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jerry silverman | torahs for our troops | jcc governance

Pool of Resources
are you maximizing the
power of your jcc pool?

fall 2009
5770 w`s
jcca.org
circle

Lenny Krayzelburg’s
jcc swim academy is
bringing an aquatics
renaissance to Jccs
inside
2
fall 2009

This Time, There Is No Going Back


Allan Finkelstein on the Future
5770 w`s www.jcca.org
Allan Finkelstein
by and about...

Before becoming president of JCC Association 15


years ago, Allan held leadership positions at JCCs in
Los Angeles, Columbus, and Buffalo. He has taught at
Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles, and at Brandeis
University. He is often called upon to speak about one
of his passions—new models of looking at Jewish
communal life, especially as it applies to collaboration
between institutions.

Lenny Krayzelberg

4 An Aquatics Renaissance Lenny is the founder and director of the Lenny


Krayzelburg JCC Swim Academy, a comprehensive,
Spotlight on the Lenny Krayzelburg JCC Swim Academy
learn-to-swim curriculum available only at JCCs. He is a
four-time Olympic gold medalist, multiple world-record

10 East Village Oasis


Visit New York’s 14th Street Y — in Digital Paintings
holder, two-time USA Swimmer of the Year, and won
two golds at the 16th Maccabiah in Israel.

Ann F. Eisen

14
Ann F. Eisen, former executive director of the New
Torahs for Our Troops
Orleans JCC, is the vice-president of community
Supporting Jews in the Military services, governance and leadership for JCC
Association. She is certified by BoardSource as a

18 Focus on: Philanthropy consultant in board self assessment. She is also


responsible for organizing the Esther Leah Ritz Next
Mort Mandel on Giving
Generation of Leadership Institute at the JCCs of
North America Biennial.

20 Say Hello to the New Kid on the Block


We Catch Up with Jerry Silverman
Jerry Silverman
Jerry Silverman is president and CEO of UJC/The
Jewish Federations of North America. He is a highly
experienced leader in the North American Jewish

23 Governance Matters
What Every New Board Member Should Know
community and longtime corporate executive, with
over 25 years of experience.

28 Beyond the Battle of the Bulge


Wellness Is the New Fitness

Chair Secretary
Alan P. Solow Shirley Solomon
Honorary Chairs Assoc. Secretaries
Edward H. Kaplan Enid Rosenberg
Ann P. Kaufman Michael Segal
jcccircle: Jerome B. Makowsky Michael Wolfe
For address correction or Information about JCC Circle contact info@jcca.org or call (212) 532-4949. Sr. Vice-President, Morton L. Mandel
Lester Pollack Treasurer
Marketing & Communications
©2009 Jewish Community Centers Association of North America. Daniel Rose Edwin Goldberg
Robin Ballin
All rights reserved.
Creative Director Vice-Chairs Assoc. Treasurers
520 Eighth Avenue | New York, NY 10018 Stephen Dorsky
Phone: 212-532-4949 | Fax: 212-481-4174 | e-mail: info@jcca.org | web: www.jcca.org Peter Shevenell Lisa Brill
Donald Brodsky Andrew Shaevel
JCC Association of North America is the leadership network of, and central agency for, 350 Jewish Community Communications Manager, Doron Steger
Cheryl Fishbein
Centers, YM-YWHAs and camps in the United States and Canada, that annually serve more than two million users. JCC Circle Editor
Gary Jacobs President
JCC Association offers a wide range of services and resources to enable its affiliates to provide educational, cultural Miriam Rinn
and recreational programs to enhance the lives of North American Jewry. JCC Association is also a U.S. government- Virginia A. Maas Allan Finkelstein
accredited agency for serving the religious and social needs of Jewish military personnel, their families and patients in Design Stephen R. Reiner
VA hospitals through the JWB Jewish Chaplains Council. Peter Shevenell Toby Rubin
Jeremy Kortes Stephen Seiden
JCC Association receives support from the JFNA National Federation/Agency Alliance, local federations and Jewish
Dan Hertzberg Paula Sidman
Community Centers.
ISSN 1065-1551 Online
Chris Strom

1
This time,
there is no going back.
It’s time for JCCs to rewrite the rules.
If the economic downturn has taught us anything, it is that the growth
we experienced in recent years took place under an unrealistic set of
circumstances. We will not likely see a return to the funding patterns that
sustained the institutions and services that we built.

It’s time for new thinking; time to change the unwritten rules of engagement
among Jewish institutions, and put our energy into developing the new
strategic directions that will allow our JCCs to adapt and thrive in the future.

For instance, today we see the need to reposition the JCC as a leadership
institution in the community. The notion that certain institutions “own”
particular areas of Jewish life is no longer functional, and hinders us from
moving forward.

Too often, the high cost of Jewish living forces young families to choose—the
JCC or the synagogue, day school or resident camp. It’s time we find a way to
make fully integrated memberships in the Jewish community available—and
affordable. We need to rethink the way that Jewish communities operate in
order not only to be more efficient, but also to provide service, affiliation, and
educational models that are easily accessible to anyone seeking involvement.

And perhaps most significantly, we see a strong need to put Jewish mission at
the fore of the conversation. Too often over the past decade, mission has taken
a back seat to business, and the pressures to keep it there are only growing. We
must move Jewish mission back to the core of our strategic thinking. This is the
only way for JCCs to maintain distinctiveness in the marketplace—and to fulfill
our unique role as North America’s most welcoming Jewish space.

* * *
New thinking. You see it here in the new format and focus of our JCC Circle
magazine. And you’ll be seeing it in everything we do over the coming months,
in preparation for the JCC Movement’s forum for new ideas, the JCCs of North
America Biennial, to be held in Atlanta, May 2-5, 2010.

