JCC Blog

Happy Thanksgiving

On behalf of the JCC Board of Directors chaired by Randi Buergenthal, and our incredibly dedicated team of professionals, I want to wish you a happy Thanksgiving. Despite the changes to this year’s celebration, we can still share gratitude for what we value personally and as a community. 

In these challenging and even heartbreaking times, we can have an appreciation for life and the silver linings for which we are grateful.   Each of us also has an opportunity to make a difference in our community. 

Along with enjoying the culinary favorites of Thanksgiving, consider setting up a video call with family and friends. Reach out to older relatives and neighbors to ensure they feel loved and supported. Consider helping the neediest and most vulnerable by donating food...

Beyond Baltimore: Learning Across the Globe

Bringing Lessons Home from JCC International Conference

By Barak Hermann, CEO and Randi Buergenthal, Board Chair

What can we learn from a JCC in Istanbul, Turkey? How can we connect to Jewish communities in India, countries in the Former Soviet Union (FSU), and Krakow, Poland? As it turns out, there are countless benefits to connecting to JCCs and Jewish communities from around the globe. 

This December, we traveled to Israel to attend JCC Global: 10th Annual World Conference of JCCs. We were joined by professional and volunteer leaders from 30 JCCs worldwide. Together, we shared stories of our communities, Jewish identity, and new endeavors at our JCCs. In many...

In the Zone

Maccabi Basketball Coach Has High Hopes for Baltimore Delegation

If Danny Hoffman has his way, Baltimore’s JCC Maccabi Games basketball team will one day become a national powerhouse, on par with some of the biggest teams in Atlanta, Miami, and Philadelphia. Until then, believes Hoffman, Baltimore is primed to continue growing its reputation and standings in the sport. 

Entering his third year as a Baltimore JCC Maccabi Games coach, Hoffman brings serious basketball pedigree to his ambitious goals. As a teenager, Hoffman, a Pittsburgh native, competed in basketball at the JCC Maccabi Games as a member of team Pittsburgh. “The Pittsburgh Maccabi team had the best Jewish athletes. I was thrilled to get the call that I made it,”...

Sukkot

This Sunday evening we usher in the holiday of Sukkot, a week long harvest festival, in which we remember the exodus from Egypt and the 40 years of wondering in desert. Traditionally, each household will build a Sukkah – a ritual booth. This holiday has both historical and agricultural significance. A holiday with many names, it is known as the “Festival of Booths,” the “Festival of the Ingathering,” and the “Season of our Joy.” Sukkot starts this Sunday night October 13 and runs through October 20th. The temporary huts we build during this time remind us both of the abundance of nature, and the precariousness and preciousness of life on earth. We celebrate Jewish peoplehood and shared history and welcome ancestors and friends, dwelling in our Sukkot, eating festive meals, singing and reveling in the autumn sounds and smells. If you don’t have a Sukkah, please join us in ours!! Both the Park Heights and the Owings...