, professional development and mentorships, as well as through providing some direct services.

“We talk about JCCs being open and welcoming, that is fundamental to their mission,” says Sohinki. “Working with groups like Matan and Keshet helps them become more open, inclusive and welcoming, as well as a safer environment, for these populations.”

JCCs are the largest platform of early childhood education in North America. To create inclusive learning environments through them assists Matan in its own goals of changing education for those with disabilities. It also assists JCCs in fulfilling their missions as places open to all. “The conference really highlighted that this is something JCC professionals are looking for,” says Polsky. Seeking out arrangements with such organizations and finding ways to bring their messages into JCCs is a move in synch with the very sensibility

Veronica Maravankin, vice president of early childhood at the Mandel JCC in Palm Beach, found the Matan sessions helpful to her, as the JCC pushes its two programs—one in Palm Beach Gardens and the other in Boynton Beach— serving approximately 350 children, to be more inclusive.

©Niv Singer

“JCCs are in a really unique position— they are inclusive by design,” says Meredith Polsky, Matan’s director of training and advocacy, and one of the organization’s founders. “This [being at Professional Conference] was a really exciting opportunity for us. JCC Association was able to put inclusion on the table in a meaningful way.”

Both groups held sessions meant to appeal across job tracks, to include as wide a range of age groups as a JCC might encompass. Keshet ran one session aimed at those who work in adult programming, as well as one that spoke to general issues of LGBT inclusion and a second that offered a more nuts-and-bolts approach. Matan held sessions aimed at those who work with teens, in areas of early childhood programming and education and participated in a more general session on overall inclusion of those with disabilities. Keshet has already arranged for further education to JCCs through a series of JCC Association webinars; and JCC Association is working with Matan to bring in more support and guidance in the area of inclusion for young children.

Currently some of the children need that your JCC is committed to being early intervention including speech, fully inclusive.” language and occupational therapies. To become more inclusive requires Keshet hopes to guide JCCs on this meeting certain standards, hiring the journey through ongoing webinars, right sorts of professionals such as and recently held a first one on transgender inclusion specialized therapists locker rooms. and increasing the “Working with groups in Several more are hours of the school like Matan and Keshet planned that will psychologist. JCC staff be helps [JCCs] become aid “One of my goals is more welcoming more open, inclusive to transgender and to begin hiring early childhood educators non-conforming and welcoming.” with backgrounds in audiences, she says. special needs,” says Maravankin. “That was one of Matan’s Miriam Shwartz, co-director of JCC recommendations, to have this Ranch Camp of the Robert E. Loup JCC in Denver, Colorado has participated embedded in the classroom.” in a training Keshet did in the Boulder That concrete advice born of experience area. The goal was to be proactive and extends to JCCs and camps working train the staff with the idea of being with LGBT issues. Many of the issues better prepared should the issues that arise these days have less to do surrounding LGBT inclusion arise. with overt intolerance and more to do with raising awareness of issues that “We haven’t had a chance to tackle anything so big as of yet,” she says might arise and then addressing them. of coping with campers or counselors “If you value LGBT inclusion, don’t keep who are public about their gender it to yourself,” says Catherine Bell, identity and sexual orientation. Keshet’s national program director. “But certainly we want to be “There’s this idea that your leadership progressive and plan ahead. . . . That’s and staff are cool with it, their best very much on my mind. How do we friend is gay, but no one talks about it. make sure everyone feels comfortable Make it a statement on your website in that space?” —MC

Upcoming LGBT webinars with Keshet Recruiting LGBT Community Members Thursday, Aug. 20 2-3 p.m. EST Register here: bit.ly/LGBTWebinar1

Creating LGBT-Inclusive & LGBT-Themed Programs Wednesday, Nov. 4 2-3 p.m. EST Register here: bit.ly/LGBTWebinar2

Transgender Inclusion at JCC Overnight Camps Tuesday, March 15, 2016 2-3 p.m. EST Register here: bit.ly/LGBTWebinar3

Visit Israel with the LGBTQ Community! May 28 - June 9, 2016 This interfaith trip is custom-designed for members and friends of the LGBTQ communities from around North America. Celebrate Gay Pride in Tel Aviv as part of an itinerary packed with opportunities for engagement and connection, exploration and history, community, fun and so much more! For information contact Aliza Orent: Aliza.orent@shalomaustin.org | (512) 735-8030

jcca.org/lgbtqisrael

The Double Bounce Tennis is for everyone at JCC Indianapolis Marla Cohen

“As a wheelchair player you can play against able-bodied players as well; they give you two bounces, that’s the only rule difference.”