I urge you—as the leaders of the JCC Movement—to join the conversation and be
a part of this new kind of thinking. Visit biennial.jcca.org and submit your
hot topic ideas for discussion at the Biennial. I look forward to seeing you
in Atlanta, hearing your ideas, and having your input as we rewrite the rules.

B’shalom,

Allan Finkelstein
President | JCC Association

2 3
A: the jcc
Q: what swimming

saves pool
lives
earns good
Money
and
makes new
friends Sound like a big fish story?
it’s not. the Lenny krayzelburg
jcc swim academy aims to transform

every day? jcc pools from loss-leaders to


revenue powerhouses and magnets
for new members...and make
a generation of kids water-safe
in the process.
By Peter Shevenell

4 5
aquatics renaissance

The parent is bound to teach their children a craft.


Some say, also to teach them to swim.
—B. Talmud, Kiddushin 29a

Rebirth of the Pool


When Olympic champ Lenny Krayzelburg approached Executive Director Brian Greene
with a proposition to open a new swim school at the Westside JCC, Greene had nothing
to lose. The JCCs of greater Los Angeles were restructuring, and Westside was partially
shut down. The pool itself was closed, and Greene, anxious to open it up again, was
receptive to any plan, especially one coming from the well-known, world-class swimmer
who had spent his early years—after emigrating to America from Ukraine at age
ten—swimming in the Westside JCC pool.
But his expectations were modest. “When our pool had been open in earlier years, we
used to have two or three hundred kids taking swimming lessons, and I thought to Hands-on training and low instructor-to-student ratios are key elements
myself, ‘Boy, if we could get back to those glory days, that would be wonderful.’ And of the SwimRight method’s success.
then Lenny presented us with a business plan that said he was going to have four or five
hundred students within a year, and we all thought, hey, it’s great that he wants to be
new families,” says Fox. “The Swim Academy really is bringing a great new resource here.”
optimistic, but this is ridiculous! We figured if he achieved half of what he wanted to do,
Shorefront pins its success on adapting to its neighborhood’s patterns of growth and
that would be great for us.”
initiating programming that is valuable for its members. Fox saw in the Lenny K Swim
Within months, Lenny had 750 students taking lessons at Westside—each week. Academy an opportunity to reach out to the more affluent members of the community,
That was four years ago. The program’s success led to the pool being shut down those who were not drawn to the Y for social services. “Lenny Krayzelburg is a known
again—this time for an expansion. Westside recently opened its new Harry & Jeannette name to everybody in the Russian Jewish world. He’s one of their heroes.” The program
Weinberg Aquatics Center, a $4.5 million, state-of-the-art swimming facility created only opened mid-June, but Shorefont is already planning ways to expand its Lenny K
through the generosity of major gifts from the Weinberg Foundation and others. The swim programming, expanding it into summer camp and preschool programming.
JCC now averages 1,250 students taking weekly swim lessons, with a peak of 1,400 in Making New Friends: A Crossover Hit
the summer months.
Not only has the Lenny Krayzelburg JCC Swim Academy rejuvenated Westside’s pool
Revenue coming to the JCC from the swim academy has grown accordingly. “It’s even and brought a new standard of programming excellence to Shorefront, it’s also been
more profitable now, especially with the new facility. It’s become a very key part of responsible for a lot of crossover at both JCCs, as families attracted initially by the swim
our operating revenue,” says Greene. “The Lenny K Swim Academy initialized the lessons discover and take part in other JCC offerings.
revitalization of our Center.”
“We are seeing cross-enrollment all the time,” says Greene. “Families coming in for a
Brighton Beach Memoir swim lesson hear about our preschool, and discover our teen program. Children who
More than just a continent separates Los Angeles’ Westside JCC from the Shorefront YM- are taking swimming are also taking gymnastics classes, etc.” At Shorefront, Fox finds
YWHA in Brooklyn, New York. Shorefront serves the communities of Brighton Beach and that new people drawn to the JCC for the first time because of the Swim Academy are
Manhattan Beach, home to a large concentration of immigrants from the former Soviet getting involved in other family programming.
Union. Shorefront provides social services to this population, and works to integrate What’s the Secret?
them into American society—in the settlement-house tradition of the first JCCs—while
reconnecting them to their Jewish roots. What’s so different about the Lenny K Swim Academy? How does it grow so quickly,
bring new families to the pool, and on to other parts of the JCC? The answer lies in the
Shorefront also had a functioning—and busy— SwimRight Method, the academy’s unique teaching curriculum.
pool, when they decided to bring in the Lenny
Within months, K JCC Swim Academy. “We already had swim “We have a very precise teaching style,” Krayzelburg says. “We follow a clear progression,
Lenny had 750 instruction,” says Executive Director Sue Fox. beginning with getting a child comfortable in the water, floating on their back, and
getting a good sense of their surroundings in the water. We’re very hands-on—every
“We had swim classes, junior swim team, senior
students taking swim team, and lap swimmers. We were already instructor is required to be in the pool with the kids, and we have a four-to-one ratio of
students to instructors, so kids get more individual attention.”
lessons at the making money from our swim instruction.”
So why make the change? As children learn, they progress through different levels that are broken down into
Westside JCC individual skills. Parents are given a sticker book detailing the goals of each level of
“We were looking to strengthen our program to
...each week. teach children swimming, and to reach out to
instruction, with every skill spelled out clearly. When children achieve a goal, they are
given a sticker for the book.

