Metro

Looking Forward

Ann Arbor JCC plans for the future
as it marks 20 years.

ELLEN HALTER

Special to the Jewish News

Ann Arbor
he Jewish Community Center of Washtenaw
County will celebrate its 20th anniversary
May 22 at its biannual auction, including a
dinner honoring its nine presidents.
Eva Solomon, slated to become the new JCC presi-
dent, remembers with gratitude how easy the JCC
made her move to Ann Arbor six years ago. Because
her three children have all attended Center programs
— day care, preschool and summer day camp — they
are always happy to accompany her to her many vol-
unteer activities at the JCC.
"My kids are comfortable there because there has
been so much for them there their whole lives," she
said.
Many Ann Arborites recall how it was before there
was a JCC. Former resident Diane Farber remembers
when Chuck Newman harnessed the energies of a
Jewish community to found the JCC and purchase a
former elementary school to house it.
"He was a visionary who worked against a tremen-
dous amount of resistance," she recalls of the Ann
Arbor businessman, founder and president of the
JCC from 1989-91.
She admits to envying young families who were the
beneficiaries of JCC programs. "I had been a single
Jewish parent without any money," she said. "I kept
wishing I had had this."
Jesse Gordon, a longtime Ann Arbor resident,
recalls the wide divisions in the community before the
JCC, when there was little talk "across congregations"
and the "unaffiliated were out." He feels the JCC has
enabled a host of Jewish organizations to "work and
talk together."
The Washtenaw JCC differs from most in its lack
of athletic facilities. Without this fitness component,
the JCC has had to focus on cultural events. Holiday
events such as its annual Apples and Honey celebra-
tion and its intergenerational Passover program, and
cultural programming such as the Lenore Marwil
Jewish Film Festival, remain a cornerstone of this
JCC.
Although expanded athletic programming may be
in the offing (the newly renovated gym offers some
possibilities), the Ann Arbor JCC continues to focus
on being the entry point to this Jewish community.
Gordon insists the lack of athletic facilities has its
positive side. He observes with a laugh, "Sweat is
sweat. It doesn't have to be done with another Jew."
On a more serious note, he adds that expensive ath-
letic facilities have often become an albatross to other
JCCs burdened with their upkeep.
Leslie Bash, JCC executive director, explains that

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the Center's foremost task
is to work collaboratively
with other Jewish organi-
zations. Hence, the JCC
co-sponsors many events,
such as the May 15
Celebrate Israel! program
jointly sponsored by the
Jewish Federation of
Washtenaw County and
the JCC.
Similarly, last month's
Past JCC presidents participate in a ground breaking. They include Jesse Gordon,
Josh Nelson concert was
Lisa Molnar, Chuck Newman, Larry Smith and Malcolm Cohen.
accomplished in collabo-
ration with the
Reconstructionist
early days in a rented facility, remembers when there
Havurah and Temple Beth Emeth.
were two preschool classes. Now there are seven, mak-
ing the Early Childhood Center one of the "largest
and best known in the community." DeYoung still
Continued Growth
wonders at the momentous growth over the last 20
Over its 20-year history, the JCC has been expanded
years.
and renovated to meet increasing needs. Membership
"I remember thinking when we moved into this
now stands at 650. Its first renovation added the
building,
'How on earth are we going to fill it up?"'
domed entryway. The most recent JCC auction, in
In
her
20
years,
she has seen the JCC outgrow the
2003, netted $46,000, enabling the JCC to renovate
original building, expand it and fill it again.
the former elementary school gym, adding perform-
Rachel Portnoy's children began in day care and
ance lighting, sound system and acoustical tile for
now are enrolled at both the Hebrew Day School of
plays and other performances.
Ann Arbor, also housed at the JCC, and the pre-
The May 22 event will raise funds toward renovat-
school. She sees the JCC as a central place in her fam-
ing the Maas Youth Lounge and building a new play-
ily's activities.
ground for elementary-age children. The auction is
"We do all the functions, including its once-a-
part of a long-term goal to expand participation, pro-
month Shabbat dinner," she says.
grams and services.
In addition to providing programs for young chil-
The JCC's Early Childhood Center, according to
dren and young parents, including Camp Raanana,
Bash, remains the center point of its programs.
the JCC offers a full spectrum of programming for
Infants up to preschool-age children can take part in
seniors,
including regular lunch buffets, classes in
full- or partial-day programs. An accredited state-
exercise,
crafts and other hobbies.
licensed program, the facilities have been modified
The
JCC
also offers support groups for the
with pint-sized toilets, tables and chairs to meet
bereaved and for caregivers, and other services
licensing requirements.
designed to meet the emotional needs of older adults.
Noreen DeYoung, JCC preschool director since the
Sometimes, such as at the recent intergenerational
Passover program, the staff creates a program that
pairs preschoolers and seniors, their two main popula-
tions.

Building Community

Camp Raanana campers show off the Israeli flags they
made with the help of the Israeli Friendship Caravan.

Nancy Margolis, JCC executive director from 1988-
2000, recalls the early days of the Center. "We had so
much community support that we had a constant
feeling of success," she says.
She also remembers when the JCC outgrew the
original school building 10 years after its purchase.
For her, that was the biggest milestone, the realization
of how much they had grown since their inception
and how much they would likely continue to grow.
Larry Smith, the JCC's first president, is proud to