Photo credit: http://barbergp.com/mbwp/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Tennis-Ball.jpg

high school, Lucas Strohmenger liked to skateboard and snowboard. All winter long, the Syracuse, New York native could be found on the slopes. A car accident when he was 18 put an end to that. Or so he thought. He moved to Indianapolis to start fresh, and it wasn’t until after he’d been wheelchair-bound for 10 years that he went wheelchair skiing in Colorado with his dad. “I really liked it, and decided to look for programs in Indiana, but there aren’t too many for skiing,” he said. Instead, his quest to be more active led him to JCC Indianapolis, where he began playing tennis. “The nice thing about wheelchair tennis is that it’s a very inclusive sport,” says Strohmenger, who practices at the JCC and is ranked fifth nationally by USTA Men’s Wheelchair B Singles division. “As a wheelchair player you can play against able-bodied players as well; they give you two bounces, that’s the only rule difference.” At JCC practices, there are anywhere from three to seven players learning their strokes. When Strohmenger began, he had been disabled long enough that he understood his mobility and how to move. Meshing that with tennis strokes was something he enjoyed learning, as he added topspin and perfected his serve. “That was difficult to learn, but it was kind of like what an able bodied person would find difficult if they were learning tennis for the first time,” but the JCC, he says has been a great place for doing so. “Everybody there is very accommodating. It’s a very friendly place.” And that’s just what Kim Shippy, racquet sport program director at the JCC, wants to hear. Shippy, who grew up thinking tennis was an out-of-reach, “ivory tower” activity, bubbles with enthusiasm for the tennis program as she describes all the ways the program aims to include those who want to participate. “How does tennis, which at least used to be seen as a very elitist sport, adapt to be inclusive?” she asks, noting that the JCC has sought to bring the program to every demographic that uses the J. “We have a program for three- to four-year-olds; high schoolers, adults who have never played before; 90-yearolds, and wheelchair leagues. There’s a lot of diversity.” For Shippy—a U.S. Certified Tennis Professional and a USTA (United States Tennis Association) player who has competed strongly enough to make nationals— tennis seemed a remote, rich-kid thing when she was growing up. And although she liked sports and competed in many, tennis always seemed too expensive. It wasn’t until she was out of college that she picked up a racquet and learned the sport. The JCC has also sought to be inclusive in other ways, offering financial assistance to those who cannot afford the cost of the program, which runs as little as $66

for eight lessons for the youngest players and as much as $400 for 16 lessons for adults (costs are less for those with JCC membership). There are more than 400 players taking part at every level from absolute beginner to those who are at the top of their age group at the state level, says Shippy. Even the seniors vary, she notes, from those who are still in excellent shape and who played in college, to those who have never picked up a racquet before, but thought they’d try something new. Some adults come to the program from one of the JCC’s nutritional or weight-loss programs, and they find a place, too, she says. And the JCC’s early childhood program also gets into the act—or rather, onto the court—as it works on ways to reduce childhood obesity. “What I admire about this program is that it’s so much more than the skill set and lifelong sport of tennis,” says Dori Denelle, JCC Association vice president, emerging leaders and governance, who serves as a consultant to JCC Indianapolis. “The staff understands how it fits into the mission of the JCC. They involve people with disabilities, there are intergenerational components, they provide adjusted fees if needed, and they are all about involving families to adopt a healthy, active lifestyle. “It couldn’t be more mission driven!” Sonja Clark’s 10-year-old daughter, Vivian, loves the program, which was revamped five years ago when Jason Suscha was brought in as the racquet sports director. Her two boys had played before his arrival, but did not improve as much as players, she says. “Vivian has learned so much and she has grown so much,” says Clark, whose family participates in a variety of other JCC programs, as well. “They are very positive and make it fun.” What she really likes is the way the JCC “makes you feel like you are on a team, and that you are not just playing for yourself. You are there to support each other. Tennis is such an individual sport and when you watch a match, you feel you are all alone against everyone else. But when you are on this team, you are all together. They support each other, watch the other kids and they do a cheer at the end.” Knowing she has helped foster that kind of spirit takes Shippy far away from the days when tennis seemed like something that was beyond her means. “The JCC is a place where, no matter what you are doing here, tennis or something else, it just enriches your life,” she says. “That’s its purpose: to be inclusive and to enrich life, whether it’s your health or your mind, or anything else.”