6 7
aquatics renaissance
themselves back to the side of the pool.
“What makes these survival tests unique
is that they’re done fully clothed. We want
to stress the real-world situation, and give
the child the natural instinct so they won’t
panic should they ever find themselves in
this situation,” Krayzelburg says. “They’ll
know what to do.”
“It’s critically important,” says Fox. “We’re
right here by the ocean, and always very
concerned about drowning statistics. I
Children are first taught water safety,
know that because of what we do, parents
starting as young as three months.
will not have to go through that awful
experience.”
Positive feedback gives students confidence and a sense of accomplishment.
And parents appreciate it. Both JCCs report their best marketing tool for the Swim
Academy is word of mouth. Parents see their kids happy and motivated to be
“The instruction builds confidence from the moment their toes hit the water,” says Fox. swimming, and they tell their friends.
Stickers motivate the children, serving as clear indicators to them—and to the family— “It’s better than anything else I’ve seen out there,” says Greene. “It’s a first-rate
of their accomplishments. Greene concurs, noting that children progress rapidly curriculum for swim instruction. Lenny’s name and background attract people to the
through the steps. They quickly become comfortable in the water, learn basic strokes, program initially, but they stay because of the quality of the swim instruction.
and become swimmers. “When children progress that quickly through the steps, they
“It’s a great business venture, it’s created a great name for Westside in the community,
feel successful, and they’re excited to come back every week.”
but it’s also saving lives, and that’s the bottom line.”
The Bottom Line: Saving Lives For more information on the Lenny Krayzelburg JCC Swim Academy, contact Steve
With Krayzelburg’s career successes [see inset], he could be training the next generation Becker at (212) 786-5105, e-mail: SteveB@jcca.org, or visit www.jcca.org/LennyKswim.
of world champions, but instead he chose to return to his roots at the JCC and work
with children and infants, the ultimate beginners. Why?
“Every single child needs to learn to swim, and every parent has to address water safety for
their child,” Krayzelburg says. “For me, coaching elite swimmers and Olympic hopefuls
Who is Lenny K, anyway?
doesn’t bring the same satisfaction as Lenny Krayzelburg is a four-time Olympic gold medalist, and was the U.S.
being able to impact thousands of kids, Olympic Team Captain in 2004. A dominant backstroker, at one point Lenny
owned all six world records in the event. He won the 100m and 200m back at
A Strategic Wonder and getting them first and foremost
the 1998 World Championships, and is an 11-time US National Champion.
water-safe. Teaching kids to swim
When the JCC at Milken, in West Hills, is giving them a gift for life. It’s an Lenny was born in Odessa, Ukraine. His family faced discrimination as Jews,
CA, underwent a recent transformation, incredible feeling.” and in 1989 his parents decided to immigrate to the United States and settle
the JCC’s strategic plan “led us to the in Los Angeles. He quickly found an aquatic home at the Westside JCC, where
Lenny Krayzelburg JCC Swim Academy According to the Centers for Disease
Control, fatal drowning remains the he trained with Steve Becker, now JCC Association’s director of heath and
as a partner,” says Executitve Director wellness services. As a teen, Lenny competed in the JCC Maccabi Games®
Paul Frishman. The programming part- second-leading cause of unintentional
in Detroit (1990) and Baltimore (1992). He became a U.S. citizen in 1995 and
nership with Lenny “helped us achieve injury-related death for children ages
graduated with a business degree from USC in 1998.
all five of our strategic goals: offering 1 to 14 years, and accounts for fully 26
quality programs, creating value for our percent of deaths of children ages 1 to Following his dominating performance at the 2000 Olympic
membership, providing quality customer 4. Survival tests are part of the Lenny Games in Sydney, Lenny surprised many in the swimming
service, building and maintaining partner- K curriculum. “We teach kids how world by forgoing the 2001 World Championships in order
ships, and being fiscally efficient.” to behave in the water in case of an to participate in the 16th Maccabiah Games in Israel. At
The JCC reopened in early fall with a emergency,” Krayzelburg says. “They that time, Israel was plagued by violence related to the
redone swimming facility, upscale locker develop the instinct to roll onto their second intifada, and Lenny’s decision to attend helped rally
rooms, and new fitness center—and a back and float—that’s the first part of a sizeable U.S. team, which in turn contributed to a
quickly growing Lenny K swim program. hearty turnout of delegates from around the world.
our survival test, and we’ve got a ten-
“It’s a tremendously positive component He carried in the flag for the United States at the
month-old who’s already doing it.”
of our JCC, and it’s an oustanding pro- opening ceremonies, and won gold in the 100-meter
gram for the community,” says Frishman. The second part of the survival test backstroke and the 4 x 100 m medley relay.
involves training the children to get

8 9
Discover a JCC:

14th Street Y
of the educational alliance

an east village oasis

iPhone paintings by Jeremy Kortes


JCC Association Senior Graphic Designer Jeremy Kortes
recently visited the 14th Street Y of the Educational
Alliance, which is located in Manhattan, on the edge of
the East Village in a gentrifying area. He created these
artworks in a brand-new medium—painting by fingertip
on the iPhone! A painter, illustrator and musician, Jeremy
used an app called Brushes to make these digital paintings.

10 11
Moms and toddlers at the 14th Street Y’s “2 x 2”
preschool prep program

The JCC Movement is blessed with wonderful diver-


sity. Jewish Community Centers come in all shapes
and sizes. Some boast huge suburban campuses;
others are ensconced in multi-story urban buildings;
and a few don’t have their own spaces at all. Some
JCCs focus on the arts while others emphasize
services to the elderly. There are JCCs that are es-
sentially preschools, and others that have a strong
emphasis on fitness. All JCCs aim to serve their
communities and welcome people in.

