metro
Fixing The Deficit from page 8
community moved north and west so
fast it kept leaving JCCs behind and
building new ones, Kaufman said.
"The Futures Committee has to look
at the footprint of the JCC, including
modifications to the real estate if that
makes sense. Nothing is off the table
In the late 1990s, prior to when a
capital campaign of $25 million for
renovations at the West Bloomfield
JCC was considered, there was discus-
sion of knocking the building down
and starting from scratch. That sce-
nario is not currently being discussed,
Kaufman said.
Added Lester, "I would be sur-
prised if the current footprint of the
JCC undergoes zero change when the
Futures Committee makes its final re-
commendation:'
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The Future Of The JCC
This year's expected added revenue
from the Maccabi Games was not a
part of the FOC's budget, Lester said.
"Maccabi is a fantastic event, but it
doesn't have a place in fixing what's
going on at the JCC."
Next year, Kaufman says, the JCC
plans to hold a gala, which is also a
high-revenue opportunity. "It doesn't
bring in as much
revenue as Maccabi,
but it doesn't have the
expenses associated
with it either; he said.
The Futures
Committee, led by
JCC past-president
and Federation
Larry Wolfe
President-elect Larry
Wolfe, is composed
of JCC and Jewish Foundation board
members, as well as a few people from
the NEXTGen community. It first took
an extensive look into the JCC, touring
the buildings, studying the core business
and all its programming. It's now work-
ing in sub-committees to draft substan-
tive recommendations.
"One of the challenges of the Center
is that it became all things to all people.
I don't think you can run it that way on
a budget the community can live with:'
said Kaufman.
A changing JCC has to adapt to a
changing world. "I think the world
has changed faster than many Jewish
institutions:' Kaufman added. "If you go
back to the JCC's heyday, it was a very
different community. It was denser. You
had very few options for Jewish com-
munal life outside of the JCC 50 or 60
years ago.
"Now, according to the Pew Study, we
have a generation growing up that's less
connected to Jewish identity and com-
munity:' he said. "It's a different world
now But I do believe people long for
that sense of community. The challenge
is how do we build community in a
21st-century milieu? We still need it just
as much as our grandparents did."
JCC's Core Mission
As the committees do their work, they're
trying to answer one core question:
What is the JCC's mission, its core pur-
pose in the community?
"I believe it should function as the
central point of Jewish community, a
place where the community gathers, a
place to provide high-quality program-
ming that helps to build Jewish identity
and community But I see it more as a
deliverer of programs than as a building:'
Kaufman said.
Added Lester, "For probably thou-
sands of people in our community, it is
the central link to their Jewish identity,
which makes it an incredibly impor-
tant facility:'
What the JCC will eventually look like
is still being decided. "That conversation
is taking place now:' Kaufman said. 'And
we're looking at all sorts of avenues to
get there."
The committees are exploring strate-
gic partnerships with for-profit compa-
nies as well as looking at demographics,
market share, program areas, strengths
and weaknesses, and other JCCs across
the country. Last week, representatives
from the San Francisco JCC talked with
the Futures Committee about how it
solved its similar challenges, Wolfe said.
"We know that our JCC has to
change to meet the needs of our
changing community:' he added. "We
intend to create a new Center meet-
ing the needs of our new population,
including young people."
Wolfe said the Future Committee's
goal is to report to the boards of the JCC,
Federation and Foundation within the
next 90 days.
Lester added that he envisions a series
of town hall discussions or focus groups
with members of the general public. "I
anticipate significant community partici-
pation. I can't imagine it any other way:'
he said.
There is one thing everyone involved
in fixing the JCC agrees with. "We are
not going to kick the can down the
road:' Kaufman said. "We are going to
make the hard choices and deal with
the pain over the next year or two and
get this Tighe
Lester said his position on the
Financial Oversight Committee has been
the most demanding of his career at
Federation. At the same time, it's been
an incredibly awarding experience
he said. "Members of the Financial
Oversight Committee have been dedicat-
ed and phenomenal. It's a great example
of the community coming together to
solve a legacy problem and set the JCC
on a path for the future."
❑