Prentis Morris JCC in Oak Park.

r--

Historic Timeline:
JPM, Oak Park

I

1931: First JCC in Detroit at Woodward and
Holbrook.

• 1956: Oak Park JCC opens.

• 1961, June: Serious controversy after JCC board
votes to be open on Shabbat, including health
facilities.

• 1973, Ground-breaking for JCC in West
Bloomfield.

F 1974: Oak Park JCC building was renamed for
Jimmy Prentis Morris, son of Jewell and Lester
Morris, who died in a car accident at age 13.

1989: JCC board study for enhancing the
Oak Park JCC building recommends
expansion.

1 1992: Story by Arthur Horwitz, then-associ-
ate JN publisher, saying "JPM's Future Still
Uncertain."

1994: First budget deficit for both JCCs.

• 1995, January: First occurrence of financial dif-
ficulties at both JCC campuses; library is closed,
but reopens in May.

1

1995, October: JCC board votes to open centers
to gentiles; the last JCC in America to abandon
Jews-only policy.

1996: Federation funds JPM renovations, adding
a pool and gym.

• 1999: Budget issues again, JCC Oak Park elimi-
nates day care and toddler services.

• 2001: Budget problems again at both campuses,
forcing layoffs and program cuts.

• 2001: 75th anniversary of JCC, combined cam-
puses.

• 2003: Budget issues continue.

• 2014, January: Jewish Fund and Federation
boards approve a $950,000 disbursement from
the general fund to keep JCC afloat amid news
its financials had been misrepresented. Another
$800,000 comes in late February.

F

2015: JCC/Federation hold meetings to discuss
closing JPM.

- Mike Smith, DJN Foundation archivist

From a vintage link
to a vintage ring!

A

❑

`seu ols p eJ oi oo

Other communities don't rely
on
a single building at all; so-
Special to the Jewish News
called JCCs "without walls" offer
programming throughout their
s has happened in
communities.
other cities that have
"You have to be careful not
either shut down or
to look at a JCC as a building.
cut services at their JCCs, sup-
A JCC is a community-building
porters may find a way to raise
institution that is there to
the money to keep the Oak Park
enrich Jewish life," says Allan
Jewish Community Center open,
Finkelstein, executive direc-
perhaps with a different mission
tor of the New York-based JCC
and even a completely new own-
Association, the umbrella orga-
ership structure.
nization for approximately 350
Many communities
JCCs in North America.
throughout the country
"JCC services don't neces-
have closed their JCCs
sarily mean a building;
over the past 20 years
there are all kinds of JCCs
because of dwindling
without walls and JCCs
membership and debt.
with buildings and servic-
Some, like the
es at all kinds of outposts:'
Silverlake Independent
Baltimore's JCC is a
JCC and the Westside
good example. It supports
Allan
JCC in Los Angeles,
two thriving buildings
Finkelst ein
saved themselves after
and reaches out to young
nearly being shuttered
adults with programming
in the early 2000s. Others, like
all over the city — in brewer-
the Mayfield JCC in Cleveland
ies (a Chanukah "Brewhaha"),
closed for good in 2004. Boston
at pre-Shabbat happy hours and
shut down its Striar JCC in 2009,
even in a tattoo parlor, where
turning over the operation of its
participants learned about
fitness and aquatic center to a
Jewish law regarding tattoos
YMCA.
while they got fake ones.
The Westside JCC, which is
"We meet young adults where
quasi-independent (it relies on
they're at," says Barak Hermann,
the Federation for some fund-
president of the Baltimore JCC,
ing but is not affiliated with the
which also rented a storefront
JCC movement), kept only its
near Baltimore Inner Harbor
preschool open after the former
for a parenting center geared to
Jewish Community Centers of
young Jewish families who've
Greater Los Angeles spun off
elected to stay in the city.
the aging center. Then, com-
Tapping into the zeitgeist is
munity leaders got together and
going to be a critical component
launched a capital campaign
of strengthening Metro Detroit's
that raised $4.5 million in about
JCC, which revealed last year
a year, enabling it to do much-
that it was hamstrung by a debt
needed renovations.
of $6 million debt.
"If the real estate is decrepit
"There's a younger, vibrant
and hasn't been adequately
Jewish community growing in
maintained, it's hard to com-
Detroit; we ought to look for
pete in the marketplace," said
opportunities for programming
Executive Director Michael
there without stepping on the
Kaminsky. Reopening its
toes of other agencies like syna-
aquatic center with the backing
gogues and Federation," says Jim
of Olympic swimming champ
Issner, the JCC's interim execu-
Lenny Krayzelburg, whose swim
tive director.
schools also operate in the Oak
The JCC has budgeted money
Park and West Bloomfield JCCs,
for the next fiscal year to con-
"helped us turn a corner," he
tinue the Oak Park JCC's senior
said. "Then we grew more pro-
programming, possible at differ-
gramming:'
ent locations.

Julie Edgar

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Top left: Oak Park JCC day camp, 1999.
Top right: The entrance to the Jimmy

ex

How other JCCs have coped
with major financial woes.

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JN

January 15 • 2015

13