Learn more about the 14th Street Y


at DiscoverJCC.com/FindAJCC.

Watch the creation of these innovative artworks


at DiscoverJCC.com/iPhonePaintings.

12 13
The 2009 Jewish Federations of North America Annual General Assembly
Now,
write down

Photographer: Robert A. Cumins,


this song and
teach it to Israel.*
—Deuteronomy 31:19

Who are these men and women? Noreen Gordon Sablotsy, chair of the JWB Services to * It is a mitzvah
Military Personnel Committee and the mother of an for every Jew
They are your brother, your sister, your son, your
officer in the United States Navy, recently explained to to write a Torah
daughter, your husband, your wife. They are part of scroll. Writing
the JCC Association board of directors that while Jewish
our Jewish family, and they serve in the United States military chaplains certified by JWB, and lay leaders even a single
Armed Forces. And we, through JCC Association’s trained by JWB lead services, conduct Seders, insure letter fulfills
JWB Jewish Chaplains Council, make sure they and the availability of kosher food, provide ritual necessities this mitzvah.
By
the more than 10,000 other Jewish members on and offer comfort to Jewish military personnel they are
Fani Magnus
active duty in the U.S. military have everything they often lacking the most powerful, important and essential
Monson
need to stay connected Jewishly while they serve. symbol of Jewish ritual life—a Torah scroll. “Chaplains in

14 15
And helping JWB provide more for our troops…

of North America Annual


Photo: Robert A. Cumins
The Jewish Federations

General Assembly
David Everett, lawyer and retired U.S. Army Reserve colonel, recently spent five months
in Afghanistan as a senior military advisor to the police chief of Kabul. “It’s my sense that
the typical Afghan is most concerned with four things,” Everett said. “Putting food on the
family’s table, putting clothes on their backs, having a roof over their heads, and security.”
And whoever is able to provide those things best, Everett believes, will win the fight.
Everett’s family has a long and proud military tradition. His father and three uncles all
served in World War II. Each uncle was awarded a Purple Heart, a military decoration
given to those who have been wounded or killed in battle. His mother’s brother, Fred
Jewish members Brenner, an Air Force B-24 navigator, was killed on a mission to Germany.
of the Air Force, Everett also has powerful and long-time connections to JCC Association. His father,
Marines, Navy, Henry Everett z”l, served on the JCC Association Board of Directors for many years,
and Army escort
and David serves on the JWB Committee on Services to Jewish Military Personnel.
the unfinished
Torah at the Everett’s parents, Henry and Edith Everett, co-founded the Everett Foundation in
JFNA General 1955. A generous grant from the foundation recently underwrote the publication of
Assembly. a new JWB Tanakh, the first full Jewish Bible published for the U.S. Armed Forces in
many years. JWB, working with the Jewish Publication Society, published the new
the field and aboard ships need Torahs that can accompany them from site to site, as they edition, specially sized to fit into combat uniform pockets; it is now being provided
move around the combat theater,” said Sablotsky, “so we are undertaking a new project to to all Jewish troops. Copies of the Christian Bible have been generally available for all
commission the writing of small, lightweight and fully kosher Sifrei Torah (Torah scrolls).” recruits at boot camp, and now Jewish recruits have a Tanakh readily available at every
initial training site.
At the recent Jewish Federations of North America Annual
General Assembly in Washington, DC, more than three The Everett Foundation was a natural
“I’m proud to be thousand delegates stood together at the closing plenary partner for JWB in making publication
American, and as 21 Jewish American representatives of the United States of the Tanakh possible: it is dedicated to
Armed Forces reverently escorted a newly commissioned, the memory of Henry Everett, who died
I’m proud to be in 2004, and Fred Brenner. The senior
as yet unfinished Torah to the stage. Chaplain Col. Brett
Jewish. This is Oxman explained that this and hopefully five additional Everett was a passionate lover of Jewish
something that small, portable Torahs will be carried by Jewish military books, having served on the boards of,
chaplains as they travel to visit our Jewish troops. and supported, JPS and the National
lets me be both Jewish Book Council, in addition to
at the same Many in the audience were moved to tears by the sight of
JCC Association.
these brave men and women. One delegate reacted, “I’m
time.” proud to be American, and I’m proud to be Jewish. This is All of these intertwined connections
something that lets me be both at the same time.” made it seem bashert (meant to be)
that the Everett Foundation would
“This is a project that unites the entire Jewish community,” added Oxman. RADM Harold
support the new JWB Tanakh. But
Robinson, (Ret.), director of JWB said, “I know how powerful it will be for the American
ultimately, says Everett, the impetus for
Jewish community to provide these Torahs to serve those who serve us. I only wish I had a
providing the grant was his personal
Torah I could have carried with me when I was visiting the troops in Iraq.”
understanding of how comforting it
can be to have a Tanakh when serving
in a combat zone. “It’s all about the
Jewish men and women whose lives
will be touched in such profound ways COL David F. Everett, inspecting
by having this Tanakh while they are checkpoints in Kabul, makes new
Torahs for our Troops is a project of friends with neighborhood kids
JWB Jewish Chaplains Council, a service of serving our country, so far away from
JCC Association. To bring the Torah to your home and in harm’s way.”
community to help us raise the funds to complete Everett was in Afghanistan when two Jewish service members from his base were
it, and others, or to find out more about the project, killed this past spring. Speaking of his lost colleagues, Air Force 1LT Roslyn Schulte
please contact Ziva Davidovich at zivad@jcca.org
and Shawn Pine, a civilian contractor who was also a lieutenant colonel in the Army
or call her at (212) 786-5099.
Reserve, Everett said, “They were very highly regarded by their colleagues in the U.S.
To donate, visit www.TorahsForOurTroops.org. and coalition forces, as well as by the Afghans. It was very important to me that the
For more information, visit www.jcca.org/jwb. memorial service which our command held for them included a Jewish chaplain.”

