10 | OCTOBER 8 • 2020
T
he Jewish Community
Center of Metropolitan
Detroit in West
Bloomfield Township is closing
its health club, effective imme-
diately.
Brian D. Siegel, CEO of the
JCC, spoke exclusively with
the JN to lay out
how this all came
about. He said the
decision was due
to a mixture of
financial, philo-
sophical, political
and practical reasons, all in dif-
ferent ways exacerbated by the
COVID-19 pandemic.
The financial impact had
much to do with the JCC
suffering from “overbuilt” real
estate for the past 20 years,
Siegel said.
The health club contributed
to overhead costs but was not
running a net profit, and that
was even before the pandem-
ic. If the health club were to
open, the impact short-term
would be devastating and the
long-term impact even worse,
according to Siegel.
The health club’
s member-
ship has seen a 50% decline in
the last decade. A crucial part
of that decline is the drop in
Jewish membership.
“What was once a core value
proposition, of Jews wanting
a safe place to work out next
to other Jews, has gone away
for the majority of people,
”
Siegel told the JN. “The JCC
health club was declining both
by virtue of a loss of its core
value proposition, but also an
exploding competitive market-
place.
”
Prior to the pandemic,
the JCC was in a committee
process with representatives
of the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit and the
United Jewish Foundation to
try to solve its real estate prob-
lems.
“
A plan was established to
shrink the size of the JCC sub-
stantially, including reducing
the size of the health club,
”
Siegel said.
‘
RIGHT-SIZING’
THE BUILDING
The pandemic accelerated
plans rapidly. A new com-
mittee was formed with
Federation to see how the
pandemic affected the JCC’
s
prior plans to “right-size” the
building.
Instead of just reducing the
size of the health club, the new
committee decided to close it
completely.
The committee is in the
process of issuing a report, and
the report will recommend that
the health club be demolished.
Until the money is raised to tear
down that section of the build-
ing, it will be shuttered or its use
will be radically modified.
In a joint statement, the
incoming and outgoing pres-
idents of both JFMD and the
United Jewish Foundation said
they were aware of the move to
close the health club but that
the decision was the JCC’
s own.
“We know that this is a pain-
ful moment for those who have
called the Health Club home
for decades,
” the statement
read. “Like each of the local
partner agencies that receive
funding from Federation, the
JCC operates independently
and is responsible for all deci-
sions regarding its programs
and services.
”
In a follow-up statement,
new Federation President
Matt Lester and Foundation
President Dennis Bernard
said the JCC “is committed
to maintaining and restoring
wellness programs including
fitness classes, basketball and
swimming,
” and that the clo-
sure “will mainly affect the
Fitness Club members.
”
The club was also failing
to bring younger members
onboard. “Young Jewish people
today don’
t make a decision
on where to work out based
on where there are other Jews
there or not,
” Siegel said.
On the political side, Siegel
said the JCC had been trying
to negotiate with the commu-
nity to take responsibility for a
building that no longer fits its
purposes.
“It’
s only the crisis that
allowed that conversation to be
productive,
” Siegel said.
The political question
the JCC asked itself was
what they should do with a
340,000-square-foot building
with business operations that
no longer support it.
The JCC has operated as
the sub-landlord of the build-
JOHN HARDWICK
Brian Siegel
Jews in the D
Community
Response
JN READERS HAD A LOT TO SAY
ABOUT THE JCC’
S HEALTH CLUB
CLOSING ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE.
“When they closed the Oak Park
JPM branch, which was always busy
and active and had a highly incen-
tivized membership, they said that
the building was too old, and the W.
Bloomfield building was the one to
save. Now they delete services to
the community at that building as
well. It isn't turning a profit? Since
when does profit define the mission
of a community service? I was at
the meetings for JPM and heard the
same stuff. It infuriates me.”
— Jodie Stein
“So sad that the Federation can't help
keep the JCC intact. The Y doesn't
seem to have the problems we do!”
— Jane Lori
“That is so sad. Enjoyed working out
at the JCC through the years. Glad to
know the pool will be open.”
— Jodi Roth Isser
“Sad that us members had to learn
about this from an article in the DJN
and not directly from the J.”
— Danielle Gordon
“They have done nothing to recruit or
incentivize young families or people
for membership.”
— Rachel Williams Bloch
“I remember going to the JCC men’s
health club as a child. It’s a shame
they haven’t figured out how to keep
it going.”
— Gregory Firestone
“Should have kept the Oak Park JCC
open but those WB Jews left Oak
Park and HW and Southfield and
would not support it. I guess they
don’t support their building either.”
— Ronald Fry
“JCC, WB … totally overbuilt … and
ignoring Jews from other areas …
you did this all by yourself!!!!”
— Elaine Cohen
JCC
JCC Health Club
to Permanently Close
The community center can no longer afford
to operate its fi
tness facilities, its CEO said.
DANNY SCHWARTZ
STAFF WRITER
COURTESY JCC FACEBOOK