How is your JCC inclusive? Let us know, and share your stories with us. mcohen@jcca.org

SAFE

Better

than

SORRY Creating a culture of safety at JCCs Michael Feinstein began as chief operating officer at the JCC of Greater Washington in April of 2006. It was his first time working at a JCC. He was still transitioning into his new position when less than three months later, the worst thing he could imagine happened. A seven-year-old child drowned in the JCC’s pool. “It was bewildering that it could happen, there were so few kids in the pool,” he says today, still deeply affected nearly a decade later by the incident. “It was all consuming for six months, trying to resolve the legal issues, working with the family, and looking at what we did, and if we did something wrong. “It put safety at the top on my mind, right at the beginning of my career.” Today, Feinstein is the chief executive officer of the JCC. And he’s part of a JCC Association task force that has been pushing to create a culture of safety throughout the JCC Movement.

Passenger vans suited for 12 to 15 people are deathtraps— consider outsourcing JCC transportation to a bus company

In importance, he notes, creating a safe environment should be at the top of every JCC’s list. And safety isn’t to be confused with higherprofile sibling, security. One incident such as a shooting or a bomb threat puts every JCC and its community on high alert, sparking conversations about turnstiles and security guards. But a safety breach in one of the areas on which the task force has focused—aquatics, sexual abuse, transportation, and slips, trips and falls, as well as falling objects—can dog a JCC, damaging its reputation for years. “If we say that we provide a welcoming and inclusive environment, part of that welcoming means being safe and secure,” Feinstein says. “I can’t think of only security. I could spend unlimited dollars trying to prevent that one awful security breach that may never end up happening. Yet if we don’t put resources to making sure we are following best practices in safety, there is an even greater impact.” Feinstein, along with Myron Flagler, executive director of the Jewish Community Alliance of Jacksonville, Florida, and Jennifer Mamlet, the executive director of the JCC of Central New Jersey, headed the executive task force that first began looking at the issue of improving safety in 2013 at a meeting in Raleigh, N.C. This grew out of work with The Redwoods Group, a mission-aligned insurance broker that works extensively with JCCs and YMCAs. As an educational partner with JCC Association, Redwoods “helped to move safety up on our agenda,” says Arnie Sohinki, JCC Association’s senior vice president for program services.

Part of providing a welcoming and inclusive environment means being safe and secure.

“It’s a matter of paying attention to details, creating protocols that result in best practices...”

“It’s a matter of paying attention to details, creating protocols that result in best practices, and making sure someone owns this as part of their duties,” he says. Sohinki tells the story of a camp director he supervised at a JCC who would come in with a 10page list prior to camp’s start that noted every crack in the sidewalk, a split board in a bench, anything that might fall. “I’d see her coming and think, ‘Oh, no…’ But realizing that whatever was on her list was important, and that we were going to have to make changes.

Drowning is the third leading cause of death for children under age 14

Are there electrical cords running across a floor? Are bookshelves bolted to the walls? Are papers and books stacked on top of cabinets? She was so mindful of this. She paid attention. And we were probably safer for it.” And paying attention pays off. Whether it means trimming trees, changing the location of lifeguard stations, or outsourcing JCC transportation to a bus company, there are simple, basic things JCCs can focus on to avoid becoming a statistic. The figures are sobering, says Sohinki. Some of the more eye-opening ones would make any organization pause and consider its practices. Drowning is the third leading cause of death for children under age 14, according to the World Health Organization, and a 2014 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report notes that for children under age 5, this remains a leading cause of accidental death, with rates surpassing those of traffic accident fatalities. Redwoods cites that passenger vans suited for 12 to 15 people are deathtraps; and that 16,000 kids are hospitalized when struck by falling objects; one in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused. The task force looked at minute details: Are there electrical cords running across a floor? Are bookshelves bolted to the walls? Are papers and books stacked on top of cabinets? And it looked at larger issues: How do you train a staff to recognize signs of a predator? Do you outsource transportation if you cannot afford to replace a van known to be dangerous? With so many children streaming through JCC programs—whether early childhood, camp, or other youth programming—it’s imperative that staff be trained to recognize predators. “Background checks are part of it, but most predators will pass one,” says the JCA’s Flagler. “The checks give you a false sense of security. “ The JCA of Jacksonville, which he heads, requires every one in the agency to take and pass a video course on the topic so that they know the “tale-tell signs of a predator,” he says. Flagler is glad that safety is moving to the top of the movement’s agenda. “It really reflects our values, that we care about people by making sure that when we do things that we do it with care rooted in our traditions,” he says. The task force took the ideas from the JCC Movement’s Vision Statement of Principles very seriously that being welcoming and allowing participants to create “lives of meaning and purpose” could only happen if they were safe. To that end, creating a culture of safety in a JCC is mission and values based; it is a shared responsibility between staff, lay leadership and the community; and it involves review and improvement. “We really need to heighten awareness,” says Flagler. “Every JCC is together on this. What happens at one reflects on all of us, so that we shine as being safe and secure.”