16 17
JCCs of North America
FOCUS ON: Philanthropy The AVI CHAI Foundation awards
a new grant to the Mandel Center
for Jewish Education
Mort Mandel: Giving A grant of $175,000 has just been awarded to the Mandel Center for
Gives Meaning to Life Jewish Education to implement a new cohort of the Lekhu Lakhem alumni
program called Netivim. In awarding the grant, Yossi Prager, executive
director of AVI CHAI North America, said, “AVI CHAI is delighted to be the
Philanthropist extraordinaire Mort Mandel grew up in a home where helping Center’s partner in this program, which has demonstrated its success in
others was a given. Even though his family didn’t have a great deal of money, strengthening the Judaic programming at participating JCC overnight
there was always enough to share with someone in need. “Someone needed summer camps.”
to have her refrigerator fixed,” Mandel recalled, “and my mother [gave her the
money and] said, ‘Someday you’ll do me a favor.’ She never made a loan.” Since its inception, directors and assistant directors from 18 of the 26 JCC
Movement-affiliated resident camps have participated in Lekhu Lakhem.
Mandel and his brothers took their mother’s example to heart. As soon as they “With this new grant,” says Dr. David Ackerman, director of the Mandel
started making more than they needed in their auto-parts business, they formed Center for Jewish Education, “we are seeing these directors continuing into
a foundation. “We gave back really two ways,” Mandel said. In addition to financial their fourth or fifth year of ongoing Jewish learning and leadership. It’s
donations, “we’ve given of ourselves. We’ve taken volunteer assignments since having an enormous impact on Jewish life and learning in our camps.”
we’re young adults. Our involvement in the larger community has added a lot of
meaning to our lives. Giving back has been one of the most important reasons
that I feel comfortable with myself. I do it because that’s how I define myself.”
Mandel is a former chair of JCC Association and the impetus behind the Mandel
Center for Jewish Education and the Mandel Center for Excellence in Leadership
and Management, with each Center receiving an annual grant of $500,000.
Mandel refers to these as “evergreen grants”— enabling the two centers to know By establishing and
that their funding is ongoing, so they can plan ahead to have maximum impact. continuing to fund the
MCELM was formed to ensure that the JCC two JCC Association
Movement develops the highly qualified Mandel Centers,
lay and professional leaders it needs to
“Giving back has been guide complex institutions such as JCCs. our foundation is
one of the most important Through its Benchmarking Project and other accomplishing two of our
reasons that I feel services, the Mandel Center for Excellence
in Leadership and Management has become
most important goals...
comfortable with myself. We are seeing a great
the go-to place for JCCs wanting to be the
I do it because that’s
how I define myself.”
best they can be. return on our investment.
The Mandel Center for Jewish Education’s
— Philanthropist Mort Mandel
mission is to infuse Jewish learning into
JCCs and camps. Through camp curriculum
such as TAG: Jewish Values through JCC Camping®, thousands of Jewish children
absorb Jewish values during their camp experience. Other foundations see the
value of the mission, funding Mandel Center programs such as The AVI CHAI
Foundation-funded Lekhu Lakhem: Jewish Educational Journeys for JCC Resident
Camp Directors, which transforms camp directors into Jewish educators. Another
AVI CHAI initiative, Chizuk, brings Jewish educators to resident camps. The
Goodman Family Institute-Yisrael Sheli, provides intense Israel education to high-
school-age resident campers.
Mandel believes that Jewish Community Centers are integral to Jewish life in
North America. “I’ve stayed with JCC Association longer than I’ve stayed with
any other organization” he said. “I’m also involved with the JCCs in Cleveland
and Palm Beach. By establishing and continuing to fund the two JCC Association
Mandel Centers, our foundation is accomplishing two of our most important goals:
strengthening the quality of leadership in the JCC Movement and strengthening
Jewish identities throughout the Jewish community. We are seeing a great return
on our investment.”

18 19
Say Hello
to the New
Kid on
the Block
Meet Jerry Silverman, the new face
of Jewish Federations of North America
by Miriam Rinn
Jerry Silverman has been on the job as CEO of the newly named
Jewish Federations of North America for just a few months, but the
expectations surrounding him have already ballooned to gigantic
proportions. The Forward named him one of the 50 most influential
Jewish leaders, adding that he enters his new job “amid messianic
expectations.” Silverman comes to JFNA (formerly United Jewish
Communities or UJC) from a hyper-successful stint as the director
of the Foundation for Jewish Camp. There he greatly enhanced the
agency’s profile as well as its annual budget. Now, many Jewish
communal leaders are watching to see what Silverman can do for
the JFNA, which has struggled to maintain its relevancy with local
federations since the 1999 merger of three central agencies.
The former for-profit marketer Silverman sees that
struggle as an opening. “The biggest opportunity is
to begin to focus our organization on areas that
will really add value to the local federations,”
he said, acknowledging that there are doubts.
While some JFNA services are highly
regarded, others are not as appreciated.
“I think it’s mixed,” Silverman said. “Our
public policy office in D.C., people feel
very confident with. There are other
areas where there are questions.”
Silverman is convinced that a central federation agency can add value
in several ways. For instance, in financial resource development. “We don’t
raise money,” he said, “but we can add value to the local federations in JCC Boards & Governance
their fundraising.” A national entity can create affinity groups, can help to
build community foundations, can collect and share best practices. JFNA is

