16 | JULY 6 • 2023 

OUR COMMUNITY

W

hen the Jewish 
Community 
Center of 
Metropolitan Detroit closed 
its health club in fall 2020, 
many members of the Metro 
Detroit Jewish community 
were displaced from their 
favorite place to exercise, their 
central community-gathering 
spot and from a network of 
friends and acquaintances that 
blossomed into one big family 
over several decades. 
Nearly three years later, 
about 150 community mem-
bers who long recognized the 
health club (and the JCC as a 
whole) as their second home, 
gathered for an unforgettable 
reunion on June 6. 
The get-together was orga-
nized by Monni Must and 
took place at her and her 
husband Joel’s home in Sylvan 
Lake.
In talking to many dif-
ferent people in attendance, 
the memories of the health 
club were consistent across 

the board. The relationships 
formed were generational and 
intergenerational. There were 
no barriers to friendship. It 
was organic. Members had 
a special, once-in-a-lifetime 
bond. For many, it was their 
life. 
It was hard to find people 
at the reunion who hadn’t 
frequented the health club for 
30, 40, even 50 years up until 
its closing — each of them 

almost every day of the week. 
Many had raised their kids 
there. 
Some former health club 
members have since moved on 
to new gyms or fitness centers 
— but the community-gath-
ering aspect, especially in the 
context of the Jewish commu-
nity, simply isn’t there. 
Some in attendance have 
kept in touch with a handful 
of friends from their health 

club days, but without the 
convenience and routine the 
center provided, losing touch 
with many was inevitable. 
Other reunions have taken 
place since the closing, but 
nothing of this magnitude.
Many reunion-goers shared 
the sentiment that even 
though it’s been years since 
they’ve seen some of their 
friends and acquaintances, it 
was like no time was lost — 
picking up right where they 
left off. 
The closing of the health 
club is still viewed as a huge 
loss for the Metro Detroit 
Jewish community, but on this 
day, the fabric of a community 
with strong, lasting bonds was 
on display.

‘LIKE A FAMILY’ 
Cheri Victor, priding herself 
on nearly 50 years of health 
club membership and lifelong 
friendship, looked around at 
the reunion and saw every-
body she grew old with. 

SAM SARKIS PHOTOGRAPHY

Longtime members of the JCC of 
Metropolitan Detroit’s health club 
reunited nearly three years 
after its closing. 

More Than a 
Health Club

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

Nearly 150 members came to the reunion to connect with old friends.