Paying attention pays off There are simple, basic things JCCs can focus on to avoid becoming a statistic. FIRST STEPS Form your safety team

Include program and premises audits

Establish incident/injury reviews for employees, volunteers and participants

Identify safety hazards and suggest corrections

Develop safe work practices for staff and volunteers who assist in the JCC or camp

Implement safety training

Promote activities that encourage staff support of safety efforts For more information and resources about creating a culture of safety at your JCC visit JCCA.me.

The JCC tion Associa e Graduat hip Scholars has Program nd a profou n impact o e ever yon . involved

But as chair of JCC Association’s scholarship committee, I have been overseeing the process of doing just that for the past two years. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had during many years as a lay leader in the Jewish communal world. And I’m pretty certain that the nine others who sit on this committee would agree.

This year, we received 30 initial applications for scholarships. These were whittled down to 12, which was difficult enough. Then Joy BrandRichardson, JCC Association associate vice president and director of training and professional leadership, who works closely with our committee, Skyped with them. We brought seven in for a day of interviews, and to say that we were impressed doesn’t begin to sum it up. continued on page 20

R EC E I V I N

If I have learned one thing from chairing the scholarship committee at JCC Association, it would be that we have some tremendously talented, dedicated and creative people working in the JCC Movement. And if I’ve learned another, it’s that deciding whom to recognize for all that talent, dedication and creativity is incredibly difficult.

Cheryl Fishbein

G N I Z I N G E CO

The privilege of finding talent

When I came to the Shorefront Y in 2001, I was a newly minted graduate of Brooklyn College. My Hillel director pointed me in the direction of taking a job at the Shorefront Y, and working with teens seemed like it would be a good way to put my degree in psychology to work.

Loving a job, and doing it better Anna Bronfman My first connection to the Shorefront Y in Brighton Beach was as a 12-yearold new immigrant from the Ukraine. My family received services here soon after we arrived in the United States. In this area of Brooklyn, populated with Jews from the former Soviet Union, the Shorefront Y has been an important first stop for many immigrants. Little did I know that one day I’d be working here. But I am, and as the program director, I spend my days serving this community, the next generation, and those who want to be here to raise their families. It’s exciting, and I love it. And I’m able to better do my job and have learned so much because of the scholarship I received from JCC Association. The scholarship allowed me to attend NYU’s executive Master of Public Administration program, for seasoned professionals. It was such an exceptional experience, always challenging and stimulating, but one that would have been out of reach had it not been for financial assistance.

I was so green! I was told to build the program and engage teens, and I fell in love with doing that very quickly. When I began, we had maybe three kids playing pool and table tennis; soon we had 40 to 50 teens attending our lounge. From there, I moved onto day camp, building it from 50 children to more than 350 today. I also connected those two things—teens and day campers— and today we have more than 100 teens who filter through our teen programs working and volunteering in our camp. It’s a common model in JCCs, but not one I was aware existed. I learned from my peers, whom I connected with locally as well as through JCC Association. I sensed that this is not the only area where I was reinventing the wheel, which is one of the reasons I always wanted to go back to graduate school. I knew it would help me perform even better at a job I love. I had the backing of my supervisor, Shorefront Y’s Executive Director Sue Fox. She encouraged me to continue my education and supported me though school allowing me to work around my college schedule. Those two years at NYU were incredibly challenging, not only academically but also personally and professionally. There’s a reason they call it juggling when you try to balance career, school and home. At any moment, you feel like one of the balls might drop or fly from your hand and there are some things that can just knock you off balance. During that time, Superstorm Sandy hit the New York region. By some miracle, Shorefront Y was the only building along the Brighton Beach continued on page 21

CHERYL FISHBEIN continued from page 8

“My scholarship from JCC Association meant a great The scholarship enables the recipients to further this work; it allows them to pursue deal for me. a degree, work on their leadership skills and stay in a field they love. While the It was a stamp applicants were all in different stages of their careers, they all are the future leaders of this of approval; movement. Supporting them in their work is supporting JCCs at a very fundamental level. one that showed These Jewish professionals are so engaged and in love with what they do that it’s the organization inspiring. It is a powerful message of hope for the Jewish future. was behind This year we awarded scholarships to four very me and deserving candidates: Jodie Goldberg, from Metairie, Louisiana; Paul Lurie, of Baltimore, supported Maryland; Sophia Horwich, from Chicago, Illinois; and Victoria Lamanga, of Plainview, New York. my work.” Some have worked in JCC camps and JCCs; others The candidates were very poised and thoughtful throughout. They all brought different skills and talents to the table. And they all shared one thing: a love of Jewish peoplehood and the work they do supporting this.

have no prior JCC experience. But they will all work in a JCC once they have graduated.