Governance
“creating a powerhouse cohort of women across the nation,” he said, “and
the same with the young leadership cabinet.” Recruiting and mentoring great
talent is the mission of the JFNA’s Mandel Center for Leadership Excellence,
and Silverman wants to ramp up that service.

matters:
Silverman grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, not usually considered a seedbed of
Jewish communal influence. But it was a traditional home, grounded in Jewish
learning. His father is a cantor and a rabbi, and his mother is descended from
rabbis. For 25 years, Silverman worked in the clothing industry, first for Levi
Strauss, and then at Stride Rite. Moved by his daughter’s wonderful experience
at a Jewish resident camp, Silverman decided to switch to the nonprofit sector
when he took over leadership of the Foundation for Jewish Camp. Now, he
laughs at the idea that he may have traded agile and rapid decision making
for the deeper emotional satisfaction of working in the Jewish community. “I
What every new
don’t think that the for-profit world has a quicker pace,” he said.
Silverman’s inspiring experience with Jewish and JCC resident and
day camps reinforces his belief in the ability of JFNA to engage the next
board member should know...
generation of givers, something it must do if it’s going to reverse its shrinking
donor base. There are programs in the Jewish community that already are
making a difference, he said, citing camps and Taglit Birthright-Israel. Both of
these avenues are open to a diverse range of Jews—different backgrounds,
races, family definition—which mirrors the Jewish community of the future. A
JFNA service-learning pilot had 600 young adults come to New Orleans to do
hands-on volunteer work. “Young people don’t want structure and systems. I’ve just been selected
They’re cause oriented. They’re interested in moving with agility on an issue.
We have to insure that there is breathing space for them,” Silverman said.
“You’re going to see more portals of entry that will allow young people to feel
to serve on the board of
empowered” at JFNA.
Through the Jewish Agency, Israel continues to be the beneficiary of directors of my JCC.
a large percentage of federation funds, and Silverman doesn’t see that

What am I supposed
changing. He points out that despite its economic success Israel still devotes
a huge part of its budget to defense, and that a “surprising number of families
live under the poverty line.” But just as much as Israel needs the contributions
of American Jews, Diaspora Jews need to support Israel. The benefits go both
ways. “We’re living a miracle for the last 61 years,” Silverman said, and every
to do besides show up
federation needs to feel a part of that miracle. “I think contributing dollars is
an essential part of that connection.” at meetings?
“I have a lot to learn,” Silverman said, when asked about the relationship
between federations and JCCs. “One of the great things is that I have a prior
relationship with Allan Finkelstein. We are committed to coming up with a
shared vision that hopefully we can model and share with communities.”
Silverman will address JCC executive directors at the Executive Seminars in
Washington, DC in January, and he’s one of the speakers at the JCCs of North
America Biennial in Atlanta in May. He will no doubt have thought more about
JCCs and their local federations by that time. JCC leaders’ hopes are as high
as everyone else’s.
By Ann F. Eisen
JCC Association Vice-President, Community Services
Catch up with Jerry Silverman at the JCCs and Consultant on Leadership Development
of North America Biennial 2010 in Atlanta!
THE
LEADERSHIP Register now at biennial.jcca.org and take
JCCs NEED. advantage of early bird pricing.

22
leadership
First, congratulations! You’ve accepted a position that should provide exciting JCC boards need to establish conflict-of-interest and whistleblower policies, and they
challenges and serious responsibilities. You’ve agreed to lead, support, and oversee must be careful to do due diligence and follow up on problems.
a critically important institution in your community. These three aspects of the Sometimes, board members feel that their oversight responsibilities run counter
job—strategic leadership, communal and financial support, and oversight of mission to their role as the JCC’s ambassadors, and since the latter is more fun, they spend
implementation—can get confusing, and sometimes even contradict one another. But more time promoting the JCC than poring over audit reports. Remember that as a
successful nonprofit boards fulfill those roles, and do it well. board member you’ll feel better praising an institution that you know is operating
judiciously and effectively.
What does it mean to lead strategically?
? How do I go about doing that?
People naturally respect a board that is known for providing strong oversight, and
that respect translates into influence and prestige. It may even have a positive effect
on fundraising. Donors feel more comfortable contributing to agencies with engaged
As a member of the board, you will be involved in deciding on and planning the
and responsible boards of directors.
JCC’s strategic vision, or where the JCC wants to end up in, say, five years. Maybe
your board decides that the JCC should strive to be the wellness center of your
I see that there’s a lot involved in being a board
community. Encouraging people to become healthy and giving them ways to improve
their physical, emotional, and spiritual health is what your JCC is all about. Such a member. I think I need some preparation. Where
?
vision expresses the JCC’s commitment to bettering its community. can I find help?
Does that mean that the board will choose the wellness director or plan the schedule
of nutrition lectures? No, that is not the role of board members. Your role is to You’ll be glad to hear that we have just completed a revision of the JCC Association
establish an overall direction and then leave it to the JCC staff to make it happen. Manual for JCC Board Members, which is filled with information that will help you
This is one of the most important distinctions for board members to appreciate: be a more effective board member. We also publish other manuals and reports about
you are on the board to lead, not to manage. The JCC’s executive director is the fundraising and governance, which you can find on JCC Resources. Each JCC has
person responsible for implementing the policies that the board sets. But it’s critical a designated JCC Association community consultant who is available to answer
that the board and executive director work closely and in tandem. Even though questions or to do board training.
there’s a natural pull and tug between the two, your JCC depends on the successful The 2010 JCCs of North America Biennial in Atlanta provides numerous
partnership of board and exec. opportunities to learn the latest ideas about governance and the chance to meet board
members from other JCCs. You can contact me at aeisen@jcca.org to schedule a
Okay, I get that. Now, how do I provide support?
? I understand my responsibility to help the JCC
governance training or evaluation.
You should also find a mentor on your board—someone who has served for a
raise money, but what other kinds of support while. Many boards have formal mentoring or orientation programs for new board
members. But even if your board doesn’t, search out an experienced board member
should I provide? to talk with about your role.
Board members do indeed have an obligation to support the JCC financially by
making personal gifts and by soliciting gifts from others. But you also need to share
the benefits of the JCC with your community. Tell people what a great institution next
the JCC is and all about the strategic vision that you helped to form. Make yourself
available to community organizations or to members when they need information steps • contact Ann Eisen at
about what the JCC does. Share your excitement and enthusiasm. Support the JCC’s (504) 866-5090, or via
programs by showing up. Be an ambassador. e-mail: AnnEisen@jcca.org
Another way to support the JCC is with your knowledge and expertise. Whether
you’re an accountant or an electrician, an architect or a music teacher, you • Find a mentor on your board
can volunteer your professional know-how to make the JCC a more successful
organization. • Read the Manual for JCC
Board Members, available
So that leaves oversight, which sounds serious. from JCC Association at
? What does that entail? http://jcca.org/governance/

