AUGUST 11 • 2022 | 29

continued on page 30

Jane is proud to boast that the 
Royal Oak location is the No. 
4 top-producing location in 
the world in terms of num-
bers of customers, classes and 
instructors. 

A JEWISH CLIENTELE
Of the 300 members at the 
Royal Oak location, Jane esti-
mates that a solid 30% of her 
clientele are Jewish. 
“There was a whole wave of 
new members after the JCC 
(in Oak Park) closed a few 
years ago; the first new joiners 
then spread the word. It was 
a beautiful thing,
” McNamara 
said. 
Another self-professed 
Jewish “Jazzaholic” is Ita Leah 
Cohen, 56, now of Oak Park, 
formerly of Birmingham, 
who’s a member of Dovid Ben 
Nuchim–Aish Kodesh in Oak 
Park. 

One day during a hectic 
time in her life, Cohen was 
driving and, while at an 
intersection, looked up and 
saw the bright Jazzercise sign. 
Thinking “that’s just what I 
need,
” she immediately pulled 
into the driveway, strode 
inside and signed up.
That was 15 years ago. 
“I never looked back,
” said 
Cohen, who used to attend six 
days a week and now mostly 
attends the virtual live classes. 
“I love everything about it; 
the people, how energized 
it makes me feel, the one 
hour of peace where I don’t 
think about anything except 
having fun. It has had such a 
positive influence in my life 
… I attribute my calmness to 
Jazzercise.
”
In fact, Cohen said, when-
ever she’s feeling uptight, her 
kids will look at her suspi-

Jazzerciser 
 
Ita Leah Cohen 
bonds with lions 
in her native 
South Africa.