The scholarships are for $10,000 a year for two years in a masters degree program, but we do not stop with writing a check. JCC Association really supports our scholars throughout the two years. We bring them to the JCCs of North America Professional Conference and Biennial Convention. We find them internships at JCCs during their two years of study. And we help them find a position in the field once they are done. If there were enough money, I would have given scholarships to all of our applicants. They were all really that good. And this scholarship allows them to become even better. It is one of the important endowed funds, and as such, needs support from donations. Sustaining it means that you aren’t just providing one scholarship to one person, but a deep foundation of knowledge to a person who will be one of our future leaders, who will touch hundreds of lives. And who knows? Perhaps they will inspire someone else to give back and do the same.

Cheryl Fishbein serves on JCC Association’s board of directors. She lives in New York and proudly calls Jewish Community House of Bensonhurst in Brooklyn her home.

-Anna Bronfman

ANNA BRONFMAN continued from page 9 shore that didn’t flood. We became a safe harbor for the community; a place to get help, supplies, or simply to take a warm shower. We coordinated volunteers, assisted the Federal Emergency Management Agency teams and I became “Anna from Shorefront” for the many National Guards in their Humvees looking for the point person. It was surreal; I would be making sure that all the electric heaters were being distributed, or that the relief supplies had arrived and then go to NYU to prepare a marketing class presentation about the Shorefront Y. I couldn’t go home—my building still had no electricity! My family and I stayed with friends for almost two months after the storm. My scholarship from JCC Association meant a great deal for me. It was a stamp of approval; one that showed the organization was behind me and supported my work. It left me feeling that I was the kind of person they

“Anna from Shorefront” meets with National Guards in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.

wanted to invest in, and one who in turn is eager to take what I learn and invest it in my community, one that has given so much to me.

Anna Bronfman is program director at Shorefront Y in Brooklyn, N.Y. She says that her children have grown up at the Y and consider it their second home.

Thank You The future requires well-trained professionals. JCC Association recognizes donors in its annual report who endowed the Graduate Education Scholarship Program. This year, we inadvertently left off some very important contributors and apologize for the omission. Joanna S. and Daniel Rose Scholarship Fund Syril and Leonard Rubin Scholarship Fund Michael-Ann Russell Memorial Scholarship Fund Fedgie and Hy Schultz Memorial Scholarship Fund Geraldyn and Henry Sicular Scholarship Fund Diana S. Simberloff Memorial Scholarship Fund Avraham Soltes Memorial Scholarship Fund Sam Sulstan Memorial Scholarship Fund Olga F. and Oliver B. Winkler Scholarship Fund Helen and Harold O. Zimman Scholarship Fund

Governing the J Benchmarking to study board practices

How does a JCC’s board of directors work? What are the expectations of lay leaders? How do they fit into the intricate running of a non-profit so that it best serves a community’s needs? These are among the questions that JCCs ask about board oversight and maintaining the balance between lay and professional leadership. And this fall, as part of a new component to JCC Excellence: Benchmarking, JCCs can begin to find out the answers. By participating in the Benchmarking program, which tracks measurable indicators of excellence in financial sustainability, Jewish impact, member/user engagement, staff engagement and program performance, JCCs will also be able to study governance and board practices. “This comes from a direct request from JCCs for this type of information,” explains JCC Association vice president Dori Denelle, who also works intensively with individual JCCs as a BoardSource certified governance consultant. “Through Benchmarking we will be able to provide answers, develop best practices and strengthen board effectiveness.” The new governance tools look at the roles of board members, board recruiting and structure, and the work of the board, as well as the details of board terms and turnover, orientation and training, meeting attendance and participation in JCC fundraising efforts. These tools will measure the level of compliance with both basic and advanced tenets of board governance that non-profits must adhere to in order to compete and be transparent. “By leveraging the power of Benchmarking, JCC Association will be able to identify important relationships among board attributes, and between those metrics and other Benchmarking data,” says Andy Paller, director of JCC Excellence: Benchmarking. “One area of particular interest is the possible link between board governance and engagement and JCC financial sustainability and growth.”