You’re right, oversight is an increasingly important aspect of board membership, • Attend the JCCs of North
especially in light of the widely publicized examples of the failure of board oversight America Biennial 2010.
in the past few years. In response to that failure, Congress, the courts, and leaders in Register at biennial.jcca.org
the nonprofit world have urged boards to improve transparency and accountability.

24 25
This year is different.
Should you attend Biennial 2010? JCCs are facing challenges like never before.
We recognize the problems you’re confronting, and we are re-tooling the

Take this quick quiz:


JCCs of North America Biennial Convention to focus on strategies for
dealing with the future head-on. Biennial 2010 will inspire you to imagine
new possibilities—and then show you how to achieve them.
In this environment, it is critical that we collaborate, share ideas, and
re-envision the future of our JCCs.
The Biennial is the only place where all JCC leaders—including presidents,
Yes No executive directors, board members, advanced leaders, Next Generation
leaders, and community leaders—can get together to learn from one another.

1. Are you conc At Biennial 2010, every seminar will be designed and executed to deliver
erned about how the tools you need to move forward in this difficult economic climate. The
will fare in this e your JCC Biennial will deliver actionable insights for you to apply immediately to your
conomy? JCC and your staff team.
2. Are you look
ing for ways to b You can’t afford to miss this opportunity.
more effective le ecome a If you do one thing all year for your JCC, it should be to attend Biennial
ader? 2010. And bring your fellow leaders with you, to gather a wealth of cost-
3. Do you have saving and revenue-generating ideas to strengthen your JCC today.
a responsibility to
your JCC? improve
Speakers include:
4. Do you hate th
e phrase “becau
the way it’s alwa se that’s
ys been done”?
5. Do you consid
er yourself a life
learner? long
6. Do you enjoy Bernie Marcus Arthur Blank Reynold Levy Jerry Silverman
being surrounde Co-founder, Co-founder, President, CEO, Jewish

bright and curio d by other The Home Depot The Home Depot Lincoln Center for Federations

us Jewish leaders the Performing Arts of North America

a thirst for know with


ledge and a pass • Understand how the economy is impacting the whole JCC Movement and
sharing ideas? ion for how you can achieve success in your community.
• Gather actionable ideas and practical tools to improve your JCC.
• Learn from experts about issues and challenges facing your JCC.
• Develop your leadership and management skills; work with your
delegation to determine ways to enhance the functioning of your board.
• Gain valuable information about operations, programming and technology.
If you answered yes to any of these • Energize your leadership and build
questions, then Biennial 2010 relationships among your
delegation.
in Atlanta is the place for you. act now for Early bird
registration rates!
through January 15, 2010 at
biennial.jcca.org atlanta MAY 2–5

26 27
beyond
the battle
of the

bulge
Dieting and workouts are
no longer the whole story of
healthy living, and JCCs are
perfectly suited to take center
stage in today’s more holistic
concept of wellness.
Americans are becoming less healthy every year.
According to data from the National Center for Health
Statistics, 12 percent of the population suffers limitations
on activity because of chronic health problems, and 32
percent of people over 20 years old have hypertension.
Two-thirds of the population is now considered overweight.
Our life expectancy at birth (how long a baby can expect
to live) lags behind Japan, the U.K., Germany, Switzerland,
and 43 other countries. How did we get here?
By Miriam Rinn

