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