JCC Association developed the governance tools through a 2014 pilot process in which they were able to hone the design and test them. JCCs participating in the pilot included: JCC of Central New Jersey, Scotch Plains; JCC of Greater Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania; Jerry Shaw JCC of Akron, Ohio; Levite JCC, Birmingham, Alabama; Mayerson JCC in Cincinnati, Ohio; Oshman Family JCC, Palo Alto, California; and the Siegel JCC, in Wilmington, Delaware. Paller led the process for developing these governance tools with the participation

of Dori Denelle and David Posner, JCC Association vice president for strategic performance. JCC Association’s Benchmarking partner, Collaborative Strategies, Inc., was also integral to the process. Senior professionals from the participating JCCs worked with JCC Association’s team to review and revise both a board practices questionnaire and a board members survey. The seven communities surveyed their boards, generating a response rate that ranged from 88 to 100 percent. These JCCs had positive feedback about the pilot program, leading to its inclusion as a core element of Benchmarking beginning in fall 2015. Executive directors in the pilot agree that governance needs to be part of identifying standards of excellence, and that these new tools could provide important guidance. Simply engaging in the process has made a difference in board discussions, they say. “It provided common language and practices on which board members could reflect and act,” according to Jennifer Mamlet, executive director of the JCC of Central New Jersey, Scotch Plains. Board members in the pilots were equally pleased with their participation. In the anonymous survey they said the overall process was beneficial, and that “it provoked thought on my end as to what the roles are of individuals, the board, and the agency as a whole,” and revealing, “I joined the board thinking I would be able to influence the agency, but I don’t think the JCC uses its board effectively. We sit at board meetings and listen to updates rather than engaging in dialogue to raise and solve issues.” The process identifies how the board sees itself, including areas of satisfaction and challenge, which can be a springboard for discussion and change, says Denelle. Information on the application process for JCC participation in the 2015 round of Benchmarking, which will include the new governance tools, was sent to JCCs in mid-May, and the results will be available in early 2016.

For more information about participating in JCC Excellence: Benchmarking contact Andy Paller, director, at apaller@jcca.org

Benefits of the Benchmarking Governance New board governance survey will help JCCs: • Pinpoint areas of strength and opportunities for improvement • Address issues where board consensus is low • Compare board practices and feedback to those from peer JCCs • Identify board characteristics that are most closely related to JCC success

Storytelling success

How JCCs u

se the new b

rand to tell

their tale

hen JCC Ass ociation roll ed out new 2014 JCCs o branding at f North Ame the rica Biennia San Diego, w l Convention e had create needed to m in d the found ake it their o ations, but J wn. We und evolved, and C Cs erstood tha so too, must t JCCs had the brand. T brands tell th oda eir stories— at every poss y’s most successful best stories ible interact and their bra ion. The nds evoke a this makes th n emotional em more dis re sponse; ti nct from the creates an e motional co co m p e ti ti o n, but also nnection, or beyond a fin relationship ancial transa that continu ction. For life these relatio es style and se nships are th rvice brands eir lifeblood . Fast forward to March 20 15’s JCCs of Professiona North Ameri l Conference ca , where we sh ways JCCs ca owcased all n best tell th th e varied e ir stories—a results. Here nd now we’r are two app e roaches, one seeing the Sara Birnbau from the Sh m Jewish Co imon and mmunity Ce and the oth nter in Bridg er from the ewater, N.J. Aaron Famil y JCC of Dall as, Texas.

A picture paints a thousand Js

A photo gallery brings Bridgewater’s story to life Debbie Golden What do you do when four teenage boys want to be famous at your J? You put them on a wall of course! We didn’t start that way, with a bunch of teens literally hanging on the wall in our hallway gallery, but that was where “We Are the J,” our photo campaign to show the essence of the Shimon and Sara Birnbaum Jewish Community Center ended up.

It all began, however, when I attended training for using the new J Brand in the New York City offices at JCC Association. The idea grew out of that and our JCC created a photo campaign for our main hallways. The campaign was designed to showcase the many programs offered at our JCC, and it featured the wide range of age groups that we service, all while utilizing the new JCC brand.

We compiled a variety of photos that we already had in-house, and in addition, asked our JCC participants to submit a photo they would like included on our “wall of fame.” We didn’t have a lot of guidelines involved, just that they submit something that showed them doing their favorite activity at the JCC. We pretty much left the rest up to their imaginations. We got the word out through Facebook and e-blasts. We did get a number of member submissions that we used. And we were able to use all the ones we received. That’s when those teenage boys approached us. They came into the office, and said, “We are the J, too… how do we get our picture on the wall?” So, we immediately took the photo of the teen basketball players and yes, they were added to the photo gallery!

People have loved the photos. And the people who were featured in them have asked if they could have the large photos when we took them down. They understood when we explained that the gallery would be returning to our hallway, so that we can put them back on the wall. Bringing JCC participants into the process helped us weave a rich, full JCC story with these pictures. And it also allowed us to tell those stories in a unique way that engaged the very people whose stories make up the essence of the J. Debbie Golden is special projects and marketing director at the Shimon and Sara Birnbaum Jewish Community Center in Bridgewater, N.J.