28 29
living well

Looking for a way to get people active that baby boomers are concerned about maintaining good quality of life.
They remember their parents’ later years, and they don’t want to repeat that
Every strip mall boasts a gym and thousands of weight-loss books are stacked experience. “They tell me, ‘I want to be able to lift my grandchildren, I want to
on bookstore tables, yet Americans are fatter, less fit, and unhealthier than go on an active vacation,’” Olinsky said.
ever. According to JCC Association Health and Wellness Services Director
Steven Becker, the fitness-center model of exercising three times a week has not Partnering with local health professionals
worked for the majority of the population. 
At the Peninsula JCC in Foster City, California, a partnership with Kaiser
Most fitness clubs are competing for the approximately fifteen percent of Permanente Redwood City Medical Center is providing local residents with
already-motivated adults instead of trying to engage the other eighty-five health education and preventative healthcare resources for free. “It’s been a
percent. “The hard-body advertising strategy has done more to turn off very rewarding collaboration,” said the PJCC’s Associate Executive Director
prospective members than to attract them,” Becker said. “In fact, at the Jane Post. “It is helping the JCC fulfill one of our guiding principles, Shleimut,
current rate, this will be the first generation that will not live longer than their which means wholeness of body and spirit.” People have been showing up in
parents. We’re looking for a way to get people active,” walking or biking rather significant numbers for nutrition lectures and other Kaiser preventative health
than driving, eating healthier foods, and doing stress-relieving activities such programs. A recent Family Fitness Day, co-sponsored by the PJCC and Kaiser
as yoga and meditation. Permanente, drew over 1,300 visitors, the largest event the JCC has ever had.
“People want balance. We’ve become the instant
Baby boomers are
gratification society,” said Ronald Katz, the JCC
Connecting people keeps them healthier
concerned about Association board member chairing a task force This fall, the JCC rolled out Kaiser Permanente’s walking program, 10,000
on fitness/wellness services at JCCs. While the Steps® to members and staff.  “This is a fun way to get our community involved
maintaining good
goal of the task force is to provide JCCs with in wellness,” Post said, “and because we organize them into walking groups,
quality of life. They recommendations and guidelines regarding it should also enhance social connections.” Research suggests that people
wellness programs, it is first surveying what enmeshed in social networks lead healthier—and longer—lives. Isolation and
remember their
JCCs mean by wellness, since there are different loneliness is a variable comparable to high blood pressure or smoking when
parents’ later years, definitions. One definition is that wellness is
and they don’t the science and art of helping people change
their lifestyle to move toward a state of optimal
want to repeat that health. “It’s not a diet, it’s a way of life,” Katz said.
experience. “We have to take care of ourselves. I think people
want to do that.”
Wellness
Helping people set attainable goals is “not a diet,
Risa Olinsky, the lifestyle and wellness director at the JCC MetroWest in West
Orange, New Jersey, agrees. “A wellness program is not just moving your body it’s a way of life.”
on a machine or what you eat. Wellness is the umbrella that takes in all the
pieces of how your life works.” Olinsky started her fitness career in the 1970s
as an aerobics instructor. She recalled the routine then—bounce, bounce,
stretch, on concrete floors—laughing at how foolish and dangerous that seems
now. Science has learned much more about how the adult body works and
the effects of aging on that body, according to Olinsky. She plans to develop a
wellness coaching program at the JCC, which will work in conjunction with
the registered dietician at the facility.
Done mostly on the phone, wellness coaching helps people set pragmatic
and attainable goals. Someone may decide to take the stairs rather than
an escalator, or to walk on a treadmill for 30 minutes three times a week.
“One of the simplest exercises is to learn how to breathe.” Olinsky believes

30 31
living well
it comes to health, some research has shown. According to DeAnn Jacobson,
group fitness director at the Marcus JCC of Atlanta, their Les Mills group
classes and the Silver Sneakers program encourages healthful socializing.
“Someone notices if they’re not there,” she said, and an exercise instructor may
call to find out why. Especially for older people, a scheduled exercise class gives
them a reason to leave the house.

Tackling youth obesity


The Shaw JCC in Akron, Ohio is also partnering with medical facilities in
their community. The JCC runs a children’s health program called Future
Fitness with Akron Children’s Hospital. “They refer obese children to our
facility, and we work with them on making physical activity part of everyday
life,” said Stephanie Davis, the JCC’s health and wellness director. Using games
such as relay races and obstacle courses, along with swimming, the program
encourages overweight children to become active without the danger of
embarrassment. The kids meet with a dietician to learn about healthful eating
as well. They’re all in it together, Davis pointed out, so they’re more willing to
try things.
Parents pay $15 a month, but the program is underwritten by a grant to the
hospital from Kohl’s Community Youth Fitness. “We’ve had children lose
weight. We’ve had children develop social skills,” said Davis, but the best thing A Family Fitness Day at the Peninsula JCC drew over 1,300 visitors,
the largest event the JCC has ever had.

next How to make your JCC the go-to to come out of the program, she believes, is the bond that the kids form with
the instructors. The children felt comfortable enough to teach the instructors
steps place for wellness in your community some of the latest dance moves, something they would never do at school,
Davis said.

ask an expert Because JCCs are full-service facilities with activities for all ages, they are
Contact Steve Becker, JCC Association director of health and perfectly positioned to encourage healthful living. JCCs have always responded
wellness services: e-mail SteveB@jcca.org to their community’s changing needs. And a healthy community is part of the
JCC’s mission. As Katz puts it, “As a community center, we’re about bettering
Work on your ‘definition’ the community.”
Develop a definition for wellness—and wellness programming—
for your JCC

break out of the fitness box


Offer big-picture wellness education: cooking classes, stress
management, smoking cessation, life coaching, et al

track habits...to encourage the good ones


Evaluate facility/program usage by new health & fitness
members within first 30-60 days of membership Where the world finds your JCC.
Partner up DiscoverJCC.com is the new online source for potential members
Look for other organizations interested in providing wellness and users to learn about JCCs — and find the one nearest them.
to your community and work together to offer value to your Packed with information on services and programs that local JCCs
members and users offer, this site was created by JCC Association to help the world
discover the JCC Difference.

32
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JEWISH COMMUNITY
Jewish Community Centers CENTERS ASSOCIATION
OF NORTH AMERICA
Association of North America
520 Eighth Avenue
New York, NY 10018
www.jcca.org

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Calling all big fish.


in 2010, the big fish will gather at the Biennial,
the JCC Movement’s essential leadership forum.
Whatever the size of your pond, plan on joining
the school in Atlanta next May for four days of
ideas, learning, and the tools your JCC needs.
biennial.jcca.org

Downtown Atlanta hosts the world’s largest aquarium, the Georgia Aquarium.

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