 OCTOBER 8 • 2020 | 11

ing, with the real estate being 
owned by the United Jewish 
Foundation.
On the practical side, Siegel 
said the JCC realized the build-
ing couldn’
t just be reduced 
“hodge-podge,
” and that there 
needed to be specific plans 
in place on which parts were 
reduced.
The “right-sizing” committee 
had plans to keep the health 
club before the pandemic and 
was going to fill the indoor pool 
and place a new health club 
over it. The pandemic stopped 
that, and it was agreed that a 
more aggressive demolition and 
size reduction of the JCC made 
the most sense.
“The JCC is going to be a 
much more nimble, financially 
viable operation that no longer 
has to chase a building it can’
t 
afford,
” Siegel said. “It’
s a his-
toric moment, a heartbreaking 
moment, but a critical moment 
for the future of the JCC.
”
The outdoor pool will 
remain, with a goal of it being 
covered with an inflatable struc-
ture so it will become a year-
round pool. The indoor pool 
will be closed long term, but 
short-term plans are uncertain.
The JCC basketball leagues 
will move over to the Rosenberg 
Center. That facility, which 
includes inline hockey, will be 
retained. The area that houses 
volleyball will be covered with 
wood floors so basketball and 
volleyball can be played there.
There will be no impact or 
negative implications for the 
Detroit Maccabi Games.
The JCC has plans to retain 
its JCC Day Camps, with goals 
to renovate their standing day 
camp center into a “world-class 
day camp” in partnership with 
Tamarack Camps, the manag-
ing entity that runs the camps. 
Frankel Jewish Academy’
s 
athletic department currently 
uses many of the JCC’
s athletic 
facilities. Siegel said the JCC 
intends to fulfill all obligations 

under its current lease to FJA, 
which may mean using the 
existing gymnasiums until 
alternate spaces are found in the 
Rosenberg Center.

END OF MEMBERSHIP MODEL
The membership model will 
simply cease to exist. “We 
intend to build in partnership 
with our members a robust 
wellness operation, but it will 
not be membership-based,
” 
Siegel said.
Instead, it will be fee-for ser-
vice. For example, there may be 
monthly passes that will allow 
an individual to swim every day.
Siegel wouldn’
t go into spe-
cific numbers but stated that 
many at the JCC will be losing 
jobs, including many longstand-
ing employees who worked in 
the health club, which Siegel 
describes as just as heartbreak-
ing as the close of the club.
An official vote was taken 
Sept. 28, and both the execu-
tives committee and the board 
voted overwhelmingly in favor 
of the closing.
The health club is located 
in the D. Dan and Betty Kahn 
Building, which currently spans 
340,000 square feet. The com-
mittee is proposing to demolish 
about 110,000 square feet, 
leaving the remaining JCC with 
about 140,000 square feet (not 
including 90,000 allotted for 
other tenants and service areas).
“It was time for a paradigm 
shift,
” stated JCC President 
Mark Rubenfire in a press 
release. “For decades, the JCC 
had been struggling financially. 
A large part of the problem 
related to the size and deteri-
orating nature of the building. 
Reducing our footprint will 
free up capital and resources to 
get back to our core mission to 
build a more dynamic Jewish 
community by collaborating 
to create world-class education 
and engagement programs 
throughout Metropolitan 
Detroit.
” 

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6735 Telegraph Road, Suite 300 • Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 48301

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Scott Marcus is a commercial real estate developer,
a franchise owner of Orangetheory Fitness, and a
Hebrew Free Loan Board member. “What intrigues me
about HFL is the scope,” Scott said. “For instance, a
loan for a used car allows the borrower to work,
which supports a family, helps keep a business running
and improves a community. It’s meaningful.”
When Scott’s father passed away after a brief
battle with cancer, Scott and his family established
the Henry F. Marcus, D.O. Medical School
Education Fund, under the umbrella of the
William Davidson Jewish College Loan
Program. The fund benefits medical students who
wish to follow the path of osteopathy and pediatrics
in general practice.
“My father actually began as a pharmacist,
switched to medicine and genuinely loved it,” Scott
said. “He was proud that he served families through
40 years and three generations. Young patients
grew up and brought their own children to him.” 
Scott says HFL has touched the lives of borrowers
for generations, in much the same way as his father
worked directly with his patients. “When I work
with HFL, I think of how many facets of people’s
lives we affect, and that speaks to me,” Scott said.
“It’s not much different than my father’s philosophy.
He had medical students rotate through his office,
teaching them how to listen and be there for patients.
“He was passionate about medicine that touched
people’s lives directly, and I think he would be
pleased to support education for the next wave of
medical professionals.”

 

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