The photos depict mah jongg ladies, and kids in the pool. There are families and friends, and babies, bubbes and ball players. Some are warm and sentimental, and others make you laugh out loud. They definitely are the J! We plan on expanding the photo gallery as more of those special photos come to light. In addition to appearing on the walls of our JCC, we have displayed the “We are the J” photos at several fundraising events to tell the story.

Deep in the heart of Dallas

JCC Maccabi gets a lift from personal storytelling TM

Ashley Bundis This idea to tell our story came from two different inspirations. The first was a direct result of the JCC preparing for and promoting the JCC Maccabi Games, which we will be hosting in August. After creating endless marketing materials in support of the Games, it was time to make a more personal plea. Watching our housing committee chairs, Tara Ohayon and Dafna Rubinstein in action, I would see them make a personal “ask” by going up to their friends and colleagues and convincing them to be a host family! It makes all the difference when people are asked by someone they know in this personal manner and given the time to understand the importance of being a host family. It makes the “ask” real and heartfelt, and people are persuaded by this approach. Around the same time in March, our staff had just come back from the JCCs of North America Professional

Conference. During our all-staff meeting, everyone who attended was given the opportunity to share highlights from the conference with the rest of the staff. “We were honored to be one of the highlights during the early educational talks,” said Tara, who is also the JCC’s early childhood education director, when it was her turn. “In order to prep for this presentation Mark Horowitz [JCC Association’s vice president, early childhood education and family engagement] said we should just ‘tell our story’—the good, the bad, the ugly, the sensational. “And that is what we did,” she continued. “And the response was overwhelming. Teachers from all across the country felt connected to us, intrigued, eager to learn more and we couldn’t wait to do so. The message I want to give to all of you is instead of selling your programs

Housing chairs Tara Ohayon and Dafna Rubinstein turned their story of JCC Maccabi friendship into a warm, real pitch. The full version of this letter can be viewed at jcca.org/jcc-storytelling.

through mainstream advertising and putting out pricing and a tagline— instead, tell your story. Take a moment where someone made a difference, find an event where sports were the leader and smiles were the outcome. Our job is to provide state-of-the-art programming; therefore, in order to get people on board they have to trust us and the first step is to share who we are and why our programs are special.” After those two big ideas sunk in, we knew it was time to take a personal approach toward messaging as we go after host families. If we have our chairs meeting and greeting people and getting them “on the JCC Maccabi bus,” why can’t we do that through an email? Tara and I met about just this and we had a “brain explosion”(our term for intense brainstorming that leads to awesome ideas/programs/events): Let’s make this a personal letter that tells the story of us. What story could be better than that of our two chairs who used to be JCC Maccabi friends, then college roommates and are now chairing the host committee together? I agreed, and we talked about photos from the

past that could add an Instagram feel to it. Then, when it all came together the marketing team said we needed a header. We needed a hashtag that would contemporize this whole plan. That’s when #MFF—Maccabi Friends Forever—came to life. This story was truly about what the Games do best: Two friends who have been together for more than 20 years because they connected at the JCC Maccabi Games. Tara and Dafna were our poster children for Maccabi Friends Forever or #MFF. We want this to have a future, or be a trend, something that other hosts of the JCC Maccabi Games can use and adapt and that can catch on with the teens during the games. And it all came about from noticing how well people respond to stories that are warm and real, that convey the heart of the J, the very essence of what we are. Ashley Bundis is the marketing services and program director at the Aaron Family JCC in Dallas, Texas. She also was a member of the team that developed the new brand for JCCs of North America.

Expanding Shevaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Reach Samantha Tananbaum

For the past two years, the Sheva Early Learning Framework has served as an agent for change and growth in more than 70 participating early childhood centers at JCCs across the country.

Sheva has created a number of professional development opportunities for staff, but Mark Horowitz, JCC Association vice president, early childhood education and family engagement, knew that so much more was possible to achieve. And with recent grants of $530,000 from the Covenant Foundation and The Crown Family Foundation, that “so much more” appears within reach. The funds will create the Sheva Center for Advancement of Early Education Professionals. The center will be the first of its kind, and will focus on engaging families on Jewish journeys, which is essential to building a healthy school community, Horowitz says. He will head the center with the support of a continental advisory board.

empowering the thousands of early childhood teachers across the country. Fulfilling the first pillar will involve redefining what “family” means in today’s society, and expanding on how to communicate with them. Creating the Sheva Covenant Fellows Directors Institute will cap the second pillar, and a first cohort of 19 fellows,—early childhood directors at JCCs around the country —has already been selected for intensive training. The third pillar involves the use of social media and web technologies to create a network of early childhood teachers from across the country and a way to share resources with them.

Nineteen firsttime fellows will participate in new Directors Institute

“JCCs reach thousands of children each day, and the funding allows us to better support them, their families and the educators who can provide a meaningful connection to Jewish life,” says Horowitz “It’s a tremendous opportunity to address real needs in Jewish education.” The work of the center will be based on three pillars: Family engagement, creating early childhood directors who are visionaries, and connecting and

Rachel Hager, the early childhood director at Robert E. Loup Jewish Community Center in Denver, Colorado was selected as one of the first Sheva Fellows. She describes herself as the “perfect example” of how professional support nurtures a career. “I am now at my second JCC and in my third role,” she says. “Each new job has been a chance to grow and learn in ways that have helped me not only in my career but also personally.” Participating in the Sheva Center is an exciting and unique opportunity, which will allow her “to learn with others who are on the same path,” she says.

Sheva (the number seven in Hebrew) signifies the seven core elements of exemplary early childhood practice

pomegranate

Each JCC school is unique and different, yet they are united by common guiding principles that inspire their work. “Working for an organization that values not only what employees can currently offer, but also their future potential is a privilege and an honor.” She’s not alone in her enthusiasm for being selected. “It’s great to solidify what we’ve been doing with our philosophy and approach,” says Cristina Barrera, early childhood center director at the IJ & Jeanne Wagner Jewish Community Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, and one of the directors selected for the new Directors Institute. “You’re really focused on what makes an early childhood center one of quality. “ The Sheva Framework came to be in 2013, when the JCC Association early childhood education (ECE) staff saw the need for a program that would unify the 147 JCC early childhood centers. Inspired by the Reggio Emilia schools in Italy, where Horowitz studied years ago, the ECE team developed the Sheva Early Learning Framework, created on the foundation of Jewish life and living. Sheva (the number seven in Hebrew) signifies the seven core elements of exemplary early childhood practice, deeply rooted in the latest research on child development seen through a Jewish lens. As in Reggio Emilia, each JCC school is unique and different, yet they are united by common guiding principles that inspire their work. The key to supporting the growth of so many schools is how their early childhood professionals are trained, Horowitz says. “We stimulate the journeys and provide the learning opportunities for them,” he notes. That’s why the focus of the Sheva Framework has been on providing training that raises the level of excellence in JCC early childhood education programs and in empowering their professionals to serve as educational leaders in the field. “We very much want to create active partnerships with our children and our families.,” says Barrera. “Being JCCs we want to surround them with this amazing sense of community, hopefully have their families continue with us as they grow and eventually they return to us as camp staff and even JCC professionals.” The overarching goal for the Sheva Center, says Horowitz, is to give the JCC early childhood centers an identity, a united voice. Underpinning it all is Jewish life and living, and the seven species of Sheva that provided sustenance to our people in biblical times, and are still at our core today.

Share your JCC story Celebrating 100 years of the JCC Movement It’s not every day you turn 100, but the JCC Movement is approaching that mark. Our celebrations kick off at the JCCs of North America Biennial in May 2016, and we would love for you to contribute by sharing your JCC stories with us. We are looking for stories that show the impact JCCs have on the community. We want to share how JCCs have influenced individuals’ lives, shaped them and their communities, and have provided meaningful connections to Jewish engagement. We’re looking for: People who have belonged to/been involved with your JCC for decades, including multi-generational families Those whose lives were transformed by the JCC or your camp Stories that show how your JCC has made an impact on its community Stories that show the JCC within a particular historical moment (involvement in the Soviet Jewry movement, or when Israel declared independence; the U.S. entered World War II, etc.) Any centenarians (100-year-old members) Archival materials, photos, memorabilia Multi-generational camp families Founders of your JCC (for newer JCCs) or their descendants Jewish military veterans or current members of the U.S. military Longtime staff who feel their lives have been changed by the J Anyone you can think of who can tell us what makes your JCC special and is passionate about telling that story.

Share your stories directly at jcca.org/100stories Please let everyone at your JCC know, including your staff, board of directors and those who use and love the J. We will be happy to talk to anyone who is more comfortable sharing that way. Please contact Paulina Zelman, pzelman@jcca.org and start sharing.

SEEN & HEARD AT

“I liked the opportunity to explore other areas outside my track and learn new things.”

“I was able to bond with plenty of colleagues and make friends that are going through the same struggles and issues. I now have people all over the country that I can talk to. I wish this conference was annual and not bi-annual.”

“I have to say that this was the best conference I have been to. I have gone to every single one since 2005 and they keep getting better. We had 14 staff this time and I want even more there next time!”

“The conference served to confirm many ideas, it provided an amazing wealth of information and learning opportunities, and extremely valuable resources. It provided a face to who the people at JCC Association are, what their functions are and how to reach them.” Quotes from the JCCs of North America 2015 Professional Conference survey respondents

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